Here is another in my series of posts about some of the best wine shops in Nashville. Today, I am writing about Grand Cru Fine Wine & Spirits, which has a wonderful selection of wines. It’s offerings are particularly strong if you know that you are in the market for a few good reds.
Grand Cru is an attractive shop with bright yellow walls and numerous racks of reds flanked by refrigerators with a small but respectable selection of whites. The racks open with an assortment of Italian and Spanish reds and a nice collection of Argentinian malbecs. These are alongside pinot noirs from California, New Zealand, and Burgundy. French offerings continue with Bordeaux and the Rhone. Domestic reds are primarily from California and Washington and include cabernets, merlots, syrahs, and zinfandels (including Lodi). There is also a selection of Chilean cabernets, merlots and Australian syrahs, and a small offering of local Tennessee wines.
Grand Cru also has a reserve room with its higher end selections. These include South American blends, Napa Valley cabernets and chardonnays, French and Italian reds, and assorted pinot noirs. In addition, Gand Cru offers some unique labels of standard spirits, complemented by some delicious looking eau de vie. Definitely worth a look.
Grand Cru Fine Wines & Spirits
3433 Murphy Road
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 627-9300
Posted in: Nashville, Wine.
Tagged: Nashville · Wine · wine shops
My final review of six of the 2010 Finger Lakes riesling is of Fulkerson Winery’s 2010 Dry Riesling. Fulkerson Winery is located on land that the Fulkerson family has owned since 1805. The Fulkersons now offer over twenty varieties of wine, over thirty varieties of fresh grape juice, and a full line of home wine making supplies, all of which can be purchased on their website.
Fulkerson’s 2010 Dry Riesling has a bright golden color with aromas of apples, petroleum, and a hint of tart peach. It has a bright acidity with flavors of apple, peach, and citrus. Given a few minutes to open up the citrus flavors come to the forefront and are joined by a note of pineapple. It’s a crisp, dry wine that pairs well wit any number of cheeses and light meals, including pasta dishes. At $12.99 a bottle, it may be the best value of the six wines I have tasted to date. 
Fulkerson Winery
5576 Route 14
Dundee, NY 14837
(607) 243-7883
Twitter: @FulkersonWinery
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: dry riesling · riesling · Seneca Lake
My fifth of six reviews of the 2010 Finger Lakes riesling vintage is of Keuka Lake Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling. Keuka Lake’s vineyards are on the southern slope of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes. Keuka Lake specializes in dry wines, particular rieslings and vignoles. These wines and its limited red offering are available for purchase online.
Keuka Lake’s 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling is a nearly colorless wine with tropical, floral (orange blossom), and nectarine aromas. The wine has mildly tart citrus and peach flavors. It is delicate with moderate acidity, well-balanced, and it is a stand out in that it is on the dry side of semi-dry when compared to some of its sister wines from this vintage. It is a good sipping wine, and will work best with foods with flavors on the delicate side. 
1/2, $18.00 per bottle.
Keuka Lake Vineyards
8882 County Route 76
Hammondsport, NY 14840
(607) 868-4100
Twitter: @KLVwines
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: Finger Lakes · Keuka Lake · riesling · semi-dry · Wine
My fourth of six reviews of the 2010 Finger Lakes riesling vintage is of Swedish Hill Winery‘s 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling. Swedish Hill, and its sister winery, Goose Watch, are both located on Cayuga Lake. Swedish Hill opened in 1986 and, since that time, has produced numerous award winning wines that have been recognized in New York and beyond. Its selection of red, white, and sparkling wines are available for purchase online.
Swedish Hill’s 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling is straw colored with aromas of balloon rubber, pineapple, and peaches. The wine has high acidity with flavors of tropic fruits and melon. It is semi-sweet, but it maintains a relatively light mouth feel considering its sugar content. It will compliment a number of foods and is not so sweet so as to overwhelm a meal. Good wine and priced just about right. 3/4, Appx. $15.99 per bottle.
Swedish Hill Winery
4565 Rt 414
Romulus, NY 14541
(315) 549-8326
Twitter: @SwedishHillWine
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: Cayuga Lake · Finger Lakes · riesling · semi-dry
Poggio Antico 2005 Madre ITG — I’ve written about this wonderful winery in Montalcino before, but thought it worth noting that this vintage of its Super Tuscan, 50% cabernet sauvignon and 50% sangiovese, is drinking beautifully now or will continue to mature well. It has aromas of mixed berries and vanilla, along with hints of chocolate and the pine trees that border on the vineyards. Gentle, well-integrated tannins provide a smooth mouth feel with flavors of raspberries, cranberries, and cherries with hints of bell pepper. This wine is perfect with a meal or for sipping on its own to appreciate the flavors and complexity. 1/2, appx. $70 per bottle.
El Coto 2010 Rioja Blanco DOC — Made entirely from viura grapes, this dry white wine has aromas of grape and citrus. Its bright acidity is akin to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, and it flavor is reminiscent of grapefruit. This is a great alternative to your everyday dry white. 1/2, appx. $9.00 per bottle.
Nine Stones 2008 Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Aus. — A subtle, smoky aroma and flavors of dark chocolate, black cherries, and a hint of pepper. The smooth but slightly bitter tannins create a wine that is easy to drink but also complex. It was a wonderful compliment to a pepperoni pizza and is a good value if you can get it at the listed price. , appx. $13.70 per bottle.
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: cabernet sauvignon · McLaren Vale · Montalcino · Rioja · sangiovese · shiraz · viura · Wine
The third of my six reviews of the 2010 finger Lakes riesling vintage is of Damiani Wine Cellars 2010 Davis Vineyard Dry Riesling. (You can find my previous two reviews here and here.) Damiani’s vineyards are on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes and produce cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, pinot noir, syrah, sauvignon blanc, and, of course, riesling. Its wines are available for purchase online.
Damiani’s 2010 Dry Riesling is a clear pale yellow with aromas of apple, pineapple, peach, and hints of petroleum. It has moderate to high acidity and crisp flavors of tart apples, grapefruit, and lemon. Given the tart (to my tastes) profile, this wine is best with food and this dry version has more versatility in pairing than its semi-dry counterparts (a fact reflected in a higher price point). I enjoyed the Damiani Dry Riesling very much with baked chicken and cave-aged gruyere. 1/4, $21.99 per bottle.
Damiani Wine Cellars
4704 Rt 414
Burdett, NY 14818
(607) 546-5557
Twitter: @DamianiWine
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: dry · Finger Lakes · riesling · Seneca Lake
Again, we see the power of wine. Is there anything that it can’t do?
Posted in: Wine.
Last week, I posted my review of Keuka Spring Vineyard’s 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling as the first of six reviews of rieslings from the Finger Lakes’ new 2010 vintage. I now turn to the second wine in this series, Lucas Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling. Lucas Vineyards is the oldest winery on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes growing region of New York. It’s dry, sweet, and sparkling wines are all available for purchase online. Lucas’ 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling displays similar overall characteristics to its Keuka Spring counterpart, but with some subtle differences.
Lucas Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling
This wine is pale yellow with traditional riesling aromas of balloon rubber, peaches, and hints of citrus. It has good acidity and a slightly viscous mouth feel. Flavors of slightly under-ripe peaches and apples dominate the palate with citrus accents. Lucas’ 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling would pair well with certain pasta and seafood dishes, cheese and fruit plates, and light desserts that would not overpower the wine with sugar. Like its counterpart from Keuka Spring, this wine is priced just about right and is an affordable offering for any informal gathering. 1/2, appx. $13.99 per bottle.
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: Cayuga · Finger Lakes · riesling · semi-dry
Regular readers of this blog know that the Finger Lakes region of New York produces some very good wines that I wish I could get more of here in Nashville. It’s rieslings are particularly impressive. This year, I have been privileged to take part in the national debut of the 2010 Finger Lakes vintage — sponsored by Finger Lakes Wine Country and the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance – by receiving samples of 6 different 2010 Finger Lakes rieslings.
My 6 Samples — More Reviews to Come
Although I was unable to participate in the nationwide virtual tasting held on September 22, 2011, I am in the process of trying each of the samples that I received and will be reviewing each in a separate post. Here, I review Keuka Sping Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling. Keuka Spring, which is unsurprisingly located overlooking Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region, produces several red and white wines that can be purchased online. Its Semi-Dry riesling is a tasty entry in the 2010 vintage.
Keuka Spring Vineyards 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling
This wine is straw colored with aromas of pineapples, apples, melon, and strawberries. It is fruit forward and on the sweet side, though it is certainly short of a dessert wine, and the palate shows flavors of apples and hints of citrus. Allowing the wine to sit for a bit after opening helps to bring out a bit more tartness and complexity. It has medium acidity with a slightly viscous mouth feel. Keuka Spring’s 2010 Semi-Dry Riesling is priced right about on target and would go well with cheeses and honey, light desserts, and main dishes like shellfish and light barbecue. It’s a good, affordable wine that would be fun at a summer cookout or to bring to an informal cocktail party. 1/4, $13.99 per bottle.
Keuka Spring Vineyards
243 Route 54
East Lake Road
Penn Yan, NY 14527
(315) 536-3147
Twitter: @KeukaSpring
Posted in: Wine.
Tagged: Finger Lakes · Keuka · riesling · semi-dry
Here is another in my series of posts about some of the best wine shops in Nashville. You can find my previous posts here, here, and here. This post is about Village Wines in Hillsboro Village. It’s the place to go if you are looking for a special or impressive bottle for an occasion or for your collection.
There is no other way to say it: Village has some very impressive wines. From Old World to New World, including many wines from California and Oregon, the bulk of Village’s inventory falls into the high-end category. There is a strong selection of German whites, French whites and reds, and gewurtz and riesling from Alsace. Most of them are and investment, but well worth it. I was particularly pleased to see a 2005 Poggio Antico from Montalcino ($150 per bottle) as I walked around. There are, of course, some less expensive selections. I recently bought a case of $10 per bottle Meld at Village — an excellent value. That said, you’re usually going to Village if you are willing to pay a bit more for a high quality wine.
Village also has an impressive collection of spirits, including quality vermouths, Campari, St. Germain, Pedro Jimenez, and Plymouth Gin. If you’re looking to stock your bar, it is definitely worth the trip. Village is heavily involved in the community and helps design and construct home wine cellars, a service I may very well take advantage of once I save a few pennies.
Oh, and perhaps the greatest irony — it is next to a Domino’s Pizza. Don’t let that fool you. Look to Village for your collecting and special occasion needs.
Village Wines
2006 Belcourt Avenue, Suite B
Nashville, TN 37212-3774
Toll Free: (866) 717-2341
Posted in: Nashville, Wine.
Tagged: Nashville · Wine
