Classes & Events

 

Wine Club Member Price FREE / $9 Public 
Purchase tickets online or in person day of event – Events & Classes

This is a very special tasting on Tuesday August 2nd. We hope you will save the date. Our tastings are always held out on the patio if weather permits.

We will be “Cru”isng the Southern Rhone celebrating some of my favorite Crus of the southern Rhône, get it?!  Cruising? 

The southern Rhône wine region is larger than its northern neighbor and it is the land of Grenache grapes; acclaimed Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC wines come from here.

The landscape in the southern Rhône wine region is significantly different than that in the north, as it is mostly plains and gentle slopes. The weather is Mediterranean-influenced with long, warm summers and mild winters. If you see large pebbles around the bases of the vines in this area, don’t be surprised: they are used to absorb the heat from the sun during the day so they can keep the vines warm at night when temperatures often drop dramatically. Cue the cardigan!

The infamous “Mistral” wind plays a key role in the climate of the region, as it blows approximately 150 days per year and it can reach speeds of more than 90 km/h, which is only 30 km/h shy of a Category I hurricane. Because the Mistral blows away the dust and makes the air particularly clear, one of its main beneficial effects for the vines is that the moving air can save crops from the spring frost, which can last until the end of April.

Much like in the rest of France, the Rhône Valley wines are classified according to their quality in four levels of AOCs (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée: “Controlled Designation of Origin”):

The Crus: the best Rhône Valley wines are at the top of the classification. Each one of the 18 distinctive Cru regions represent the perfect expression of their ‘terroir’. Tuesday we will taste 5 different wines, celebrating 4 different Southern Rhone Crus.