August 18th is another wine holiday...  but who's complaining!  Pinot Noir is a favorite VinoTeca so much so that we've adopted the nickname 'PinoTeca!'  Pinot is a varietal indigenous to Burgundy, France but is planted throughout the world despite the fact that it is one the most difficult to cultivate.  Pinot grows in tight clusters that are susceptible to rot. The thin skinned varietal produces low yielding, low tannin juice with not a ton of complexities. Terrior and winemaking are necessary to produce the wine that we are all familiar with. 

But Pinot is not alone in its family.  It's sisters Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc will not be ignored! So, we are going to add them to this weekends tasting as well. 

3 wines - $15   //  1 wine - $6

Manchuela, Malaga and Jumilla are Spanish wine regions that stand in the shadow of the well known Rioja, Priorat and Ribero del Duero, but this week we are going down south to the areas of Spain that are better known for the art and culture of cities like Grenada and Sevilla than their vino.  As will all of the country, wine making is steeped in history, but anthropologists believe that Cadiz, one of the most Southern cities in Spain, was the beginning of Spanish wine making.  This weekend VinoTeca will focus on these charmers because we all know everything is better in the South!

3 wine - $15//  1 wine - $6

Labor Day became an official holiday in 1897 to celebrate the hard work and achievements of the American worker.  As hard working wine lovers we are going to dedicate this weekend to the accomplishments of wine makers.  There are several international schools dedicated to the craft of turning grape juice into vino, but some realize their passion later after success (or failure in some cases) in other careers. This weekend is dedicated to those who started out as something else and turned to a life of wine. 

3 wines - $15//  1 wine - $6

Priorat is a Spanish wine region located south-west of Barcelona in the Catalonia.  This region came to wine making in the 12th century when Carthusian monks settled in this mountainous area and introduced viticulture. They tended to the vines until 1835 when the Spanish government pushed them out.  The land was divided among small shareholders until the 19th century, when phlloxera, a vineyard devastating louse, hit and wiped out the ancient vines.  It wasn't until the early 1980's when Rene Barbier began convincing other winemakers that Priorat was the place to grow.  Grenache is the predominant and classic varietal, but other blending grapes like Cabernet, Cariñena, and Merlot are grown.   Join us while we explore this classic region.

3 wine - $15//  1 wine - $6