WALLA WALLA VINTNERS - COLUMBIA VALLEY SANGIOVESE - $23.99 - Winemakers notes: This rich wine contains 77%, 14% Syrah and 9% Malbec. If you enjoy dark chocolate covered cherries or a slice of creamy, moist dark chocolate cake this food friendly Sangiovese is for you. Its black cherry, fresh leather nose is so attractive that it seduces you to taste it and ride on its blackberry, clove finish. It is a classy wine that is perfect with bruschetta topped with black olive paste, sautéed button mushrooms and garlic drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Serve while listening to your favorite Italian music.

WALLA WALLA VINTNERS WALLA WALLA VALLEY MERLOT - Winemakers notes: A flavor saturated Walla Walla Valley wine composed of 83% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and a 7% dollop of Cabernet Franc to enrich the complexity. The nose has whiffs of buttered toast with the aromatics of green tea and a mid-palate of warm walnuts on chocolate sauce and a lengthy finish of crushed maraschino cherries over Ben and Jerry's vanilla ice cream. Pair it with slow roasted, tanned short ribs - 200 degrees - with chopped Walla Walla sweets, carrots, parsley and Heirloom tomatoes seasoned with garlic, thyme, sea salt, and black pepper, braised in chicken stock and Walla Walla Vintners Merlot for 3 hours. Serve with a side of rice beans cooked in garlic and fresh sage and a Charles Aznavour album. Voilá!

WALLA WALLA VINTNERS COLUMBIA VALLEY CABERNET FRANC - $28.99 - Winemakers notes: This regal Cabernet Franc is composed of 84% Cabernet Franc and 16% Merlot. This impressive blend has a fruitcake, black walnut nose, a mid-palate of creamy butterscotch surrounded by sweet tobacco and a gripping finish of a Fran's chocolate caramel sprinkled with sea salt. It cries out for ratatouille with roasted sweet peppers and garlic, grilled Walla Walla Sweets, eggplant, ripe Roma tomatoes, vintage olive oil, herbs de Provence, sea salt, and black pepper simmered together until reduced to a melted perfection. Toss with Penne and Nicoise olives. Order early before the word gets out!

WALLA WALLA VINTNERS WA STATE CUVEE - $28.99 - Winemakers notes: Oh my! We have done it again! The 06 WA State Cuvée is a standout wine that gets your attention right from the get go. This incredible blend contains 38% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Carmenéré and 5% each of Malbec and Syrah. Eight vineyards from four AVAs that make up this glorious blend --- Cordon Grove, Dwelley, Frazier Bluff, Killian, Sagemoor, Spring Creek and Weinbau vineyards. The wine is smooth and seductive, calling you back for another taste, so you can experience different facets and discover nuances that are deeply hidden in this pleasurable composition --- dark berry nose, mid-palate of dark chocolate, toasted marshmallows and Häagen-Dazs Banana Split ice cream! Heaven!

WALLA WALLA VINTNERS WALLA WALLA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON - $36.99 - The Indian summer in ‘06 gave birth to this classic Walla Walla jewel wrapped in a deep red robe, a toasted almond and bright cranberry nose, with a mid-palate of well integrated dark roasted coffee, cassis and cigar box. Its powerful finish is balanced by sweet tannins, coconut and vanilla bean. This Cab is drinking beautifully now but decant it to liberate the complexity of flavors provided by 76% Cabernet, 10% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 3% each of Malbec and Petit Verdot and 2% Carmenéré. Slowly braised short ribs ---five pounds in two cups of this vibrant wine, with onions, carrots, canned tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper are a perfect partner.

A white and a red this Friday.

The white is Le Mandolare Corte Menini Soave D.O.C. Classico. The grape to mark off your list is GARGANEGA. Color: golden yellow with greenish reflexes. Bouquet: delicate, sweet, warm, fruity with scents of citrus fruit and banana, lightly floral. Taste: round, harmonic, long-lasting on average and with the characteristic almond aftertaste typical of the Garganega grapes.

The red is Reverdito Dolcetto D' Alba. DOLCETTO will get marked off if you are keeping track. Color: ruby red, Bouquet: ripe fruit, dark cherry and blackberry. Taste: violet and cocoa then blackberry.

Hope you can join us and spread the word that these Friday night tastings are a way to try many different varietals from around the world in a relaxed atmosphere.

NEW --------- SOIREE the next evolution in wine aeration and serving. Soirée is a bottle-top wine aerator. Soirée fits securely into any wine bottle allowing you to pour, without dripping directly through the Soirée. By pouring wine with a Soirée, the Soirée creates an intermediary stage where the wine is infused with oxygen and then cascades into your glass. In using the Soirée to aerate your wine, you will notice the subtleties and character of the wine emerge immediately upon entering your glass. Soirée delivers a truly “open” wine just by pouring through it!

And everyone has been waiting for the arrival of VINTURI - they are back. We got quite a few so we shouldn't run out for awhile.

Remember to check out the center shelves on the tasting side of the shop for new values that Ric has found.