A little about this weekly event
Every Saturday, owners Ceci and Melissa invite wine lovers, enthusiasts, experts, and first-timers to visit their little shop in the San Antonio Medical Center (strip mall at the corner of Babcock and Wurzbach). From 1pm until 7pm, they offer a small selection of their wines available for tasting. Their choices vary every week and provide different views of the shop's diverse and interesting offerings.The weekly tastings are a simple concept: a group of wines, with some theme, are selected and shared. For example, this past Saturday, they shared four reds that are currently available on their 50% off sale (all bottles over $30 are 50% off though Aug.4 ). On Saturday, we were treated to two American Pinot Noirs: an Oregon one that was smooth and lush and a California wine that was complex and spicy. The second set was two Bordeaux blends, one that emphasized Cabernet Sauvignon and one that was more Merlot. I wasn't surprised when they had the same sort of diversity that the two Pinots provided. This quick view into wine, with a hidden lesson, provides more than a mere tasting but a wine experience, and it also encourages visitors to leave with at least one bottle (we brought home one of the Bordeauxs).
Special event tastings
Two weekends ago -- July 14 -- Vinously Speaking hosted a wine tasting event. In this case, they shared a selection of French wines and cheeses with US and Texas wines and Bar-be-Que (see post for more details). When events like these take place, I encourage going. In fact, to keep track, like the shop on Facebook or Twitter or stop by their website.A regular event at the shop are monthly Texas wine tastings. Once a month, Vinously Speaking will be highlighting some of the Texas wines in their store. I was able to attend their first major Pedernales Cellars event. They are the winery most highlighted, and I agree with their choice. I do look forward to future Texas tastings, as they also carry the great Perissos Vineyard (for a look into them, check out the recent post by Texas Wine Lover). There are a handful of other Texas wines that could provide interesting tastings, especially a diverse collection of Texas whites (like Chisholm Trail, Torre di Pietra, etc.).
All of these tastings are aided by one last fact: price. Wine can be a very expensive hobby (my current expense is quickly increasing). However, Vinously Speaking provides a varied selection at a variety of prices. This weekend I bought one $12 bottle of Portuguese wine (normal price) and one of the on-sale Bordeauxs at $15; these are prices that rival that of larger retailers. So going to a tasting will not clean out your pocketbook; you'll taste for free and then can take home some great wines at reasonable prices. Stop by next Saturday and have a tasting for me.
