This weekend, Cooper is hosting industry professional, Stephanie Schlis!
Here is Stephanie’s background:
“I’ve been working Food and Retail since 2012, with an interest in wine beginning in 2013, and really just started exploring and delving into wine at Coaltrain Wine & Spirits who helped me achieve my WSET 2 Sure. (Wine and Spirits Education Trust; the track geared towards Master of Wine.) I started with CTS in August of last year and moved here to the Roaring Fork Valley full time starting in May!”
Since we met her a short time ago, she has been a wonderful consultant for us, bringing in some wines to taste that showed incredible value for the $, and just all around great selections. Her palate is incredibly defined, especially for someone her age, and she is a very motivated and information-oriented rep. Exactly what we look for here at Cooper!
Thanks Stephanie for all your hard work and dedication to the craft, and for helping Cooper to have the best selection possible at the best prices!
Ares de Medeiros Portuguese White – At the vineyards of Herdade de Medeiros (Land of Medeiros) in the south region of Portugal, the typical prairie-like landscapes is “interrupted” by a large, beautiful lake. Year round this lake is inhabited by a large number of birds, both resident and migratory. Ares de Medeiros represents those migratory birds that annually pass through this estate. This wine was produced from our own hand-picked Arinto, Viognier, and Verdelho grape varieties. Distinct color with tones of green on gold, and exuberant citric aromas. The rich fruit pallet and balanced acidity completes this fine and elegant wine.
Kevin’s Notes: Portuguese wines are currently the most value oriented wines on the market! Their red wines have been leading way and now white of Portugal are showing the quality to cost value. Great wine with salty dishes, seafood, light cheeses – terrific porch pounder! Cooper’s Price $11.99
Domaine de la Mordoree Rose 2017 – The Mordorée is the poetic nickname used locally for the woodcock that flies over our lands during its migrations. Ideally located at the crossroads of Provence and Languedoc, the Domaine de la Mordorée produces some of the finest wines in the Rhone Valley. They own manage and control vineyards in: Châteauneuf du Pape, Lirac, and Tavel.”Our philosophy has always been to produce the greatest wines possible. To achieve this goal we have selected the best parcels of land, the highest grade grapes and developed environmental friendly wine growing methods. The vinification and maturation of our wines combine both tradition and modernity”.
Kevin’s Notes: This wine is 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 20% Cinsault. An important fact about this wine is the importer; Kysela. In Atlanta as a buyer, our company imported Fran Kysela wines. Fran is a Master Sommelier who turned his expertise by discovering and importing some of the greatest wines and wine values from France and Spain. Whenever I read the back of a wine label and I see Kysela’s name, I am immediately interested in that wine! One simple remark, “This is one of the best Roses I have tasted all year!” Cooper’s Price $19.99
Illahe Vineyards Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2016 – Illahe is a Chinook Jargon word meaning “earth,” “land,” or “soil.” We feel this reflects both our location in Oregon, as well as our desire to craft wines which express the variety of soils on our beautiful 80 acre estate. Illahe Vineyards was established in 2000 by Lowell Ford, grower of Oregon grapes since 1983.Illahe is a LIVE-certified, Salmon Safe vineyard. We use cover crops on the entire vineyard. We are part of Oregon’s Deep Roots Coalition, and as such do not irrigate mature plants. We do extensive green pruning and conduct plant topping. We prune by hand and harvest by hand. We use sulfur spray to control for powdery mildew and botrytis. We aim for balanced production and optimal ripeness. This includes a program of no irrigation, leaf pulling to decrease shade, and dropping green clusters after veraison. One of our goals at Illahe is to reduce the use of fossil fuels throughout the year. We have solar panels and we use our horses, Doc and Bea, to mow and to bring grapes to the winery at harvest.
Kevin’s Notes: This is was a HUGE surprise for me when I told the price of this ESTATE Oregon Pinot Noir. Rarely, do you find an Estate (winery owned vineyard to bottle) Pinot Noir at this quality under $40-$50. This is steal, and you can thank me later – cheers! Regular Price $29.99 Cooper’s Price $26.99
Le Clairon Des Anges Costières De Nîmes – “This classic blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre offers fragrances of plum, mulberry, and spice; medium-bodied and dry with moderate tannins and flavors of mixed red berries, anise, and ground black pepper; the finish is medium in length with notes reminiscent of baking spices.”
Kevin’s Notes: This is a recent discovery for our store. I believe once you taste this wine, you will always want us to have it available. There is so…much wine here for the money and comes at a perfect time for the holidays. This wine can be paired with everything from roasted fowl prepared with savory herbs such as rosemary and thyme or even a lamb roast. Costieres de Nimes is sub-appellation of the Cotes du Rhone found in the far southwest of CDR. Regular Price $14.99 Cooper’s Price $12.99
