AVINAGE - a wine shop

Every winery has its own feel and style. They are all snowflakes. Kind of... It's no knock on the charms of Sonoma Pinot Noirs to observe that a lot of them sorta taste the same - or at least quite similar. I can speak of this firsthand as I try to parse the difference between wines made by neighbors who make a lot of the same decisions in the cellar. It's not a bad thing, just part of the deal. Which is why the wines of Anthill Farms pop so specifically. Sourced from a selection of single-vineyard sites throughout Sonoma and Mendocino, these are wines that not only scream COASTAL (wild, salty, cool-climate), but are also transparent and subtle and specific. In a sea of Pinots, they stand apart. And we are lucky enough to have Anthony Filiberti joining us this week, one of the winemaker/partners in Anthill. Not only is Anthony a wealth of knowledge about production as well as the vineyards of the North Coast, he is also a hilariously dry dude. If you're cool, you'll like him. Here's what Anthony will be pouring: Helluva Vineyard White Wine 2023 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2024 Pinot Noir Campbell Ranch 2023 See you Thursday!!!

We've been tasting lots of new releases from our favorite Sonoma producers this last month, and though we'd love to host all of them for a tasting, it is not always possible. So we thought the next best thing would be to show off a collection of our favorite new local releases in one place. These are all Sonoma based producers making killer wines with balance, precision, and low intervention. Most of you will undoubtedly recognize these familiar faces (labels)... We have Carboniste's latest bottling - a multi-vintage bubbly that mashes up pet-nat and Champagne vibes. RYME cellars - one of our favorite local producers and their flagship wine, a zippy, saline-fresh Vermentino that is a perennial crowd pleaser. And then the Bheyo Orange wine from Healdsburg based Tinto Amorio which takes Gewurztraminer and with extended skin contact turns it into a ruby-red grapefruit/apricot skin delight than clocks in under 12% ABV. A springtime banger for sure. So come down to taste through these local beauties and support 4 Sonoma businesses in one shot! Carboniste, Carbo-Nation 'Swim' V3 NV Ryme Cellars, Vermentino 'HERS' 2024 Tinto Amorio, 'Bheyo' Orange 2024 See you Thursday!!!

Those in the organic, low-intervention wine world of Sonoma County know Jack Sporer well. I see constant nods of recognition from savvy customers and winemakers alike when they see the Fresco wines on our shelf, usually accompanied by a smile. See Jack doesn't just make wine, but nurtures an entire community of winemakers through his Magnolia Wine Services in Sonoma. The facility serves as both a launching pad for emerging natural winemakers in the area and a gathering place for established producers focused on minimal intervention... and it also acts as HQ for his own line of wines: Fres.co Jack has multi-generational roots in the (organic) agricultural world of Sonoma County. His grandmother ran Oak Hill Farm in Glen Ellen and his uncle, Will Bucklin, has made and farmed Zinfandel for decades. It's only fitting that Jack followed the family business but putting his own spin on it. Jack's wines are natural without being dogmatic, using low-intervention practices, but rooted in regenerative agriculture. As the full name implies (Fresh Wine Company: Fres.co), the wines are meant to be young, fresh and transparent. Easy to drink, and quickly... Here's what Jack will be pouring: 'Fire Fuego' Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc 2024 'Fire Fuego' Reserve Bedrock Vineyard Skin Contact Sauvignon Blanc 2024 ‘Fire Fuego’ Chillable Primitivo 2024​ See you Thursday!!!

Yes, we are doing the PortoVino tasting! Cindi made it out of Mexico and she will be here this Thursday for a fun tasting of vibrant Italian wines made by some of the country's hippest, most talented winemakers. There are so many importers in the US, and a staggering number of them are Italian focused. PortoVino fits in a lovely niche in this sea - small producers (many of them younger) who work organically and could be called 'natural' but are working cleanly and consistently and deliciously. Started by American Ernest Ifkovitz, this portfolio has been slowly growing and finding exciting producers in lesser known areas, subregions adjacent to more famous centers. I have a personal connection to the book, having sold the wines with Martine's wines for years and honestly I credit the wines for re-introducing me to the vibrancy of a new wave Italian wines. The three wines we are featuring this week have been amongst my favorites since I started tasting PortoVino's wines - so around a decade now - and I've been tasting them almost every vintage ever since. Leading us in this tasting is Cindi Keen, Porto Vino's Northern California sales person extraordinaire. Here's what Cindi will be pouring: Mirco Mariotti, Bianco dell'Emilia Smarazen NV Mortellito, 'Niuru' Frappato 2024 Cardedu, Monica di Sardegna 'Praja' 2024 See you Thursday!!!

Those of you who frequent our Table of No Regrets often enough have probably seen the confusingly Teutonic logo for Valkyrie Selections on the back of many bottles featured there. Confusing only because the importer's specialty is Spain - specifically Spanish wines that are delicious and incredibly well priced. Plus they are all small production wines made by largely young winemakers who are working organically. This week's offerings feature three of their producers that embody the ethos and quality of the portfolio. The wines hail from less famous areas but feature old vines and rigorous farming practices coupled with a hands off winemaking style. Plus these wines will all pair quite nicely with warm spring days and later sunsets. In fact, I think these would all go quite nicely with our upcoming weekend... huh. Leading us in this tasting is Zack Hallowell, long-time Valkyrie insider and Petaluma resident... (He's also with Marine Layer and we are happy to bring him back!) Here's what Zack will be pouring: Mas Que Vinos, 'Los Conejos Malditos' Rosado 2025 Mustiguillo, Mestizaje Blanco 2023 Azul y Garanza, Naturaleza Salvaje Clarete 2022 See you Thursday!!!

We are oh-so stoked to welcome back our friend Jehan to the shop, to pour for his wines. We have had a bunch of them in rotation since the beginning and they deliver every single time. Los Chuchaquis is a joint venture between Ryan Stirm and Jehan Hakimian. Ryan has his own label, Stirm Wines, that is also rad and he has made a name for himself as a top-tier farmer and low-intervention winemaker. Jehan Hakimian has worked at just about every level of the wine business: working his first harvest in Calchaqui valley near Salta at 15; then retail, national wholesale, etc. He and Ryan make the wines together, and then Jehan gets to take them into the world. Chuchaqui (choo-CHA-key) is a Quechua word for, “without legs” (as in extra drunk). As Jehan explains it, "the word is colloquially used to refer to the hungover, and is affectionately used for local town drunks". So of course they chose it to refer to themselves. They work with old and thoughtfully farmed California vineyards with an emphasis on Iberian inspired and unique varieties less commonly found in the Golden State. And above we have our heroes. Looking fit and ready to crush some grapes... For our tasting we will have the always charming, incredibly entertaining Jehan Hakimian (pictured right) pouring the following: 'Super Bueno' Sparkling Sangiovese 2024 'Mago' Chillable Red Wine 2023 'Bandido' Negrette Blend 2023​ See you Thursday!!!

Buried inside massive portfolios are sometimes really cool importers and producers. Case in point with this week's line-up. We tasted some truly delicious wines, made by small, fiercely independent producers doing beautiful work. And good wines made by good people are wines worth sharing. We have a saline Chenin Blanc blend from the coastal Loire. An herbal, windswept Mediterranean white from Catalonia. And a classic Piedmont Dolcetto from a legendary producer. (Pictured here: the hideous vineyards of Bruno Giacosa) Leading us in this tasting is Luca Bruno, our stylish Italian representative who will take us through the line-up. Here's what Luca will be pouring: Domaine St. Nicolas, 'Vin de Thierry' Chenin/Grolleau 2023 Espelt, 'Pla de Gates' Emporda Blanca 2022 Bruno Giacosa, Dolcetto d'Alba 2023 See you Thursday!!!

DON'T FREAK OUT! GERMAN WINE IS NOT SCARY! German wine is about as divisive a category that I can think of. It elicits either fearful disdain or intense obsession, and very little middle ground. Well I am proudly in the obsessive camp - as are most wine geeks - but I believe most of the disdainful would change their tunes if they were introduced to the right wines. (Ahem... like the wines we are pouring this week!) So whether you are obsessed or apprehensive, please come down to try some delicious German wines (from truly legendary, world-class producers). It's free, so what do you have to lose? Here's what we will have open: Von Winning, Riesling Forster Trocken 2020 Selbach-Oster, Riesling Zeltinger 'Alte Reben' Trocken 2020 Borell-Diehl, Pinot Noir 2022 See you tonight!!!

This is a producer that I was behind the curve on. For 3+ years now I've been hearing about the wines from a series of wine folk I respect immensely - all of them saying, "You have to taste the Auteur wines, they are fantastic". I'm relieved to say that I finally have - and they were right. Following the land and allowing the wines to be rogue by nature are staples to Auteur. Kenneth Juhasz, winemaker and owner of Auteur, is on an endless journey to find the best sites to produce the most elegant, balanced, and terroir driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Throughout his career it has taken him to Burgundy, New Zealand, and Oregon until finally landing in Sonoma where he and his wife started Auteur in 2003. After all, Northern California provides the perfect amalgamation of geologic diversity, differing microclimates, and breathtaking vineyard sites to explore the nuances of these varietals. Well it's no surprise that we like the wines! I mean cool climate sites paired with responsible and respectful winemaking are right in the Avinage wheelhouse. Come taste the lineup with Max Salden, Wine Educator at Autuer, and discover some tasty juice! Here's the Auteur Wines that Max will be pouring: Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2023 Chardonnay Green Acres Vineyard Carneros 2022 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2023 Pinot Noir Ferrington Vineyard Anderson Valley 2022 See you Thursday!!!

Okay, it's a little last minute to but will you still come by and taste? We are welcoming Martine's Wines to the store tonight. As many of you know, I worked for Martine's for the first six years I lived in California and the wines (including these) wiil always be close to my heart. For this tasting, we are showing some of our best-selling and favorite wines from their portfolio. And they just happen to be low alcohol wines too! All of them under 12% ABV! So any of you on the fence about Dry January as we come to the halfway point of the month, perhaps you want to dip your toe back in the vinous water. If you are going to dabble a little, this is your best opportunity. Clean, low alcohol wines that will gently guide you back to wine drinking ways. We have Jai Wilson in the house from Martine's tonight to guide us through the wines. He's always a good time. Here's what Jai will be pouring: Albert de Conti, Pétillant Naturel 2024 Domaine des Ardoisières, Argile Blanc 2024 Niepoort, Bairrada Tinto Nat Cool 'Drink Me' 2024 See you tonight!!!

The torrential rains may have receded but it's chilly and the sun still sets disturbingly early. In other words, it's winter and we are going to lean in. This week we have a line-up of delicious winter reds that should keep you warm at night and pair well with all the stews, soups, and roasts you should be cooking up. A Portuguese red, a Bordeaux, and a local delicious Napa Cab that won't blow your palate up Last January we started the year out with a non-alcoholic tasting because of the trend that I shall not name (it rhymes with 'Cry Fanuary'). But this year, we decided that we need to reward those of you who aren't quitters and keep tasting real wine. Because you know... we are a wine shop. Selling wine is what pays the bills. To all of you who’ve supported us over the last 3+ years: thank you! And if any of you poor souls are robbing yourself of wine's comfort this month, we implore you to keep the support going during this month of cultural abstinence. Tonight you can come taste and spit. If something speaks to you, buy it now and save it for February. And if not, still come down and say hi. I can just tell you what it tastes like... And yes, this is an AI image of "Cozy scene by a fireplace with a glass of wine and maybe a sweater or scarf". Aesthetically not my usual style but it's evocative. And hey, it's a new year - time to try new things. Here's what we will be pouring: Pormenor, Douro Tinto 2020 Luuma, Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2023 Château Rozier, Saint-Emilion 2023 See you Thursday!!!

It's crunch time for the holidays and we are here for you! We have expanded hours in the lead up to the big days so come by and get your holiday juice! Remember we can help you put together mixed holiday cases! *6-packs are 5% off **12-packs are 10% off We got you this year, so come by and stock up!