July 9, 2012

Dear Friend of Farmstead:

I hope that everyone had a marvelous 4th!  Carol and I went to the Wilammette Valley, and tasted some very nice Pinot Noirs.  Be on the lookout for some of these wines to be arriving in the near future.

Zagat.  Several folks let me know that the link to the Zagat Survey didn't work.  Apologies.  Try this link, and scroll down to San Francisco Shopping.  Click through to the survey from there. 

There are many worthy shops in Alameda and Montclair that deserve your vote.

Six Packs!  We've put together another great assortment of Wine Six Packs for you - offered at the best discounts in the shop!  Six great wines, all dolled up in a recycled/re-usable six bottle wine tote!

Here's what's on for this month:

$99 White Wine Six Pack (a $112.50 value - a 12% discount)

• Bonnet Blanc - a Sauvignon, Semillon, Muscadelle blend from Bordeaux
• Inama Soave - a store and staff favorite - organically farmed
• MacRostie Chardonnay - Cali style
• La Domitienne Picpoul - crisp, mid-weight wine from southern France
• Côte Tariquet - organic 50/50 Chard and Sauv Blanc from SW France
• Botani dry Muscat - a store and staff favorite from southern Spain

$99 Red Wine Six Pack (a $113.25 value - 12.6% discount)

Decero Malbec -single vineyard from Argentina

Macrostie Pinot Noir - Berry, cherry,bramble

Santa Julia Cabernet -well balanced Argentine red

Portuga Red Blend - Portugese charmer

Rickshaw Pinot Noir - a store favorite!

Pennautier Cabardès - well balanced blend of Rhône and Bordeaux varietals

$99 Mixed Wine Six Pack (a $120.25 value - a 17.6% discount)

MacRostie Chardonnay - Carneros fruit 

Bonnet Blanc  - White Bordeaux 

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rosado  -  light, spritzy, easy to love!

Fondrèche Rose - organic, bright and crisp

MacRostie Pinot  -  berry, cheery, bramble

Pennautier Cabardès  - Rhône meets Bordeaux

$65 Value Six Pack (a $73.50 value - an 11.6% discount)

Santa Julia Pinot Grigio - balanced and aromatic   

Santa Julia Torrontes  - bright and food friendly

Reignac  Bordeaux  - 90 points, Parker

Petite Casal Vinho Verde Rosado - Spritzy and fun!  

Santa Julia Malbec  - classic Argy Malbec

La Buvette  - non- vintage French staff favorite!

Dollar Tastings: This week at the Tasting Bar, we're featuring wines from this month's Six Packs.  That's right, you can taste six wines for a dollar!

Here's what's on tap for your edumacational and tasting pleasure!

• Bonnet Bordeaux Blanc
• MacRostie Chardonnay
• Casal Garcia Rosado
• Rickshaw Pinot Noir
• Pennautier Cabardès
• Santa Julia Cabernet Sauvignon

We pour wine in Alameda on Thursdays 5:00-7:30 and Saturdays 2-5; and in Montclair Village on Fridays from 5:00-7:30 and Saturdays from 2-5. Please note new extended times!

Tastings cost $1 per person per flight(that's right, five wines for a dollar).

By law all wine shops have to charge for their tastings - so since you have to pay something anyways, why not taste at a shop where the tasting fee goes directly to a local school??

Here at Farmstead, all proceeds from our tastings benefit local schools, with this month benefitting Beacon Day School in Oakland!!  So far this year, we've donated well over $3000 to local schools! 

Cheese of the Week - Valdeón.  This week's cheese was selected by Craig. 

Valdeón is a mixed milk blue cheese from Spain that packs a punch.  Perhaps the perfect pairing with sweet wines and gambas a la plancha, Valdeón hails from Léon, and is wrapped in a decorative (and not edible) Sycamore leaf. 

Valdeón is a rich and creamy, full-flavored cow and goat's milk blue cheese, stronger than Stilton. Valdeón was named best blue cheese in a 2003 national competition in Spain. Before aging, it is wrapped in sycamore leaves, giving it an earthy flavor that offsets the tangy blue giving it a fantastically well-balanced taste.