I’m excited to announce that this coming Friday, January 27th, is International Port Day 2012 organized by the Center for Wine Origins. This is a great way for people to explore the often misunderstood world of port wines, as well as taste the various delicious styles of port. Participating is easy – consumers can join Port Day online by blogging, tweeting, posting and sharing their thoughts about this exceptional wine by using the #PortDay hashtag. Or, they can host or join one of the numerous retail and restaurant tastings that are being planned in locations across the United States. To stay up-to-date on the most current news regarding Port Day or to register an event, click here, and enter to win an iPad 2!

There are events taking place in several US cities where consumers can learn more about port leading up to, and on the day of the event;

January 26th: Gallery Tasting at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art - Ft. Lauderdale.

January 26th: Port Day Radio Interview – WLRN, Miami.

January 27th: In-store tasting at Garnet Wines & Liquors, New York.

January 27th: In-store tasting at Astor Wine & Spirits, New York.

January 27th: 12 different in-store tastings throughout the Chicago area, Binny’s Beverage Depot, Chicago.

January 27th: “Pot luck N’ Port,” Seattle, which is being hosted by our good friend Roy Hesh from For the Love of Port. Read Roy’s post here about how you can win an all expense paid (airfare not included) for a weeklong vacation/port education tour in Portugal this April with Roy!!! 

The event I’m most looking forward to is taking place on Friday the 27th at Pinot Boutique in Philadelphia from 6 to 7:30 PM (EST). I’m excited because I will be there to personally pour several styles of incredible port wines from Quevedo, who we’ve been working with for several years now. Pennsylvania has several of Quevedo ports available through the PLCB luxury stores, so this is a great chance for anyone living in the Philadelphia area to come taste these unique items that are available in Pennsylvania! There will also be many other port wines from various producers on hand to taste. Leading the tasting will be the Philadelphia area port ambassador, Brian Freedman, who takes the snobbiness out of wine and creates an open, fun environment to learn more about wine. So, come taste some amazing, unique wines and learn more about this often misunderstood wine.

Hope to see many of you in Philadelphia!

Cheers-

Michael

Just in time for Christmas, EDMwines.com is offering free shipping when you purchase a 12 pack case of 2008 Oscar’s Douro Red. This is a perfect rustic wine for all your holiday feasts and parties, not to mention a great price ($13.90/bottle) after you’ve burned a hole in your pocket buying all those presents. So, buy yourself a present, or split a case with friends!

Here is what Roger Voss from The Wine Enthusiast said about Oscar’s;

Oscar Quevedo, a new star of the Douro, has produced a stylish wine, suffused with tannins, fresh acidity, solid black fruits and a lively bright feel. It is ready to drink, but could age 3–4 years. (11/1/2010) – 88 POINTS

To order online click here, and don’t forget to use the code “NO SHIPPING” at the checkout page!!

Hello all!

I’m excited to announce that our good friend Oscar Quevedo from Quevedo Port Wine will be here in the U.S and Canada next week for some very special events! Events will be held in Toronto, Los Angeles, and I’ll be joining Oscar for the event in San Francisco.

Oscar will be traveling here to attend the screenings of a wonderful documentary by Zev Robinson, “Life on the Douro.”  Zev is a skilled documentary producer, and his latest effort features the world famous Douro Valley from Portugal. There are several dates & locations for the screenings, which will also include a Q&A session with Oscar, as well as Roy Hersh from “For The Love of Port.” , considered one of the leading Port wine and Madeira authorities and journalists in the United States. There will also be a tasting session after the documentary, with some of the best ports and still wines from the Douro Valley, which will include several Quevedo items.

To learn more about the documentary and the screening dates, as well as to purchase tickets for screenings, please visit ZevRobinson.com!

Cheers,

Michael

Just a quick update for all the Pennsylvania residents out there looking for some great new wines for summer! We’ve recently added many new fantastic items to our portfolio in Pennsylvania, all of which are in stores now. We’re excited to announce that we’ve begun working with the following producers;

- C.V.N.E. (or Cune here in the U.S.), one of the most famous producers in all of Rioja which formed in 1879 in Haro. We’re very excited to offer you many of their finest wines;

2009 Cune Blanco $14.99, PLCB#17712

2010 Cune Monopole Blanco $14.99, PLCB#18165

2006 Cune Reserva $26.99, PLCB#18164

2007 Cune Viña Real Crianza $19.99, PLCB#17710

2004 Cune Viña Real Reserva $29.99, PLCB#18178

2001 Cune Viña Real Gran Reserva $43.99, PLCB#18169

2004 Cune Imperial Reserva $49.99, PLCB#18177

1999 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva $59.99, PLCB#18162

2005 Cune Contino Reserva $49.99, PLCB#18173

2006 Cune Contino Graciano $149.99, PLCB#24987

2007 Cune Contino Viña de Olivo $142.99, PLCB#18175

- Raventos I Blanc, one of the founding Cava houses from Sant Sadurni de Anoia, Spain. They Raventos family has owned the estate since 1497, and produced their first Cava in 1872! We selected two wines from Raventos that we hope you enjoy- the 2007 d’ Nit Rose Cava ($21.99 PLCB#17708) and the 2010 Perfum de Vi Blanc still wine from D.O. Penedes ($15.99, PLCB#17713).

- Doniene Gorrondona, located in Bakio on the northern coast of Spain. Doniene produces some of the best Txakoli wines in all of Spain and are perfect for the upcoming heat of summer! (2009 Doniene Gorrondona Txakolina $20.99, PLCB#17707).

- Mas Foraster, a beautiful winery located in the often looked over region of D.O. Conca de Barbera, located in Montblanc Spain. The Josep Foraster Trepat is a wonderfully clean, crisp and light bodied wine made from the indiginous grape Trepat. Fans of Washington State Pinot Noir will love this wine! (2009 Josep Foraster Trepat $20.99, PLCB#17709).

- Quevedo, an incredible port wine producer located in the heart of the Douro Valley in Portugal. They produce outstanding port wines, as well as a wonderful Douro still red wine, Oscar’s Wine which is an incredibly delicious wine at an incredible price! (2008 Oscar’s Douro Red $10.99, PLCB #17711, Quevedo White Port $12.99, PLCB#10103, Quevedo Special Reserve Tawny Port, $19.99, PLCB# 10305, 2007 Quevedo Vintage Port $51.99, PLCB#14560).

Information for these wines, along with our entire portfolio, can be downloaded from our website here.

We hope many of you will try these new wines this summer and let us know what you think! We welcome  and look forward to hearing any feedback fro mall of you!

Cheers,

Michael & Peter Grisley

We’re very pleased to announce that after several years of hard work and determination from Oscar Quevedo and ourselves, the amazing port wines from Quevedo are available on US soil! These incredible ports, as well as a still red wine which is a special project of Oscar’s, are being sold in Pennsylvania through the PLCB, as well as a very limited quantity online through www.flickingerwines.com. While a relatively young company, Quevedo is already making a name for itself for producing ports as good as any of the “big names,” and were included in the Wine Enthusiasts March 2010 issue on port producers. They have also been very well received by  Roy Hersh of “For The Love of Port” (FTLOP) and the Quevedo Vintage 2007 was included in his amazing review of the 2007 vintage. Whether you are a port expert, novice, or just looking to learn more about port, I highly recommend you visit the FTLOP website as there is an amazing wealth of information available, and subscribers to the FTLOP newsletter always have the most up-to-date info there is on port in the US.

Our hats are off to Oscar for staying determined and not giving up on the US market, especially in the tough ongoing economic conditions!

–Michael