Happy September to All. Here’s hoping that the upcoming Labor Day weekend will be enjoyable, and the transition, for many, of “back-to-school” smooth. It’s been a nice summer for us here at the store. We will be open on Monday, Sept. 1^st from 11AM-5PM in celebration of Labor Day. Remember, every Thursday is “Ladies’ Day”, with a 10% discount given at the register on any wine purchased by our wonderful female customers.

New items over the last month include:  Polmos Wisniowka, an absolutely awesome Polish cherry cordial, Tuaca, an Italian cordial, and Svedka Clementine Vodka. Additions to our wine selection are:  Excelsior Paddock Shiraz (So. Africa) Finca el Origin Torrontes (Argentina… Sue’s new favorite white wine) Festival 34 Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot (Calif.) Santa Julia Chardonnay (ORGANIC-Argentina) Oxford Landing GSM (a blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mouvedre from Australia) Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran 2007 (a white Burgundy from France) and from our area’s Finger Lakes– Americana Vineyards Riesling, Knapp George’s Peach, and Lakewood Vignoles. Also, a sampler selection (i.e. 300 ml. bottles) of Hakushika Sakes in 3 different styles, which are a great way to try this well-known Japanese rice wine. Just in are 3 more wines from California:  Toasted Head Reserve Pinot Noir, Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, and Red Truck organic Petit Sirah. Some wines from Bogle will be coming soon.

Current “Wine Deal” has TWO offerings:  Ironstone Vineyards (Calif.) 2001 Reserve Cabernet Franc, and Lake Sonoma Winery Dry Creek Valley 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. GREAT PRICES on a limited number of bottles…check them out on the “WINE DEAL” rack near the register when you’re next in the store.

 Friday night (5 – 8PM) wine tasting schedule follows:

Sept. 5^th:  NO TASTING THIS WEEK. Sue will be away celebrating her birthday, and Mike will be working alone this night.

Sept. 12^th:  Sue and Mike will be your hosts in sampling the Santa Julia Organica line—Chardonnay, Tempranillo, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sept. 19^th:  Dave from Empire North joins us to sample 2 Argentinean wines—Tamari Reserva Malbec and Tamari Torrontes, along with Black Opal Cabernet-

                      Merlot Blend (Australia) and Greg Norman Pinot Noir (Calif.)

Sept. 26^th:  John from Southern Wine and Spirits will be with us pouring Red Truck Petite Syrah (ORGANIC-Calif.) Ray’s Station Cabernet Sauvignon (Calif.)

                      Columbia Crest Sauvignon Blanc (Washington) Ste.Chapelle Dry Gewürztraminer (Idaho).

Still no “perpetual tasting” machine, although Mike has been looking at new and more elaborate systems…hmmm. But first signs for the wine room are in the works; and some Sunday AFTER Labor Day weekend, when the weather is cooperative, we will be closed for the afternoon for resurfacing of our parking area. Hopefully, we will know enough in advance to send out a quick email…

That seems to be it for now. As always, a huge THANKS for your ongoing patronage. This month’s wine quote:  “The juice of the grape is the liquid quintessence of concentrated sunbeams…the pure Septembral juice…” Francois Rabelais (1494-1553).

* Of interest—We have at the store information from Cornell University’s Library on exhibitions there entitled “Song of the Vine: A History of Wine” which explore the origins of viticulture in Europe and the development of wine making in America including the growth of the New York State wine industry. If interested, the info. can be found on our tasting bar.*

Midsummer—what a wonderful time of year! Hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer. We must be having fun because time is sure flying…hard to believe it’s August already. Still a few months of warm weather and longer days left to continue to enjoy decks, porches, pools, yards, the lakes, and of course family and friends…. all enhanced by enjoyment of wine and spirits. So here’s to summer! And to health and well-being.

           We have added a few new selections—on the spirits side, Milagro 100% Blue Agave Tequila (very reasonably priced) UV Blue and UV Vanilla Vodkas, Kahlua Mocha Liqueur (chocolate and coffee-a match made in heaven) and an AMAZING traditional Polish honey liqueur called Stawski Krupnik, which is indescribably delicious. Also you can find a Greek brandy, Metaxa 5 Star, and Bacardi’s Select Dark Rum.  Several new organic wines include Four Chimneys Celestial Peach and Raspberry Sunrise, for the sweet wine lover in you, and Santa Julia Tempranillo 2007 from Argentina. We also now carry MOJO ROJO, a Spanish table wine made from the Monastrell (also called Mouvedre) grape, which is very reasonably priced.

           The “Wine Deal” currently features a 2003 Jessie’s Grove Petite Sirah, a gem from Lodi, California. Visit the website or the store to learn more about this BIG wine.

           Our initial “wine club” offering was a success, with only a few bottles of Frances Ford Coppola’s Director’s Cut 2005 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon yet to be picked up. We will be selecting another outstanding dry red during the month of August, and will let everyone who has signed up know by email when the wine has arrived. If you would like to join us as we explore some great new wines, or need more information about how it works, just let us know at the store.

           A different approach to this month’s Friday night wine tastings:  “Potluck” month will feature spontaneous selections likely to be made the day of each tasting. There will be 5 such tastings in August– on the 1^st, 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd, and 29^th. We will work to find a few sweeter wines to feature per requests from our customers. If you are in for some adventure, please join us. As always, a 10% discount will be given at the register on wines tasted that evening. Our dedicated sales reps can enjoy a summer month free from their commitment to us, and Mike can work on the wine preservation system in the time freed up from more organized events. We believe this month’s more informal approach will continue to be a fun and educational experience for us all.

           Special tasting: Thursday July 31 from 4 to 7 we will again have a Bacardi Girl in the store making Mojitos.

           So here’s to a Happy August to all. Thanks to all of our fabulous customers. Hope to see everyone soon.

           Sue and Mike