Weekly Pairing and Holiday News

The Chicago Loop Alliance, in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository has come up with a "Winter Wonderloop" project. Please help us help others this holiday season with your donation of any non-perishable foods.

This Saturday we will be offering another free tasting at our Broadway location from 3pm-6pm. Stop by for a taste of some delicious wines and beer and get your holiday libations in advance!

We are also offering specialty breads from Bennison's for your holiday festivities. This year we have the always popular Cranberry Pecan bread and a new addition to the roster, Apple Cider bread. Call either store to pre-order your loaves.

This week for our pairing we're going French. The cheese this week is Abondance de Savoie. Named for the breed of cattle whose milk is used to make the cheese, this cheese dates back to the late 1800's. Sweet and nutty with a slight grassiness, this cheese has a rich and complex flavor that is sure to please the Alpine cheese lover.

For wine Jan suggest the 2005 Domaine Brusset "Chabrille" from Cairrane, France. This small production wine comes from a single village. This wine has a long finish with a lot of bacon, loam and cedar in the nose. This wine is full of old-world funk and glory.

Too Much Information For A Headline

We are proud to announce that our Conspicuous Consumption collection has been named as one of Oprah's favorite things in the holiday issue of O Magazine.

After much anticipation we are thrilled to tell you that our shelves have a few new additions. Here's a teaser of some of the new artisan products that Cesar found on his spring tour of Italy. Rustic chocolates, nougat, spreads both savory and sweet and all from small artisan producers. Come in and check out our delicious additions!

We also have a new cheese and wine pairing featured this week. The 2006 Chono Cabernet Sauvignon "Reserva" from Chile. This big earth-friendly, easy-drinking Cab is big on fruit and pairs well with firm cheeses.

Speaking of cheese, we've a brand new addition to the cheese case, Prairie Breeze Cheddar from Milton Creamery in Milton, Iowa. Aged for 6 months, this cheddar has a sharpness that is well balanced with a slightly sweet grassiness.


Don't forget to stop by the Broadway shop tomorrow from 3-6pm as we offer a free tasting of several different bottles of red and white.

Free Wine Tastings and Pairing

This Saturday is our free Saturday wine tasting at the Loop location from 6:30-8pm. The theme this month is holiday wines. Wines not just great for the season, but ones that will make your holiday feast even more delicious.

This Saturday we're also trying a new event at our Lakeview location. We are going to be doing a free tasting this Saturday from 3-6pm. We will be pouring samples from four different bottles.

We also have a new pairing. The cheese is from Hillis Peak from Pholia Farm Creamery in Rogue River, Oregon. Made from a small herd on a farm that is off the grid, this goat's milk cheese is rubbed in a mix of oil and paprika and aged for up to six months. Nutty and sharp with a pleasant earthiness this is a great example of American artisan cheesemaking.

For the wine we go to Lodi, California and Benson Ferry Vineyards for their 2006 Zinfandel "Nine x Nine". A full bodied wine this red has dark, rich flavors of blackberries and coffee. Big enough to stand on it's own, but delicate enough to compliment foods without dominating the palate.