Taste some of the best Cabernet in America!

Mega California Cabernet Tasting!
Saturday October 1st, 2011
11am - 8pm
ALL DAY LONG!


Featuring:
2009 Caymus Cabernet
2008 Lewis Cabernet
2006 St. Supery "Elu"
2005 Alexander Valley Vineyards "Cyrus"
2006 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
2006 Laurel Glen Estate Cabernet
2007 Dry Creek Vineyards "The Mariner"
2007 Ladera Napa Cabernet

A little bird flew in our window and said that it is supposed to get all the way down to 48 tomorrow night...and nothing says chilly weather like big, rich, and powerful California Cabernet. So all day on Saturday we are going to load up the red wine machine with power players like Caymus, Lewis, Alexander Valley Vineyards and a few other surprises.

Those of you with a weak constitution may want to sit this one out. This is some explosive juice we're going to be tasting, so consider yourself warned. If you happen to be around this Saturday, need a break from College Football and want to taste some of the best wine in America, we'll be waiting for you!

We hope to see you this weekend and as always, we appreciate your business!

50% off $50 Pinot Noir

FREE Tasting this Saturday!
Saturday September 24th, 2011
2-4 pm

What are we tasting?

Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands in California (2009 Vintage)
Winery Price: $50.00 per bottle
Winestore Sale Price: $24.99 (net) per bottle
SAVE 50% or $25 per bottle!

Cabernet from Dry Creek Valley in California (2007 Vintage)
Winery Price: $40.00 per bottle
Winestore Sale Price: $24.99 (net) per bottle
SAVE 38% or $15.01 per bottle!

Epic...that is the only word we can think of to describe the deals we received on the two wines listed above. We've been running deals on these wines for a few months (totally under the radar) - but yesterday we learned these deals are running out on Oct 1st - so this is the last call! Per the usual, we're not allowed to publicly tell you what the wine is going to be (you're going to have to come into the store and see for yourself!), but what we can tell you is that the savings are monumental, the wineries are top flight, the vintage is awesome, and the juice is outstanding. Not enough to get you excited? How about this:

Right now - the LOWEST prices in the US on these wines are as follows:

2009 Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia - $44.99
2007 Cabernet from Dry Creek Valley - $38.99

So you will be saving 44% off the lowest price in the US on the Pinot Noir and 36% off the lowest price on the Cabernet.

So yes, this Saturday we are tasting two mystery wines - and while they are not exactly priced at what we would call an "everyday drinker", any time we can buy a Rolex for the price of a Casio - we jump all over it!

Swing in this Saturday from 2-4pm, drink some amazing juice, maybe buy a bottle to share with your honey on Saturday night and above all else, have a great time.

Chardonnay Lovers Unite!

Wente Chardonnay 6 Pack Special!

2010 Wente "Morning Fog" Chardonnay
Regular Price: $12.99 per bottle
6 Pack Special: $8.99 per bottle
SAVE 31%

It's that time again - time to run one of the most popular (if not the most popular) deals that we can offer; and this time at an even lower price! Wente Morning Fog has got everything we love about California Chardonnay - a few buttery notes, some toasted oak - but nothing too over the top. It's refreshing right out of the fridge (or the cooler) and at $8.99 a bottle it's a steal.

So if you're looking for some good Tuesday night wine, some dinner party wine, or just looking for a great deal - your ship has come in. A great six pack for only $53.94 when it used to be $78. Take that extra $24 and get yourself something nice!

To order you can:

Swing on by!

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

More 2010 Mollydooker "The Boxer" and a FREE Tasting!

2010 Mollydooker "The Boxer"



Regular Price: $24.99
Winestore Price: $19.99 (net)
SAVE 16%

We just got another round of the 2010 "Boxer" - no pun intended. If you are into gigantic thermonuclear fruit bombs, this wine may be your new best friend. Mollydooker makes some of the most popular wines in the United States (if not some of the most controversial as well) and we are happy to be able to bring you this super popular wine at the lowest price in the USA.

Enjoy!

To order you can:

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944


Also - FREE Tasting this Thursday!

Featuring 2009 Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay!



With football season in full swing, we have decided to pour four wines perfect for your tailgate party. The best part is that we are going to pour these wines for FREE on Thursday night. We've got something perfect for everyone; crisp chardonnay from California, wonderful French vouvray, a medium bodied Spanish sipper & a robust Spanish red perfect with anything off the grill! Remember, we host our FREE tastings at both winestore locations, Southpark & Blakeney. So, clear your schedule, call everyone you know and join us Thursday night for our FREE tasting. We will pour the following wines:

Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay
Pichot Vouvray
Protocolo Tempranillo
Borsao Berola

Save 22% Off Total Wine - Everyday!

Does Big Box mean Big Savings?

Every now and again, we feel it's appropriate to tackle the issue of wine prices. Not in the educational sense like Doug does on occasion, but rather straight up store vs. store (or bottle vs bottle). Since we opened in 2006, we've been asked on numerous occasions how our prices stack up against the "big box" retailers. Most often the store in question is Total Wine. It's a fair question as most of us just assume that a bigger store means lower prices. Large retailers are supposed to wield endless amounts of buying power in order get lower prices and squash independent retailers right?? Well, not exactly. We thought we would put this theory to the test by purchasing a case from Total Wine and comparing it to the exact same case from winestore. We selected several wines for every day drinking (e.g. Borsao and Wente Cabernet) and a few nicer wines for a special occasion (e.g. Rombauer Chardonnay and Kunde Cabernet). The results were as follows:

Case of Wine from Total Wine (with tax): $243.84 - click here to view receipt

Case of Wine from winestore. (with tax).: $190.99 - click here to view receipt

Savings of 22% or $52.85!

We were not surprised but we thought you might be. Even if we did not discount mixed cases by 10% (we do - Total Wine does not) you would still be saving $41. What could be better than being able to support local business and save money at the same time? What could you do with the money saved? You could buy 49 songs on itunes, a couple of cases of diapers, a round of drinks (with room to spare) for you and your friends, groceries to cook your loved one a nice meal at home, or a nice meal for two from Rooster's - and that's just the tip of the iceberg!

All in all we want you to know we are looking out for you and your wallet - bringing you the best wine possible for the lowest price.

Enjoy your extra cash and we'll see you soon!

90% of the Quality at 50% of the Price

Second Label Tasting!
Saturday September 17th, 2011
11am - 8pm

We did a "sibling" wine tasting back in February and you, our customers, asked if we could do it again with some different wines. Well, ask and you shall receive. Other than Pahlmeyer (which is really a perfect example of this type of tasting) all the wines are "sibling" wines and brand new to the tasting!

Sometimes the greatest of the great wines are just simply out of our reach. That being said, you may not know that most of the world's most expensive wines produce second label "sibling" wines, often times with the excess juice that went into the $100 cuvees. It is a rare opportunity to be able to taste the flagship wine right next to its second label offering, but that is exactly what we are doing for you this weekend. Find out if the $100 Napa Cab is better than the $35 second offering - perhaps the $75 estate wine really isn't worth it for you compared right next to the $25 second label Cabernet from the same producer. One of the estates we will be featuring this weekend is Napa Valley legend Pahlmeyer. Jayson Pahlmeyer summed up his second label "Jayson", by saying “The Jayson goes into the same brand new French oak barrels [as the main label, Pahlmeyer], has the same barrel-aging regimen, same blending, same care and dedication from my winemaker,” Pahlmeyer explains. “It’s 90 percent of the quality at 50 percent of the price.”

"90% of the quality at 50% of the price" - now that is an equation we are ready to get on board with! We think you'll be astounded how close these second labels taste to the real thing! Come in this Saturday and see for yourself! We have something for everyone, Cabernet from California, Barolo from Italy, Chateauneuf from France, and more!

Wineries featured include:

Pahlmeyer Winery

2006 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
2008 Pahlmeyer "Jayson" Red


Ladera Winery



2005 Ladera "Lone Canyon" Cabernet
2007 Ladera Napa Valley Cabernet


Belle Glos

2009 Belle Glos "Clark & Telephone" Pinot Noir
2009 Belle Glos "Meiomi" Pinot Noir


Bodegas Atteca



2007 Atteca "Armas" Garnacha
2008 Atteca "Atteca" Garnacha
2010 Atteca "Honoro Vera" Garnacha

Domaine Marcoux


2009 Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape
2010 Marcoux Cotes du Rhone

Is This Our Wine of The Year?

2010 Marcoux Cotes Du Rhone


Release Price: $27.99
Winestore Price: $24.99
6 Pack Price: $22.50
SAVE 20%

Waaaaay back in March we flew to Miami for a national portfolio tasting of Eric Solomon Selections (tough job, we know!). While there, we tasted nearly 110 different wines ranging in price from $7 to $300 and for us, there was one, gigantic, value standout; 2010 Domaine Marcoux Cotes du Rhone.

Marcoux has long been one of our favorite producers. They make two red wines from Chateauneuf du Pape (one $60 the other $150) and they are both stunning wines. While we love them, they are terribly expensive and not exactly daily drinkers. We knew Marcoux made an affordable Cotes du Rhone, but in the 5 years that we had been open, we had never even SEEN a bottle, let alone tasted one. March 2011 rolls around and there, staring at us from across the room, is an open bottle of 2010 Marcoux Cotes du Rhone. How exciting! What if we hate it? How disappointing that would be...

We tasted the wine and we were in love - you know, not as much as we love our wives but as much as you can love a glass of wine! It is like a baby Chateauneuf du Pape - everything we love about expensive CDP, just not as refined and developed. Lots of cranberry and dark berry flavors, smooth tannin and about as easy drinking as wine can get. Second best part - it's only $25. Now, $25 per bottle isn't as friendly on the wallet as $9 per bottle...but for $25 we're not sure we've tasted a better wine this year. We drank 4 bottles last week just to confirm... :)

Soooo - take from this what you will. Only 4,000 bottles of this gem were produced and 2,400 of them came to the US. Of those 2,400 we bought 672 or 28% of everything in the US. Maybe you'll want to buy a bottle to share with your honey, or your family over the holidays, or for Saturday night because you've been working your rump off and deserve something nice. We're gonna buy some because we love awesome wine and it's cheaper than an iPad.

Marcoux is awesome wine, and you guys are awesome customers...you should probably get together if you ask us!

To order you can:

Swing on by!

Order ONLINE by clicking HERE

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Taste the biggest wines we could find!

Thermonuclear Fruit Bomb Tasting
Saturday September 10th, 2011
11am - 7:30pm

Nothing says the start of football season and the beginning of fall like a big, hearty red wine. People absolutely LOVE really big wine. Wine that stains the teeth, enough alcohol to run your hybrid and thick jammy fruit. Well, we decided to go out and find some of the absolute biggest flavored wines that exist on the planet. Big Tempranillo from Spain, gigantic Cabernet from Napa, and even some monster wine from Chateauneuf du Pape. There are some wine writers that would describe these wines as "Hedonistic Thermonuclear Fruit Bombs" and that is exactly what these are...

Sooo - if you are looking to enjoy some really amazing wine this weekend, here are a few of the gems that we will have on the machine on Saturday...several of these definitely qualify in the "cult" wine category:

2007 Peter Michael "Les Pavots"
2007 Hollywood & Vine 2480 Cabernet
2006 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red
2005 Gargiulo Money Road Ranch Merlot
2009 Domaine de la Janasse "Vieilles Vignes"
2004 Bodegas Muga "Prado Enea"
2010 Domaine Marcoux Cotes du Rhone
2009 Puech Haut Prestige
2008 Klinker Brick "Old Ghost" Zinfandel

So, call your best friends, draw straws to see who's going to be the D.D. and bring everyone to the tasting! The wines are going to be AMAZING!!!

Amazing Value at $9.99 per bottle!

2009 Espelt Garnacha VV


Regular Price: $12.99
SALE Price: $9.99 net
SAVE 23%

Lowest Price in the US!

Sale runs Wednesday September 7th - Sunday September 11th, 2011

We taste a TON of wine (tough job, we know) around the $10 price range to try and bring you the best of the best. 90% of the time the wines we taste are not even worth mentioning. 5% of the time they are the wine equivalent of a single or a double in baseball; solid, perform well and worth the price. The other 5% of the time you get the triple or the home run; the wines that outclass their peers in the price range and really make you do a double take. We did a double take with the 2009 Espelt Grenache...it is just a pleasure to drink for only $10 and the fact it comes from one of our favorite importers, Eric Solomon, only enhances its street cred.

Many of you may have heard of what was, until it closed in July, the #1 restaurant in the world...El Bulli. Well, the road to El Bulli runs directly through the 500+ acres of vineyards farmed by Bodegas Espelt located in northeast Spain. The vines, planted in 1920 produce low yields of Grenache and Carinena and because the Bodegas has owned the land since the beginning of time (or at least that is what it feels like), they can produce absolutely outstanding wine for extremely low prices.

We think you'll love the vino - and we'll have it open to taste on the machines so you can see for yourself.

As always, thank you for your business!

To order you can:

Order ONLINE by clicking HERE

Swing on by!

Call SOUTHPARK @ 704-442-4024

Call BLAKENEY @ 704-443-2944

Taste 2007 Ferrer Bobet Seleccio Especial for FREE

FREE Holiday Weekend Tasting
Saturday September 3rd, 2011
2pm-4pm

Featuring:
2007 Ferrer Bobet Seleccio Especial
2010 Honoro Garnacha
2009 Atalaya "Laya"
2008 Can Blau
2009 Pasion de Bobal

Ferrer Bobet has burst onto the Spanish wine scene in a big way. No expense has been spared in the construction of the winery and in the planting of the vineyards (pictures below!). Ferrer Bobet is the dream of big pharma tycoon Sergi Ferrer-Salat who apparently a much greater interest in fine wine than drugs, and his partner / winemaker Raul Bobet. Ferrer-Salathas made it clear from the get go that his goal is to make the greatest wine possible without regard to whether he makes money. While we're not sure that is the best business strategy, the wines are pretty ridiculous (in a good way).

So this weekend we are going to taste the $85 Ferrer Bobet Seleccio Especial along with some other brand new Spanish knockouts. It'll be a great way to celebrate the start of football season, the holiday weekend, or just the fact we love weekends in general!

So swing on by, grab some vino for your Labor Day BBQ, and taste some fun juice!

We hope to see you this weekend!

Pictures of Ferrer Bobet Winery: