With this many wines, its no wonder that Avon Liquors always gets it right! There are all varietals, countries, and price ranges, and as I learned candidly from one particular customer, some rare finds.

Every Thursday, Avon Liquors holds a free wine tasting with a different regional varietal from around the world. Tonight’s samplings were a varietal called Monastrell, a grape, it would seem, that was made for the southeastern reaches of Spain in the Jumilla region. This rugged vine flourishes with the challenge of finding water, and under the three-digit sun, produces a dry, robust, savory red even at a low pricepoint. Want to know more? Ask Kevin Lawrence, the stores wine specialist, about his travels to the region and why he finds this particular varietal so fascinating.

During our taste, Kevin Pours the wine and goes over some of the varietal’s characteristics, its process from grape to wine, the land it comes from, and the geography. As an expert, he will without any bucal reference, describe what the tasters are experiencing and why. The whole process is very informal, as everyone stands by the counter in ski parkas, tired from a days work or vacation on the mountain. Tasters get to taste four labels of the same varietal, one right after the other, for comparison’s sake.

Wine tasters are invited to ask questions as the session progresses, though usually it takes about 20 minutes or less to taste all four, and then the floor is completely open for questions. Wine tastings at Avon Liquors run from 4-6 weekly on Thursdays, and they also run Beer tastings at the same time on Tuesdays.

Not to miss will be December 27 CHAMPAGNE tasting. And Burgundy Pinot Noir on the 21. Salut!