Items filtered by date: November 2020

Friday, 04 December 2020 00:00

Elisabetta from the Heart

Elisabetta Fagiuoli. Historians and critics agree that she was and IS a ground breaker, a visionary and one of the best winemakers in the world. You can hear stories of her life and work on YouTube but what you can't hear is her heart speaking. And that is what we heard when Elisabetta joined us LIVE on Zoom from her B.C. built home in San Gimignano, Italy.

Thursday, 03 September 2020 14:37

August 19th Blind Tasting League Results

August 19th marked our first "virtual" Blind Tasting League event. We offered the wines that were to be tasted for sale in the previous weeks and they were available for pick up already bagged and numbered so that they could be tasted blind at home. I tasted the wines live on Facebook and led the tasting while people watched and tasted at home.

Read all about our tasting notes and what we guessed the wines were here https://www.blindtastingleague.com/blog/entry/august-19th-blind-tasting-league

Our next Blind Tasting League will be on September 16th at 5:30. If you want to join in yourself, pick up the wines at Metro Wines and tune in at https://www.facebook.com/MetroWinesAsheville

Friday, 24 April 2020 00:00

Cape Classics Zoom Tasting

The Cape Classics Zoom tasting exceeded expectations. When you attend a LIVE tasting for a popular brand, customers drift in and out of the shop and are often crowded at the counter preventing everyone from hearing the whole story. Not so on Zoom. Zingo Munger of Cape Classics took us through history, geography, terroir, winemaking and all about the particular bottles. We all heard him. And we all heard the whole story. And, best of all, when it was over, we were already home!

Friday, 06 March 2020 00:00

Corzano e Paterno Interview

5:05pm when I arrived and Winemaker William Goldschmidt of Corzano e Paterno already had the crowd whipped but good into a wine frenzy. He looked just like his picture. "Easy on the eyes," just like his importer, Jay Murrie of Piedmont Imports said. Correction! Strike that! Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury: it was not what Jay said but what Jay said women said! Anyway, William has a head full of black hair. Olive complexion. Very Italian looking. But that name, William Goldschmidt? What's up with that?

Sunday, 07 July 2019 00:00

Gustavo Gonzalez, Mira

This was not a structured interview, just bits and pieces I picked up while Gustavo chatted with us and the dinner guests. Here we go:

Gustavo Gonzalez, Winemaker for Mira, dropped in @MetroWines today. Not to make this personal already but my favorite restaurant in this country is Bistro Jeanty in Yountville. Guess where the new Mira Winery will be built? Come on, just guess. Just south, I mean steps, south of the Bistro. How cool is that?

Wednesday, 05 June 2019 00:00

Hopler a HIT!

Christof Hopler was delightful! He shared the story of the winery and why their wines are so special. And indeed they are extraordinary.

Of course, we asked Christof about the rumor that Hopler provides wine to kingdom royalty as well as food royalty. Turns out it is all true. Hopler supplies Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver with his Gruner Veltliner and Dry Riesling (which BTW was DRY and very appealing). And, Hopler Gruner was on the table at a recent State Dinner hosted by Prince Charles of England! All ture.

Sunday, 31 March 2019 00:00

Francoise Antech

We had lunch with Winemaker Francoise Antech (phonetically "on tesh") from Limoux last week and shamelessly asked a lot of questions. Francoise was both generous in her comments and candid.

We tasted two of her sparkling wines paired with family style dishes at Rhubarb. "The wines are made in the Methode Champenoise but with different grapes," Francoise says. "Mauzac is from Limoux."

Thursday, 28 March 2019 00:00

Michele D'Aprix

WOW. What a night. Michele D'Aprix is not just a great winemaker but a natural comedienne! About 35 participants came out to welcome Michele. We learned. We laughed. We left knowing all about Bordeaux.

You know from previous posts that Michele was studying chemistry and bartending in Boston. I would not say that she is an accidental winemaker but there are some elements of chance in her story. She took that chemistry degree and what was becoming an interest in wine to University of California Davis.

Thursday, 21 March 2019 00:00

All About Emmanuel Kemiji

Tonight is the night! Emmanuel Kemiji, Master Sommelier, WineMaker and Winery Owner, hosts a sold out wine pairing dinner at the acclaimed Vivian in Asheville! Emmanuel, on a very busy day, stopped by the shop a few hours ago to say hello to the staff. We shamelessly cornered him for a few minutes.

In our casual conversation with a very excited and a bit star struck staff (including me!), we asked to learn about this very accomplished person in the wine world. What we uncovered in nothing compared to what the dinner revealed about Emmanuel's travels down a long and vinous road to becoming a highly regarded winemaker.

Friday, 15 March 2019 00:00

Jon Tomaselli of Torii Mor, Dundee, Oregon

MetroWines hosted a tasting with Associate Winemaker Jon Tomaselli of Torii Mor Winery in Dundee, Oregon. First, Jon is of Sicilian heritage! I totally shared a "Ciao Asheville" calling card with him. His wine roots go deep and far back into Italy. And you know that made us happy to hear!

The Torii Mor Website says of the Italian Connection: "With three generations of Italian winemakers in his family, Jon Tomaselli began his love affair with wine at the age of 4 years old while assisting the elder Tomasellis in their viticultural endeavors. By the age of 8, Jon knew he had found his calling in life."

Tuesday, 19 February 2019 09:52

Ciao Asheville Hosts "The Big Night" at Ambrozia

Ciao Asheville Hosts &quot;The Big Night&quot; at Ambrozia

New Release: Monday, February 18th, 2019

About: Chef Sam Etheridge Presents the "Big Night"

Please join MetroWines and Juniper Cooper of Mutual Distribution on Wednesday, April 17th starting 6pm as "Ciao Asheville" hosts "The Big Night" at Ambrozia. Chef Sam Etheridge prepares and presents the dinner from the movie "The Big Night" together with four paired Italian Wines.

Friday, 26 October 2018 00:00

Alessandro Cellai, "Rock Star Winemaker"

Alessandro Cellai, &quot;Rock Star Winemaker&quot;

What a delightful guy! Alessandro Cellai was interesting, fun and very, very, very accomplished.

Seems like some people are just born with a genetic predisposition to do what they end up doing. Alessandro is one of them. He was, no doubt about it, born with the wine gene. That stands in stark contradistinction to me who was born with the "Watch Mary Tyler Moore Reruns Over and Over Again" gene, a predisposition I can assure you I have fulfilled!

There is so much to tell you about Alessandro but so much has already been written about and by him, all available on the internet and YouTube, I think I will let you focus on the aspects of his life and winemaking that interest you.

Friday, 14 September 2018 00:00

Decero: Stephanie Morton-Small

Stephanie Morton-Small, chief Commercial officer, for Decero in Mendoza, Argentina hosted a sold out Seated Tasting on Tuesday, September 11th. What's the one thing Stephanie wants us to remember? Mendoza is the size of California and, so, not all parts are created equally! Great Wines. Great Speaker. Great Night!

Sunday, 20 May 2018 00:00

Francois Servin Talks @MetroWines

Francois Servin poured his Chablis @MetroWines on Saturday Night, May 19th.

There were over 40 people crowding the bar through the two hours of the tasting so a sit down interview was not possible. This is what I gleaned from Francois as he responded to questions from the crowd.

First, Francois is a lovely and engaging person, with or without great Chablis!

Tuesday, 06 June 2017 00:00

Scot Covington, Trione Vineyards and Winery

We just had a great time hosting Scot Covington, winemaker for the highly regarded Trione Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma. Trione is not a nationwide brand, they are known for their small lot productions. So, I ask what brings Scot to Asheville. "A very small plane," he says.

Scot Covington has an extensive and commendable biography of experience. But, lets be honest here, what we wanted to know was why his name, "Scot" only has one "t." I know. I know. You are thinking shallow. Well, we will get to the wonky stuff but the explanation for the lonely "t" actually turns out to be interesting.

Sunday, 07 May 2017 00:00

Barnaby, Olga, Lexi and The "J Turn"

Barnaby, Olga, Lexi and The &quot;J Turn&quot;

We caught up with Teutonic Winemaker and Owner, Barnaby Tuttle, on his way to Home Grown in Asheville for lunch. Barnaby was eating his way through Asheville! After the Teutonic Tasting @MetroWnes on Friday Night, he went two doors down to Gan Shan downing a bowl of Drunken Noodles and a healthy serving of Bok Choy. He woke up hungry at Midnight and had frozen pizza burned to charcoal on the bottom and cheap BIG BOX beer. Yes, even winemakers DO crazy when on the road!

Barnaby is a Portland, Oregon native. Before his current incarnation, he was an iron worker and worked for an autowrecker that salvaged vintage car parts from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Hold that thought - both jobs become very important later...

Monday, 25 July 2016 00:00

Quincy Steele

I told Quincy that the purpose of these interviews is to get to know the winemaker personally. The truth is that we can read about their wines on their well done websites. And, let's face it, with winemakers also working to market their wines and answering questions from retailers and writers like me! they may have necessarily developed some standard operating answers.

Sunday, 17 July 2016 00:00

Buglioni: The Accidental Winery

The Accidental Winery

"What do we do now?" That's what the Buglioni Family said in 1993 when they looked out the window of their new house and saw a 12 acre vineyard full of grapes a month from harvest.

The Buglioni Family was in textiles. All they intended to do was buy a house the family could share. They had not planned on a vineyard, a harvest or being winemakers.

But here it was. Acres of grapes. So they sat down and set a plan.

Friday, 01 July 2016 00:00

Kent Rosenblum

"Don't give up your day job." That's how Kent Rosenblum, veterinarian, explained his venture into the wine world.

While working as a veterinarian in Montana, Kent took a trip to California and was bitten by the wine bug or, as he says, "I fell in love." He started buying grapes and making wines, for the most part, in his basement.

It was a big deal in 1978 when Kent turned out 400 cases. He sold his wines to family and friends. Lots of them. But as is turns out, it was actually All of them. "The wine made a profit so I thought I would make more," Kent says, "but I ran out of friends!"

Wednesday, 22 June 2016 00:00

Poderi Parpinello. Sardegna!

"Paolo, will you live to be 100?" "Probably not. I have stress!"

That's what Paolo Parpinello, Winemaker for Poderi Parpinello in Sardegna, said when asked about the recent outcry that Cannonau, a grape indigenous to Sardegna and the star of one of his most popular wines, is, in essence, the fountain of youth!

I ask Paolo how did this fountain of youth stuff get started? "On the Today Show," says Paolo in a way that lets me know he has been asked this question many times.

Friday, 17 June 2016 09:56

Buglioni: The Accidental Winery

The Accidental Winery

"What do we do now?" That's what the Buglioni Family said in 1993 when they looked out the window of their new house and saw a 12 acre vineyard full of grapes a month from harvest.

The Buglioni Family was in textiles. All they intended to do was buy a house the family could share. They had not planned on a vineyard, a harvest or being winemakers.

But here it was. Acres of grapes. So they sat down and set a plan.

Friday, 10 June 2016 00:00

Suzanne Groth

"We do not hire "rock star" winemakers or wine consultants that pop in and out at Groth," says Suzanne Groth. "We look for dedicated winemakers invested in our wines who will watch the wine through the entire process." Groth winemakers have been working with the winery for three decades. "We make certain that there is a multi year overlap to insure passing down techniques and insuring consistent quality."

Friday, 27 May 2016 00:00

Jesse Lange and Maggie

BIG Night @MetroWines. BIG. Jesse Lange, Manager and Winemaker for Lange Estate Winery, A Wine Enthusiast Winery of the Year, poured to talk about and taste his Pinot Gris (90 Points, Wine Enthusiast) 2013 Pinot Noir ( 91 Points, Wine Enthusiast and 90 Points from Robert Parker) and Pinot Noir Reserve (93 Points, Wine Enthusiast). BIG.

Thursday, 26 May 2016 00:00

Hugues Romagnan, Pol Roger

We were pretty close to a bubbly paradise @MetroWines last week when Hugues Romagnan dropped by, talked, tasted and taught.

Hugues Romagnan has been Export Manager at Pol Roger since 2012. He studied Political Sciences and Economics obtaining an MBA at Lyon Management School and a Master at Dijon Argo Engineer School. But the passion for wine came from his grandfather, a winemaker in the Rhone Valley. When he is not traveling the world bringing the magic that IS Pol Roger to his anxiously awaiting customers, Hugues lives in Reims.

Friday, 06 May 2016 00:00

John Grochau Interview

John Grochau is such a likable, easily accessible guy, that he has been interviewed a LOT of times and told his extraordinary story as many. He has already been asked all the fun stuff: what would you be doing if you did not make wine; what would you drink at dinner aside from one of your wines; what's your favorite wine region apart from Oregon? And he has movie reviews on the Grochau Cellars website. So there!

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