As The Sputnik Turns

2010-10-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Call 901.725.4252 for tickets or stop by the store at 1681 Poplar

Menu For Seven Hills Wine Dinner

2010-10-13T13:32:00.001-07:00

Click here for the menu for the Seven Hills Dinner on Thursday October 14th at the Brushmark. Wow!

Seven Hills Wine Dinner This Thursday

2010-10-12T12:16:00.001-07:00

We are very excited to announce that Joe's will be co-hosting a Seven Hills Wine Dinner at The Brushmark restaurant! The 5 wine/4 course dinner is on Thursday October 14th and will be hosted by Vicky McClellan who, along with her husband Casey, own Seven Hills Winery. Seven Hills is one of the founding wineries of Washington & has helped catapault that region onto the world stage. Their wines will be a perfect match for the alluring, fresh & exciting cuisine of Chef Wally Joe & Chef de Cuisine Andrew Adams. There is limited seating so please make your reservations soon. $65 per person plus tax & gratuity. For reservations contact The Brushmark at 544-6225.

Beer Glorious Beer!!

2010-10-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

2010-10-05T13:35:00.000-07:00

The Sputnik Has Gone Mobile!

2010-09-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

2010-08-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

You’ve all been very patient with us as we’ve dealt with restrictions to our big tastings.

Finally we have found a fitting location that has the proper licensing & space enough to hold our tastings.

Join us Thursday September 9^th from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Playhouse on the Square for a “World Tour of Wine”. Each tasting station will be themed to a different country or region with a total of 35-40 wines represented. A selection of light appetizers will be served so that you can snack & sip at the same time. This is the long awaited return of our seasonal tastings!

Tickets are $35 per person. As a special bonus you can apply your ticket price to a case purchase OR take 20% off whichever works in your favor. This discount applies only to orders of 12 or more bottles & only on orders placed that evening.

Stop by Joe's to buy your tickets!

We are located at

1681 Poplar

Memphis, TN 38104

901.725.4252

Memphis Brooks Museum By the Glass Film Series: Merlove

2010-08-25T08:32:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow night, August 26, join us at the Memphis Brooks Museum for a screening of the film Merlove. Get there early to taste through a selection of wines from around the world. The tasting begins at 6:30 & the film starts at 7:30.

$12 for Brooks Members, $15 for nonmembers.

For more information or to purchase tickets call 901.544.6208

Italian Wine Tasting Tonight at JG Trattoria

2010-08-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Been Gone So Long

2010-07-09T06:33:00.001-07:00

So sorry. We got caught up in our renovations & have been bad bad bloggers. Check out this review of the new space here.

Now come in & see the renovations for yourself!!

We are offering a 20% discount on any solid or mixed case of wine.

Some Winter Write-Ups

2009-12-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

December

November

October

September

Just Back In

2009-10-13T15:10:00.001-07:00

Our very own Michael has just returned from a whirlwind week in Washington State. He visited vineyards, wineries & participated in a host of different educational symposiums. Washington State is an entirely different animal than California or even nearby Oregon. The Columbia Valley, where the majority of the state's world class grapes are grown, is stark & arid high desert. Keep your eyes on the blog for more updates throughout the week.

Write-Ups Galore!

2009-08-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

Firstly, we are very pleased to announce our new beer club has commenced and grown quite rapidly. We hope to be able to bring new and exotic beers to our club members and offer very good discounts for all beer purchases made by our members. 10% off single bottles, 15% off 6-packs, and 20% off a case (24) these don't have to be multiples of any type of beer, you can mix and match as much as you like. Click below on the "BN" to download the August info on the beers we selected for the club.

And now we shift our attention to the wine club!

Below is a backlog of write-ups which need to be more readily available here for download. Click on any month to download the appropriate write-up.

August

July

June

May

April

March

When Business is Cut-throat

2009-08-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Amber Ridge Vineyard, located in the beautiful Russian River Valley of California, produces some of the world's best pinot noir & syrah grapes. Siduri & Novy Family Wines were so impressed by this young vineyard's fruit that they have sourced from it since it has bore fruit. They have produced many an outstanding wine from this site......that is until Nickel & Nickel/Far Niente bought it & refused to re-sign a contract with them. Before making the decision to not re-sign with Siduri/Novy they did make sure to ask about their winemaking decisions regarding this particular site. Adam Lee, being the friendly & open wine professional that he is, was happy to share this information with them. That is of course until he found out he wouldn't be getting anymore grapes from this site.

Good news is that if you are a Joe's Winos Wine Club member this month you will be getting the Novy Amber Ridge Vineyard Syrah 2006 Russian River Valley as your red wine selection. But if you like you better come back & get some more before its all gone. Once our supply runs out, thats it for good. If you want any after that you'll have to just pay the exorbitant Nickel & Nickel prices.

Coming Soon: Wine & Beer Tasting

2009-08-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned for details regarding our next Wine Tasting in September.

In October we will be hosting a Octoberfest Beer Tasting as well.

Spelunking The Home Version

2009-07-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

Finally you can Spelunk from the privacy of your own home with this adorable freeware game called Spelunky! In the 16-bit game, you play an Indiana Jones / Mike Bodeen type character in search of treasure & other random things white avoiding monsters and doom. The levels are procedurally-generated (created on the spot) each time you start meaning you never have the same cave or experience twice. Click the picture above to download.

PC only. this is just a recommendation & we take no liability for your computer exploding or what not.

Wine + Oyster Dinner at Sole

2009-07-18T14:30:00.001-07:00

Spelunkers

2009-07-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Check out these two beauties that are a part of our Warehouse Spelunking Sale.

Clos Mimi Petite Rousse 2005 Paso Robles, CA originally $25.99 now $12.99: Clos Mimi is more well know for the small amounts of single vineyard syrahs it produces. However, this entry level 100% syrah is also a beautiful version of the grape. Its done in a more Northern Rhone style with bright acidity & red fruit notes with hints of earth & mushroom. The palate is firm but fresh with clean textures that don't weigh down the palate.

Weinhaus Kaisergarten Seewinkler Ausbruch 1999 Neusiedlersee Austria $12.99. What exactly does all that gibberish mean? Yummy, sweet & tasty. This Austrian dessert wine is rich, viscous & lush with light acidity that is just enough to cut through the sweetness. It has rich honeyed, nutty notes with floral hints & a luscious palate. Pair this with foie gras, funky stinky blue cheese & toasted walnuts.

Return From Oregon

2009-07-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Head on over to our very own Michael Hughes' blog here to check out what all he did in Oregon. He just won't shut up about it.

Warehouse Spelunking Sale!!

2009-06-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Join Gaucho Mike as we begin our newest Spelunking Sale! We have stumbled upon some amazing deals and can’t wait to share them with you.

Vinosia Malvasia

Was $16.99 Now $11.99

Clos Mimi Petite Rousse

Was $25.99 Now $12.99

Elderton Tantalus

Was $17.99 Now $12.99

Meyer Syrah

Was $35.99 Now $18.99

Paul Jaboulet P45 Blanc

Was $15.99 Now $12.99

Alexander Valley Vyds Syrah

Was $19.99 Now $12.99

Ceago Sauvignon Blanc

Was $22.99 Now $16.99

Lengs & Cooter Pinot Noir

Was $23.99 Now $13.99

Graff Family Consensus

Was $33.99 Now $22.99

Vinosia Falanghina

Was $18.99 Now $12.99

El Peral Malbec

Was $15.99 Now $12.99

Mollydooker Violinist Verdelho

Was $26.99 Now $16.99

Gloria Ferrer Syrah

Was $24.99 Now $13.99

Benegas Lynch Cabernet Franc

Was $50.99 Now $30.99

What The Winos Are Drinking

2009-06-13T14:30:00.001-07:00

The June Selections have been something we have really been looking forward to. Click on the groovy squirrel to download the write-ups.

Sustainable vs Organic vs Biodynamic

2009-06-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Farming: a form of viticultural practice which aims to avoid any form of environmental degradation while maintaining the economic viability of the vineyard.

Organic Viticulture: is a system of grapegrowning broadly defined as shunning manmade (industrially synthesized) compounds such as fertilizers, fungicides & pesticides, as well as anything that has been genetically modified. It contrasts with “conventional” or “chemical” viticulture, by utilizing naturally occurring substances.

Biodynamic Viticulture: is an enhanced or extreme form of organic viticulture. It is based on theories expounded in the 1920s by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner for agriculture in general. Biodynamics sees each vineyard as a living organism which can be maintained in a self-sustaining way. Agricultural work is timed to coincide with diurnal & seasonal rhythms & biodynamic spray & compost preparations are used at specified times on the land or directly on the crops to heighten their potentially beneficial effects. Conventional agrochemicals & fertilizers are prohibited.

One Of The Best Dry Roses

2009-06-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Check out this link here. We will have this wine in stock tomorrow! Get it while you can, the winery is sold out & it is one of the only biodynamic roses available in the market. It's so very beautiful, elegant, bright & layered with complex flavors.

Hot Enough For The Pink Stuff

2009-05-21T07:15:00.001-07:00

All you pink wine haters need to get over yourself & get in on the action. It's hot already, pretty soon it will be really damn hot here in Memphis. What's the best remedy? Dry rose wines. We are beefing up our selection of dry pinks here at the store. These are just some of our favorites.

Mulderbosch Rose of Cabernet 2008 Stellenbosch, South Africa $13.99. Bright pink tone with purple hues. The nose exhibits a smoky, rocky undertone with hints of dried currant & cherry. The palate is bright, round & medium bodied with juicy fruit & a fresh, clean texture. Delicious.

Simi Roseto 2006 California $10.99. Predominantly syrah. Brick-rust tone. Yes a 3 year old CA rose is still doing just fine. In fact, its quite yummy & refreshing if we do say so ourselves. It displays a nose of dried strawberry & raspberry with a hint of spiciness. The palate is lean & bright with a pop of acidity.

Chateau de Mattes Sabran 2006 Corbieres, France $15.99. Dark pink-salmon tone. Notes of dried raspberry, tarragon, wet stone & a briney hit. The palate is razor sharp at first & then spreads open with a pungent overripe fruit texture. Fun & tasty.

Zaca Mesa Z Gris 2008 Santa Ynez Valley $17.99. Light pink-salmon color. Nose of fresh strawberry, lime peel & cassis. The palate is light & fresh at first & then develops a soft weight with crisp acid & a lingering appealing aftertaste. Deeeelicious!

What The Winos Are Drinking

2009-04-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Another glorious month for the Winos! This month we will be showcasing Lockwood's Partners' Reserve and a New World Sauvignon Gris from Cousino-Macul.

Click on the Squirrel drinking a half-pint to download the write-ups

Up Close And Personal With The Sputnik

2009-04-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

Why is this man staring so obviously at our Sput? What vulgar intentions might he have?! Well, not to worry, the 'ole Sputnik blows out at least one of its lights about one every 2 months. Needless to say, this is a rather high maintenance sign we possess as the neon is all custom made. If all went well we may get a rare chance tonight and see the Sputnik in full bloom! Fully illuminated for all to see.

Dinner at Restaurant Iris with Adam Lee of Siduri Wines/Novy Family

2009-04-23T10:39:00.001-07:00

For those of you who missed last night's dinner, its your own fault. Restaurant Iris' dinner with Adam Lee sold out due to three factors. 1. Chef Kelly English's outstanding cuisine 2. The stellar service at Restaurant Iris 3. Adam Lee's amaaaazing wines. Adam's easygoing personality put everyone at ease. He spoke about he & his wife's Dianna's first foray into winemaking with the Rose Vineyard in Anderson Valley. After they crafted some attention grabbing pinot noir from that site, Kendall Jackson swooped in & bought the vineyard. Needless to say, they were back to square one in need of another source of good wine grapes. They subsequently hooked up with Gary Pisoni after a drive down to his vineyard to consume way too many bottles of wine. Fast forward to now, Adam & Dianna make approximately 25 different single vineyard pinot noirs....& they are oh so good!
Here is the menu:

Amuse Bouche: Neola Farms Chicken Liver Pate

First: Sashimi of tuna, coconut milk, daikon, opal basil & mandarin Sorbe
2007 Novy Blanc de Noirs $26.99

Second: Raviolo of rabbit, macque choux & corn soup
2006 Siduri Van Der Kamp Vineyard Pinot Noir $23.99

Third: filet of beef, pommes confit, olive "tapenade" & truffle butter
2006 Siduri Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir $50.99

Fourth: banana & hazelnut "gyoza"
a super special secret port that Adam makes for personal consumption.

The food was to die for & was perfectly paired with the wines. Each pairing just sang together.

These wines are available at the store, except for the secret port which Adam can't sell. Boo.

Join us next time for great food, delicious wine & good friends.

B*tch

2009-04-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Joe’s and Australian wine have always had their differences. Words such as “fruit bomb” & “syrup” have been used perhaps too hastily. This week marks a great victory for the Aussie front! Bitch has arrived. The market is saturated with jokes about the name so I will restrain myself & instead note the uniqueness of this infamous Grenache. 2007 was an extremely hard year for Australia. Heat waves destroyed many a vineyard & so much affected overall output that Australian producers have been thrown into economic crisis. That’s the bad news. The good news is what happened to this little $12.99 Grenache under the strain of the 2007 vintage. Instead of another cumbersome, over-ripened ink ball, Bitch immediately shows something different when if pours a light rosey color, very transparent almost like a Beaujolais. The nose is gingerbread spice, dried strawberries & raspberries. On the palate is a wine that is lush & round without being heavy at all. This silky, elegant expression of the Grenache varietal is a perfect hot weather wine & we plan to enjoy it as long as it is available. It is doubtful the next vintage will yield anything like this & that is too bad because we hate to use the word “fruit bomb” & “syrup” here at Joe’s.

Wine Advocate, Uggh

2009-04-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Go on over to Michael's blog to see a link to an email thread between Slate's wine columnist & Mark Squires, the moderator of Wine Advocate's message board.

Wealth of Washington

2009-04-11T09:24:00.000-07:00

Our very own Michael Hughes just returned from a whirlwind trip to Seattle to attend the Taste of Washington. Over 200 producers poured their wines at the 3 day long event. What he found was astonishing. "The quality of the every wine I tasted, & I tasted a lot, was unmistakable." he says. "Even the wines that I didn't personally like, I couldn't help but recognize their quality. I knew they were producing some exceptional merlot & syrah, having had a few in the store for awhile. But I didn't realize these vintners also produced incredible cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon & malbec." Many of the producers were boutique in scale, producing less than 7,000 cases. Some only make a few hundred. With luck & determination, we will be getting some of these producers in store in the next few months. Some wineries to look for include; Buty, Bergevin Lane, Beresan, Airfield, Bunnell, Maison Bleue.....

2009-04-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a month for our Winos. We've had our disappointments but we are a proud people and the joyous surprises we've experienced have healed our souls. Well anyway, here are the latest write-ups, fresh out of the oven & ready for download in a shiny new PDF file.

http://home.comcast.net/~bvillane44/Winos Selections April 09.pdf

Name That Wine

2009-04-10T14:32:00.001-07:00

A few more flavors for your clicking pleasure

Mandarin Orange

Jasmine

Lime-leaf

Sweet Tobacco

Coffee

Sputnik Ring Tone!

2009-03-26T11:52:00.001-07:00

Right-click the pimped-out Sputnik and choose "save link as" and grab up this unique recording of the Sputnik's emissions while passing over South Africa!

Our Little Yellow Notes

2009-03-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

In our ever increasingly valiant efforts to better your Joe's experience, we now offer you tiny little yellow notes that describe the appearance, aromatics, flavors, and food pairings with many of our wines. We will slowly add them throughout the store but accuracy & attention to each wine is necessary so it is slow going. Here are a few delicious or interesting terms we used during out first dozen notes. Click on the description to unveil the bottle housing that flavor or aroma.
teriyaki
hibiscus
spicy ginger
melted chocolate
dried flowers
honey comb wax

Albarino from Napa? What???

2009-03-07T11:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, seriously...we are not kidding. There really is albarino growing in Napa & its pretty damn good too! We just tasted Hendry Albarino 2007 Napa Valley $20.99. It's crisp, driven with peach flavors & notes of nectarine. The acidity is bright, crisp & fresh with a supple texture & mouthwatering finish. Buy it. Buy it now & drink it because it is delicious & you must have it.

What The Winos Are Drinking

2009-03-06T14:13:00.000-08:00

Each month we provide something very unique & delicious for the Joe's Winos wine club. This month is no exception with 2 fantastic Washington State wines.

To download the Write-Ups, right click the link below and select "Save Link As" then find a shady spot to save it.

http://home.comcast.net/~bvillane44/Winos Selections March 09.pdf

March 6-Pack Down Under

2009-03-04T15:27:00.001-08:00

YOU DRINK NOW!!!!

2009-02-21T14:53:00.001-08:00

We are bad....very bad. We no blog for long times.

These wines are quite blog worthy. So get yourself down here to Joe's Wines, 1681 Poplar, & pick them up.

1. Magnificent Wine Company House Wine Red 2006 Columbia Valley, WA $13.99: This very unique blend of 73% cabernet sauvignon 10% merlot 8% syrah 5% sangiovese 2% malbec & 2% cabernet franc provides excellent quality to price ratio. It's moderately full bodied & moderately dry without being flabby or heavy on the palate. Excellent paired with simple fare such as pizza, burgers, & Mondays.

2. Milbrandt "Traditions" Merlot 2005 Washington State $16.99: the Milbrandt vineyard provides grapes for some of the top producers in Washington. Opulently generous on the palate with hints of dark dried fig, cocoa, plum & subtle pie spices. More evidence that Washington provides excellent quality wines & that their merlots kick serious ass!

3. Titus Vineyards Cabernet Franc 2005 Napa Valley $37.99: Cabernet franc is the neglected father of cabernet sauvignon. Where cab sauv is about powerful prose, cab franc is about delicate poetry. This is not your overproduced, vegetal cab franc. This is something else entirely. The nose is seductive & laden with violet, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon & wild herbs. Texture is what the palate is all about, soft yet gripping, subtle but abundant, caressing with elegant tannin & a lingering finish that was pleasant & just plain good.

4. Obsidian Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Red Hills Lake County, CA $30.99. Who says Napa has the market cornered on powerful cab sauv? This Lake County beauty is darkly seductive, meaty, chewy & built to last. If you like your wines big & brawny but not overly massive then you will love this. It reminded us of what Napa cabs used to be, stylized & not just simply oaky & fruity. Buy 2, one to lay down & one to make yourself happy right now.

2009-01-29T14:43:00.000-08:00

Washington Love

2009-01-28T18:59:00.000-08:00

The wines of K Vintners are finally here in Memphis. The madness of Charles Smith is now finally able to be sampled by all. His rich, unctuous reds & bright, zippy whites are something very special & thankfully not too expensive. These wines are expressive, elegant, balanced but also bold. They will be in the store very soon. Who knows.....maybe they'll end up being a wine club wine. You'll have to stay tuned. Meanwhile, stay glued to the blog & we'll let you know as soon as the bottles hit the doors.

Beer Glorious Beer!

2009-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Contact Joe's Wines, 1681 Poplar, 901.725.4252 for tickets & further information.

Wines We Are Looking Forward To For 2009

2009-01-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Bunnell Family Viognier 2007 Talcott Vineyard, Wahluke Slope, WA
Milbrandt Vineyards (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah)Heinrich Red 2006 Burgenland, Austria
Cousino Macul Sauvignon Gris 2008 D.O. Maipo Valley, Chile
K Vintners (EVERYTHING IS GOOD!!!!)
Argiolas Serralori Rosato 2008 IGT Isola dei Nuraghi, Sardinia
Txakolina (if we can find one.)
2004 Brunello di Montalcinos
Smith Madrone Riesling 2007 Spring Mountain District, Napa Valley (it's been so long, how we've missed you terribly!)
Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir 2008 Los Carneros, CA (best rose EVER!!)

Yes It's True

2009-01-15T13:30:00.000-08:00

DRINK MORE WINE!!

IT IS GOOD FOR YOU.

-The Sputnik