NEW HOURS! BEGINNING THIS SATURDAY, 9/23, WE’LL BE OPEN 7 DAYS PER WEEK FROM 9:30 AM-5:30 PM. For those who arrive to shop Pike Place Market at its 9:00 AM opening, add Paris-Madrid Grocery to your early buying route, beginning Saturday. And for those who shop late in the day, we’ll be open until 5:30 PM for last-minute purchases.
Tomorrow, Friday 9/22, from 2 PM-5 PM, come into the shop to sample two delightful reds: Viña Alberdi Rioja Reserva from Spain and Kompassus Tinto from Portugal. Viña Alberdi Rioja Reserva is the winery’s introductory wine, great for pairing with tapas. But the current vintage of this wine takes it up a notch! Alberdi was the only wine that La Rioja Alta made that year, putting their best grapes into it. It shows extraordinary complexity for the price with concentrated ripe fruit, cigar-box spice, medium weight, and silky tannins. Excellent with mushroom dishes and lamb chops. Kompassus Tinto, from Portugal’s Bairrada region south of Porto, is a red blend from 70-year-old vines, predominately made from the Baga grape. Shows elegant complexity with hints of mineral and freshness, it’s an excellent value that pairs well with pork, cheese, or roasted vegetables.
Ilha Azul cow-milk cheese is back in stock: Mild, buttery, and creamy, this Azorean cheese from the island of Faial is a customer favorite. Made from pasteurized cheese and cured for a minimum of 3 months. Enjoy it with crackers and Portuguese red wine.
Zursun heritage beans have been restocked, just in time, as Mother Nature has closed the door on most summer produce. Back in stock are French navy beans, Spanish Pardina Lentils, and French Green Lentils. These heritage beans are grown in Idaho. Make a lentil salad with the garden’s last tomatoes and basil, or make a hearty navy bean soup by adding chorizo, sauteed peppers, and maybe even squash.
Mark Saturday, October 7 on your calendar for a free in-store tasting of El Coto Rioja wines. Between 1 to 3 p.m. on October 7 stop in to taste the fantastic new vintages of this Spanish producer’s wines. We’ll be pouring a semi-sweet white wine and their Rioja Crianza, Reserva, and Gran Reserva red wines. The reds pair wonderfully with fall’s seasonal foods, and the semi-sweet white is excellent with cheeses and fruit desserts. Marc Stotland, Regional Manager of El Coto’s importer will guide us through the tasting.
WINE CORNER – We are excited to have these incredible sherries and Rioja Gran Reservas in stock!
Ximênez Spinola is a reclusive producer that makes incredible sherries in Jerez, Spain where they grow PX grapes. A natural winemaker, their organically-grown grapes are fermented with native yeasts. No additives are used, and they undergo minimal fining and filtration. Sherry lovers must try these!
Ximénez Spinola Exceptional Harvest 2022 – $27.99 An off-dry white table wine (not a sherry), it is made of 100% PX, using over-ripened grapes. Shows gorgeous aromas of orange peel which are slightly sweet. Medium-bodied with fresh acidity, it is excellent with Asian or spicy dishes. Aged 4 months in oak sherry barrels, on lees.
Ximénez Spinola PX Muy Viejo – $75.00 A sweet PX dessert wine with bright acidity and freshness. Notes of dried fruit and raisins with a weighty mouthfeel, the hints of caramel and butterscotch add complexity to this delicious PX made from sun-dried grapes. The depth and complexity come from an old solera dating from 1918.
Ximénez Spinola “Delicado” 2022 – $34.00 (375 ml) This mind-blowing dessert wine is a must-try. Made of raisinated 100% PX grapes, it offers fruity aromas of peaches, apricots, and dried fruit. With a weighty, viscous texture, lively acidity, and elegance, pair this with fruit tart or citrus desserts. Aged in French oak.
Ximénez Spinola Old Harvest Medium – $34.00 (375 ml) A medium-sweet sherry offering up butterscotch aromas, raisins, dried figs, nuts, and an incredibly long, dry finish. From a solera begun in 1964, with some PX Muy Viejo added from a solera started in 1918. 100% PX grapes which are sun-dried for 3-4 days.
La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva Rioja 904 2015 – $104.00 “The words subtlety, elegance, finesse, delicacy and silk define the 2015 Gran Reserva 904 Selección Especial, a blend of 90% Tempranillo with 10% Graciano from estate vineyards. Aged in used American oak barrels built by their own coopers—where it matured for four years, during which time it was racked every six months. 2015 was a healthy vintage with balanced ripeness that delivered wines with good aging potential. [The winery] thought the wine needed a little more time in bottle to polish those tannins and thus delayed release. Marked Selección Especial, the first 904 to do so, to identify it’s superb quality and extended aging. The winery believes it’s one of the finest vintages of 904.” 95 points Wine Advocate, 97 points James Suckling
La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva Rioja 890 2010 – $280.00. Some believe that the 2010 vintage in Rioja was the best in 50 years. Certainly, it was a perfect harvest with sunny days and cool nights, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly with excellent complexity and acidity, perfect for long aging. “The nose reveals the characteristic notes of Rioja classicism: cherry jam, black plum compote, tobacco leaf, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper and chocolate powder. The refinement of its tannins and its gentle freshness lend this wine an elegant and pleasant mouthfeel. Classic Rioja bouquet, broad, complex, round and with an elegant finish. This Gran Reserva 890 has a long life ahead of it.” Winery notes 100 points Penin Guia, 98 points Tim Atkins, 97 points Wine Advocate