Coming soon!  Avon Liquor is proud to announce the creation of an Around The World Beer Club.  Try new and exciting beers from around the world.  a great educational opprotunity, PLUS you earn points on your Avon Liquor “Vice Card Program” and free beer as you complete the tasting series.

FUN, EDUCATIONAL and a GREAT VALUE!!

I can’t say enough about the quality and breadth of the wines that David O’Reilly produces from Washington and Oregon Fruit. There is something for everyone, in every price range from $12 – $50. I struggle to think of a domestic wine producer we carry here at Avon Liquor that caters to all pocketbooks and has so much exciting and high quality vino for all of the aforementioned pocketbooks.

His flagship label, Owen Roe, features two delicious Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs around $45; a Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon for $45; two beautiful but rare Cabernet Francs for $45; Yakima Valley Red, a fantastic right bank Bordeaux styled wine for $45; Sinister Hand, a Southern Rhone styled blend for $28; the rich and full-bodied Ex-Umbris Syrah for $28; and a super tasty 10-varietal blend called Abbot’s Table for $28. I can confidently say that each of these wines, starting at nearly $30/bottle, are stiff competition for many bottles priced twice as much, and this fact continues right through to each and every wine he produces.

There are two wines in the popular Sharecroppers line, essentially a second label for Owen Roe. The  Willamette Pinot Noir is a regular best seller in the store and does well as a by-the-glass pour for many of my fellow Sommelier’s in the Vail Valley. A Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon also delivers great value, with both of these wines priced in the low $20 range.

The O’Reilly tier features three wines of impressive value; a $19 Oregon Pinot Noir, $15 Columbia Valley Pinot Gris, and a great Yakima Valley Riesling for $13. These wines are unbeatable for the price, buy with confidence.

A new project for David is Corvidae, a winery that used to be a dairy plant in the Sunnyside, Washington area. The two wines I’ve had that are currently available from this exciting project are the Mirth Chardonnay at $12; which is a blend of Oregon & Washington Chardonnay that uses no malo-lactic conversion(the buttery character found in many domestic Chardonnays) and a scant 5% neutral oak aging(think Pacific Northwest style of Chablis), and a Cabernet-Syrah-Merlot called ‘Rook’; a super-smooth, easy-drinking blend for $14. These two wines are currently best sellers here at Avon Liquor, and David spoke of other wines to come in this range with me over dinner last month. I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve! -Kevin Lawrence

Feature Cigar Maker of The Month:    Arturo Fuente

We’re starting off with a bang by bringing you one of the best cigar producers and one of my personal favorites Arturo Fuente. Arturo Fuente’s history goes back to 1912. Started in Cuba, this brand now has more than 500 torcedors making over 24 million cigars a year from the factory’s location in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Carlos Fuente and son, Carlos Jr. are celebreties among the cigar world, overseeing every step of the cigar-making process that bears their namesake. These cigars are medium to full-bodied masterpieces. The naturals are wrapped in a special Cameroon wrapper, the maduros in an aged Connecticut broadleaf, and 4 of the sizes are available in an Ecuadorian sun-grown. The Seleccion d’Oro line sports a very special Connecticut shade-grown, giving it a trluy balanced and mild flavor.

We feature quite a few of Fuente’s best but the two I want to talk about this month are the Hemingway Series Classic and the 8-5-8 Flor Fina.

The Fuente Hemingway Classic is exactly that: A Classic Cigar. This is a medium-bodied smoke, not a full smoke like our maduros. But, this cigar has an intriguing complexity to satisfy the experienced Afficionado, and just plain delicious flavor that even a beginner will enjoy immensely. The cigar itself is lovely to look at, and perfect on the draw. It has a good, even burn and produces a firm, lovely ash. And the aroma… It is like perfume, but not sweet. With plenty of luscious smoke, the Hemingway Classic produces the kind of rich, friendly aroma that will make a woman want to curl up and stay. I highly recommend keeping a few of these around for all occasions. This is the kind of cigar you can give to anyone, experienced or beginner, and have a great smoke together. Absolutely wonderful!

One of the best cigars in the entire Arturo Fuente line. The 8-5-8 Flor Fina is a well-proportioned cigar with an attractive, perfectly-aged Cameroon wrapper that’s silky and sweet. The smoke is mild, cedary in character and well-balanced. This is an anytime cigar, Rich, smooth, yet toasty and nut like with a taste of caramel. I highly reccomend this cigar.

Come in and mention this blog to recieve 10% off the purchase of either of these fine cigars! Or just come in to see our wide variety of cigars from around the world!

Bryant Bowlby – Cigar Manager

The economy is posing a challenge to all wine drinkers to find wines that are in a more affordable price range that are still of good quality.  The good news is; there are a lot of amazing wines under $15.00 if you are willing to experiment with some different countries.

  Spain leads the way with soft and supple Riojas, Ribera del Dueros, Monastrells, and Grenaches. Argentina has wonderful Malbecs from $7.99 and up.  Chile is a great country to look for Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir.  Australia continues to make killer Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet and blends that are easy on your pocket book.  Don’t forget Italy with well priced blends of Sangiovese and Cabernet, Tuscano wines and Pinot Grigio still is a value.

  Cary at Avon Liquor suggests:

Spain: Castillio de Monseran Garnacha- 100 year old vine Grenache for just   $8.99

Argentina- San Palo Auka Malbec -$11.99

Chile- Artesi Pinot Noir- $10.99

Australia- d’Arenberg Stump Jump-Grenache/Shiraz/Mouvedre blend- $12.99

Italy- Fossetti Rosso Toscano- $13.99

ENJOY!!