Staff Picks - What to Drink this Week
Try these special, staff-selected libations!
2020 Domaine Douloufakis 'Dafnios' Liatiko, Dafnes, Crete - $22.99
One of the great pleasures with wine is the opportunity to discover and enjoy new wine regions and grape varietals from across the globe. Ancient varietals still being nurtured by small family grower/producers is particularly important. In the hands of a local family the wine takes you on a journey. It takes you back in time. You're imbibing history. You are drinking-in a certain place. Enjoying this wine will be like taking a short trip to Crete. From the Douloufakis family comes this 100% Liatiko red wine. About 10 miles inland from Crete's capital city of Heraklion, the indigenous Liatiko grape flourishes in their vineyard at an elevation of 1000 feet in the D.O. of Dafnes. Organic viniculture ensures that this wine is truly of a "particular place". Fermentation is with native yeasts and the wine is aged for 12 months in used French oak barrels. Cherry, herbs, spice, and floral aromas entice you and lead to flavors of plum and black cherries. The tannins are moderate but soft and the wine finishes with lifted satisfaction. Influential wine critic Robert Parker scored this 2020 vintage 90 points and rated it an exceptional value.
Yamas!
-Patrick
2021 Château de Vaux Les Hautes-Bassieres Pinot Noir Moselle - $32.99
Hailing from France’s Northernmost grape growing region, this charming Pinot Noir delivers plenty of blackcherry and spice elements. Unmistakably cool climate in nature, this Pinot undergoes extended maceration and a year of elevage in a mix of vessels. The finished product is both fresh and reasonably complex. There’s a peppery floral note that is particularly refreshing try with grilled or lightly smoked pork.
-Dave
Venn Brewing; Cranberry Nectar; Beer/Mead Hybrid - $17.99
Shamefully, I've had very little mead in my life. It's difficult for me to get out of my comfort zone of wine, liquor, and beer. I guess Venn Brewing was thinking of folks like me when they made Cranberry Nectar, a beer and mead hybrid. This brew is a supremely tasty "gateway drug" of sorts for folks who have ever been curious about mead. Cranberry and honey combine over a solid bass note of beer for a surprisingly crushable 9.0% beer. It makes me want to try all the meads, and hopefully it will for you too!
-Nick N
