Happy face!
LUSH West Town has been licensed. Hells yeah. We’ll be stocking the shelves and opening shortly. Stay tuned, my friends. And, get thirsty. Eeeeeeee!!!
Mo-Vee-Ahhhh
Most of the world tends to think of boundaries in terms of nationality. I’m Portuguese. It’s from Germany. The fox is French. The wine world thinks in this way as well. Restaurant lists, wine stores, and importer’s portfolios are organized and separated by country.
Sometimes, though, these distinctions can be useless. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek: Tocai, Tokay, Tokaji
Tokaji, Tocai, Tokay
These all sound the same, so they must be the same, right? Well, not so fast there. While these wines are all pronounced relatively similar, they share hardly any similarities at all.
Read the rest of this entry »
Sad Face
LUSH West Town has been in the works for quite some time. From the ground construction takes a bit of time, apparently, and contractors and carpenters, painters, plumbers, and such are a rowdy bunch and take some cajoling to meet deadlines. Throwing booze at them only helps so much, and my super sad face just didn’t do it. So, it’s been an intense, battling struggle to restrain our anxiety and overflowing joy to be opening a new shop. We are nearly spilling over…just waiting for the dear city to bestow the ultimate gift, the golden ticket of a liquor license. I will absolutely holler at the top of my virtual internet lungs the moment that our status progresses. Oh please, oh please, oh please.
However, in the meantime, alas, I must unfortunately call a halt to our raucous plans for Friday the 13th and kabosh the launch party until another date. Do not fear, free wine, beer and snackies will be available when said party commences. It will be a knee-slapping roof shaking good time. We’ve got to break the new store in, of course. So, NO go on the grand opening of Lush West Town this week. If we do indeed procure said license, I will throw open the doors and welcome the thirsty, the seekers of knowledge and fun.
Please partake in the good times and show your support of our local little wine shop. We are extremely thrilled to join the West Town neighborhood and the amazing local joints along the way…food, art, and a lively, smart drinking culture. Pop in and say hi; get to know your Lushes. And, we LOVE you.
For future reference, all pertinent details below…LUSH West Town, 1412 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60642. 312-666-6900. Holler at rachel@lushwineandspirits.com with questions.
And, for an alternative party plan, join LUSH Roscoe 4-6pm for a vertical Goose Island Bourbon County Stout tasting (06, 07, 08, 09) with a little dash of Matilda and Sophie…good historical lesson, ya know…AND, 6-8pm for a wine tasting with Lagniappe founder Andrew Grossman. We’ll be tasting the great Dexter Lake mustache clad wine, Forlorn Hope, and some Argentinian juice.
Savvy? LUSH it up.
HUM has arrived.
FEATURE SPIRIT: HUM
The newest local spirit to debut, HUM is the brilliant beverage concocted by Mr. Adam Seger. This spirit is incredibly versatile and extra delicious, bursting with flavor and quite tasty herbs, flowers, and fruits. HUM is essentially a botanical spirit, or, rather, a mingling of a strapping base of rum infused with hibiscus, cardamom, ginger, and kaffir lime. A spirit and a liqueur, HUM is lovely as a twist on classic cocktails, or can pump up your favorites with a burst of flavor. Or, if you like to be told what to do, Mr. Seger has developed an extensive list of tried and true tasty cocktails. Sip it neat, stir, shake, or share. Elegant, balanced, and vibrantly pink! www.humspirits.com
Boo! Scary Skull Wine Party…
SUPER SPECIAL, extra EXCLUSIVE EVENT:
Twisted Oak River of Skulls Release Party
[$50 including tax, NOT tip]
Friday, OCTOBER 30th
6-9pm
Get Twisted. The infamous, rowdy folks from Twisted Oak are here and we’ll be celebrating the release of their super special River of Skulls. This wildly burly, sneaky and scary wine is chock full of Calaveras County Mourvedre from the Dalton Vineyard. Heady, aromatic perfume encourages you to jump recklessly, fully, into a glass of this juice. Deep, dark, dirty and sexy, this Mourvedre is earthy and funky, yet pulsing with luscious fruit and sassy spice. An ankle bone of cherries is connected to the shin bone of raspberries, which connects to the knee bone of smoky vanilla. The knee bone is connected to the leg bone of Mourvedre’s natural tabacco character, which connects to the hip bone, back bone and neck bone of a nice long finish. Oh Dem Skulls!
Warm and toasty, belly busting snacks will include some sort of chunky, gourmet chili with crusty bread, sweet cream butter with cornbread, and a custom rum cake. Rubber chickens and pirates will be here too! Join the fun and dress up for the costume contest…one precious, uber yummy bottle of Twisted #%@& will be awarded for the best outfit. http://www.twistedoak.com/
RSVP absolutely necessary. Space is limited and time is spiraling down to zero. Holla at Ms. Erin, erin@lushwineandspirits.com or 312-738-1900. Bring friends and bring the par-tay.
Things I heart, take 5
2005 Domain Guiberateau Chenin Blanc, Samur, Loire Valley, France
Oh Guiberateau, how I heart thee! Now that I’ve conquered the correct pronunciation of your name (well, by my American standards anyway), I can completely, whole-heartedly love you. I’ve loved you, sweet, sweet bottle, since we met a few months ago, and just had the chance to try you again for a tasting we were doing. Yep, I still heart you, wonderful wine, even more so! So wierd yet so delicious. The nose is so great and beautiful and smells like rocks with a touch of honey. The palate shows a soft fruit, graphite and slate with a lingering minerally finish that has a hint of lime. It paired great with the talipa I did not cook but did enjoy last night. Suprisingly, there is still some left for me tonight, so while I’m hard at work, I’ll be dreaming of that half-full bottle of this delightful wine.
Bourbon Heritage Month
As we move into October, we say good-bye to Bourbon Heritage Month. On August 29, 2007 the Kentucky Board of Tourism announced that the US Senate had approved the measure to designate September ‘Bourbon Heritage Month.’ Well, what exactly does this mean? Basically, it is a month long celebration of ‘America’s Native Spirit’, culminating in the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown. It’s also a damn good excuse to drink bourbon, talk about bourbon, and learn about all the culture, people, and history that surround the spirit. Read the rest of this entry »
