In Vino Veritas - HLS

Our last Just the Vines will be this Thursday, March 29, at 8 pm! We are ending our tour with the arguable king of wines: Italy. Come taste award-wining classics and find out what all the fuss is over rare gems like Sagrantino.

1Ls and 2Ls, apply for the In Vino Veritas board for the 2018-19 school year! More details here:

In Vino Veritas: 2018-19 Board Application We're so pleased you're interested in joining the In Vino Veritas board for the 2018-19 school year! This application is due by Friday, March 23 at 11:59 pm. We will announce decisions shortly after. The board has four members. Our Co-Presidents will be Vicky Levina '19 and Pat Nowak '19 from this y...

Wines from Iberia tonight! 8 pm in the Student Orgs Room. See our fantastic menu:

WHITE

Naveran Cava Dama 2014 (Spain)
A sparkling white from the Alt Penedés region of Spain. This is one of the few cava vintages produced in Spain made from a combination of Chardonnay and Parellada.
Tropical fruits and crisp apple notes.

Hermanos del Villar Oro de Castilla Verdejo Rueda 2016 (Spain)
Verdejo is a wine made in the Spanish Rueda region. Renowned wine critics have called this wine “a textbook Verdejo." Ripe citrus fruits and melon on the nose, with subtle ginger and chamomile qualities. Smooth, offering round honeydew and tangerine flavors, which become more tangy with air.

RED

Touriga Via Nua 2016 (Portugal)
A limited release wine which the winemaker may never produce again. Touriga Nacional is Portugal’s star grape. But this version has been completely stripped down without the typical heavy oak aging so, as a critic said, "you can taste Touriga Nacional like never before." Full of lush blackberries and raspberries, the wine has a haunting floral aspect of violets and dried roses, with a touch of anise, dried herbs, and wet rocks.

A Portela Mencia 2014 (Spain)
Mencia is a lesser known high-end Spanish wine. This is a pure mencía that exhibits aromas reminiscent of dried flowers, sliced strawberries and some burnt oranges to boot. The palate is loaded with upfront fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a good backbone of acidity and a clean finish. Unoaked and made from 30-year-old pure mencia.

Quinta Do Crasto Douro 2013 (Portugal)
Ranked in Wine Spectator's Top 25. Deep violet color. Very expressive aromas, displaying vibrant berry fruit notes perfectly combined with subtle hints of fresh spices. Charming on the palate. Berry fruit flavors, great volume, solid structure and velvety tannins. The finish is perfectly balanced, fresh and long.

Vizcarra JC Vizcarra 2015 (Spain)
A very highly rated tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. Youthful purple color. Perfumed aromas of blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate and vanilla, with a peppery note adding vibrancy. Offers suave, gently sweet dark berry flavors and notes of licorice and cola that fan out on the back half.

PORT

Ramos Pinto Port 2012 (Portugal)
Port is a classic fortified wine from northern Portugal. This is a late-bottled vintage port, which means it has been aged four to six years in oak cask, as opposed to the usual vintage port aged only two years. A bright, almost opaque red color with bluish reflections. Intense aroma of very ripe raspberries, dry leaf notes and a hint of anise and pepper.

Pictured: vineyards in the Alt Penedes region of Spain

Join us for our fifth Just the Vines, Wines from Iberia, this Thursday, March 8 from 8-10 pm!

We've had a great spring semester so far, hosting tastings of West Coast Wines and Island Wines. Come this week for your next toast. 🍷

A proper Iberian diet

WINES FROM ANTIQUITY tonight, 8-10 pm, Student Orgs Room!

We're serving our wines alongside mezze, cheese, and the ancient Roman delicacy, chocolate chip cookies. Here's our line-up:

SPARKLING

* Valdo Brut Prosecco DOC, Veneto, Italy: Veneto is a northern Italian region where viticulture has a long history. The earliest evidence of winemaking traces to the Etruscans in 7th century BCE. This prosecco is dry, fruity, and balanced, and has a fine "perlage" or effervescence, as a moderately normal person would say.

WHITE

* Segal Chardonnay Reserve, Upper Galilee, Israel: This chardonnay is Kosher and has lemon and apple flavors. The Romans considered the wines they exported from this region to be among their best. The Bible describes Israel's blessed fruit of the vine. Only 1,000 cases of this wine have been produced.

RED

* Chateau Musar Jeune Red, Beqaa Valley, Lebanon, 2013: This Lebanese region has been the crossroads of several major civilizations and their respective viticultures. But the Phoenicians get the shout-out. Greco-Roman wine culture reportedly evolved from Phoenician wine rituals, and the Phoenicians got their wares from this region. This red is a blend of Syrah, Cinsault, and Carbnet Sauvignon. It is inky, aromatic, and has blackcurrant, raspberry, and cherry jam flavors, and a spicy finish.

* Feudi di San Gregorio Greco di Tufo, Campania, Italy, 2015: The Greco di Tufo grape, as its modern harvesters embrace, is of ancient Greek origin. The Greeks first imported it into this Roman territory in southern Italy. So the Greco producers claim that they are Italy's oldest winemakers. This wine is savory, medium-bodied, and has tastes of ripe pear, mature apple, and creamy peach.

* Cos Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily, Italy, 2014: This is an exceptionally rated red blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappoto from Sicily. Like every part of Italy, Sicily claims that it is home to the first Italian winemaking. Forget the Greeks, the Phoenicians, or even Dionysius who, according to ancient Greek myth, planted the first vine in Naxos, Sicily. The Sicilians claim that their first winemakers were nearly prehistoric in light of archeological evidence of winemaking from the 17th century BCE.

* Chateau Mukhrani Saperavi Red, Mukhrani, Georgia, 2012: Notwithstanding the Sicilians' claims, Georgian wine actually may be the oldest in the world. A few days ago, scientists reported archeological evidence of the oldest winemaking, 8000-year-old pottery jars with chemical traces of wine, unearthed near the site where this Georgian winemaker is based. Our wine is also somewhat old from 2012. It is dark ruby, medium-bodied, and has oak, black olive, and black currant notes.

World's earliest evidence of grape wine-making discovered in country of Georgia The world's earliest evidence of grape wine-making has been detected in 8,000-year-old pottery jars unearthed in Georgia, making the tradition almost 1,000 years older than previously thought, researchers said Monday

Happy bacchanalia! Join us at our next Just the Vines, this Thursday, November 16, 8-10 pm. We're serving Wines from Antiquity - delicious wines from regions where viticulture has flourished since classical antiquity - including Israel, Lebanon, Georgia, and Italy.

A spooky Just the Vines

Vive la France! Join us for our second Just the Vines event tonight, 7:30 pm-9:30 pm, Student Orgs room. We're serving these delicious award-winning wines from France.

ROSE

2016 Commanderie de Peyrassol Rosé (Provence):
Enjoy one last rosé before the fall chill sets in. This wine tastes like wildberries, particularly gooseberry and raspberry, and has a crisp, silky palate with a touch of minerality. It comes from the classic rosé-making region Provence, from a vineyard that surrounds a commanderie or a medieval fortress.

WHITE

2015 M de Mulonnière Chenin Blanc (Loire Valley):
This chenin blanc is plump and friendly, with bright ginger, quince and yellow apple flavors, with an engaging acidity that drives the finish along. The grapes are grown at Château de la Mulonnière, a historic wine estate founded in 1860, located in the Loire Valley famous for the castles of France's bygone royalty.

REDS

2015 Domaine de Beaurenard Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône Valley):
This wildly highly rated and expensive red blend is from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon. Grenache dominates this blend, but it includes all grapes allowed under the "Côtes du Rhône" appellation - a French wine distinction - including Syrah, Cinsault, Carignane, Counoise and Mourvèdre. With notes of smoke, earth, fennel and sweet, red fruits, the wine serves up its juicy, cherry center with ease.

2011 Château du Vieux-Guinot Saint-Émilion (Bordeaux):
This family-owned vineyard has produced a ripe, smooth wine that is powerful and densely tannic. It is full of black plum flavors, a dark structure and hints of the wood aging. It has the appellation of a "grand cru" from Saint-Émilion, meaning that it is a higher-quality wine from this region.

2013 Chateau de Caladroy Cuvée Les Schistes (Languedoc-Roussillon):
This is a red blend made from Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre grapes. Dry, medium-bodied, with plum, chocolate, cherry, and smoky spice notes, and a complex finish. This wine has the appellation "Cotes du Roussillon Villages," which is a French wine distinction for higher-quality red wines from the Roussillon region in southern France.

Packed at our first Just the Vines 🍷🍇

Our first In Vino Veritas event is TONIGHT 8-10 pm, Student Orgs room. You can still join by venmo now or in person at the event.

We'll be tasting seven delicious award-winning wines from Chile and Argentina. A preview of the tasting notes:

WHITES & ROSE

Casa Silva 1912 Vines Sauvignon Gris (Colchagua Valley, Chile): From a pink-berried mutation of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Richer and more voluptuous in texture than Sauvignon Blanc, with ripe fruit flavors of mango and melon as well as citrus notes. The wines are usually dry and tend to have some of the herbaceous notes.

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Crios de Susana Balbo 2015 Torrontés (Salta, Argentina): Enticing aromas that are strikingly similar to Viognier, with hints of peach pit, white pear, flowers, and orange citrus fruit. Structure and acidity similar to Sauvignon Blanc with plenty of body. Fruity, floral and yet still quite dry.

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Los Vascos 2016 Rosé (Colchagua Valley, Chile): Bright pale pink color. The nose explodes with aromas of strawberry, while the palate has plenty of volume, pleasant concentration, and a superbly creamy texture.

REDS

Tikal 2014 Patriota Malbec-Bonarda (Uco Valley, Argentina): Like swallowing a whole bowl of mixed ripe berries at once. Big body yet very balanced, with luscious layers of raspberry, cherry, and cocoa flavors. Just a hint of baking spice at the end brings it all together.

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Santa Rita Reserva 2015 Carmenere (Rapel Valley, Chile): Blackfruit, dark chocolate and vanilla aromas. Medium-bodied with flavours of ripe blackfruit and sweet oak, plus smooth tannins to finish.

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Marques de Casa Co**ha 2015 Carmenere (Rapel Valley, Chile): The grapes hand-harvested and aged in new and used oak barrels for 18 months prior to release. Aromas and flavors of black plum, blackberry, black cherry, violet, vanilla, black pepper, green bell pepper, roasted coffee beans, and dark chocolate.

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Bodegas Salentein Reserve 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon (Uco Valley, Argentina): In the nose, very good expression and varietal typicity, notes of black pepper and blackcurrant. In the mouth, it is fleshy with fine tannic and elegant structure as well as a long and lingering finish.

Our first Just the Vines event is this Thursday, 8-10 pm, Student Orgs room. We're starting in South America with delicious wines from Chile and Argentina.

You can join via venmo right now or in person at the event, though we strongly recommend the former. See you all soon!