Portalis Wine Shop

Taste Jens' November Picks!
Saturday, November 2 (12-3pm)

Every month Portalis owner Jens Strecker picks 10 or so wines that he thinks are great for the month, and on the first Saturday of the month we taste a selection of those wines.

For November, join to taste: a Southern Rhône white blend, a Malbec rosé (from Greece!), 2015 Toscana Rosso (our Wine of the Month), a Gamay from Moulin à Vent (Cru Beaujolais) & old vine Zinfandel (Paso Robles).

Cost is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

Hope you can join us!

On the Table: Pizza!

Also known as Tarte Flambée in Alsace. This one topped with prawns, pesto, oven roasted tomatoes, smoked mozzarella & grana.

Wine Pairings abound! Go with a lighter fruity red: Dolcetto, Schiava, Lagrein, Grenache, or a cold-weather Pinot Noir from Alsace or Germany.

Prefer a white? Try a nice minerally (seashells!) varietal such as Vermentino or a Muscadet that's been aged on the lees. Chardonnay (with a little butter or not). Sancerre (fancy, minerally Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley) would also be a nice choice.

Need help pairing? Stop by! It's our specialty!

Just In...

Travaglini 2022 Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo • Piedmont, Italy • Reg $24.99 | Mixed Case $19.99

100% Nebbiolo from vineyards in the DOC Coste della Sesia in northern Piedmont.

Nose of rose petals, cherry, muted black raspberry, crushed stones, a little nutmeg, soft herbs. Super inviting for Nebbiolo. Body is lighter. Acidity is good. Dry on the finish, but not crazy-dry for Nebbiolo. Don't be afraid of the vintage. This wine is ready to drink. Superb food wine.

Stop by!

Wine of the Month • October 2024 - Round 2:

Domaine des Pères de L'Eglise 2021 Côtes du Rhône Rouge • Southern Rhône, France • Reg $19.99 I 25% OFF = $14.99

Grenache 85%, Syrah 5%, Carignan 10%. Aged in concrete vats, so no oak. Aromas of red fruits & berries. Medium in body. Flavors of red plums & red berries with complexity. A little note of to***co, pepper & earth. Enjoy with grilled meats, eggplant parmesan, mushroom dishes, burgers & more.

Note: We ran out of the Nottola 2019 Rosso di Montepulciano. Hope you enjoyed it; it flew! So... we will sub this terrific Côtes du Rhône in until the end of the month! Enjoy.

Another new wine from Austria:

Mayr 2019 Zweigelt • Niederösterreich, Austria • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59

100% Zweigelt. Earthy, spicy, strawberries – raspberries on the nose. Fresh. Flavors of red/black plums. Raspberries. Earthy tones. Herbal notes. Absolutely delicious wine. Love, love, love!!!

*Note: You can taste this wine Sat, 10/26 (12-3pm)

Hope to see you then!

Community Table: Beef Stew

What could be more of a 'share' dinner than stew? And cooler weather is when this dish tastes so good! Rich in flavor but not heavy, this stew (with chunks of beef, carrots, peas & potatoes) hits the spot.

What to pair?

Medium to fuller-bodied reds with fall fruits, pleasant earthy, herbal notes, and good acidity & tannins to balance the richness of the meal. Any red from France's Languedoc-Roussillon would be fantastic as would reds from the Southern Rhône & Bordeaux. Barbera & Nebbiolo from Italy's Piedmont would also hit the spot. Grenache from Australia or Washington State would be tasty! Prefer a white? A Southern Rhône blend would hold up nicely!

Here's more Food & Wine Pairing Ideas:
https://www.portaliswines.com/on-the-table

New from Tuscany!

Terra Rossa 2021 Rosso di Montalcino • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $24.99 | Mixed Case $19.99

100% Sangiovese. Earthy, cherry compote on the nose. Flavors = cherries up front followed by some black fruit, saddle leather & herbal notes. This is a baby-Brunello, 100%.

Check out our full list of New Wines:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

Another Parade of New Wines....

Weingut Friedrich Becker 2021 Pinot Gris • Pfalz, Germany • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39

100% Pinot Gris. Orange, pink color. Unfiltered. The original orange wine! Crazy-aromatic nose: floral, spicy, earthy. It just plays with you. Pink grapefruit+. So many flavors, it's hard to describe: grapefruit, citrus, Meyer lemon, pear, orange zest on the spicy finish. Note of salinity & earth on the LONG finish. Such an amazing wine. Jens: An absolute stunner!!

*Note: You can taste this wine Sat, Oct 26 (12-3pm)

Here's our full list of New Arrivals:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

More New Wines....

Louis Métaireau 2023 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine • Loire Valley, France • Reg $22.99 | Mixed Case $18.39

100% Melon de Bourgogne, but simply known as Muscadet, it’s a world-class oyster wine grown in vineyards near the Atlantic at the Loire Estuary.

Not your garden variety Muscadet. Pear, quince, herbal notes, crushed stones. On the palate, yellow plums, apples, pear. A little fuller from sitting on the lees. Very minerally finish. Wonderful wine – to sip of with seafood (classic), but it held up to spicy chorizo sausage with no problem whatsoever.

Here's our full list of New Arrivals:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

Austrian Wines, Perfect for Fall!

Austria is famous for 2 grapes – Grüner Veltliner (white) & Zweigelt (red) – which are both made for fall foods and cooler weather. Both wines taste great with sausages, potatoes and braised cabbage on the side, Wiener Schnitzel (yep, Wien is Vienna in German, so that's schnitzel made in the Vienna-style), Käsespätzle (sort of a local macaroni & cheese with caramelized onions plopped on top), and much, much more!

Recommended: Weingut Prechtl Zweigelt

We are at the tail-end of our two J. Strecker Weingut Prechtl reds – a Zweigelt (5 bottles left) and a Zweigelt blend (1 bottle left). Long time favorites, we will be sad to see them go. Both wines are $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19. Great wines from Franz & Petra Prechtl (pictured above in the middle of their harvest crew). Cheers to their good work.

If you miss these wines, the Zweigelt that arrived this week to take its place is gonna wow you! Stay tuned for more on that....

New!!

San Felice 2020 Il Grigio Chianti Classico Riserva • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19

100% Sangiovese aged for 2 years in oak barrels. "Lean and firm, with succulent tannins and a tangy acidity. Ideal when accompanying meat-sauced first courses, roast pigeon, and more" –winery's notes.

Here's our full list of New Arrivals:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

New!!

Hugl 2023 Gruner Veltliner • Niederösterreich, Austria • Reg $18.99 | Mixed Case $15.19

100% Grüner Veltliner in a 1-lt bottle = $14.24 for a 750ml bottle. Fresh, vibrant. Grapefruit on the nose. Mango mixes in with citrus on the palate. Good minerality. White pepper on the finish. Fun, delicious, easy-drinking. Serving a crowd for Thanksgiving? This is your wine.

Check out our full list of New Arrivals:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

More October Picks:

Unico Zelo 2021 River Sand Fiano • Riverland, Australia • Reg $35.99 | Mixed Case $28.79

100% Fiano (a grape normally grown in southern Italy: Campania, Puglia & Sicily) from iron-rich sandy soils with limestone. Wonderful nose of green mango, papaya and somewhat exotic, smoky notes. Luscious with flavors of pineapple, kiwi, apples and nectarines. Great acidity all the way to a long, full, lingering finish. Absolutely amazing wine in my opinion. Sip and savor or enjoy with Salt & Pepper Squid, scallops, salmon, tuna. Has seafood written all over it! Drink now to 1 year. Give it a little time open if you can to let the flavors come out.

Here's Jens' full list of October Picks:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Another New Arrival:

Cave du Chateau de Chénas 2020 Coeur de Granit • Beaujolais, France • Reg $23.99 | Mixed Case $19.19

100% Gamay from Beaujolais' smallest Cru. Medium- to lighter in body with vibrant raspberry and other red fruits. Little herbal, spicy note. Basically silky, smooth fruit. Just the way Julie likes it!

Here's our full list of New Wines:
https://www.portaliswines.com/just-in-on-sale-plus/new-arrivals

Just in... Be fast!!

Mastroberardino 2021 Lacryma Cristi del Vesuvio Bianco • Campania, Italy • Reg $27.99 | Mixed Case $22.39

Amazing white blend from the lava rock slopes of Mount Vesuvius. Famous producer. Got this wine on a close-out sale last week. Have a few bottles left. Be fast if interested.

Weeknight dinner for one.... or two!

Hash is what we call it, and it entails whatever veggies you have in your refer sautéed up with some bacon. In this case, it's served over leftover cauliflower purée. Not a mistake.

Wine? Delicious table wines abound. Right now we're hooked on our two wine club wines from Italy's Marche region - a Verdicchio (white) & a Sangiovese-Montepulciano blend (red). Both are fresh, easy-drinking food wines under $20/bottle.

Need more suggestions? Stop by....

More October Picks:

Pala 2021 Cannonau Reserva • Sardinia, Italy • Reg $39.99 | Mixed Case $31.99

100% Cannonau from 45 year old vines. Aged 1 year in 3000 liter French oak barrels, then 3 months in stainless steel tanks, then 4 months in bottle before release. Ripe red berry fruit with herbal notes on the nose. Medium-bodied, somewhat juicy with flavors of wild strawberries, red plums, cherries, dark chocolate, licorice, with a note of orange peel (acidity) & fresh loamy earth. Smooth tannins on the long finish. Pairs well with grilled or braised red meats. Also pairs with richer mushroom or eggplant dishes.

Curious? Here's Jens' full list of October Picks:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Top Picks • October 2024:

Cantine Volpi 2023 Sospiro Grillo • Sicily, Italy • Reg $21.99 | Mixed Case $17.59

Organic. From Trapani... west coast, lots of sun, 400 meters above sea level. Beautiful fresh, floral nose with stone fruit. Palate = apples, citrus, nectarine. Fresh with fun salinity on the finish. Delightful.

Here's are all of Jens' October Picks:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Portalis FLAGSHIP Wine Club • October = Around Barcelona

This is our premier wine club where we pick 2 or 3 bottles (your choice) on a changing monthly theme — grape, region, winemaker, season, food pairing. Bottles average $25-$30 per bottle.

Our September theme is Around Barcelona — featuring a Priorat + a Tempranillo & a Tempranillo blend from Costers del Segre (harvest pictured).

We'd love to have you join the club. Also makes a great gift!

Portalis FLAGSHIP Tasting Notes for the last 12 months:
https://www.portaliswines.com/flagship-tasting-notes

How to sign-up:
https://www.portaliswines.com/wine-clubs

Jens' Top Picks – October 2024:

Kiona Vineyards and Winery 2021 Sangiovese • Red Mountain, Washington • Reg $29.99 | Mixed Case $23.99

Aromas of bright red fruit with some spicy notes. Elegant, smooth, with flavors of raspberries, strawberries, and cherries with earthy and spicy notes. Lean acidity all the way through the long finish. Great food wine all around.

Curious? Here's Jens' full list of October Picks:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Wine of the Month – October 2024:

Nottola 2019 Rosso di Montepulciano • Tuscany, Italy • Reg $21.99 | 25% OFF = $16.49

A wonderful Tuscan blend of 80% Prugnolo Gentile, 15% Cannaiolo, 5% Mammolo. 6 months in Slovenian oak barrels. Aromas of dark berry fruits with hints of violet. Smooth, elegant, harmonious. A lovely wine.

The hilltop village of Montepulciano pictured from the winery’s vineyards.

Here's our full list of October Picks:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Join us for our Saturday Tasting = October Wine Club — Pickup Tasting!

Our October Portalis EXPLORES Wine Club = Italy’s Marche region (featuring a Verdicchio & a Sangiovese/Montepulciano blend) and our Portalis FLAGSHIP Wine Club = 3 reds from Around Barcelona (featuring a Priorat + a Tempranillo & a Tempranillo blend from Costers del Segre.

This pickup tasting is for our club members to taste and learn about their wines prior to enjoying them at home. Everyone is welcome to join. Cost for non-club members is $15. (Fee waived with the purchase of any wine in the shop.)

Hope you can join. Tasting runs 12-3pm. The wines are gorgeous and perfect for this time of year!

Here's more on our wine club if interested:
https://www.portaliswines.com/wine-clubs

Jens' Top Picks • October 2024

Here they are:
https://www.portaliswines.com/top-picks/october-2024

Have look or just stop by!