This week we welcome back Rena from American Northwest Distributors with wines from Oregon and one fun Washington. The lineup will be: ARCANE CELLARS PINOT GRIS, 2008 Willamete Valley - $15.99 - 90 pts WS.This full-bodied Pinot Gris has a beautiful golden straw color, and aromas of peaches, grapefruit and pear and a hint of anise. Flavor of melon, lime and orange zest unfold in the mid-palate. Slightly off-dry, and balanced with crispy acidity, the wine has a mouth feel that is rich and round and a long, smooth and voluptuous finish. Serve with rich cheeses such as camembert, triple cream bries, goat cheese and gorgonzola. Also great with grilled fish, oysters, sushi or spicy Asian cuisine such as Indian, Korean or Thai food.

ARCANE CELLARS PINOT BLANC, 2008 Willamete Valley - $16.99 - This Pinot Blanc is grown in the cool climate of the northern Willamette Valley. Quince, grapefruit and mango aromas meld nicely with delicate floral notes of daphne and marigold. The sharp, green apple acidity on the attack is balanced by a touch of residual sugar for an overall clean mouth feel. This is a linear, crisp wine for sure, but much more complex than most Pinot Blancs, with a lengthy finish suggesting almond nuttiness. SILVER MEDAL -- 2009 Pacific Northwest Wine Summit Contest

ARCANE CELLARS PINOT NOIR, 2007 Willamete Valley - $20.99 - This Pinot Noir is produced from low-yield vines from select vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Characteristic aromas of black cherry, cloves, smoke and cedar, firm structure and a long, smooth finish. 88 POINTS -- Wine Enthusiast Magazine

BIG NOSE RED - $13.99 - (39% Cabernet; 34% Syrah; 24% Cab Franc.), WA.Columbia Gorge. Dark and purply with lots of cola and brown licorice. A dense, thick wine that provides a lot wine for the money. 1,000 cases produced. This is unique, northern climate Washington State wine. The Cabernet Sauvignon is intense . . . the Syrah gives it a touch of sweetness and luxury . . . the Cabernet Franc brings out the brashness . . . aged in 20% new French oak. Quite different than many syrupy Calfifornia reds. A solid beef wine for sure.

WHEATLAND CABERNET/SYRAH 2006 Columbia Valley,OR.- $15.,99 - Huge blackberry and cassis fruit from the Syrah in the blend balance nicely with the structure and body of Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 18 months in a combination of 50% new French and American oak. A classic big Columbia Valley red blend. 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Syrah, 2% Mourvedre, 2% Cinsault. Excellent when paired with steaks, chops and holiday roasts. 89 POINTS + TOP VALUES OF 2008 -- WINE SPECTATOR ..........."Best Buy" -- NW Palate Magazine (May 2008)

We will have our Friday night tasting with wine from Washington that is of German descent.

Drop by and see what new varietal we have for you to try.

One of the orders from the gift show arrived yesterday. Since there are so many crab lovers in the area we brought in more of the crab themed items we have had in the past. Set of four cheese spreaders and crab dip bowls - small and large.

There are also two other designs of cheese spreaders - wine corks and red wine - in sets of four. These make great gifts whether you give them as a set or use them seperatly in a few gifts.

We are hoping that by the end of the week the Crab bottle holders that we had a few years ago will be back in stock. (Finally found the company and could get an order placed.)

Don't forget to check out the SALE TABLE. More new things will arrive next week and we need to rearrange to make room to display them.

It is that time of year when KING 5 does their Best of Western Washinton promotion. We nominated Benson's Best Bites as one of the cheese shops that should be in the running.

Soggy Doggy is listed so it would be great to support them also.

Oh yeah, there is a listing for wine shops also that you should check out. HINT HINT

http://best.king5.com/standings/best-of-western-washington/4749/specialty-food-and-drink/wine-shop

You can either click below or cut & paste the link above.

Best of Western Washington