Who Will Host Our Next Customer Wine Tasting?

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. I’d like to thank Bill & Cherry for the outstanding job they did at our 1st “Customer Wine Tasting”. It was a huge success. Cherry whipped some great food to pair with the wines, and we even had 1 of our customers bring a tray of crab cakes to share as well! We had an excellent turnout, especially for a Saturday afternoon. OK...so who’s next?!?

Well as we wait for volunteers for our next “Customer Tasting”, our friend Carmen from Café Europa will be here Friday night from 4 to 7 PM to taste you on some really interesting wines. He will start off with 2 exceptional wines from New Zealand. Speaking of New Zealand, is anybody watching those crazy guys on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords?...they kill me…anyway, back to the wines. Sileni Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir will make Kiwi portion of the tasting.

Staying in the southern hemisphere we travel to Uruguay for the next 3 wines. Yes I said Uruguayan wine. I honestly had never heard of any, or tasted any, up until a few months ago either so don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of them. Estival is the white wine from producer Vinedo de Los Vientos. It is a blend of Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, and Moscato Bianco. The red is 100 % Tannat, and is exquisite. Last but not least is a dessert wine made from Tannat called Alcyone which you simply must try.

We don’t have any beer tastings scheduled until March 12th, but I will have Josh ask around and see if we can get some rolling as we head into Spring. Speaking of Spring, we do have a bunch of new Spring beers arriving weekly, so be sure to check them out as this is always a very short season. I know things are tough out in this economy. So we will be bringing in more “value wines” in our 2 for sections. We also have a ton of wines in the $10 to $15 range that drink like $20 to $30 bottles that I will be happy to show you. My sister who has her own business, who does our website and cashiers on Saturdays has collected a few tips and strategies that I think will help as well, (http://www.horizon4success.com/survive&thrive.htm) so check it out if you get a chance.

I hope you all have a great weekend and we’ll see you soon.

Robert

Join us for our first Customer Wine Tasting

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter!

Ahhhhh…the Sox in Ft. Myers for spring training and Mercury no longer in retrograde…all is right in the world. And finally, almost a year from when Bill 1st mentioned it to me, we will have our inaugural “Customer Wine Tasting” on Saturday here at Cork’s.

Bill and Cherry have their favorite wines picked out, and will be here on Saturday, February 21st from 2:30 to 5 to share them with you. They will start us off with Quinta da Alorna Arintho, a delicious Portuguese white wine. Next up is Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. From there we travel to Italy for Carpineto Dogajolo Toscano, a yummy blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet. We go back to the USA for Cline Ancient Vine Zinfandel, always 1 of my favorites as well. The award winning Thorne-Clarke Shotfire Shiraz from Australia will finish off this unique tasting event. I can’t promise any dishes to pair with them, but Cherry is a gourmet chef, and if I had to guess she’s gonna whip up something good.

For those of you who have noticed, (I’m guessing nobody) we haven’t changed the mystery discount in over a month. It’s either the ultimate in recycling (and trying my best to be green) or a lack of interest/humor on my part. Either way let’s throw it in the newsletter and up the anti on it. So here it is… recycled 1 more time.

I think my fascination with Dane Cook and that other dude doing THERE’S ONLY 1 OKTOBER commercials clouded my judgment and we just bought too many of these yummy seasonal brews. Let’s blow them out for good this week and next before the Super Brew IV tasting. (boy you can tell how old it is from that reference)

Any remaining Oktoberfest/ Autumn beer can be yours for 5 bucks a 6-pack and $9 for any 12-pks still around. Just shout that magical phrase, or say you saw the mystery discount section of the website and snag the last of the vintage ’08 fall beers. We will also accept all reasonable offers on multiple and case purchases to help rid of us these seasonal brews.

We do have a bunch of new “Spring Beers” arriving daily, so be sure to check them out or ask Josh what’s new in the beer world. Don’t forget our 5th Annual Grand Spring Wine Tasting is scheduled for Thursday night April 2nd from 4:30 to 7:30. So be sure to save this night on your calendar and check the website (corksfinewine.com) for updates. I hope you all can make it to the tasting on Saturday and we’ll see you all there.

Robert

Thirsty Thursday and How to Hold Your Own Wine Tasting Here at Cork's

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. A quick thanks to all of you who came out for our 1st tarot card-wine tasting we had last week. It was a huge success. John and Regina both did a great job. She had a line from 5 o’clock on, and ended up staying 2 hours extra to get everyone in. Everybody seemed to enjoy her readings and we will surely do this again some time down the road. I’m still trying to figure how the guy with 10 swords in his back is a positive thing for me, but she says it is, so I’m going with it!

Woohoo!!…we finally have a beer tasting lined up for “Thirsty Thursday”. We have Brian from Burke Distributing here from 4:30 to 7:30 this Thursday to sample you on their new brews here at Cork’s. He has 2 beers from Mad River Brewing Co. Steelhead Extra Pale Ale and Steelhead Double India Pale Ale. He will finish with Casca Zilla, which is a Monstrously Hoppy Red Ale. We tried to sneak these beers in for the big tasting but they didn’t quite make it in on time. I do remember trying them when they 1st came in and they were quite yummy, so be sure to pop by on your way home and try them out.

Our long talked about and often postponed “Customer Wine Tasting” is finally almost upon us. Bill and Cherry will be tasting you (and me) on some of their favorite wines on Saturday, February 21st from 2:30 to 5 PM. They will be in this week to pick out the wines they want to share with us, and I will have them in next week’s newsletter and on the website (corksfinewine.com). For those of you who haven’t heard about these tastings, or may be interested in having your own, here is a quickie version of what we are looking for. Find 4 to 6 wines that you like/love that you can find here at Cork’s. We at Cork’s along with our wholesale partners will supply the wines. You and a friend/spouse/dog/complete stranger/or even by yourself, if you so choose, will get behind our tasting area and pour the wines. You may, if you desire, bring a favorite dish to pair with the wines you’ve chosen, or we will supply our usually cheesy cheese & crackers. What’s in it for you?...a chance to show, and brag about your wine knowledge and wines you’re passionate about. Tell all your friends, and make it a fun night. What’s in it for me?...another easy night of hanging around...drinking wine and eating…God ,I love my job!! If you think this is something you might be interested in doing please come in on Saturday the 21st and check it out. We would prefer do these tastings on Friday nights from 4 to 7 PM. But hey...it’s your time so we are flexible for other times, and even Saturdays if that’s more convenient for you.

We won’t have an official wine tasting this Friday as we don’t want to compete with Bum Runners sit and spit event. But if it’s too crowded or you just want to try a wine or 2 we’ll have a couple wines for Valentines Day open for you to try. Oh yea…1 last tasting for you this weekend. We will have our friend from Cabin Fever here to sample you on their Maple Flavored Liqueur. This has been a big hit at some of our big tastings in the past, and if you haven’t sampled it yet it’s a must try. I hope you all have a great Valentines Day!

Robert

Wine and a View of Your Future!

Welcome to Cork’s weekly newsletter. Well considering the Pats weren’t in it, and the commercials were mediocre at best, that sure was 1 entertaining Super Bowl. Now let’s hope for a full recovery by Brady next year, so we can snag 1 more trophy before this decade ends.

Don’t forget we have a special wine tasting with John from Trio Wines and his sister Regina this Friday night from 4 to 7 PM. In addition to John’s regular wine tasting, Regina will be doing Tarot Card readings, free of charge from 5 to 7 PM. John will have 3 new value wines from Washington Hills to start you with. He will taste you on the Gewurztraminer, Merlot, and Late Harvest Riesling that make up 3 of the 6 new wines from Washington State. These all mix at 2 for $16 and are great value wines. Next up is Valdifalco Morellino Di Scannsano. This is a delicious organic Italian blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Syrah and comes with a funky glass cork. We will end with Shingleback Grenache and Shingleback Black Bubbles. This was a big hit at the last tasting, and is a perfect wine for Valentine’s Day. So be sure to stop by for this unique tasting… see what lies ahead for you in 2009… and sample some great wines.

We don’t have any beer tastings lined up for the next couple of weeks. But as the new “Spring” brews arrive we will line some up for Thursday nights and Saturdays soon. Be sure to check out the new look website (corksfinewine.com) for details on all upcoming events, interesting articles, and other good stuff going on here at Cork’s. Hope to see you all at Fridays tasting, and have a great weekend.

Robert