It is a beautiful and busy weekend here in Madrona.  It is Garage Sale day in the hood. (If you like browsing through your neighbors cast offs you can get a map of the sales at Verite.)  The US Open is in full swing in Tacoma and Sunday is Father’s Day.  Remember that Dad loves wine (and if he is a golf fanatic we has a special gift packed magnum of Jack Nicklaus Napa Cab to surprise him with.)  As we enjoy the longest days of the year, we won’t be thirsty because we have two days of great tastings lined up for the weekend.

Saturday, we have some Summery French wines to take the heat off.  We’ll be pouring a crisp Gascogne Blanc, a tongue coating Côtes de Thongue Rosé, an Alsacian Edelwicker (which is as much fun to drink as it is to say) as well as an elegant Chinon and lively Châteauneuf that comes from horse plowed fields. That starts at two and goes for as long as the bottles last.

Sunday, we’ll be tasting two wines from Vallevò.  Vallevò
is a small co-operative winery in the Abruzzo region, near Chieti.  We have recently tried two of their wines and think they are terrific for the money, and make a great pair for any party.  

2014 Vallevò Trebbiano d’Abruzzo $10
This Trebbiano has aromas of almond, citrus and a hint of herbs. It is bone dry and finishes with a very attractive hint of apple-skin. This is a good everyday bottle of white, flavorful enough to stand up to a range of dishes but bright enough to make a good dry aperitif.

2013 Vallevò Montepulciano d’Abruzzo $10
Aromas and flavors of black plum, black cherry, herbs, and black olives surround a wonderful meaty texture, with enough chewiness to make the wine stand up to food but supple enough to drink on its own.

Come join us.

Madrona Wine Merchants offers free wine tastings featuring 4-5 selections on a theme every Saturday from 2 until the bottles run out and on Sunday we offer a mini-tasting of two wines all day from 11-5.