WINTER HOURS
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Mon - Wed: 11 - 6
Thurs - Fri: 11 - 8
Sat: 11 - 6
Sun: 12 - 5
THURSDAYS (tonight!):
Free Corkage Fee for Cork Customers at Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill. We're open until 8pm, so come shop for your wine, then walk across the street for dinner.
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It's been another exciting week here at cork. For starters, we are featured in the April issue of Food & Wine Magazine as an 'Eco Pioneer'
for promoting sustainable wines in our mission to quench Portland's
thirst for vino. It is always rewarding to be recognized for your
work, and I'm sure John Abbott at Abeja Winery was feeling similar warm fuzzies at a trade luncheon yesterday where he unveiled the new vintages of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
- both of which just arrived to the shop. Quite frankly, I
haven't had such a balanced and focused full-bodied, barrel-aged
Chardonnay like this since the last time I splurged on a
Chassagne-Montrachet. See new arrivals below for more details on
these tasty new wines.
While we stay busy seeking new wines for the shop, including a bevy of high-end Italians
rolling in next week (see Events below for a chance to taste some of
them), one standout so far this season is really great value reds made
along the Duero River, be it
in Ribera del Duero on the Spanish side or the Duoro, as it is called,
in Portugal. So this Friday, we'll put together a flight of Ribera del Duero from Spain and then next Friday, we'll pull the corks on a selection from Portugal.
If
you've heard about the wonderful wine dinners we've done in the past
and want in on a great night out pairing multiple courses of wine with
food, followed by the chance to buy the wines you taste at terrific
discounts, we've got a meal for you next Thursday. Read below for
details on the Loire Wine Dinner we are doing at the Alberta Street Oyster Bar & Grill. Not to be missed and we still have some seats left!
Finally,
to help you keep the house stocked with a few great value choices for
weekend dinners and get togethers, we've got a new value 4-pack
featuring our favorite new reds under $15. Pick one of these
4-packs up and save 10% off the regular bottle price.
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FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHT
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SPAIN - RIBERA DEL DUERO
Friday, March 14 · $12 tasting fee · 4 - 8 pm
 The
Ribera del Duero zone is a long, flat and rocky wine zone in the
Northeast of Spain, just west of Rioja. Arguably the second most
historically important DO, or appellation, in Spain, it is home to a
growing number of estates producing top-notch wines that are getting
huge scores in the press. But while the number of bottles selling
for over $200 continues to increase, we keep tasting wines that sell
for $12-20 and really impress us. This week we have 4 perfect
examples of this, from Fescinino, Arzuaga, Vina Gormaz and Atalayas.
To round out the tasting, we're going outside the zone to Arzuaga's
second estate so we can share the just arrived new vintage of the very
popular Pago Florentino.
All 5 of these wines are 100% Tempranillo and illustrate that you can
get great bang for the buck in the heartland of Spain's winegrowing
regions. Stop by Friday and I'll tell you the story behind this photo taken last Spring in the Ribera zone!
$12
tasting fee includes wine and snacks. Don't be surprised if there
are a few new pintxos for tasting, inspired by my recent trip to Txori
in Seattle! Drop-in tasting, no reservations required. |
DINNERS & TASTINGS
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WED, MAR. 19 · BIG ITALIAN RED TASTING · 6:30pm · $25/person
 After
recently enjoying a bottle of 2004 Fontalloro from Felsina and
commenting on how big the wine was and how it was opening up in the
glass, we thought we should share some other new favorites just
arriving from big-time producers like Fontodi and Giacomo Bologna. In addition to these three estates, we'll have some Chionetti, Martinetti and I'll pull a cork on the $100 bottle of 2005 Casanova di Neri Pietra Donice if we can fill the class up.
THURS, MAR. 20 · LOIRE DINNER AT ALBERTA ST. OYSTER BAR & GRILL · 7pm · $75/person
 Join
us for an amazing chef's menu paired with wines from the Loire Valley.
Chef Eric Bechard will prepare 5 courses which we will pair with a
sparkling Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, Savennieres, Saumur and Chinon. Wines
will be available for retail purchase at special discounted prices for
attendees to the dinner. Reservations required, email requests to darryl@corkwineshop.com.
The cost is $75/person, which includes food and a 3-ounce wine pairing
with each course. Gratuity and additional wine not included. Limit 25
people.
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SARA'S SELECTIONS
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I'm about three months into my quest to understand Italian wines, and
I'm finding (as with all things, really), if you open your mind and
your palate to something, you'll find there are gems in any genre. What
I mean is, a sensory experience is a subjective one, and while you
claim to abhor George Michael, you know you'll get down when "Faith"
comes on the radio. Or maybe that's just me.
2006 PICOLLO Gavi · $15/bottle ($13.50 cork club price)
I
was recently at a luncheon at L'heure Bleue where I tasted through an
Italian importer's wines, while eating the chef's delicious pairings.
The first course was two white wines paired with oysters, and the Gavi
from Picollo made for a fitting counterpart to briney kumamotos. Gavi,
made from the Cortese grape, is not an aromatic wine, so it doesn't
compete with or overwhelm lighter foods like fish or shellfish.
Instead, it just pleases with the light scent of white flowers and the
flavors of grapefruit and minerals, accompanying the salty taste of the
sea with subtle symmetry. I don't think kumamotos are traditionally
Italian, but man, they taste good with Gavi.
2004 ELIO GRASSO Vigna Martina Barbera · $27.25/bottle ($24.52 cork club price)
If
not the most widely planted, Barbera is certainly high on the most
widely planted list in Italy. Because of this, there are many different
styles out there, from not so great to outstanding. This particular
bottling from Elio Grasso, a single vineyard designation, was a
surprise because rather than being high in acidity, as Barbera usually
is, this wine was less acidic and more tannic on the palate. A more
serious and slightly more modern Barbera, the flavor profile is
comprised of dark red fruits and leather with rosemary notes and oak
tones. It's really good and an impressive jump in quality from the 2003
we carried last year, yet at the same price - for now anyway, until the
Euro catches up with the next shipment!
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NEW ARRIVALS
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There
are so many new wines we've recently added, that instead of giving long
descriptions of a few, I've decided to just list the wines and a brief
comment. I encourage you to drop into the shop or email if you
want some more information or would like us to set some aside for
you. Limited supply wines are noted, and since they disappear
fast, feel free to email requests directly to orders@corkwineshop.com.
2006 ABEJA Chardonnay · Limited Supply · 9.5 CWR (that's Cork Wine Rating's 10 point scale)
One of the most stunning, balanced and focused domestic Chardonnay I've tasted recently.
2005 ABEJA Cabernet Sauvignon · Limited Supply · 9.2 CWR
Laden with minerality, toasted nut aromas and structure, shows the finesse of the 2005 vintage.
2005 MONTES ALPHA Purple Angel · Limited Supply · 9.4 CWR
Top level Carmenere made by celebrated Chilean winemaker Aurellio Montes. Stunning.
2006 ROOTS Pinot Noir 'Leroy Vineyard' · $26/bottle ($23.40 cork club price)
A soft and elegant Pinot produced by Chris Berg at his Yamhill winery
2006 ROOTS Pinot Noir 'Apolloni Vineyard' · $26/bottle ($23.40 cork club price)
A gutsier style Pinot, with dark cherry fruit and a weighty finish. L.I.V.E. certified fruit.
2007 AMEZTOI Getariako Txakolina · $18/bottle ($16.20 cork club price)
ĦHAY TXAKOLINA! The 2007 vintage of Txakoli has begun. Check out this fresh new arrival.
2004 LE CLOS DE CAVEAU Vacqueyras · $23.25/bottle ($20.93 cork club price) · 9.0 CWR
Fruit forward and bursting with flavor, nuanced by garrigue, a brilliant Rhone value.
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