Vessel of Merriment Reception at Grovewood Gallery

vessels of merriment asheville nc

Vessels of Merriment is back for another round at Grovewood Gallery! Celebrating its 5th run, this invitational exhibition will feature handcrafted drinking vessels by 15 studio potters from around the country. All artwork will be for sale, making this exhibition the perfect opportunity for holiday gift buying. Many types of vessels will be featured in the exhibition, including flasks, goblets, whiskey cups, wine cups, and tumblers.

Join us for the opening reception on Saturday, November 11 from 2-5pm, where several participating artists will be in attendance. Vessels of Merriment will remain on view through December 31, 2023.

MetroWines will be pouring wines at the Reception on Saturday, November 11th from 2 to 5. Join us!

"Bringing Home to Thanksgiving" Wine Tasting

thanksgiving
News Release: Saturday, November 4th,2023
About: Wine Tasting Hosted by Advintage Distribution @MetroWines
 
Please join us on Tuesday, November 21st from 4 to 6 @MetroWines on Charlotte Street for our "Bringing Home to Thanksgiving" Wine Tasting. The Tasting, hosted by Advintage Distribution, is "on the house" and "at the bar" with no reservations necessary.
 
These wines are a collaborative effort between Carolinian winemaker, Jamey Whetston, who was an accomplished winemaker at Turley, and Carolinian artist, John Duckworth, whose work is represented at the Asheville restuarant, Plant. Both believe that wine, much like art, is a product of time and place.
 
The wines come from California’s central coastline and are all fresh and delicious yet also soulful and complex. The labels are all watercolors of scenes set throughout the South Carolinian low-country at certain "times’ and ‘places".
 
Add all this local lore to the MetroWines Philosophy that wine is about food, family, friends and community and you have "Bringing Home to Thanksgiving." Elegant wines, beautiful labels, a local connection, a storied history and perfect to accompany that upcoming Thanksgiving feast.
 
What more could you ask?
****************************************************************************
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

MetroWines "Official Thanksgiving Wines" 2-Day Tasting

News Release: Friday, November 3rd, 2023
About: Official MetroWines 2023 Thanksgiving Wines 
 
Join us for a two-day tasting of The Official MetroWines Thanksgiving Wines! Joseph Schwabauer, CSW, FSW, of Kellogg Selections, will be our host. Joseph is a 12 year veteran of the wine business, doing it all from wine retail, restaurant wine lists and working with some of the best producers and importers on the supplier side. 
 
The first event, Friday, November 17th from 4 to 6pm @MetroWines will feature wines from Empire Estate.  The next day, Saturday, November 18th from 3 to 6pm, National Sales manager for Terre Rouge & Easton Wines, Les Doss, will pour five wines to taste. And you can taste wines with small bites that present all the Thanksgiving Flavors. Both tastings are "on the house" and "at the bar" with no reservations necessary.
 
Empire Estate:
"If you watched Billions, you saw Paul Giamotti with a bottle of Empire Estate Wine," says Gina Trippi, co-owner of MetroWines. "This time he likes the wine!" 
 Empire Estate Wine in Billions 1
Empire Estate sits in The Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The region has a long history of grape-growing and winemaking, but its sparkling wine production in the late-1800s is what initially put the area on the world’s wine map. With vineyards planted on mineral-rich soils, on slopes that hug the glacially-carved lakes, and a cool climate similar to many of the finest Old World wine regions, the Finger Lakes is an ideal terroir for making world-class sparkling wines.
 

Empire Estate, Blanc de Blanc NV 

A shimmering silver-yellow color with a persistent mousse, on the nose this sparkling wine displays fruit tones of green apple, golden peach & baked lemon, notes of toasted brioche, and racy mineral aromas of gravel & limestone. Refined bubbles and a brisk acidity hit the palate, followed by flavors of lemon cream, orange blossom & stone fruit, all leading to a long, mineral finish. 

Empire Estate, Brut Rose NV 

A vibrant rose-pink color with a persistent mousse, on the nose this sparkling wine displays fruit tones of red cherry, raspberry, & baked lemon, notes of toasted brioche, and racy mineral aromas of gravel & limestone. Refined bubbles and a brisk acidity hit the palate, followed by flavors of strawberry & lemon cream, orange blossom & stone fruit, all leading to a long, mineral finish.

Empire Estate, Dry Riesling 2019 

"Empire Estate was created to showcase an incredible winemaking region that we New Yorkers have right in our own backyard: The Finger Lakes. We crafted this wine to express the dry style of this dynamic grape - Riesling doesn't always have to be sweet!" 
 
Meet the Founder of Empire Estate, Thomas Pastuszak, formerly Wine Director at NoMad Hotel in New York, via video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbA410A3vi0
Read More about Empire Estate here: http://www.empireestatewine.com
 
Terre Rouge & Easton
"Wine Enthusiast says Terre Rouge is one of the top 100 wineries in the World,"  says Gina Trippi. "The 2016 Ascent Syrah from Terre Rouge, winemaker Bill Easton, received 100 points from Wine Enthusiast!" 
 
Five wines will be presented by Les Dos, National Sales Manager for Terre Rouge & Easton Wines, Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3, Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW), Certified Sommelier (CS). He is a 25 year veteran of the restaurant industry. His titles include General Manager, Wine Director & Sommelier. He owned and operated his own restaurant for over a decade. Before joining Terre Rouge & Easton Wines he worked for several other wineries in Napa and Sonoma. But those of you who have been around Asheville for a while know Les as the former owner of "Usual Suspects" the present Avenue M on Merrimon!!
Les

Terre Rouge, Viognier Fiddletown 2021

Viognier is organically-grown on our Fiddletown estate in granitic soils. Zesty fresh, floral, and spicy aromatics with fruit notes that suggest classic white peach and apricot flavors. This will be a perfect glass pour wine with its lively flavors. Bottled with a screw-cap closure for easy accessibility.

Easton, Zinfandel Amador County 2016 

This hand-crafted wine is made from grapes harvested in California's famous Amador County, long renowned as one of the best places in the world for distinctive Zinfandel because of its old head-pruned vines, mountain soils, languid blue sky days, and cool summer nights. This Amador County bottling is luscious, fruity, and tinted for current enjoyment both at home and at your favorite restaurant.
 
Wine Enthusiast, 91 Points
Smooth and creamy yet firm enough for good grip, this is a big but well-balanced wine that offers plenty of ripe berries and plums along with hints of black pepper and sage. Moderate tannins seem to build on the palate and add a good bite to the finish.
 
Wine Spectator, 90 Points
Vibrant and sleekly focused, with a lively core of acidity and tannins, layered with raspberry, stony mineral and white pepper flavors. Drink now through 2025.
 

Terre Rouge, Garrigue 2014 

Wine Enthusiast, 92 Points
This blend of two-thirds Syrah and one-third Cabernet Sauvignon is earthy, smoky and black peppery in a very good way, as it reveals funky nuances from the potent aromas through flavors that are also ripe and full of black-fruit notes, to the lingering spicy finish. There aren't many pure Syrahs from the Foothills as good as this blend. 
 

Terre Rouge, Syrah, 'Les Côtes de l'Ouest' 2017

This 2017 vintage has beautiful color with rich, silky, wild raspberry fruit flavors laced with pepper, sage, tar, and olive/herb tones. Aromas are raspberry, smoky, wild gamey, peppery, and cinnamon. The wine has a clean purity of Syrah fruit that is reminiscent of many St. Joseph’s and other Northern Rhone's. It has forward fruit flavors and great acid balance. It is very smooth and savory in the mouth.

Terre Rouge, Grenache, "L'Autre" 2014 

This 2014 is very elegant, complex, and lively. It shows Grenache savory plum and black cherry flavors, coupled with Mourvèdre’s smoky gaminess, and a bit of richness and punch from the Syrah component. This is a dead ringer for a top Southern Rhône,; say a Châteauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas.
 
Wine Enthusiast, 91 Points
A slightly tawny color and extra spicy, meaty aromas make this appetizing blend of 75% Grenache, 17% Mourvèdre and 8% Syrah interesting to taste. It's medium-bodied, peppery and savory and is backed by moderate berry flavors.
 
Join us and set a memorable table, host a happy party and greet friends with good taste!
                      
****************************************************
Contact for MetroWines: Gina Trippi
Charlotte Street! It's the Next BIG Thing!
"Big Shop Selection. Small Shop Service"
(828) 575-9525
  

Orsini "Around the World Holiday Wine Tasting"

orsini wines
News Release: Thursday, November 2, 2023
About: Orsini Wines Presents "Around the World Holiday Tasting"

Join us on Saturday, November 11th from 4-6 @MetroWines on Charlotte Street for an "Around the World Holiday  Wine Tasting" presented by Sara Ciofoletti from Orsini Wines. The event is "at the bar" and "on the house" and no reservations are necessary.
 
Bring friends to discover great wines for prices that won't break the holiday bank! 
Hermann Moser, Green Eyes Grüner Veltliner (2022 Liter) Austria 
Lindquist Family Wines Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley (2022) California
Rodaro Friuli Colli Orientali Schioppettino (2017) Italy
Château de la Font du Loup, Côtes du Rhône Signature (2021) France
 
Contact for MetroWines: Gina Trippi
Charlotte Street! It's the Next BIG Thing!
"Big Shop Selection. Small Shop Service"
(828) 575-9525

Family Secrets Sicilian Style "A Lie Will Suffice" Book Signing

lie

“One day, you’re gonna write a book about my family, and it won’t be so pretty. Why all the secrets? Why all the lies?”

These fateful words were spoken to Jay Wilkinson by his mother, who had recently discovered a small piece of the secret history of their Italian family. After 12 years of extensive research, Jay Wilkinson disentangles the complex history of his family in New Orleans and Sicily in the book “A Lie Will Suffice: A DiGiovanni Family History”. Jay’s family had strong links to organized crime and all the drama that goes with it: Atlantic Ocean crossings, murder, extortion, vendetta, bootlegging, hostage-taking Fascists cracking down on Sicilian Mafiosi, labor influence on the New Orleans banana docks, two criminal trials, a secret interment in the family burial vault, the Great Depression and World War II. This book includes an extensive bibliography that supports and helps unravel and explain the sometimes difficult-to-discern, complex, but ultimately triumphant DiGiovanni-Guinta family history. It ends with the opaque revelation to the author by his Godfather, ten months before his Godfather’s death, of the most closely held family secret. 

“Picchi didi a verita farfantaria cia basta.”

(Why tell the truth when a lie will suffice.)

Join Ciao Asheville, Metro Wines, and author, Jay Wilkinson, for a presentation and book signing of Jay’s dramatic family story. This event will take place on Friday, November 3, from 2-3:30pm at Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte Street, Asheville. The event is free; however, registration is required. Books will be available for purchase and signing by the author. Wine by the glass will be available for purchase. Please call Metro Wines at (828) 575-9525.

Note for attendees: Please park at the back of the parking lot at Metro Wines. 

About Jay Wilkinson

Jay Wilkinson was a United States Magistrate Judge at the federal trial court in New Orleans for 25 years until his retirement in 2020. Before his judicial appointment, he was a lawyer for 15 years and a newspaper reporter for two years. 

He is a life-long product of Louisiana and an honors graduate of the Tulane University School of Law (1980), the Louisiana State University School of Journalism, now the Manship School of Mass Communication (1976), Archbishop Shaw High School (1973) and Christ the King School. He is a husband, father and grand-father; great-grandson of Gaetano “Don Tano Baioco” and Angelina Bucaro DiGiovanni and the grandson of Natale and Antonia (Lena, Nia) Guinta. He is extremely proud of his Sicilian heritage and loves his extended DiGiovanni-Guinta-Wilkinson family more today than ever before. He lives with his wife Sue in Gretna, LA.