City Vino

02/03/2025

🗓️ Mark your calendars for February 14th, at 7pm! Four delicious courses with fabulous wine pairings…what’s not to love!? 💗

(Tickets are $65 per person. $25 to reserve your seat and the rest on the day of.)

Purchase here 👉 https://www.city-vino.com/valentines-day-wine-pairing-dinner-pt-1.html

01/31/2025

Did you miss City Vino’s very first comedy wine pairing? Don’t worry—we’re here to lift your spirits with a few good laughs!
🍷 “Wine improves with age. I improve with wine.”
🍷 “Wine is like duct tape – it fixes everything.”
🍷 “Keep your friends close and your wine closer.”
🍷 “Wine—because no great story started with someone eating a salad.”

If that made you smile, you’re in luck—we’re already planning another Comedy Wine Pairing event in early March. Stay tuned for more laughs, great wine, and a night of pure fun! 🍷😂 We are reprising the wines for this weekend so you are not completely missing out.

Karl Erbes QBA Riesling Mosel Germany 2022 100% Riesling.
🍋 Honeysuckle floral aromas with notes of wet stone, citrus lemon-lime, lighter notes of pineapple, peach, and apricot. On the palate, additional notes of lime zest, pear, lemon hard candy, and spice.

Cantina Vignaioli del Morellio L’Oste Sangiovese Tuscany Italy 2023 100% Sangiovese.
🍒 Aromas of red cherry, strawberry, wet-petal violets, savory herbs, and spice. Continuing to the palate, big red cherry with cream, red currant, light notes of black fruit compote. This is a dry wine with medium acidity, medium-chalky tannins, medium flavor intensity and a medium finish.

Ridgeback Lion Hound Red Blend Paarl South Africa 2021 46% Syrah, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 10% Mourvèdre, 8% Grenache.
🪵 Slight bret aromas that give way to earth, blackberry, dirt, barnyard, black plum, vanilla, and cream. More fruit notes on the palate, with black plum, black currant, red cherry compote, smoke, woody, black pepper, cigar box, greenery, leather, and cocoa.

Amapola Creek Proprietary Red Blend Moon Mountain Sonoma California NV 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Petit Verdot.
🌿 Dried berries, bramble, cocoa, evergreen mint, and savory herbal aromas. Flavors of blueberry, black currant white pepper, vanilla, cedar, smoke, black cherry, violets, beef jerky, walnut, clove, earth, and wet leaves.

01/30/2025

There’s no point in arguing with facts! 🔑

01/28/2025

🌹 Celebrate love the City Vino way! 🍷

Our Valentine's Day Wine Pairing Dinner will be an experience to remember with wines you'll never forget! Sip and savor time together while enjoying plates and pairings perfect for any pair. We promise that you'll leave with hearts in your eyes.

Reserve your seats and see full details here 👇

https://www.city-vino.com/valentines-day-wine-pairing-dinner-pt-1.html

01/23/2025

Comedy and wine is this week's theme, complete with a lineup of City Vino's pick from the Artisan and Vines catalog, and it comes with a couple funny jokes from Jon Yeager, our beloved wine peddler, on Saturday evening. So if you missed getting tickets, the joke is on you, as it’s now sold out, but you do get a partial best day ever by coming in and getting a flight of wine anyway!

Perfectus Méditerranée Rosé IGT Provence France 2022 25% Grenache, 25% Cinsault, 25% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon.
🍓 Expressive aromas of strawberries, raspberries red cherry, rose petal, soft melon, ripe peaches, fresh rhubarb, and mineral. Continuing to the palate are flavors of lavender, cranberries, black currant tang. Dry rosé.

Hoopenburg Wine Estate "Guru" Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch South Africa 2023 100% Chenin Blanc.
🍐 Bright Jasmin and white flower florals backed by green apple, Asian pear, spice, and wet stone, all of which flows to the palate. This is a dry, but very fruity wine, with medium acidity, body, and a crisp refreshing finish.

Zonte's Footsteps Grenache "Love Symbol" McLaren Vale Australia 2021 100% Grenache.
🍒 Outward bursting aromas of red cherry, burnt sugar, jasmine, lavender, and eucalyptus, with lighter notes of char. Heavy red fruit on the palate with raspberry, strawberry, red plum, black cherry, red currants, blood orange, toast, vanilla, walnut, earth and a savory gravelly undertone.

Casa Santos Lima OMG Red Blend Lisbon Portugal 2020 Blend of Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Castelão, Alfrocheiro, Touriga Franca.
🪵 Aromas of blackberry, black plum, black cherry, violets, mesquite, vanilla, earth, and smoke. Continuing to the palate are additional flavors of wild raspberry, black pepper, black olive, spice, and charred wood.

01/22/2025

Our Restaurant Week Menu has everything you need to warm up during this frigid week! 🫕

Three Classic Fondue courses paired with fantastic wine and an optional Dessert Chocolate Fondue and pairing. This is not one to be missed!

Head to our website to make your reservations while there’s still availability. We can’t wait to fondue with you!

🪑 Seats here:

https://www.city-vino.com/wine-pairing-dinner.html

01/17/2025

What does Monte Carlo bring to mind? Perhaps a high-stakes gambling game, or maybe a scene from a James Bond film—cruising in one of his luxurious cars along the dazzling French Riviera. In January, the drive would be treacherous, with icy roads and snow, much like the twists and turns of the famed Monte Carlo Rally. But at the finish line, there’s always a reward: A lovely glass of wine. Much like the rally itself, each wine is a new experience—filled with unexpected notes and memorable moments. Here in Fredericksburg, we’re watching the snow slowly melt, and as we regain the courage to brave the great outdoors, we’re reminded of the promise that awaits: The warmth of good company and a beautiful glass of wine. Raise your glass to the thrill of discovery—no snow tires required! 🍷

*C'est la Vie Vin Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Pays d'Oc France 2022 60% Chardonnay, 40% Sauvignon Blanc.
🍏 Aromas of apple, lemon, grapefruit, melon, vanilla and pineapple chunks, hints of caramel, sweet spices and some herbs and citrus.

*Boutinot Wines Uva Non Grata Gamay France 2023 100% Gamay.
🍓 This is bouncy, soft and ripe. A no-fuss wine that is an irresistible fruit bomb, packed with amazing aromas and delicious, soft red berry flavors. A truly gorgeous drink.

*Domaine de Truchasson Rouge Cotes de Duras France 2022 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon.
🍷 Deep ruby in color. Bright, thick aromas of bramble, blueberry, blackberry, black plum, violets, red currants, and raspberry fruit notes. Continuing to the palate are notes of black cherry. Bottle aging flavors add a gravely expression of earth tones and wet leave funk. This is a dry wine with medium acidity, satisfying, grippy medium-plus tannins, and an intense medium-plus finish.

*Domaine Grand Veneur Les Champauvins Cotes du Rhone France 2021 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre.
🍒 Aromas of red cherry, raspberry, cherry liquor, strawberry, oak, to***co, vanilla, chocolate. This is an elegant wine, with soft tannin, medium acidity, medium-plus body, and a long lingering finish of dried herbs, earth, chocolate, and coffee.

01/15/2025

Enough said! Make us your destination for the best dry wines this January! Cheers! 🍷

01/12/2025

You know us as your downtown wine store…but do you know about our cafe?

From meat and cheese boards to dessert fondue, there’s something delicious ready to be created especially for you.

Come for a tasting, glass, or bottles to go and stay for perfectly paired nibbles or a meal for two. See you soon, Fredericksburg! Cheers 🥂

01/10/2025

Reservations for two, it’s time for fondue! 🫕

All of the details:

First $40.25 to reservere your seat, then $60.00 for at the door. Dinner includes three courses with an option for desert course for $15.

Service for dinner will be between 5 and 8 PM and will be available on the weekend days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Lunch or One course option will be available through the whole event and is $40.25. This board will include a classic Swiss fondue accompanied by cubed baguette, steamed baby potatoes, cornichons, an assortment of other dipping bits with a singular wine pairing. Dessert board is an optional extra.

Dinner:
First Course: Classic Swiss Fondue: A traditional mix of Gruyère and Emmental cheese, dry white wine, and a hint of nutmeg and garlic and comes with cubed baguette, steamed baby potatoes, and cornichons. Wine Pairing: 2023 Assuli Terre Insolia, Sicily, Italy

Second Course: Smoky Gouda Fondue: Smoked Gouda blended with a touch of sharp cheddar, cream, and a splash of dark beer and comes with roasted vegetables, soft pretzel bites, and grilled sausages. Wine Pairing: 2015 Maison Lombard Syrah Croze Hermitage, France

Third Course: Spicy Queso Fondue: A blend of Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar with a hint of jalapeño, chili and comes with tortilla chips, roasted jalapeños, grilled chicken, and mini corn fritters. Wine Pairing: 2021 Carol Shelton Wild Thing Zinfandel Old Vine, Mendocino County, California

Optional Dessert Add-on: Dark Chocolate Fondue with strawberries, marshmallows, pound cake, and pretzels. Wine Pairing: NV Quinta da Pacheca Ruby, Porto Douro, Portugal

This is a restaurant week to dip for!

https://www.city-vino.com/wine-pairing-dinner.html

01/10/2025

Fondue, that is still a thing? 🫕

(Spoiler alert! It is!) Read on for Rita’s take 👇

https://www.city-vino.com/blogs/blog/fondue-that-is-still-a-thing/

01/10/2025

Did someone say January (in the Northern Hemisphere) should mean cold weather—cold enough for the possibility of snow? No one actually declared, “Let’s have a snow day!” But if they did, wouldn’t it be nice if it lasted at least a week off work? After all, if snow is going to inconvenience us, it might as well stick around long enough to enjoy its beauty, right? So, as you gaze out your window at the delicate snowflakes falling, why not sip on something warming? This week, City Vino is featuring some bold red wines perfect for the season. While you’re here, take a seat in our café, where we have a gorgeous view of the Christmas tree—still up and now adorned with a dusting of those lovely white flakes.

Essay Red Blend Western Cape South Africa 2022 79% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, 4% Grenache, 2% Mourvèdre.
🍓 Aromas reveal black plum, black cherry, bramble, and slight eucalyptus mint. Flavors sit between red and blue fruit, with notes of strawberry, red cherry, black currant leaf, black pepper, wet stone, baking spice, wet leaves, and touches of residual farmyard.

Peirano Estate Vineyards Winemaker's Selection Lodi California 2022 Blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo.
🍒 Aroma of lavender, violets, flavors of black currant, black cherry, and boysenberry. The second sip brings a little more character, with a note of spiced jam, burnt sugar, molasses, cranberry, vanilla, baking spice, black pepper, and walnut.

Chispas Tinto Grenache Syrah Campo De Borja Spain 2022 85% Grenache, 15% Syrah.
🌿 Aromas and flavors of red and black cherry, a light bit of violet florals and dried herbs, followed by black plum, toasty oak, black pepper, and a tiny drop of smoke. It is a fairly simple, every day approachable, red blend style that is easy to drink and easy to pair with foods.

Rutini Coleccion Red Blend Valle de Uco Mendoza Argentina 2022 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Malbec.
🌺 Deep ruby in color. Hibiscus floral aromas with violets, petals, pomegranate, red cherry, smoke, graphite, and earth. Following to the palate, strawberry, raspberry, bramble, black plum, vanilla, bread dough, crème brûlée, with light bit of woodsiness. This is a dry wine with medium plus smooth tannins, medium plus body, chunky, fruity medium plus flavor intensity, and a medium finish.

01/07/2025

Rita’s in the store and ready to help with selecting wines that pair well with a snowy week. Cheers!

01/06/2025

01/04/2025

Funny Man and beloved City Vino wine rep, Jon Yeager is coming to City Vino to share jokes and wine. He is bringing with him comics that have played at DC Improv and have appeared on TV. Can't name drop, you must come see who it is. Included are four comics paired with four wines and a light snack. By the glass, bottles sales, and other food menu items for purchase.

https://www.city-vino.com/comedy-and-wine-night-at-city-vino.html for tickets. 🎟️

Downtown Fredericksburg’s Wine Store

Our new location, at 100 Hanover Street, is open and ready to welcome you to the world of wine.

01/04/2025

Going upside down in this week’s blog 👇

Turning Tradition Upside Down: A Winter White Sauvignon Blanc https://www.city-vino.com/blogs/blog/turning-tradition-upside-down-a-winter-white-sauvi/

01/03/2025

January has burst onto the scene, and we are happily settled into a new day. With a nip in the air, it’s finally starting to feel like winter might be on its way. But don’t bundle up too tightly just yet! Stop by and grab some red wines to stash away for when the real snow arrives in Fredericksburg. Because let’s face it—no one knows how to drive in it, and you’ll definitely want to stay cozy at home when that happens. ❄️

Hammeken Cellars Gran Pasas Monastrell Yecla Spain 2019 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre)
🍫 Aromas are of mature blackberries, ripe juicy dark cherries gentle notes of wild herbs balanced by hints of dark chocolate. On the palate rich and juicy with good concentration between mature fruits and rich dark chocolate with a natural sweetness and gentle tannins that lay smooth over the palate.

Dievole Le Due Arbie Chianti Superior Italy 2019 80% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot.
☕️ Distinct aroma of dried violet, bramble, red cherry, baking spice, licorice. Continuing to the palate, additional flavors of blueberry, vanilla, coffee, walnut, Carmel, and dried cranberry. This is a complex and elegant wine with medium acidity, chalky tannins, and intensity. The wine lingers for a medium-plus finish.

Gabriele Rausse Cabernet Franc Monticello Virginia 2023 85% Cabernet Franc. 15% Merlot.
🍓 Classic dark fruit flavors, medium bodied with nuances of earth and pepper. Slight herbaceous and cassis nose with a bit of leaf and sweet oak. Nice round bodied wine with a delicate, long finish.

Lapis Luna Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi California 2021 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
🍒 Aromas of cooked black cherries, blueberry, blackberry, bramble, cream, and warm cinnamon bark. Expressing, on the palate add red cherry, black current, black plum, vanilla, oak, cedar, and powdered cinnamon. This is a dry wine with medium acidity, medium plus smooth tannins, big body and a concentration of chewy fruits with a long finish.

12/31/2024

Cheers and Happy New Year! 🍾

https://www.city-vino.com/blogs/blog/happy-new-year-2025/