Austin we love you!

Posted in Vino Vino Austin on May 27, 2012 by Do Bianchi

WE WILL BE OPEN TOMORROW MEMORIAL DAY

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Wine of the Week: Domaine Coudoulis Lirac AOC

Posted in featured wine, Vino Vino Austin with tags , on May 24, 2012 by tracie p

Southern France is one of our favorite places to mine for French reds. Combining brawn with value, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to keeping a place on our by-the-glass menu.

Domaine Coudoulis comes from the Lirac appellation within the Rhône Valley. This little corner of Southern Rhone is very similar to the more expensive and more widely-known Châteauneuf du Pape. The vines grow in the same famous rocky soil that’s composed of stones called galets roulés (above, in the photo), which stresses them out in the best way.

Composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, this wine appeals to the brain with its brawn. The rich notes of red berry fruits swirl seamlessly with savory earth, flowers, and peppercorns. It’s complex and lovely.

The Southern Rhone just keeps on giving us what we want and we can’t get enough.

It’s five o’clock somewhere…

Posted in Vino Vino Austin on May 22, 2012 by Do Bianchi

but the HAPPIEST HOUR starts at 5:30 weeknights at Vino Vino (Central Standard Time).

HAPPY HOUR

Monday-Friday 5:30-7 pm

$2 OFF ANY GLASS OF WINE
$2 OFF WELL DRINKS
HALF-PRICED DRAFT BEER
6 HALF-PRICED APPETIZERS

Breaking news: Vino Vino named “best wine list” Chronicle Reader’s Poll

Posted in accolades on May 17, 2012 by Do Bianchi

Once again, Vino Vino has been named the Austin Chronicle’s Reader’s Poll “Best Wine List”…

THANK YOU AUSTIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR ALL THESE YEARS!

We were also named “Critics Best Place for an Ice-cold Rosé.”

Click here for a list of all the winners.

Luna Beberide Bierzo DO

Posted in featured wine, Vino Vino Austin with tags , on May 17, 2012 by Do Bianchi

Above: The rugged landscape of Bierzo (Spain), one of Europe’s last undiscovered wine countries.

Bierzo is not an appellation on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

The first written reference to this region is credited to Pliny the Elder. Today, after a Medieval rise in prominence followed by a catastrophic phylloxera infestation, Bierzo has risen once again on the backs of its native grape, Mencia.

Long thought to have been at least related to Cabernet Franc, recent ampelographical studies have proven it to be identical, instead, to Portugal’s Jaen du Dao.

So what does all of this mean? It means that we have a little gem on our hands.

Luna Beberide is a powerful example of Mencia’s potential. When grown on older vines in appropriate soil (such as that found in this Northwestern region of Spain), Mencia jumps out of the glass with herbal aromas of dark fruit, earth, and exotic spice.

It may not be a wine you’ve been talking about, but once it’s on the tip of your tongue, you’ll be begging for more.

Vino Vino named one of “best wine bars” in the US by Eater.com

Posted in accolades on May 14, 2012 by Do Bianchi

Photo by Holly Reed.

“Wine people are easy to pick on; I get it,” writes Eater.com wine writer and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Talia Baiocchi. “Sometimes we ask for it. But the notion that we are all weird nerds who only want to talk about malolactic fermentation and listen to bad music at really lame wine bars with wine-themed décor, crappy cheese plates, and bad lighting — is a stereotype, and a stale one at best…”

“The best wine bars across the country have managed to a lasso a counterculture of drinkers who are open and interested in wine; they’ve become a bigger part of the urban drinking life as a result. And new wine bars are seeing the opportunity to build on what these places have achieved in different ways.”

Click here to read Talia’s take on wine bars in the U.S. today and her list of the top 18 wine bars in the country, including — yup, you guessed it — Vino Vino…

Treat mom to the “best paella in Austin” tonight at 7 pm sharp…

Posted in Vino Vino Austin on May 13, 2012 by tracie p

Mom deserves only the best!

Paella at 7 p.m. tonight.

Kitchen opens at 5:30 p.m.

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