I’m sure you have all noticed the changes with the grocery store aisles in the last month. We always appreciate your support but it means more now than ever! B Town has been a small local business for over 10 years and we are looking forwards to at least 10 more years!
For April and Earth day we have our reusable wine bags back! Buy any 6 bottles of wine and get the regular half case discount on non sale items and get a free bag! We have an exciting schedule of Thursday tastings this month including Weldwerks on April 20th and a full wine tasting schedule. Bring a friend and come on over!
Easter Hours: 11am to 7pm
Bodegas Valdelana
White Rioja 2020
Reg. Price $17.99
Sale Price: $11.99
White Wine of the Month
VRAC
Vin de France Rouge 2020
Reg. Price $15.99
Sale Price: $11.99
Red Wine of the Month
We are dipping back in southern French reds this month with some great values on two quite different wines although the regions are nearby. “VRAC” or “en vrac” means “bring your own bottle” and refers to how locals in France will go to a local winery and fill up a jug of wine to bring home. VRAC is a label created by Village Wine Imports, the same importer that does Maz Caz, Pierre Angulaire and more in my French section. They teamed up with local growers that they have had long standing relationships with to get you some incredible values on well made wine from all over France! The VRAC red blend is sourced from regions all over France although most of the fruit comes from the Languedoc. It is 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah that is farmed sustainably from vineyards on sand and limestone. 90% of the grapes are destemmed before pressing but there is 10% whole cluster for a brighter, fresher fruitiness. The wine is fermented and aged in a combination of cement and stainless steel so there’s no oak getting in the way of the fruit! This is a fantastic all purpose medium bodied wine. Have it with roasted chicken and root vegetables, pizza or mushroom risotto.
Etz
Gruner Veltliner 1L 2021
Reg. Price $24.99
Sale Price: $19.99
I had the opportunity to go to Austria almost 6 years ago and I would go back in a heartbeat. While I already loved Gruner Veltliner, getting to taste expressions from all over the country solidified in my mind that this is a grape that everyone should know. It should be the go to drink of the Spring and Summer and it should be on every wine list. Instead of Pinot Grigio drink Gruner! I decided it was my goal to get Pinot Grigio drinkers to switch over to Gruner so here I am to make my pitch. While Austria has some regions that make incredible red wines, it is mostly known for the white wines that are produced there and the Kamptal is one of the premier regions for Gruner Veltliner. Frantz and Karl Etz are the fourth generation to run their family estate that was founded in the village of Walkersdorf in 1898. They have almost 40 hectares of vineyards including some parcels in some of the most famous vineyards in the Kamptal like Gaisberg, Offenberg, Kammerner and Hund. Sustainable farming is very important in Austria and the Etz wines are no different. They are all sustainably farmed and fermented with native yeasts and aged in stainless steel. It gives you a great idea of what Gruner should be with such minimal intervention! Racy acidity with notes of green apple, citrus zest, intense minerality and a subtle spiciness of white pepper and snap pea make this a very crowd friendly wine! That’s why it’s in a liter.
Domaine Lafage
Tessellae Carignan 2018
Reg. Price $23.99
Sale Price: $16.99
Carignan isn’t a grape that you see everyday which is all the more reason to showcase it! Carignan isn’t very widely planted but it calls southern France home. Domaine Lafage is located in the Côtes Catalanes region of France on the west side of the Mediterranean coast. Domaine Lafage is imported by European Cellars, an importing company I wrote about years ago that was started by Eric Solomon. He founded European Cellars in 1990 and they are an importer up there with the likes of Kermit Lynch and Rosenthal where you can blindly trust anything imported by them; it will be fantastic! Jean-Marc broke away from the cooperative model and began making wine from the vineyards his family had acquired over the generations. They are fortunate enough to have over 160 hectares of vines, most of which are older than 50 years old which is his secret to Carignan; Carignan goes through an ugly duckling phase when the vines are young but their vines are 70 years old. The vineyards are practicing organic farming and hand harvest the grapes before a 30 day maceration in concrete. That gives the wine intense depth and complexity and the finished wine is medium body and has darker fruit notes than you would expect for Carignan. That is those old vines at work! This drinks like a Côtes-du-Rhône so enjoy this with root vegetables, roasted mushrooms and meat stews.
Belisario “Le Salse”
Verdicchio di Matelica 2020
Reg. Price $19.99
Sale Price: $13.99
Verdicchio is quickly becoming one of my favorite cool weather whites. I have tasted a lot of crisp, citrusy and green apple Verdicchio that is perfect for summer but suddenly I have found more textural, rounder Verdicchio with notes of melon, golden apple and caramelized pastry. The Le Salse’s importer is moving distributors so I got a killer deal on this and bought everything that my distributor had! The Le Salse is from the Marche which is where most Verdicchio hails from and is named after the salt springs that flow underground throughout the town of Matelica. It is made by Belisario which is a high quality cooperative in the area and the grapes come from their high elevation vineyards in the Alto Elsina Valley. The wine is certified organic and the vines are on the older side, about 28 years old which gives the fruit depth and complexity. The wine is fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel for 20 days which gives it texture as it sits with the yeast lees. Only about 4,000 cases are produced a year so get it while you can! This makes me think of a Chenin Blanc and has notes of bruised apple, candied fruit notes and a slight salinity.
Ostatu
Rosado 2021
Reg. Price $22.99
Sale Price: $13.99
I plan on focusing on Spanish white wines this year but I found this phenomenal Spanish rosé on closeout that I couldn’t pass up. Ostatu is a revered producer from the Rioja Alavesa in the village of Samaniego. Rioja Alavesa is the smallest and northernmost of the three sub-regions of Rioja and is just north of the Ebro River. It connects Rioja to the Alava Province which is Basque country. Ostatu is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Cantabria mountain range in a former hostel from the 18th century. The Sáenz de Samaniego family that runs Ostatu and has been farming the land since the 16th century; long enough that the village is named after them. Husband and wife Doroteo and María Asunción Sáenz de Samaniego bottled the first Ostatu wines in 1970 and realized that they had something very special in their vineyards. They are certified organic and practice sustainability including being carbon neutral. The rosé comes from their high elevation vineyards and is a blend of 63% Tempranillo, 35% Garnacha and 2% Viura that has some skin and lees contact resulting in this stunning dry and incredibly textural wine. This can stand up to richer foods that most rosé so stock up for BBQ season!
I can’t wait to explore these wines and more with you!
Pop into the store for all of your beverage needs and don’t forget about our in store tastings!
Beer Tasting Thursday 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Wine Tasting Friday 4 pm to 7 pm
