OurGlass Grand Tasting

At the end of August, OurGlass Wine Co., held a Grand Re-Opening Wine Tasting and I attended, to gauge the progress of the store, to see how it is faring under its new management. If you will recall, I previously raised some concerns about the direction that the wine store was headed. It seemed that it might become more of a liquor store rather than a boutique wine store.

As I drove up to the store, I noticed a sign in the window for a 30-pack of beer. The type of signage you see at liquor stores. Inside the store, it was a bit crowded with all of the tables set up for the wine distributors and food vendors. There were over 65 wines available for tasting and foods provided by vendors such as Dom's Sausage Co. and Karl's Sausage Kitchen.

The wine selection had some winners, though lots of familiar wines too. Adonna Imports, Vineyard Road and Ideal Wines & Spirits were present and offered my favorite wines of the day. I'll provide a few highlights here.

Adonna Imports:
2008 Kalmuck Gruner Veltiner, Austria ($13.50)-A crisp, bright wine with notes of citrus, mineral and floral elements
2007 Kalmuck Pink, Austria ($10.80)-A Rose made from Zweigelt. A dry, Old World style-Rose with nice, red berry flavors and mineral notes.
2008 Migliavacca Grignolino, Italy ($12.60)-A very aromatic wine with an incredible red berry aromas. A delicious taste of cherry, raspberry and mild spice highlights.

Ideal Wines & Spirits:
2008 Adami Gardino Prosecco ($20.70)-An amazing sparkling wine. Produced from a single vineyard, this wine explodes with flavor in your mouth. It is creamy with lush tastes of apples and peach. One of the best Proseccos I have ever tasted.
2007 Barrail Meyney Bordeaux ($9.90)-An easy drinking Bordeaux, very much a pizza or burger wine.
2006 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina Bucerchiale ($32.40)-Another exceptional, single vineyard wine. Smooth, dark berry flavors with restrained tannins and a lengthy finish. Plenty of complexity and a nice balance. Definitely a food wine which should impress.

Vineyard Road:
2007 Lesec Costires de Nimes ($13.50)-A blend primarily of Syrah and Mourvedre. Delicious blueberry and spice flavors, mild tannins and a decent finish. An excellent value for a wine of this character.
2007 Palivou St. George ($9.90)-Another smooth, fruity, easy drinking wine, just right for a casual meal.

I was very pleased with all of the food they provided for the tasting, including steak and chicken bites. That certainly helped with the wine tasting, giving you a better idea of how the wines would interact with food. And both Dom's Sausage Co. and Karl's Sausage Kitchen served plenty of delicious food.

But the store still seems to be sliding down into a liquor store, away from its prior status as a boutique wine store. In addition, they recently announced that Deanna, who had long been a manager there, is leaving. Deanna's passion and knowledge will be truly missed.

I'll continue to monitor OurGlass but I am not too hopeful.