Mountain Spirits: WIne and Beer Tastings this week, 6-7-12

June 8,  5 - 7 PM   Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in Asheville NC.  FREE beer tasting: four taps on for free sampling and for purchase or donation by the pint. Highlights include Mark and Alex's American IPA, Alex's Double IPA,(both homebrewed) and for the lighter beer drinkers we'll have French Broad Kolsch and Sierra Nevada Summer Ale. Homebrewers are encouraged to bring beer to this tasting. 

June 9  , 3-6 PM - FREE Wine Tasting:   Portuguese Wines Portuguese wines offer quality at a great price. Come taste three great bottles of wine, all under $10! Broadbent Vinho Verde 20- Vinho Verde is easily one of our most popular styles of wine during the summer months. Conde Villar Vinho Verde Rose 2011 -This new wine in the shop will be a fun new wine to try for Vinho Verde lovers. Cone Villar Tinto 2011 - This red blend from the Vinho Verde region in Portugal delivers a great value.

June 8, 4-7 PM at  Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 102, Asheville NC -  Friday Winedown -  Banshee and Rickshaw Wines - sample the entire lineup of wines from one of the hottest California-based producers in the US. Banshee Wines are absolutely blowing up all over the country.  Started by three friends, Banshee owns no vineyards of its own but works in lock-step with high-end vineyard owners and wineries to produce wines of depth, purity and balance.  They purchase really good fruit and sometimes finished barrels of wine and blend these lots together to create expressive wines that taste like they cost a lot more than they do.  $5 per person, free for Grape Nuts.

June 9,  noon to 6 PM, RagApple Lassie Vineyards, 3724 RagApple Lassie Lane, Boonville NC   Sample the estate grown wines including Kaleidoscope Red, enjoy the live music of Gray Matter, have lunch in The Back Door Café, tackle the new jigsaw puzzle, or just relax on the patio  June 10 - Open Mic, a benefit for Yadkin Christian Ministries and Surry Community College Student Emergency Fund. All entertainers, musicians, poets or comedians are welcome to share your talents on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. Registration will begin at 2:00 PM.

June 9,  4 PM - 7 PM  LaBouteille, 10 N Trade St, Suite A Tyon NC - Complimentary Wine Tastings every Friday.  - The last Saturday of each month 3-5 pm is a 10 beers for $10 beer tasting. Bring a dish of food to share.

June 9,   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.
June 13, 7 PM  Spanish Reds and Whites Tasting   Taste 3 whites and 6 reds from various regions in Spain. Spain continues to produce some of the most outstanding value wines in the world. $20.  Call 254-6500 to reserve a spot!


June 9, 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