December Wine Club Means Time to Celebrate!

It’s here! The last Wine Club of 2018! As we do each December, we chose two wines that embody the celebratory spirit of the Holidays.

We picked a stunning Cava from Penedés, and a classic vintage of Rioja, both of which are in Spain. And for the complimentary gift, a “chocotone,” a play on the classic Latin American favorite Panettone.

The cava is from a producer called Balma, and is a brut nature, meaning no sugar is added during dosage. As such, it’s a perfect match for oysters! It’s a classic blend of 50% xarel.lo, 40% macabeo, and 10% parellada, the white grapes most common in Penedes.

The story of how cava came to be is a great one! In the late 19th century, a winemaker named Joan Raventos found himself in Champagne while attempting to sell his still red wine. He loved the sparkling wine of the region so much, that he sold the rest of his wine and bought all the equipment he would need to produce sparkling wine in his hometown of Penedés. He eventually convinced his neighbors to get on board during meetings they would hold every Sunday after mass. And the rest is history!

As we mentioned, the Rioja is from a classic vintage, 2009. It’s produced by La Gitana, a winery you may recognize for their sherry. The wine is just entering its prime now. You could certainly hold it for at least another decade if you wanted, but we think it’s really showing well right now. As with most Rioja, please, please, please make sure to allow it time to breathe. This is a wine for a decanter. If you don’t have one, we recommend opening it a full day before you plan to drink it - just make sure you pour a small amount into a glass so there’s enough surface area to actually make a difference.

As we did with November, we’ve moved the release party up so that you can have the wines for the holidays. The party will be this Sunday, from 1 to 7pm, and some friends will join us! We’ll have food from Peruvian Brothers, who’s delicious hot sauce we carry at the store, as well as Estebe and Kim from Tradewinds, one of our favorite distributors!

See you Sunday, and Happy Holidays!