Just In Time!

Let us also remind you that Valentine's Day is coming up this Friday, so you  may want to finish your shopping before we close at 7pm tonight. That way, you can relax about it until Friday. We'll go ahead and suggest some wines for Valentine's Day.

For the casual approach, we think GumDrop wines offer excellent value. These are all well-made, California sweet wines, making the perfect as an aperitif, or for after dinner. We stock the GumDrop Moscato, Pink Moscato, and Sweet Red. All are priced at just $7.96 in the Bottle Club®.

GumDrop Moscato is fragrant, luscious and light-bodied. Bursting with bright fruit flavors of peach and honeydew melon with a long, lingering finish. GumDrop Pink Moscato is also fragrant, luscious and light-bodied, with just a kiss of red wine. Brimming with exotic notes of orange blossom, honeyed peach and sweet cherry, this wine is love at first blush! Serve chilled. GumDrop Sweet Red is a floral, rich and velvety red wine blend. Enticing aromas and flavors of berries balanced with a full mouth feel and natural sweetness for a smooth, easy-drinking finish. Serve this chilled as well.

Exclusively at our Woodbridge store, may we suggest the Vinos Sin Ley Monastrell 2011. VSL Monastrell is a bright, pure expression of Monastrell. Made in the high-elevation region of Yecla from 45+ year-old vines. The vines are head pruned in the traditional manner and the vineyards are dry farmed (no irrigation). Organic farming allows VSL Monastrell to reveal a greater sense of purity. Minimal oak aging allows VSL Monastrell to better emphasize the true identity of the Monastrell grape. This wine has such a ripe, red berry, floral and spice character, with succulent and juicy flavors, it will pair with a wide range of cuisines and foods. VSL Monastrell's sweet fruit is well balanced and its acidity will help it pair well with Asian, Indian, Cajun and southwestern Tex-Mex spices.

Priced at only $12.99 in the Bottle Club®, the Vinos Sin Ley Monastrell rated 92 points from Wine Advocate. From the review: "Another stunning value from Yecla, the 2011 Vinos Sin Ley Monastrell (100% Mourvedre from organic vineyards) possesses a dense purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of blueberries, blackberries, and chalky, earthy soil, and a heady, rich, full-bodied finish. It combines elegance with richness despite the fact that this area is known more for the rusticity of its wines than their finesse."

We'll wrap up today's suggestions with another wine that's available in both our Lawrenceville and Woodbridge stores. The Pierre Henri-Morel Cotes du Rhone Village Signargues 2011 shows aromas of very ripe black fruit. It is gourmand with liquorice aromas and a spicy finish. You'll find potent flavors of black tea, plum and raisin. Very silky and interesting. It keeps changing in the glass.

This scored 91 points from Wine Spectator. From their review: "An elegant style, with silky texture and pure, unadorned bitter plum, blood orange and singed alder notes all racing along through the rooibos tea-tinged finish, revealing a buried mineral accent." All that for only $13.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Someone on Twitter called Valentine's Day "Singles Awareness Day". We don't know about that, but we do know that Joe Canal's can help you find the perfect bottle of wine, spirits or beer for Valentine's Day, and every day of the year. This week, our Lawrenceville store has added a wine tasting on Wednesday night, 5-7pm, to further assist you in the selection process. In Woodbridge, the regular Friday night tasting will include a chocolate sampling, because that's another great combination. 

For more information about our wine tasting, please visit the Events Page on our web site.