Mountain Spirits: Wine and Beer this week, 3-29-12

March 31, 3 PM - 7 PM at  Appalachian Vintner, 745 Biltmore Avenue Suite 121 • Asheville, NC.  Asheville Wine and Beer Report -  Chuck Landers and Wisdom Beverage will be pouring some serious values from the Central and Northern Pacific coast of the US: Waterbrook Winery Melange Blanc- 39% Riesling, 18% Pinot Gris, 14% Gewürztraminer, 10% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc, 9% Viognier from the Canyon Ranch, Bosma, Willow Crest, Den Hoed, Oasis, Carpenter vineyards in Washington State; Stone Cap Winery Chardonnay- 100% Columbia Valley Chardonnay. Stone Cap Wines are handcrafted entirely from estate grown grapes from the renowned Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard in Washington State's Columbia Valley; Tim Tonjum Different Drummer Cabernet Sauvignon Rietkerk Vineyard- 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the 15 acre Rietkerk Vineyard, deep with in the rich Bench lands of Paso Robles; Stone Cap Winery Syrah- 100% Goose Ridge Winery Syrah, Established under the direction of the late Dr. Walter Clore, Father of the Washington Wine Industry. Discounts for purchases during the tasting.

March 30, 5 - 7 PM Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in Asheville NC. FREE beer tasting:  Bell's Brewing -  This spring/summer beer is one of Bell's most popular and bestselling beers. There will be a keg on tap plus some of your regular favorites to taste. Come by this Friday for a taste of some of the top sellers at Hops and Vines.   March 31, 3-6 PM - FREE Wine Tasting: Springtime French Wine.  Domaine Antugnac Chardonnay: An unoaked Chardonnay redolent of fresh apple and honey with herbal notesl   Domaine Agugnac Pinot Noir: Expressive nose of black cherry and spices. Ample and fruity with a fresh finish; Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rose- Made by famed Rhone producer E. Guigal, this is one of the favorite dry Roses in the shop.

March 31 , starts at 6 PM,  Classic Wine Cellar, 20 Church Street, Waynesville NC - B.Y.O.B.B. PARTY. Bring your own birthday bottle to celebrate Richard's Birthday. Each person brings a bottle, puts it on the bar and then orders a taste  from what is available. A great way to sample many wines. Birthday cake by Mabel will be served. Full tapas, flatbreads and cheese menu will be available.  Live music by Possum Band.

March 30, 4-7 PM at Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 102, Asheville NC - 545 Friday Winedown - New Arrivals Sampling - 2010 Domaine du Pas St. Martin Saumur Blanc; 2010 Cooper Mountain Pinot Gris Reserve; 2010 Cooper Hill Pinot Noir; 2009 Leese Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon; 2009 Chateau Tour Saint Bonnet Medoc. $5/person.  Free for Grape Nuts     March 31, 2-5 PM - FREE Wine Tasting: Sample 4 artisan wines - the tasting typically features 4 affordable wines from small family wineries

March 30,  4 PM - 7 PM  LaBouteille, 10 N Trade St, Suite A Tyon NC - Complimentary Wine Tastings every Friday.  March 31 - The last Saturday of each month 3-5 pm is a 10 beers for $10 beer tasting. Bring a dish of food to share.

March 31,   2 PM - 5 PM  The Wine Guy, 555 Merimon Ave and 1200 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville NC. FREE Saturday tastings are a great way to sample new favorites in a casual setting. A local distributor will pour a few new wines from their portfolio. No reservations required and there will be special pricing on the wines sampled. 

March 31, 12 PM - 5 PM at Vino Vino Wine Market, 178 Weaverville Rd., Asheville NC. Every Saturday anytime between 12:00 and 5:00pm enjoy a sampling of wines from around the world. A 10% discount on each of the wines we are featuring.

Tasting Rooms:

Biltmore Winery, located on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville NC. Daily tasting and tours with Estate admission. Special events and tastings throughout the year.

Old North State Winery, 308 North Main Street, Mount Airy NC. Hours of operation are: Monday-Wednesday 11am-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm. Sample wines and browse the gift shop featuring wine related and gourmet gift items.

RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC Tours are "on demand" noon to six PM daily. Tastings are available noon to six PM daily and include up to 11 varieties of wine.

Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews NC. Closed for the winter - re-open March 22, 2012Tasting room summer hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Noon to 5:00. This week check out the "Warden's White".

South Creek Vineyard and Winery, 2240 South Creek Road, Nebo, NC

Daily Tastings at Wedge Brewing Company, 125 B Roberts St. Asheville NC. Micro-brewery regular Tasting room hours: Monday - Thursday 4 PM - 10+ PM; Friday 3 PM - 10+ PM; Saturday and Sunday 2 PM - 10+ PM.

Daily Tastings at Greenman Brewery, 23 Buxton Ave., Asheville NC. The tasting room is open seven days a week at 4 o'clock, or maybe earlier