We are incredibly grateful for your support as we adjust to the changing situation with Covid-19. As a grocery store, we continue to operate regular hours, are fully stocked with our normal food and wine assortment and plan to remain open regular hours*, 7 days per week. To keep customers, staff and vendors safe, we ask everyone to maintain a social distance of six feet, which is easy to do at this point as we don’t have many customers in the store at one time. We sanitize all surfaces and handles including the checkout counter, credit card machine, pens, door and cold case handles and grocery baskets between customers, using a bleach solution. We offer hand sanitizing wipes and complimentary latex gloves, available at the counter to use while shopping. With many businesses closed on Western Avenue, there is plenty of on-street parking right outside the store. And you may still order online and pick up, or call us with your order. Park in front and we’ll bring the items out to your car. *Our hours are Monday through Saturday 10-6 and Sundays 11-5.
New products that arrived this week:
Priorat Natur Neus Arbequina EVOO – From the first harvest in November 2019, this early harvest oil is a shimmering green color with intense flavors. Made from 100% Arbequina olives picked in November before the olives are fully ripe, which gives the oil an incredible fresh flavor. With complex fruity, buttery, elegant, sweet notes and hints of almond. Use this spectacular oil for drizzling over grilled foods, dip bread in it or use it in vinaigrette with sherry vinegar. Unfiltered.
French Cow Cheeses:
Le Cousin is a raw cows milk cheese made in Switzerland and cave-aged in the French Alps. This alpine, washed-rind cheese has sweet butter notes, a fruity intensity and a creamy mouthfeel. Soft on the palate with salt crystals it has an earthy tang. Serve this with crisp apple or pear slices.
Epoisses is in a flavor class of its own. A famously pungent cheese from Burgundy, it is soft with a luscious, palate-coating texture. The creamy center is earthy and rich with a pleasant bite and a lingering finish. The rind is salty and aromatic due to multiple washes in brine and Marc de Bourgogne. Makes a stunning finale to a cheese course!
Emmental de Savoie has been made in the Savoie region since the Middle Ages, and this is a fine example – it has a delicate, slightly fruity flavor, and a soft chewy texture. A perfect choice for a comforting fondue, or make a melted cheese sandwich with it.
Estrella Damm beer is back in stock.
Also, 
Topo Red Blend 2018 ($9.99) from last week’s newsletter is back on the shelf. Topo truly over delivers for the price! A blend of Portuguese indigenous varietals aged for a few months in neutral oak, it offers up aromas of ripe red fruit. Fresh and balanced on the palate, with spice notes and earthiness, it pairs well with a wide variety of foods. Bright and medium-bodied, this affordable red offers up a lot of enjoyment for a modest sum.
Packaged meats – We stock whole legs of jamon and a wide selection of salamis and cured chorizo that we slice to order. But don’t overlook the pre-sliced and packaged meats in the grab-n-go cold case and the whole chorizos of varying sizes. These are vacuum packed at the meat processing plant and easy to transport. Some require cooking; others are ready to slice and eat.
WINES
Mont Gravet Rosè 2019, Pays d’Oc ($9.99) The first day of spring arrived last week, the sun is out and we’ve received our first pink wine of the season. Made of 100% Cinsault grapes, this lightweight rosè is produced in southwestern France near Toulouse. Aged in stainless steel, it’s a fresh and dry rosè with wild strawberry flavors. Super tasty and affordable!
Diaz Bayo Roble 2016, Ribera del Duero ($14.99) 100% Tempranillo, aged 6 months in French oak. This value-priced red offers up impressive complexity. Dusty blackberry fruit has a stony texture. Smooth and medium-bodied on the palate with notes of graphite and white pepper, it delivers savory notes on the finish. “This is another rich Ribera. Lots of ripe blackberry character with earth and walnut undertones. Full body, fine tannins and a juicy, pretty finish. Shows character.” 92 Points James Suckling
Divus Monastrell 2011, Jumilla ($19.99) 100% old-vine Monastrell aged 9 months in French oak. This bold and structured red wine offers up freshness, balance and excellent acidity. With a backbone of smoky, toasted oak notes and fine tannins, it is dry and full-bodied. Serve with hearty dishes.