(828) 575-9525

The Kangaroo Court of Master Sommeliers
just won't cry "uncle" on lurid charges of discrimination.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/02/dining/drinks/
wine-master-sommeliers-sexual-harassment.html
Do you have E-Charisma? Tips on improvement.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/do-you-have-e-charisma-on-zoom-
heres-how-to-get-it-11606651200  (In other words, the "kavorka")
The futures here. It won't be long before you can smell the coffee! (literally)
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55173270
The Battle over Carbohydrates Rages
Should Americans get half their calories from carbs? As the U.S. government
revises its dietary guide lines, battle lines are being drawn.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-americans-get-half-their-calories-
from-carbs-two-camps-battle-it-out-11606150740 (One word: PASTA!)
Asheville chosen #7 of 10 Top Places to Retire by money.com
https://money.com/best-places-to-retire-2020/ (Now what?)
And a Chinese Robot has Landed on the moon.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chang-e-5-china-spacecraft-lands-moon/

Your Discuss it Civally Wine
2018 La Casaccia Giuanìn Barbera Monferrato
Organic. Extraordinary.

$16.99 at Vivino (I would say thanks for the bottle shot but I am starting to feel guilty)
Websites with hundreds of bottle shots, at least one employee to manage
the site, box packaging and shipping is expensive. Shop your local merchant and save.

$14.99 @MetroWines. 
Always a "SOMM in The House" to answer questions!

GREENS 

Thanks to her cookbooks and groundbreaking work as chef at Greens Restaurant
in San Francisco, Deborah Madison, though not a vegetarian herself, has long been revered
as this country's leading authority on vegetables. She profoundly changed the way generations of Americans think about cooking with vegetables. In this charmingly intimate and refreshingly frank memoir, she tells her story, and with it the story of the vegetarian movement. From her childhood in Big Ag Northern California to working at Chez Panisse, and from the birth of food TV to the age of green markets everywhere, An Onion in My Pocket is as much the story
of the evolution of American foodways as it is the memoir of the woman at the forefront.
A personal look at the rise of vegetable-forward cooking and a manifesto for how to eat well.
https://www.malaprops.com/search/site/onion%20in%20my%20pocket

Your Read it With and Serve it With Wine

Pale yellow and bright color with greenish hues. Citrus and white fruits, green apple, pear,
with floral and slightly herbal memories, very fine expression of the variety.
Very good balance, well-salted acidity, fresh, greedy and with a certain oiliness note.
Great balance of flavors where green apple and lemon, ripened greengage
plum and white flowers are predominating. Blend: 85% Viura, 15% Malvasia

$19.99 at wine.com. Shameful.
*** $16.99 @MetroWines ***

And don't forget Roland Artichoke Hearts @MetroWines! 

Winery says:  "2017 is sourced from Papagni Vineyard in Madera California.
We have a long relationship with Demetrio Papagni whose wine roots go back generations.
The Boatman is the result of not just our efforts but also his extensive experience in Viticulture. The grapes were picked at dawn then crushed and de-stemmed quickly to tanks while still cold. After a long cold soak, fermentation was started, tanks were allowed to heat up for maximum extraction of fruit and color. The fermentIng wine was pumped over twice a day to give the yeast plenty of oxygen for a nice clean fermentation. Once dry the grapes were lightly pressed off the skins and a young Boatman was born! This wine is deep-inky purple in color. The nose is bright with toasted pumpkin seed, blackberry and a touch of asian spice. The palate is sumptuous
with layers of dark, forest fruit and notes of pepper, rhubarb and umami spice."

*** $12.99 @MetroWines ***

Cioa Asheville Suggests you Review
Fellini Films that celebrate the humor and compassion that make his work unforgettable.
(There is more to his work than Marcello Mastroianni!)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/federico-fellini-iconically-italian-11606564801

Your Watch it With Wine
2017 Chianti Colli Senisi
Dry Red Wine by Elisabetta Fagiuoli, Montenidoli
San Gimignano, Italy 13.5 ALC at bottling $21

Blend: 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo.
Vivid ruby red color, slight purplish hues.
The bouquet on the nose is fruity with hints of wild black cherry,
cherry and a delicate balsamic and herbal finish.
On the palate it is soft yet direct with excellent persistence.
This wine is best served with first course dishes or enjoyed solo.
Brett says: Let energy blow off for about 20 minutes.
Dollar more at Vivino but, as always, thanks for the bottle shot!

*** Heads Up ***
Estenas Bobal is Back in The House
José Pastor Selections 2019
Customer Favorite. Versatile. Crowd Pleaser!

Estenas Bobal is crafted from old Bobal vines averaging 50 years of age
(some up to 100 years) located in the heart of Utiel-Requena on clay-calcareous soils.
The wine is fermented in concrete tanks and raised in a mix of concrete
and old American oak barrels. This 100% Bobal is medium-bodied and shows
a mix of bright black and red fruits, spice, and minerals, while maintaining moderate alcohol
and high acidity. The result is a red wine that’s friendly with a wide variety of meats.
A traditional pairing is Gazpacho Manchego Cheese
Whoa, we have restaurant quality Manchego Cheese @MetroWines!

Did Michelangelo Dabble in Renaissance Graffiti?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/was-michelangelo-
a-renaissance-banksy-11605280000
(Well this really takes the torta, as they say.)

To consider this artistic conundrum, we need a high quality
yet unassuming bottle that does not take itself to seriously but knows
with great confidence exactly what it is and what it has to offer!
A Savio Soares Selection
2019 Castello di Stefanago Rosso 13.5% ALC 
The bottle shot of this wine is somewhat underwhelming
and does not speak to its good breeding and high standards.
But THIS is where Rosso was raised!

Rosso by Castello di Stefanago is a red wine produced in Oltrepò Pavese
with a blend of local grapes such as Croatina and Uva Rara together with Merlot.
 With its ruby and violet color and floral and fruity scents,
the wine is smooth on the palate for easy drinking. Traditional, artisanal winemaking.
To enjoy this wine at its best, let it 'breathe" at least 15-30 minutes before serving.

*** Quiet Confidence: $16.99 ***

*** Top Thanksgiving Picks***
Support Domestic Wineries on Thanksgiving

With fewer guests at The Thanksgiving Table,
this is the time to UP the wine served.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hottest-ticket-in-town-this-year-
is-your-familys-covid-constrained-thanksgiving-11605467122
And Oh Yeah, after this year, you deserve it!
For specific menu pairings, Call (828) 575-9525
for Thanksgiving Suggestions from one of our Sommeliers @MetroWines.

*** The Sparkling ***

The Brut from New Mexico offers a crisp, and full-bodied sparkling wine,
which has developed rich complexity and fine mousse.
The allure of toasty finish from twenty-four months on tirage,
is a complement to the sophisticated apple and citrus flavor.
A blend of 75%Chardonnay and 25%Pinot Noir. ALC 12%
Winemaker's Note: Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles.
A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. $18.99

New York Times: "For my money, the best sparkling wine in the US
is still produced by Gruet in a place about as far away
from Champagne as it could be." 
Wall Street Journal: "Best Value sparkling wine in the U.S. under $30.” 
And 90 Points from Wine Spectator

*** The White ***
Trouchard Roussanne 2018 $24
($28 at the winery.) 

The 2018 vintage will be remembered as nearly perfect. A cold winter with average rainfall
made for a late bud-break. Ideal spring weather allowed for a heavy set. 
Mild conditions in summer and fall allowed the crop to slowly ripen and develop maximum flavor. Wines of 2018 are powerful but elegant with firm acidity and beautiful balance. 
This could be the vintage of the decade!
Roussanne has been traditionally associated with the Northern Rhone,
where it is blended with Marsanne to make white Hermitage wines. In 1998,
3 acres of Roussanne were planted the Truchard Estate Vineyard.
Floral aromas of pineapple, honeysuckle, and jasmine with highlights of brioche and vanilla.
The palate is crisp, with clean flavors of fresh pear, honeydew melon and apricot.
Bright acidity provides a lengthy finish of citrus, mineral, and spice.
(Not new to shop. This label has been here since we opened the doors.
I thought its popularity, its uniqueness, would fade but no, never.)

*** The Red ***

2018 Lodi Cinsault- 8 barrels produced. Planted in 1886 in Lodi. 
Cranberry, candle wax, lavender. Black tea, violets, red cherry.
Crisp. silky finish. Crystalline, suave tannin finish. 13.3%ALC
 Only 8 barrels produced.

Vinous Media Says 93 Points
The 2018 Red Table Wine (Lodi) offers a super-intriguing range of floral
and red/purplish berry notes, all in a mid-weight frame that is hugely appealing.
A lighter, more food friendly blend that features Cinsault, Carignane and Zinfandel.
(Stand By: This might be my pick of the year!)
$39.99 at union Square in NYC and SOLD OUT
$29 @MetroWines and ready for pick up!

Hey! Wait a minute! Let's Get Crazy!
Do an All Sandlands Thanksgiving with their Cinsault AND Chenin Blanc!
From Amador County, the Sandlands 2018 Chenin Blanc is made wine in French Oak.
Planted in 1979 and grown at 1500 feet in a mixture of iron rich volcanic quartz
and decomposed granite soils in a dry farmed vineyard.
Lemon verbena, peach blossom, bees wax, focused, structured finish.  12% ALC.
2018 sold out at winery.
$27 @Metro Wines and ready to make
this Thanksgiving special after all!

*** The Rose ***

 
 There is a lot to love about this plush, summery rosé from Broc Cellars.
Chris Brockaway makes a wide range of California wine but the common denominators
are that they must be made without additives (other than a small amount of SO2 as necessary), always fermented with indigenous yeasts, using grapes from vineyards that do not use
synthetic chemicals (many of them certified organic), and of course they must be delicious.
The blend is 80% Valdigue, 14% Zinfandel, and 6% Trousseau. This year's rosé is a deep salmon color, bursting with notes of ripe, juicy strawberry and watermelon with a salty, savory finish and plenty of acidity that keeps this sunny Mendocino wine from becoming too fruity.

Limited Distribution. 2019 is $19.99