Cocktails Anyone?

New York Times says a "Bamboo Shot" is the way forward!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/28/dining/drinks/shots-new-years-eve.html

• 3 ½ ounces fino or manzanilla sherry
• 3 ½ ounces dry or bianco vermouth
• 3 dashes Angostura bitters
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• 2 orange peels
• 2 lemon peels
•  Very small pinch of flaky sea salt (optional)
•  Ice
•  Big green olives, such as Castelvetrano, for serving

** Sparkling at Your Price **

Belvive  Sparkling NV, Cantine Povero, Italy $8.99
This wine is less about thinking and more about drinking! Bright and fun flavors
lead you to either drink it like any great sparkling wine or, if so inclined, blend it with your favorite OJ or Peach Juice for a cocktail that everyone will be appreciate.

** Note: Belvive was a MetroWines Focus Group Pick! in 2020 **
Let's stop here for a Teaching Moment. What's NV? Non-vintage (NV) wine
is made by blending multiple years together. NV wines are known
for their consistent, house style and are usually a good value. 

Avinyo Cava Reserva 2017, Spain $17.99
90 Points, Wine&Spirits Magazine
($19.99 at wine.com. Who cares. It's out of stock anyway. As usual.)
Pinpoint bubbles mingle with fruits, fresh-baked bread and a crisp,
mineral-driven finish. Traditional Catalan sparkling made méthode traditionnelle.
100% free run juice, aged 18 to 22 months before being disgorged.

Baga Bruto 2017, Portugal $24
100% Baga, a varietal planted in Bairrada.
15 year old vines planted in clay, calcareous soil. Stainless steel.
Second fermentation 12 to 18 months before bottling.

Castelnau Reserve Champagne, $40
40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier
Wine Spectator: 90 Points: "Fresh and lightly toasty, this creamy Champagne
offers open-knit flavors of black currant, toasted brioche and lemon parfait.
An accent of smoky mineral chimes in on the subtle finish."

Christian Etienne Brut, NV Cuvee Meurville, $54
Christian Etienne has been handcrafting different Champagne cuvees
on his 9 hectacre plot in the Aube with chalk and limestone soils are ideal for producing top notch Champagne. This offering, is as blend of mostly Pinot Noir, with the classic Champagne nose, terrific body weight, elegant mousse, and long finish. Served as an aperitif or pair with a variety of foods.

We also have Large Format Bottles, some in wood boxes!
For Other Selections and Prices Ranges
Call (828) 575-9525.

*** Staff Picks for 2020 ***

** John's Pick **
Maestro 2016, South Africa $24
32% Roussanne, 23% Chardonnay, 23% Chenin Blanc, 15% Grenache Blanc,
and 7% Viognier. The nose shows notes of concentrated orange
and yellow stone fruits, with a hint of spice, citrus and blossoms.
The palate is full-bodied, textured and nuanced with a lingering finish.
"Not new to the shop but a consistently high quality and versatile wine.
The unique blend presents just enough crispness and texture resulting
in a familiar yet different and enticing palate."

** Gina's Pick **
VentiSei 2017, Italy $16.99
91 Points from James Suckling
Fresh raspberry notes, delicate underbrush hints and sweet spice aromas
will charm you. Serious wine drinkers will think Cru Beaujolais got their passport stamped in Italy while touring Montepulciano. Juiciness and mineral finish
will call for another glass straight away.
"Aside from the fact that this is just a great, easy drinking and pleasing wine,
it reminds me of the strawberry farm in Hammond Louisiana, owned by my father's immigrant family, where they occasionally made strawberry wine. This is no doubt
a much more complex and elegant version, but it still brings back memories
and sends me to my comfort zone. Wine can do that!"

** Zach's Pick **
Biortolone Frappato 2018, Sicily $16.99
Bortolone's 100% Frappato is from vines grown on sandy red soils at an altitude
of 260 meters. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel in order to preserve its prisitine fruit qualities. This Frappato is a pale, light ruby color with intense aromas of cherries, blueberries and raspberries with a subtle earthiness. The palate is light and fresh with moderate tannins and wonderful concentration of berry fruit flavors. Zach says: "Bortolone Frappato is an amazing value from a small family
that has been in Sicily since the 1800s. This organic Frappato over delivers.
Light to medium bodied, balanced fruit and acidity. Very versatile with food."

** Andy's Pick **
Chateau Musar Jeune 2018, Lebanon $19.99
Blend: Cinsault 50%, Syrah 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%
The 2018 Chateau Musar Jeune Red is a deep plum color with a violet rim.
Aromas of blueberries, dark red cherries with Mediterranean herbs,
tobacco and spice. A warm and fruity wine with medium tannins
and gentle acidity. Dense darkfruits –including blackcurrants, blueberries
as well as strawberries and pomegranate with a touch of Eastern spice. 
Andy says: "Musar is one of my favorite wineries in the world
and certainly the Middle East. Stylistically, it is halfway between
Bordeaux and Cotes du Rhone with a generous dab of Napa Cab tossed in.
It's easy drinking enough on its own but also pairs well with food. 
The fact that it's under $20 makes it a treat that I can enjoy on a regular basis."

** Lou's Pick **
Shebang 13th Cuvee, California $14.99
90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blend: 55% Zinfandel blended with Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre,
Alicante Bouchet, Grenache, Syrah, Barbera and a touch of whites
for aromatics much of which comes from old vines.
Lou says: The Whole Shebang! The most popular Red Blend at both our locations. And who doesn't love a good blend? This rich and full bodied beauty goes well with steak, grilled meats or just by itself. I'm Lou Collichio and I approve of this message!"

** Kristen's Pick **
Christian Etienne Brut Rose NV, France $46
From a small family grower. Their rosé is 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay
from vines averaging 25 years old, and it bursts from the glass in bright,
fresh berry fruit and a resplendent color.
Kristen is our Wedding Coordinator and she is all about joy.
She says "This bottle is pink and bubbly like me, joyful and so, so good." 

*** Brett's Pick ***
2016 Clos Guirouilh Jurancon, $22
Clos Guirouilh Estate has been in the same family since the 16th century.
Jean Guirouilh is currently operates the estate. The climate is characterized by cooler temperatures, and the soil varies from clay-calcareous to grès.
The Jurancon Sec is made up of 85% Gros Manseng and 15% Courbu.
The vines are over 40 years old and are located at an average of 350 meters elevation on steep slopes. The nose of Jurancon Sec comes across as floral and sweet, but with a palate that is dry, flinty and bright. 
Brett says: This bottle is from a woman winemaker, the daughter
of the patriarch of the Jurancon region, Jean Guirouilh. Jurancon is just southwest
of Bordeaux. A Bordeaux Blanc with more of a cold climate mountainous core laced with an elegance throughout. Best bottle for classical old world French white.

Celebrate the End of 2020 with a case of staff picks!

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! 

Plums, Brandy, Orange Juice: check. But what wine?

Hand picked grapes. Vegan. Biodynamic. Stainless Steel, 12%ALC
from Castilla La Mancha
This proverbial kitchen sink blend, with 16 different varietals;
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo, Moscatel de Alejandra,
Moscatel de grano pequeo, Macabeo, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Graciano,
Merlot, Monastrell, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
and last but not least Garnacha. It's an easy drinking, light bodied wine
with flavors of red fruits and fresh herbs.

The 2019 LITRE Bottle is $14.99 @MetroWines.

More of Spain? Velazquez!
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20201015-velzquezs-
las-meninas-a-detail-that-decodes-a-masterpiece

Plums, Brandy, Orange Juice: check. But what wine?

Hand picked grapes. Vegan. Biodynamic. Stainless Steel, 12%ALC
from Castilla La Mancha
This proverbial kitchen sink blend, with 16 different varietals;
Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Verdejo, Moscatel de Alejandra,
Moscatel de grano pequeo, Macabeo, Chardonnay, Tempranillo, Graciano,
Merlot, Monastrell, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
and last but not least Garnacha. It's an easy drinking, light bodied wine
with flavors of red fruits and fresh herbs.

The 2019 LITRE Bottle is $14.99 @MetroWines

Consumables Make Great Wedding Gifts!

*** Divina Fig Spread ***

at Metro North in Reynolds Village

Crafted from Aegean figs, classic Mediterranean Fig Spread from Divina
is rich and complex with notes of sweet honey and caramel. Use this Fig Spread
to add some flair to your pancakes or toast and can even be incorporated
it into savory recipes. Try combining Divina Fig Spread with oil, garlic,
salt and pepper for a marinade or sauce

Perfect with our Manchego Cheese!
Internet Competitive at $5.99

And pick up a bottle of Ciro! We talked about Ciro last week,
but this wine, moved to the best seller shelves at Metro North,
Made in Calabria from 100% Greco Bianco, Ciro is the perfect partner to Divina.
Ciro presents brilliant lemon-green in color, aromas of peaches
and citrus fruits complement undertones of herbs and flowers.
On the palate, zesty acidity and a long finish showcase this wine's
subtle hints of toasted almonds and macadamia nuts.

17.99 @Vivino and $13.99 at wine.com
*** $10.99 @MetroWines ***
on Charlotte and Metro North!

By Gina Trippi for 50 Plus Living
https://metrowinesasheville.com/wine-blogs/blog/entry/cooking-wine

Call us with your recipe. (828) 575-9525

*** PUBLIC NOTICE ***

Because the Distributor will be raising the price on Ciro' significantly,
we will need to raise our price. That said, our bottle selling now for $10.99
(red tag - no further discounts) will be ramping up to around $14.
Ciro is already $13.99 at wine.com and $17.99 at Vivino.

This has been a best seller so we bought up big for you.
But when they are gone, they are gone, and the price goes up. 
We have 30 cases. Claim one NOW!

Brilliant lemon-green in color, aromas of peaches and citrus fruits
complement undertonesof herbs and flowers. On the palate, zesty acidity
and a long finish showcase this wine's subtle hints of toasted almonds
and macadamia nuts.

Historian Donald Empson, the author of "The Street Where you Live" says
"on the porch in the cool of the evening, the family could gather to discuss
the day's events and the latest news with neighbors strolling by." 
Rosé is often referred to as a porch "pounder." But the porch and Rosé
are generally relegated to summer only. COVID has changed everything.

We are sitting outside at restaurants, bars and our porches in cooler weather
and probably the coming cold. Let's keep the "Porch Pounder Tradition"
alive with a slightly heavier Rosé. Love Rosé from Broc Cellars!

Broc says:  The fruit was destemmed and pressed into stainless steel tank.
All three varieties fermented together just over 30 days.
Spice comes from Zinfandel, acidity from Valdiguié and texture from the Trousseau.
This is a 100% finished wine. 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.

The 2019 from Broc Cellars is $19.99

*** Paris Fashion Week, etc. ***
From the MetroWines French Desk
and The French American Chamber of Commerce

The latest trends! TV5MONDE Style presents a world of fashion, luxury, design, cuisine, culture and more!
All programs are subtitled in English. Enjoy feature documentaries about fashion designers, artists,
performers, sculptures, painters, chefs and visionaries who are creating the trends of today and tomorrow.
In addition, watch some of the best TV5MONDE signature programs including Epicerie Fine, #versionfrançaise, Tendance XXI, Monte-Carlo Riviera Chik, Rendez-Vous d'Amérique, Visites Privées and Echo-logis. 
And more: https://metrowinesasheville.com/wine-blogs/blog/entry/france-online

Your French Immersion Wine:

A crystalline salmon color with superb amethyst tints. Expressive and particularly tonic,
the wine immediately gives off notes of raspberry, cherry and freshly picked strawberries followed by exotic aromas such as pineapple and mango. A direct and considerable freshness. The density and richness
of the fruit mingle with the superb acid vitality giving a wine with a frisson and a magnificent persistency. 

21.99 at wine.com
*** $17.99 @MetroWines ***

Brett's New Find of the Week!

Winery Tasting Notes for 2019
This wine is elegant and restrained while still undeniably Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. 
It has that grassy element we love from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 
but it's a little less aggressive and perhaps rounder and richer in flavor than most.
All good: Certified Sustainable Farming, Minimal Intervention, Recyled Glass! 12.55 ALC.

$17.99

Since you will have options, you need versatility in your wine. 
And, while the dish could be amazing, it will most likely be fairly bland.
You don't want a wine to run it over like an 18 wheeler!
So, lets go with a well made Pinot Noir that won't clash.

James Suckling 91 points - This is very clean and bright with aromas and flavors
of sliced plums and lemons. Hint of watermelon. Medium body, fine tannins and a crisp and dry finish.  

A vivid and easy Pinot Noir. Drink now. Screw cap. 

Produced from fruit that abounds with intense fruit and rich aromas.
By ”cold-soaking” the crushed grapes and fermenting at moderate temperatures, bright fruit flavorsare extracted from the grape, without harsh tannins.

This Pinot Noir is a lively garnet color with aromas of intense fruit, luscious vanilla
and spice. Bright fruit flavors or fresh strawberry, cherry, raspberry and ripe plum
are layered with creamy vanilla, smoke, tea spice and toasty oak.

** White Wine of The Week **

Justin Sauvignon Blanc

If you missed the Justin Zoom with Sommelier Joe Spellman, he pointed out
that the winery is proud that this bottle of Sauvignon Blanc does not smack you
with greenery! Joe explained why some bottles of this varietal can taste
like eating a garden shop. "You must manage the yield. Too high a yield results
in an overly green taste." This is a medium bodied, generous and smooth wine.

"Our Sauvignon Blanc reflects the diversity of the climates and soils
in the Central Coast that range from the cool, limestone-laden Templeton Gap
area to the warmer, sandy, river-influenced eastern regions. We’ve combined sauvignon blanc grown in vineyards with diverse climates and soils to give our JUSTIN Sauvignon Blanc a full, textured palate with bright citrus and tropical fruit with a hint of fresh herbs balanced with a crisp, refreshing mineral structure."

The 2019 Justin Sauvignon Blanc is a clear, bright, pale straw color
with silver highlights. Aromatic with lemon, peach, pear, green apple, tropical fruit,                                           with subtle herbal notes and just a hint of white pepper. Medium bodied and crisp, with lemon,                       green apple, and peach on the entry and subtle green herb notes                                                                        with a pleasant mineral texture on the mid-palate. The finish is moderately long                                                 and refreshing with lingering citrus and herbal notes.

$17.99 shamelessly at wine.com
(The company is under fire from the Ohio Attorney General!) 
$16.99 @MetroWines. $14.44 with case discount!

Buy two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc or any two from Justin
and Justin will package in a Justin tote bag for 6!
(while supply lasts)

Personal Note: Think you don't like Sauvignon Blanc? I thought that too.
But it wasn't the grape, it was the style. This is a true, not overly GREEN,
expression of the grape. You really should try it.

Discuss Over Sheer Sophistication
Savoie Beaujolais Gamay 2019

Savoie, a quintessentially alpine region bordering Switzerland, is dotted with glacial lakes,
rocky outcrops and vineyards. La Cave du Prieuré is located in Jongieux on a sunny, western face
of the Mont du Char range. Here the Bartlet family has cultivated the limestone slopes by hand
for five generations, employing sustainable growing practices and minimal intervention.
This Gamay has bright red fruit and earthy nuances. Serve  with slight chill.

Buy a Bottle $18.99
Buy a Case of Jongieux or in a Mixed case: $16.14

Travel the World Through Rosé

It is difficult to see the world wide range of our collection.
So we have lined the locations up. And know that we
usually havemore than one Rosé from each location! 
 

Visit Gardens Around the World Vicariously:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/abroad-at-home-
gardens-of-earthy-delights-11596058534

Pick Up a Rosé Round the World Case.
Call (828) 575-9525