Lou Wine Shop & Tastings

Lou Wine Shop & Tastings A friendly neighborhood wine shop in Los Feliz.

Wednesday 11/20 from 6-8 pm$15 +10% off wines tastedTenuta de Melis “Bardasace” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2022 $22Cirelli “Anf...
11/21/2024

Wednesday 11/20 from 6-8 pm
$15 +10% off wines tasted

Tenuta de Melis “Bardasace” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2022 $22
Cirelli “Anfora” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2022 $34
Pettinella “Tauma” Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2022 $51
Amorotti Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2021 $51
COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2021 $36

Back in the day, red wine was unmistakably RED, dammit—girls were girls and men were men—and it bore little resemblance to the pantywaist, pale hipster red wines that call themselves red and now fill our shelves and emotions; rosé was unmistakably pale pink, coppery salmon, peach, or œil de perdrix in color. However, on the Adriatic coast of Italy, winemakers have long produced either an exceptionally light red or very dark pigmented rosato that they happily confuse us with by referring to it as “Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo,” or the cherry-colored wine of Abruzzo. But what is this wine: is it a dark rosé or a light red? The answer is yes. To complicate matters further, another Italian wine named cerasuolo hails from the southwest of Sicily, Cerasuolo di Vittoria. This cerasuolo is typically light-bodied, but much more darkly pigmented than any that an Abruzzese would recognize as such.

All of this begs the question: Is there an absolute, categorical definition of rosé wine, or is it simply a convenient, nominal category that we apply to certain wines? Appellation or denomination-controlled wines have various requirements regarding this; if you choose to make a dark-pigmented rosé, your friendly local appellation tasting panel may decide to reject it for not conforming to their ideal type. The denomination proctors will forbid displaying the appellation name on your labels, but perhaps you’re OK with that. Outside of trade regulations, often driven by wine politics, there is no categorical imperative regarding the indexicality of rosé, or for that matter, cerasuolo.

The truth is that both sorts of cerasuolo are perfect wines with which to enjoy Thanksgiving supper. We’re tasting five different cerasuoli tonight—four quite different Cerasuoli d’Abruzzo, and one Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

Wednesday 11/136-8 pm $15We are pleased to welcome our old friend, Slovenian winemaker Jean Michel Morel, of the Kabaj W...
11/13/2024

Wednesday 11/13
6-8 pm $15

We are pleased to welcome our old friend, Slovenian winemaker Jean Michel Morel, of the Kabaj Winery, for a tasting of five of his wines this Wednesday. You will nearly always find bottles of Kabaj’s skin-contact rebula on our shelves, and when you don’t, it’s likely because the current vintage is sold out. We dig Jean Michel’s rebula for its balance and purity—thirty days on the skins, giving the resulting wine a seductive savoriness and a firm but not too bit of grip without falling into the realm of the tannin monster. Even thinking about this wine makes me hungry; as Jean Michel will explain it’s best to drink his wines with food, so we’ve made a traditional Slovenian jota for your delectation. Kabaj ("ka-bye") is often mispronounced as "cabbage," so we thought it appropriate to make a cabbage dish with which to try his wines; a vegetarian one, replete with mellow, fermented cabbage, garlic (lots), smoked paprika, and cannellini beans. We’ll be tasting Jean Michel’s rebula, three other orange wines he makes, his beautifully rendered cabernet franc, and magnums of his dry méthode traditionelle sparkling wine.

When Jean Michel and I first crossed paths, over ten years ago, I was happy to finally put a face to his wines, as I’d worked with them without having any idea of his appearance or vibe. At that time, he presented himself as an affable fellow, serious but with a quick laugh, bearing a slightly grizzled mien that could be mistaken for a junior high wood shop teacher. Fast forward a few years and add in a pandemic, and my first question (unvoiced) was, “…dude, did you just come from Burning Man?” Jean Michel is now letting his freak flag fly high, and we’re here for it.

Tonight’s tasting from 6-8 pm$15 +10% off wines tastedLes Equilibristes “Zestos” Pét-nat Vin de France NVManoir de la Tê...
10/09/2024

Tonight’s tasting from 6-8 pm
$15 +10% off wines tasted

Les Equilibristes “Zestos” Pét-nat Vin de France NV
Manoir de la Tête Rouge “A Tue-Tête” Grolleau Gris Vin de France 2021
Galbrun “Antidote” Vin de France 2021
Les Athlètes du Vin Grolleau Vin de France 2022
Domaine de l’Austral “Octopus Rouge” Vin de France 2022

Pundits such as Jancis Robinson have dismissed grolleau as “basic, bland,” and “it is to the benefit of wine drinkers that it is so systematically being replaced,” or worse, Robert Parker, bitching that it should be “ripped up and replaced.” I respect Robinson and have learned quite a lot from her and believe that Robert Parker has done more than most to f**k up modern wine, but both miss the boat with this grape. Grolleau is a grape that has been biding its time, patiently waiting for us, if only we’d listen to what it says.

Address

1911 Hillhurst Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
90027

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 8pm
Tuesday 11am - 8pm
Wednesday 11am - 8pm
Thursday 11am - 8pm
Friday 11am - 8pm
Saturday 11am - 8pm
Sunday 12pm - 7pm

Telephone

+13233057004

Website

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Tonight's tasting Villa Di Corlo “Rolfshark” Lambrusco dell ’Emilia rosato '23 Villa Di Corlo “Rolfshark” Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro rosso ’23 Sottoilnoce “Saldama” Vino Rosso Frizzante NV Grasparossa NV Terrevive “Stiolorosso” Vino Rosso dell ‘Emilia Frizzante NV Cinque Campi Lambrusco dell ‘Emilia NV

I took the train downtown to get pizza at Scarr's on Orchard St. Afterward, I walked uptown towards Union Sq., stopping at the NY Housing Authority on Broadway, and then took the 4 train uptown to 86th St. Has the 4 always made limited stops during rush hour (I loved it...suddenly, you're all the way uptown)? I'm ashamed to say I cannot recall. About to enter the Guggenheim.

I can't be the only person who examines his/her fermentation jars two or three times a day. I am a very dull man: I love watching the bubbles as lactic bacteria do their thing. I wake up, and after turning on my espresso machine and feeding the cats, hello there, Mrs. Kimchi. Does gochugaru oxidize over time? I was expecting something more vividly rubine, but this is all I got.

Ok, so it's copyright 1972 but even then, nah. The Peyraud's had been schlepping their Bandol wines around for decades at that point, and were tireless promoters of their appellation.

Feeling like you're in Hell's handbasket? Shake your rump to the funk. It can't hurt. Le Temps de Cerises "La Peur du Rouge," Matassa "Mambo Sun," Wenzel "Fränky," Lapalu's Ardeche Pinot, Brand "Electric Chardonnay Acid Test," Ciderie du Vulcain "Raw Boskoop," and last but not least, DO.T.E. "Nouv.eau." #barkays

My helpful cat, Bob. I thought I'd try to soothe a painful sub-occipital f**k-knot with this stupid massager. Massager useless, but Bob really helped.

Wines to put in your mouth.

Tonight, 6 to 8 PM Pét-nat, piquette, Champagne, oysters!

5th anniversary event! Wink is in the shop tomorrow signing her new book on the wines of the French Alps. Savoyard chef Greg Blanc is serving rustic Savoyard delicacies, and I've put together a stellar tasting of wines from France's south east. Seven wines, Wink, farçon = $15.

Tonight 6 to 8 Maloof / Prinčič / Keltis / Le Raisin et l'Ange / Viteadovest / Sarradels/ Golden Cluster

Mario Rovira tonight 6 to 8 pm!

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