Wine Tasting Schedule
****Our store will remain open but the back bar will be closed this coming Tuesday, September 20th for a private party. Wines by the glass will be poured up front for the die-hards****
How Sweet It Is
This Friday the 16th
5:30-8:30pm
$15/person
5 wines, cheeses, crackers, bread
Reservations recommended:
info@cowineco.com
or (323) 478-1985
Are you a wine-snob-in-training and refuse to try anything sweet? Are you such a sweet freak you only go for dessert wines? Well, no matter what camp you fall into, you need to come taste a few wines this Friday. All the wines we’re pouring have varying degrees of sweetness, sure to change the mind of the anti-sweet crowd and sure to please the sugar-holic in everyone.
Wines
Mionetto "iL" Moscato, Italy
Werner Riesling Kabinett 2003, Germany
Rene Mure Gewurztraminer 2002, France
Murphy Goode Liar’s Dice Zinfandel 2002, California
Accornero Brigantino Sparkling Malvasia, Italy (yup, that crazy, slightly sparkling,sweet red we wrote about last week)
Call a Cab Sunday
This Sunday the 18th
1:00-4:00pm
$10/person
4 wines, cheeses, crackers, bread
No reservations necessary
With all our attention on these oddball, hard to find grapes from the far corners of the earth, it’s easy for us to forget about the obvious ones right under our noses. We’ve amassed a great collection of Cabernet Sauvignons from all over the world with widely varied tastes and structures. You probably know your go-to California Cab but have you tried that one from Australia? South Africa? Argentina? Come out Sunday and discover a new twist on an old favorite. Kinda like “New Coke” but good this time.
Wines
Budini Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Argentina
Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, South Africa
Angus the Bull Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Australia
Foxen Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, California
D.O.A. – Drink On Arrival
We’ve got a bunch of tasty new arrivals this week for you to try…
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Paso Robles, CA - $22.99/btl
Yes, the makers of the very expensive and near impossible to get Justin Isosceles Red blend make an entry level Cab that will give you insight into why they have played a significant role in elevating the Paso Robles region to its current cult status.
Gruet Blanc de Noir, New Mexico - $13.99/btl
Sparkling wine from New Mexico? What a zany, zany world. Take the “Champagne” off the label and suddenly your party costs are just cut in half. It’s tasty. It’s affordable. I swear they won’t know the difference.
Costa de Oro Pinot Noir 2002, Santa Maria, CA - $17.99/btl
One of our customers gets talking to a guy on the plane about wine. Turns out his family owns a winery. He shows up at our door a week later and poof! we have a new wine. Sometimes these roundabout routes find us our best wines. And the Costa de Oro Pinot is truly something you’ve got to try with that ashy, soily element that makes Pinot Noir and grilled mushrooms a vacation in a meal. Kinda like Calgon but without the bad jingle and all the suds.
Uvas Chardonnay 2002, Santa Barbara, CA - $12.99/btl
Also from Costa de Oro, this Chardonnay is a fantastic deal with balanced oak, elegantly bridging the gap between the California Chardonnay style and the French Burgundy style. Clean, crisp, with a round mouthfeel and a subtle creaminess.
Domaine Drouhin Vero Chardonnay, Bourgogne, France - $18.99/btl
We can’t get enough white Burgundy. Just can’t. We keep getting told to stock up on the reds 'cus Summer is over but you know what? Grow up. LA doesn’t have a winter. And I don’t know about you but we don’t stop eating seafood and drinking white wine just because October is on the horizon. Rant rant, grumble grumble.
Joel Gott Zinfandel 2004, California - $14.99/btl
We’ve had tons of requests for the Joel Gott Zin but the ’03 was all sold out by the time we got our doors open earlier this year. Well, the ’04 is in and it’s sittin’ pretty. This is a medium-bodied Zin, not a fruit bomb so all those who like their Zins with a fork and steak knife, this ain't your cup o’ tea. But it is bursting with flavors of spice, cherry and blackberry and has been the star of the wine bar all week.
Sineann Gewurztraminer 2004, Oregon - $19.99/btl
We slipped this in to “New Arrivals” last week but we had to throw it again and give it the attention it deserves. This is a BEAUTIFUL, subtle and slightly sweet Gewurztraminer from Sineann in Oregon who apparently can do no wrong. If only we could have found this at the BEGINNING of Summer and not the end. Damn. But a little bird tells us this is supposed to be the LA Times wine of the week at one point in September so grab a bottle while you can.
Opolo Pinot Noir 2002, Paso Robles, CA - $24.99/btl
Opolo is another new winery we were turned on to during our trip last week to Paso Robles. It's a family setup with one of the owners pouring at the tasting bar and another family member finishing up a big BBQ outside the winery for customers. The regional sales manager took us back to the big stainless steel tanks in back and tasted us on the whole line and when we weren’t saying nerdy things about the taste of wine or making fun of ourselves for saying nerdy things about wine, we were just smiling. These are some really elegant, tasty wines and we grabbed the Pinot Noir this week with the Merlot soon to follow next week. This is almost an Oregon style Pinot with subtle, rich notes of earth and ash on the nose and palate, balanced with smooth round fruit notes and a long, delicate finish.
See You Soon,
John and Jen
"Wine is a living liquid containing no preservatives. Its life cycle comprises youth, maturity, old age, and death. When not treated with reasonable respect it will sicken and die."
~ Julia Child
