“I can’t get enough of this place (Decanted)," the 30-something woman said, “ This is something I’d find in London or NYC.” Decanted has a great energy, attracting young, fun people. Strangers open up and talk to others in the store. The main attraction-Great wines for the price.
Another woman said, “I hope they do this again, so I can meet and make more new friends, too!” There you have it, quotes from the May Ultimate Wine Throwdown. Al and Jessica work their magic, again and again.
Decanted’s May 20th Ultimate Wine Throwdown had eight wine merchants, each brought their best 4 wines at four price points. All wines were discounted at least 10%, with the range from $9.90 to over $100 a bottle. The “nibbles” could be a meal for some, with baquettes diagonally sliced as bruschetta, topped with high quality smoked salmon and capers on cream cheese. Several different small cubes of cheese, and ample trays of fresh frult were available. Thirty six really good wines to sample, a broad array of higher quality bites, you can’t beat this set up for only $25! I’d guess that over 2.5 hours, some 90+ clearly happy campers benefitted from this broad tasting opportunity.
I’ve been to quite a few tastings at SW Florida wine spots. What makes Decanted’s stand out is not only the quality of the wines, it’s the enthusiasm of the wine distributors as they educate newbies and veterans alike about the nuances of each wine’s history and offering suggested pairings. Some wines are great by themselves just opened, others do better decanted and “breathing” for a while. I had fun figuring which I’d pair with pork, game, fish or beef, then comparing my notes with a nearby note taker.
Some of my favorites from the lot are the Scholium Project Naucratis 2008 (reg. price $24), Staglin Salus Cabernet 2006 (99), Odefjell Orzada Carmenere ’06 (23), Chappellet Mountain cuvee 2007 (30), Blackbird Arise 2007 (60, Mollydooker Maitre’D 08 (26 and ZD Cabernet 2005 (40). I didn’t have time to taste them all, as I had another event to attend the same evening. Drat! As I was leaving, quite a few people were purchasing a few bottles, with some picking up mixed cases. At these prices, I’ll bet quite a few bottles were sold by “last call”!
The fun part of any wine event is seeing which wines are favorites of a group of people, and how people rank their favorites. As you may guess, results are all across the board. Thus, the great benefit of tasting 36 great wines and comparing one’s top 3 or so, then buying some bottles to enjoy later. What’s your pick for summer time? For a “bitter cold” 50 degree winter day in Naples? I’ve got my bottles put away!
The next Wine Throwdown is Thursday., July 22nd, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.$25 per person.
There's a South Africa Wine Dinner with Bistro 821 on Friday, July 16th, from 05:30 PM-09:00 pm. This is bargain priced at only $55-check out teh menu at Decanted's website.
Call for the next wine dinners and other events, and get on their email list
Decanted Wines 1410 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 21, Naples, 434-1814 decantedwines.com/
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing....I know where to go to the next time I need a really good wine to go with my food :)
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