Hey Folks,

There’s a laundry list of news at the top here, enjoy the read – Get up offa that thing! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq1w0syylZI

Wednesday (9/9) when we return from holiday stop in at 5:30 for Beer Theater Act  III: featuring Left Hand and the arts of Ro Guenzel – perhaps he’ll bring the boot… -> www.facebook.com/wineandbeerwestpark

Don’t fret wine friends, In two weeks we’ll welcome winemaker Paul Cluver to Wine and Beer Westpark to pour and discuss his Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Noir!

Last but not least, Social Media Club Richmond VA (SMCRVA)

Your truly will be speaking on a panel at Fuego (next to Mekong) from 6-7 this Thursday, Sep 3^rd regarding the impact of Social Media on local businesses.

This event will be quite informative for those learning to engage Social Media as a business development tool. There will be many marketing and PR industry folks there, but, more importantly, the event is geared toward anyone interested in learning more about Social Media.

Tix are $15 with a modest $1.36 fee that you can buy online, which get’s you entry to prepanel networking (cash bar), the panel discussion and the after party at Mekong for a beer or two and some light viddles (included in the ticket price). Seriously, this is a good deal – Mekong beer and learn about Twitter, Facebook, etc. Do it! DO IT! But come to our tasting first J

Please check out http://smcrvasept09.eventbrite.com/ for a proper description and to purchase tix.

Wine

2007 Meinklang Frizzante Pinot Noir, $16

A rose of the legendary Pinot Noir that Werner made as a surprise to his wife on their wedding day. The Pinot grapes are organic, sustainably farmed and quite marvelous.

2007 Jean Francois Merieau Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine & 2008 Gamay, Loire Valley

This guy is a badass. Wines of this quality for $15 make life worth living.

Here are some notes from importer Jon David Headrick (www.jondavidwine.com):

One of the new stars of the Loire, Jean-François Merieau is as ambitious as they come. Before coming back to settle at his family’s property in the Touraine just east of Tours, he wandered the world tasting wine and spent time working at several wineries outside of France including an extended stay in South Africa. It was this exposure that drives his creativity today. Instead of blending his wines, Jean-François produces most of the varietals with which he works in single varietal bottlings, often from a single parcel. This terroir-specific approach allows us to taste singular wines of great expression. He is converting the entire production to organic viticulture.

Without exception, all of the wines produced at this property offer tremendous value. The sparkling Touraine is aged a for 3 years before release and it is still less than a third of the price of most Champagnes. The Sauvignon de Touraine rivals many of the great Sancerre wines being produced today at half the price. Crisp, delicious wines.

Beer

Savage new beers: Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti & 15^th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA, Stone Juxtaposition Black Pilsner, and Harpoon Laviathan dbl IPA.

9/2 tasting 5:30 to 7ish:

Corsendonk Pale

Stone Juxtaposition Collaboration

Dogfish Head Ch Jiahu

De Regenboog t’Smisje Great Reserva

Souther Tier Pumking

Paulaner Octoberfest

Harpoon Leviathan

Great Divide 15^th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA (aka longest name ever)

*I’d like to state for the record that we selected the wines for the tasting before the winning votes were tallied…

Louis Llovio of the Times Dispatch got the inside scoop this week when we announced in his column our plans to host live, online tastings at the shop. If you’re reading our blog, you already know that we have been hosting webcasts with select wine makers. The next step is to take it live! But we couldn’t have said it better than Mr. Llovio, so check out his column here.

Below is our latest, exclusive video interview with Gonzalo Perez representing Maipe Wines.

Thanks to Gonzalo for visiting and taking to the camera like a superstar and thanks to distributors Kysela Pere et Fis for bringing Maipe Wines to Wine and Beer Westpark and organizing Gonzalo’s visit. Stop by soon to try these gems (lower case) from Mendoza, Argentina. But you’ll only find Gonzalo here. Cheers!

In his latest column for the Times Dispatch’s Food & Cooking Section, Jack Berninger previews the bigger, better and pricier Virginia Wine Expo with a ringing endorsement that is sure to drive even larger crowds to the second year of this showcase for Virginia wine. In anticipation, Jack reached out to leading vinophiles in the region, including our own Matt Lake of Wine and Beer Westpark. Check out the full article here and the outake with Matt’s observations below. Hope to see you this weekend!

Taken from:

VINES AND WINES: Homegrown And Proud Of It, by Jack Berninger, Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: February 25, 2009

Expanded Virginia Wine Expo will showcase state’s finest Bigger? For sure. Better? Most certainly. Worth the price of admission? Undoubtedly.

If you’re a wine fancier, experienced or otherwise, the Greater Richmond Convention Center will be the place to be this weekend.

That’s where 57 state wine ries will be pouring more than 325 wines as the showcase for the annual Virginia Wine Expo.

…Many of the wines will be a taster’s surprise.

“I think the quality of Virginia’s mainstays has been steadily improving and holding their own against other U.S. regions,” Matt Lake, owner of Wine and Beer Westpark said. “What’s great about Virginia is the emerging wineries I’ve tried are starting at those established quality levels.”

Did you know that Wine and Beer Westpark has a Facebook fan page? Visit us here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glen-Allen-VA/Wine-and-Beer-Westpark/19102225178?ref=ts

If you’re not using Facebook, that’s okay. Visit our website: http://www.wineandbeerwestpark.com/

Also, please be sure to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter (we won’t share your information with anyone, promise): email us at wine@wineandbeerwestpark.com with “subscribe” in the subject line.

Are you on Twitter, Digg, others? Let us know by commenting below, thanks.

On a few occasions we’ve discussed changes of the local beerscape (particularly in regards to cost), but perhaps it’s time to recognize the not-so-subtle expense creeping into everything. We strive for value at every price point, but sometimes that’s not enough.

We’ve established the Garden of Petite Gems, as a source for straightforward quaffers to help fit your entertaining and “it’s Wednesday and I just can’t see opening that nice bottle of wine for one glass” needs. Each wine is $8, but you can also mix and match 6 for $40 anytime – that’s like buying 5 to get the sixth free or having a l5% discount on a half case any time. Call it what you will; each of these wines has been tasted and scrutinized like every other wine* that comes through the door.

You can find these wines in the front of the store in wooden bins… the current collection includes Resonata Nero d’Avola, Tres Ojos Garnacha, Dreyer Sonoma Chardonnay, Protocolo Tempranillo, Obvio Malbec, and Siema Pinot Grigio.