All In-Store Saturday Tastings are from 2 to 6pm
We have been in business at this location since 1985, providing the best selection of wine in the western suburbs. Our store has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, and has been a past “Wine Store of the Year” selection. We pride ourselves on friendly and knowledgeable service, whether you are selecting an inexpensive wine for a simple dinner, purchasing select wine as an investment, or choosing wines for a special event.
Wine travel is always rewarding in so many different ways. Once again I was able to get more stamps in my passport – this time to the south of France: a region that is underrated and undiscovered. The Inter Rhône Association chose 5 wine buyers from the United States to experience first hand what this region has to offer and spread the word about these little known areas of France. Represented were hotel, restaurant, and retailer buyers from New York, Boston, Delaware, California and Chicago. We came together for a week to be shown the uniqueness of Costiéres de Nimes, Clariette de Bellegarde and the Luberon regions within the Rhône Valley. Located in the southern Rhône Valley, where we discovered delicious and thoughtfully made wines in a rustic but beautiful landscape.
One of the most ancient wine-growing areas, around the fourth century BC, only 155 miles from north to south, the vineyards offer a shifting landscape which winds and unwinds around the Rhône river. This river is the connecting factor, holding together these contrasting landscapes and soil types. The valley’s soils play an essential role in the way vines thrive; granite in the north, sandy and limestone in the south and clay throughout. What excited me were the huge galets stones that were prevalent here like in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. These large, rounded stones have been smoothed by glacial actions over time and deposited in the region by the Rhône River. They absorb heat from the daytime sunshine and release it slowly overnight to keep the vines warm. These wines were easily less expensive and equally enjoyable.
The majority of wines made here are red, about 44% also a larger majority of Rosé wines produced in these three areas delighted me. Given the hot climate we needed cooling off in 90+ temperatures with thirst quenching wines. For you statistic lovers, here is how it breaks down: Costiéres de Nimes 50% red, 43% rose, 7% white; Clariette de Bellegarde, 100% white; Luberon 23% red, 54% rose, 23% white.
For reds and rosés, Syrah is the driving varietal partnered with Grenache and Mourvedre. The white wines excited me as they offer expressive and vibrant qualities. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne plus Vermentino, which by new laws cannot be listed as a varietal anymore due to the Italian legislature, but that is another story. It is to be listed as Rolle from the 2022 vintage and on. Production is low so they are harder to find in the U.S.
We traveled north of Marseilles, passing olive groves and charming medieval villages through the Luberon Mountains, in the heart of the Regional Natural Park. Within this park are beautifully landscaped wineries with histories dating back to the Romans. They practice sustainability, biodynamic, low intervention, certified organic farming, and truly respect and cherish the land that generations of families have lived and farmed on.
I spent my last day in Aix en Provence discovering a new way to drink Rosé. In the hot temperatures as soon as you pour your wine it warms up, so to keep it cool they make ice cubes out of the Rosé by adding water to help it freeze, drop into the glass and viola - it stays cold and doesn’t dilute the wine. So when I thought I was ordering a glass of Rosé I accidentally ordered a bottle, which was a perfect way to end my trip.
To sit and observe here makes you appreciate taking the time to enjoy life and wine. When wine is involved, nothing is difficult.