Explorers' Seasonal Value Pack: Winter - Chill Busters

Great Wines Don't Have to be Expensive!

This sampler is focused on fuller and rounder wines, wines that are vibrant, balanced, and with moderate acidity.  These bottles are certainly only not for winter, but they do lend themselves nicely to stews, braises - hearty and robust fare. And for the all-season grillers, a few of these will feel right at home with fire-cooked morsels any time of year!

There are two white wines, both made from single varieties. The first is from Lazio Italy and is from a blending variety and a juicy one at that, called Bellone. The second is a Garnacha Blanca from Navarra Spain. This is rounder than the Bellone and just as captivating.

The four reds are an eclectic bunch. There are two blends and two made from a single variety. Regardless of the make-up, these four gems couldn't be more diverse. From Greece, an organic wine made from Limniona, a fairly rare grape rising in prominence. From Slovenia, yes, Slovenia, we have a fun blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refošk (Refosco), and Barbera. It's a pretty wild wine, and packs a punch. The next wine is from France, and while most people have had Côtes du Rhône this one is quite unusual as it is 100% Grenache; most Côtes du Rhônes are blends. From the US we have a red blend with Zinfandel as the main attraction. I understand why some folks have come to dislike this grape, but this is not a jammy, one dimensional example of excess. Here we have a fruit-forward wine with complexity that finishes dry.

This is our 5th Winter pack (oh how the time flies!) and even though it’s skewed toward the red selections, the wines show a wide range of styles and weights to offer diversity for various tastes.

While some folks have had these grapes or wines from these places before, others have not, or maybe these particular bottles are new to you. This is the point of the Explorers' Packs: to try something you haven't had before - whether it is a wine you are completely unfamiliar with or whether the wine is a from a familiar grape or place but perhaps from an unfamiliar wine-maker; these packs aim to offer something different.

This Explorers' Pack is discounted at over 15% off regular prices. No further discounts apply.