Step outside of your wine comfort zone and join us @MetroWines, 169 Charlotte Street in Asheville, on March 15th from 4-6 to taste wine from Cyprus! Josh Austin of Freedom Distribution will present wines from the Tsiakkas Winery including Xynisteri White, Mouklos Dry Red and Keo St. John Commandaria dessert wine. The tasting is "at the bar" and "on the house" with NO reservations necessary.
The Winery:
Pitsilia is a mountainous region of rocky land at the heart of Cyprus, covered with steep slopes and centuries-old stone terraces. Although remote, the community is rich in culture and history: distinct architecture and landscaping, Byzantine monuments, countless nature parks, a traditional cuisine and warm hospitality.
Dotted around the region are our nine vineyards, covering approximately 20 hectares of land; half privately-owned and half through dedicated partners. The core of the vineyards is situated around Pelendri and Agros between 700 and 1440 meters, where the temperate climate and demanding terrain have guided us in forming some spectacular landscapes.
The region boasts some of the highest altitude vineyards in all of Europe. It’s not just bragging rights though, the temperate climate of the region is key to the production of quality wine in Cyprus. We have an average of 7°C difference compared to the coast, as well as four distinct seasons rather than the infamous eight-month Cypriot summer. This allows for the slow ripening of grapes, providing expressive fruit aromas and bright acidity in the final wine.
While exploring the region, you can’t help but notice the stone terraces that score the landscape – even deep inside the pine forest. The slopes make conventional agriculture near impossible, but by carving out the land, locals have been able to make it accessible to farming, while respecting and promoting biodiversity. Still, the narrow paths forbid mechanical management so each and every vineyard is cared for and harvested by hand.
Our vineyards are located in the Troodos ophiolite, a layered geological structure raised through the ocean floor as a result of complex plate tectonic movements. The Troodos ophiolite is unique in the world for both its completeness, as well as its complete exposure at today’s surface. This means that the vines are growing on geology that is normally found kilometres deep under the Earth’s surface.
History of WineMaking in Cyprus from Wine Searcher:
The Cypriot wine industry was at its zenith during the Middle Ages and has seen a consistent, gradual decline over the intervening centuries. The island's location once made it a useful port of call on voyages from Greece and Italy to Egypt and the Levant. Cyprus was of great use to medieval merchants and traders. Not only did the island's wine find markets abroad, most notably in southern Europe, but the ships which exported the wines provided a market in their own right.
The downside was that Cyprus was useful not just as a trading post. It was also desirable as a strategic military stronghold. Over the millennia Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians and Venetians ruled the island. Later both the Ottoman and British empires added Cyprus to their conquered lands. Several hundred years later, Madeira served merchants and armies in the eastern Atlantic in a similar way.
Commandaria and Cyprus Sherry When the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem arrived on Cyprus in the late 13th Century, fleeing defeat in the Holy Lands, Cyprus's vinicultural history began in earnest. The knights arranged their land ownership according to strict social hierarchies, the top level of which were the commanderies. The Grand Commandery was the collective property of the knights themselves, and this was where the majority of medieval Cypriot vineyards were located. From this tranche of history, Commandaria dessert wine derives its name.
The arrival of Islamic rule with the Ottoman invaders in the late 16th Century slowed Cyprus's wine production almost to a halt. This lasted until the British Empire took control of the island in the 1870s. The British began to replant the once-prolific vineyards to produce fortified wines known as Cyprus Sherry (sherry was not then a protected name of origin).
Phylloxera-free The phylloxera louse which was decimating vineyards in mainland Europe at that time fortunately never made it to Cyprus. Even today the vines here grow on their own original rootstocks. The fear of inadvertently introducing phylloxera to the island delayed Cyprus's experimentation with the "international" varieties as they swept around the globe.
The world of wine is constantly expanding. Ancient grapes are coming into the market. Discover these treasures!
News Release: Friday, February 9, 2024 About: Wine Tasting with Rise Over Run
Please join us on Friday, February 23rd from 4-6 at MetroWines to taste four wines from Rise Over Run. Chris Thornbury will host the event and discuss the history, terroir and the final product that you are tasting! The event is "at the bar" and "on the house" with NO reservations required.
Chris will walk us through these wines: White / Blanc et Fils Apremont Willy White / Maison Yves Duport Bugey Blanc Chardonnay 2022 Rose / La Cave du Prieure Rosé 2022 Red / Domaine Rolet Arbois Trousseau 2020
Who is Rise over Run? Even down to our name, the inception of Rise Over Run emanated from a passion and respect for distinct and often challenging viticultural microclimates. Many are viticultural marvels, and the finished wines are expressions that could not be recreated elsewhere. Our book is a compilation of these wines that have stories to tell, and we are excited to be the ones doing so.
About Owner Kate Stamps: Kate came to work with wine by happenstance. An hour short of college graduation, Kate signed up for the first study abroad program available to: NSW, Australia. Upon arriving, she realized she had accidentally been sent to the wrong school, a sister school focusing on wine-making. Weeks later, when the time came to relocate, she declined as she had fallen deeply in love with the vineyards and wine. Three years and a concurrent viticulture and enology degree later, Kate headed to NYC for a year of pallet training (WSET). She remained in NY for eleven years, earning multiple wine certifications and working on all tiers of the industry. In 2015, Kate relocated to Asheville, NC with the idea of starting her own wine import company. In 2017, that vision was realized when Rise Over Run was founded. In 2019, Kate bought out her business partners and investor to become the sole owner and director of the company.
And Rise Over Run is the only NC-based wine import and distribution company to be 100% owned by a female.
Who is Our Host Chris Thornbury? Chris studied art before becoming obsessed with the subject of wine and its endless details. This gave rise to a career in the restaurant business spanning over twenty years. Originally from Detroit, he’s lived and worked in Savannah Georgia and Portland Oregon. Chris has spent his career advocating for small, family run wineries who practice low intervention viticulture and the people who make these places function. Chris lives in Canton North Carolina with his beautiful wife and three boys.
"Rise over Run" tastings with Chris Thornbury are always popular and wines sell out," says Gina Trippi, co-owner of Metro Wines. "Come early!"
Parking is free, close and easy. ****************************************************** Contact for MetroWines: Gina Trippi Metro Wines Asheville Charlotte Street! It's the Next BIG Thing! "Big Shop Selection. Small Shop Service" (828) 575-9525
About: Santa Barbara Wine Tasting with Morgan Clendenen
Join us on Thursday, February 15th from 4 to 6pm to meet Winemaker Morgan Clendenen and taste Dalfonso-Curran Wines from Santa Barbara. Hosted by Tom Leiner, tasting includes
2022 Grenache Blanc, 2022 Grenache Gris (rose), 2019 Badge "Borderlands" Red Blend and 2021 Tempranillo. The event is "at the bar" and "on the house." No reservations necessary!
Dalfonso-Curran wines is owned by Kris Curran and Brian d'Alfonso. The two have developed long-standing relationships with some of the best vineyards located in Santa Barbara County.
Kris Curranundoubtedly ranks among California’s highest profiled winemakers, particularly for her gift for creating outstanding Pinot Noir. She’s voted as one of Wine Spectator’s Top Winemakers almost annually due to her pioneering station amid the industry’s forward-thinkers. Kris’s love for animals led her to Science, which led her, ultimately, to winemaking. She initially graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with an Animal Science Degree, followed by her second Bachelors, this time in Winemaking from Fresno State. From there Kris took up a position at Cambria as Assistant Winemaker and later became a founding member at Koehler. She progressed to Sea Smoke where she produced seven vintages but left when Foley Wines offered her the Winemaker position, where she made wines under the Foley, Lincourt and Two Sisters brands.
Today Kris continues to fulfill her innovative standing as the first Californian vintner to popularize Grenache Blanc which she started making in 2003. Her love for Spanish varietals prompted her to take up the challenge of mastering different production techniques: “I have come to appreciate the unique personality of each varietal with which I work. I combine this understanding with my scientific knowledge in pursuit of crafting the best wine possible.”
Bruno D'Alfonso: When one thinks Bruno D’Alfonso, one also thinks the best Pinot Noir-winemaker in the business. Bruno’s approach to winemaking is fueled by a talent for creating outstanding wines that alter traditional expectations, matched by his dedicated precision and attention to detail. He is the consummate perfectionist.
With a history of hunting and fishing in the wild and a love for open spaces, it was no surprise Bruno earned a Degree in Soil Science from Cal Poly. However, his Italian heritage compelled his inherent appreciation for wine, so his second Degree, this time in Winemaking, was earned at UC Davis.
Bruno’s early career is almost as fascinating as his current one. He started out with the now-late Richard Graff of Chalone at Edna Valley Vineyards and worked there for three vintages. Bruno later joined Richard Sanford to start Sanford Winery where he remained as Winemaker for twenty-three vintages.
Today, fans of Bruno’s Pinot Noir acquire his exceptional offerings under the BADGE and Di Bruno labels. “Over the years I have begun to understand the designing of wine. That has become my goal: to create wonderful, stable, long-lived, stylized wines.”
Bruno is an ardent foe of the practice of using harmful chemicals in the winemaking process. All D’Alfonso-Curran wines bode well with the imbiber’s health, in addition to their senses. Bruno’s purist approach to winemaking ensures uncontaminated, unpolluted wines that respect his customers’ health and wellbeing.
D'Alfonso- Curran Wines is also home to The Wine Dogs:
Website: Bruno & Kris are true lovers of animals, especially their dogs - Roland, Gunner, Breaker, and Badge. These magnificent Shepherds are quite the local attraction. Wherever the “Pack” goes - the winery, out to lunch, to the grocery store…Kris & Bruno are sure to follow!
Who is Morgan Clendenen: Morgan Clendenen is a close friend and collegaue of Kris and Bruno. She knows these wines well and, because, she lives here in North Carolina, she will be representing the selection and discussing the Santa Barbara Wine Region!
Morgan says that her mission and goal as a winemaker is to illuminate and define Viognier, elevate its profile, and explore its potential through keen observation and copious tasting. She seeks to sound the depths of this enigmatic grape, to reveal its secrets, and to shine a bright light on the extraordinary fruit grown in the cool vineyards of the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys of California’s Central Coast.
Morgan started in the wine industry working for an Italian wine importer in her native North Carolina. Then she moved on to a boutique wine importer to optimize her learning curve. A move to a sales and marketing position at Robert Sinskey Vineyards, in Napa, led to her meeting Jim Clendenen, winemaker and owner at Au Bon Climat. They married, and she moved to Santa Barbara County. When Au Bon Climat, by chance, was offered a lot of Viognier grapes in 1996, Cold Heaven Cellars was born.
Morgan knew little about Viognier at the time and had only some practical knowledge of winemaking and no formal training. She learned winemaking “on the job” and also says that she had some amazing mentors, including Bruno D’Alfonso and her then-spouse.
After closing the Cold Heaven tasting room in 1998, Morgan joined Shokrian Vineyard in Los Alamos as one of its winemakers. She continues to produce Viognier, making up to five single-vineyard versions, and Syrah, and has added Pinot Noir to her portfolio.
MetroWines says: "This is a high profile tasting that you do not want to miss!"
In case you missed author Jay Wilkinson's excellent presentation and book signing in November of last year, Ciao Asheville is pleased to announce that Jay will be back in mid July with a sequel presentation titled "Sicilian Love Stories", which tells the story of the four great Sicilian-culture-tinged romances in Jay's book "A Lie Will Suffice". Jay is a dynamic and engaging speaker so you won't want to miss this event. Stay tuned for more details.
