While the Seahawks try to rack up more yardage this weekend on their way to the Super Bowl, and a misty fog hangs over the neighborhood, here at Madrona Wine we’ll have our thoughts on Sunny Spain.

Saturday starting at 2, we’re pouring a lineup of eco-friendly Spanish wines that please the palate as well as the environment.  There is plenty of time to try them and still make the kickoff.

Sunday, we’ll be pouring two more great value wines from Spain all day from 11 to 5.

2011 Vina Costeira Ribeiro Blanc  $9
50% Trexeiadura, 20% Albaranio, 10% Torrontes, 10% Godello, 10% Palomino

2012 Pazo de Eguren Terra de Castillia  $11
Tempranillo

Float on by and give them a try.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Madrona Wine will be welcoming the first weekend of 2015 with mellow style.  After the excesses of the holiday season we are showcasing two wines each day that are 13% alcohol by volume and under.  Stop by and take it easy with us.
 
Saturday we’ll be featuring
 
2013 Domaine Couet, Coteaux du Giennois    ($15)
Sauvignon Blanc
Couet’s Coteaux-du-Giennois comes from clay, limestone soils and flint clay soil in the Loire . “The nose opens immediately on beautiful exotic fragrances (passion fruit, grapefruit). The mouth is a model of balance: the size, quickness and length gives it an elegance and remarkable harmony. This is a beautiful representative of the appellation.”  Hachette Guide. 12.5% alcohol by volume.
 
2013 Cantine Povero, Barbera d’Asti    ($12)
This 100% Barbera from estate vineyards in Monferatto, is traditionally vinifed in large Slavonian oak barrels. Bright red cherries, soft tannins, and mouthwatering acidity make this a perfect everyday red, clean and focused with great balance. 12.5% alcohol by volume
 
For Sunday the lineup will be:
 
2010 Cantine di Marzo, Fiano di Avelino    ($9)
A Campania aromatic white notes of pear & white flowers like  jasmine and lily.  Was $16 now $9.  12.5% alcohol by volume
 
2008 Casa Contini, Biferno Reserva DOC    ($12)
Montepulciano and Aglianico
From Molise, this reserva spends 3 years in barrel.  It is rich and plummy, with a smoky blackberry, chestnut, and peppery-sweet aroma that delights the senses.  13% alcohol by volume

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

We are open this evening until 7PM, Christmas Eve (Wednesday) 12-7, closed Christmas, but open again on Friday from 12-7, Saturday from 11-7, Sunday 11-5.

For New Year’s Week we are open 12-7 Monday-Wednesday, closed Thursday for New Year’s Day, then back open on Friday.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Show your love this holiday season with the gift of wine be it red, white, bubbles, or dessert. From single special occasion bottles to magnums and larger.

Or better yet, give them wines of the month from Madrona Wine Merchants. Choose from 3, 6 or 12 packs – your choice red/white/mixed and they can switch the mix at any time. At the beginning of each month we charge your card and send your gift recipient an email that their box is ready. Comes with tasting notes.

You get:

• A hand-picked selection of intriguing wines waiting to be discovered
• 10% off your wine club selections
• A ready supply of delicious wines just waiting for a pull of the cork

We have several wine club levels to suit your palate and pocket:

Everyday Exploration:

Good quality wines that don’t require a special occasion. This selection gives you wine for good, everyday drinking. These selections from all over the world are meant to go with food. If you buy two or three bottles a week at the grocery store, we promise you that you’ll drink better with this club level! Your choice of either six or twelve bottles a month. Choices all red, all white or anything in between.

6 bottle selection: $50 – $75 plus tax

12 bottle selection: $100 – $150 plus tax

Saturday Night Collection:

Looking for something other than “Wednesday Wine”? The Saturday Night Collection Wine Club gives you three wines a month (or six) that are a cut above the everyday.  Good for fine meals, cellaring or special occasions.

3 bottle selection: $75 – $135 plus tax

6 bottle selection: $150 – $270 plus tax

Mel’s All Week Mix:

Mel’s All Week mix is a combination of our Everyday Explorer and Saturday Night samplings. Named for one of our customers, Mel’s All Week Mix offers two bottles from the Saturday Night Special and four bottles from the Everyday Explorer so you have bottles for special occasions and bottles for everyday.

6 bottle selection: $110 – $120 plus tax

What the heck – while you are at it, sign up for yourself as well so you can compare notes.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

As is our holiday tradition at Madrona Wine Merchants, the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years we are open SEVEN days a week for your shopping pleasure.

Monday-Wednesday 12-7

Thanksgiving Day 11-3

Friday 12-7

Saturday 11-7

Sunday
11-5

Come check out our ever expanding vermouth collection:

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Sunday we’ll be pouring two Oregon Pinot Noirs from two very small production wineries. We’ll also have a Tawny port to put you in the mood for dessert. Sarah Timbrook Nugent will be here to tell you more about the wines from 3 to 5.

2013 McKinlay Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $20
Matt Kinne’s McKinlay Vineyard Pinot Noirs are known for his Burgundian styling, his wines are juicy and full of rich flavors while typically offering the silky tannins and balanced acidity that allow for considerable aging.

2012 Witness Tree Vineyard Pinot Noir $30
Deep garnet in color, the Witness Tree Estate Pinot Noir is powerful and yet full of grace with aromas of dark, primary fruits with intense perfume and spice driven qualities.  On the palate the wine is round, full and satiny with notes of black cherries, rhubarb, dried herbs and baking spices.  The finish is fresh and clean with well-integrated tannins and acid. Though drinking well in its youth, it will definitely reward the patient cellarer.  Enjoy this wine with traditional beef and lamb dishes as well as smoked salmon, pork, and cheese.

Kopke 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, 375ml $17
A standard favorite for us year round the Kopke 10-Year-Old is actually a 15 year old tawny but there is no category for 15 year tawnies so they stick with 10 for the label. Elegant and complex, with spicy aromas, dried fruits and notes of wood and honey. Excellent finish.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

It’s that time again – the annual American Express Shop Small Saturday.

What’s Shop Small Saturday? Spend $10 or more in a single, in-store transaction at a qualifying small business appearing on the Shop Small Map using your American Express Card. If your transaction qualifies, you will receive a $10 statement credit within 90 days. You can take advantage of this offer up to three times, for a total of up to $30 in statement credits. Online transactions do not qualify.

Register your American Express Card here.

Visit the Shop Small Map to find qualifying small businesses near you.

Saturday we’re looking ahead to the upcoming holidays and pouring some new French quaffers that suit an array of banquets and feasting.  Besides being festive and delicious, these wines are also all organically or sustainably farmed and made by small independent producers making them even better.  Come have a taste and find something to toast with this coming season.
 
2011 Domaine Chapelle & Fils, Aligoté  $17
Domaine Chapelle dates back to 1893, when the Chapelle family purchased land in Santenay and Chassagne-Montrachet. Today Jean-Francois Chapelle and his wife Yvette run the 20 hectare, organically farmed estate. Aligoté is the other white grape of Burgundy.  It is crisp and citrusy with good body, mineral notes and a long finish.
 
2012 Domiane du Coudray, Quincey  $20
Sauvignon Blanc
Coudray has 6 hectares of organic vineyards with sand-clay-gravel soils that are perfect for the Sauvignon vine.  The Quincey has grassy and floral aromas, good mineral notes and a dry herbal fruitiness. 
 
2012 Domaine Roque Sestière, A L’Orée des Pins Corbieres  $13
60% Syrah, 40% Carignan
Domaine Roque Sestière is a fourth generation, organically farmed, family estate.  The L’Orée has broad shoulders with lots of dark fruit and smooth but deep tannins.
 
2011 Maison Lou Dumont Savigney lès Beaune  $36
Pinot Noir
Driven by a passion for Burgundy and the dream of making wine, Japanese Sommelier Koji Nakada left his native Tokyo in 1996 and moved to Beaune to study oenology at the prestigious CFPPA. The first thing he had to do was learn French. He enrolled in language class at Dijon where his teacher was the lovely Jae Hwa Park, an expatriated Korean. During Koji’s studies, and his subsequent internships in Bordeaux, Champagne and Alsace, the two dated, married and formed Maison Lou Dumont with the intent to produce pure, honest, regionally correct Burgundy of minimal manipulation from organically farmed grapes.   Their Savigney lès Beaune is a full, rich, aromatic Pinot.

2010 Domaine Abltia, Irouleguy Rouge  $27
Tannat, with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc
Abotia’s sustainably farmed vineyards are located in the heart of the Basque Country and surrounded by the Pyrenees.  In this robust red, the Tannat variety, indigenous to the southwest of France, lends its distinctive local character. To this tannic grape Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc bring the finesse and charm of red fruits and minerals. An age-worthy wine, Irouleguy is a great accompaniment for rich meats, such as duck confit, or local cheeses such as Ossau-Iraty.

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.

Sunday, Mark will be pouring some lovely fresh French wines that have just arrived in the shop — all day from 11 to 5. Stop on in.

2011 Ravier, Chignin Bereron $12

This full bodied Roussanne from the Savoie, is rich with a bit of herbaceousness.

2011 Château Bellegrave, Medoc $13

35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 60% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
A new vintage of an old favorite, the Bellegrave has aromas of licorice, coffee, and strawberry and cherry fruit. Medium bodied with smooth tannins and tasty fruit.

Sunday, Mark will be pouring some lovely fresh French wines all day from 11 to 5. Stop on in.

2012 Domaine de Mougin VDP L’ Aude    ($10)
30% Syrah, 30% Merlot, 20% Carrignan, 10% Grenache,
10% Cabernet Sauvignon
A easy everyday drinking wine with enough going on in it so your tongue never gets bored. What Vin de Pays should always be.

2012 Domaine Roque Sestière
A L’Orée des Pins    ($13)
60% Syrah, 40% Carrignan
Corbieres
A good daily drinker to accompany your meal , especially with grilled meats and roasts, Italian specialties and all cheeses. Organic

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. No matter what day you stop by we always have something open to sample.