Georg Albrecht Schneider Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Spatlese 2006 - $16.99

(100% Riesling; Germany)

"Riesling will be the dominant white grape variety of the 21st Century." - Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon winery

There are times we feel Faulknerian in our love of German Riesling. Customers often ask us “What is it about Riesling? Why do people like it? Why do they drink it at all?” Because they like wines with an intensity of fruit (different from sugar), with a purity of flavor and aroma—wines that draw one into the glass, inviting your attention and winning your heart. Robert has a theory of why more people don’t like Riesling. When they try it they like it, and, since Rieslings are often (but not always) sweet, and since sophisticated drinkers aren’t supposed to like sweet wines, they feel guilty about liking Riesling. He calls it his Calvinist Theory of Riesling. (In his Hobbesian Theory, people would fight like tigers to drink all the Riesling they could.)

Grotta del Sole Gragnano 2008 - $14.99

(60% Piedirosso, Aglianico and Sciascinoso, 40% other varieties, Campania, Italy)

There is something about a slightly sweet, sparkling red wine that seems so European. If you're a fan of Lambrusco, try this step up from the Sorrento Peninsula. There is no better wine for pizza, as the pure fruit and slight fizz cuts right through the oil of the cheese. Serve slightly chilled. Also pairs well with a Vespa and a bespoke Brioni suit.

Jorge Ordonez Victoria Malaga 2005 - $19.99

(100% Moscatel; Malaga, Spain)

Jorge Ordonez, a well-known importer of Spanish wines, comes from the southern Spanish coastal town of Malaga in Andalucia. This gem is a collaboration between Ordonez and the late, great Alois Kracher from Austria, known for his mind-blowing sweet wines from Lake Neusiedl. A heady nose reveals new facets at every turn: baking spices, honeysuckle, melon, apricot, peach, pineapple, mango, and more. Apricot-peach marmalade flavors with notes of brown baking spices and minerals last for minutes on the finish. The sweetness is balanced by a lively acidity, which is a necessary ingredient for greatness. (This wine is normally almost $50 but we got a great deal on it!)

Tintero Moscato d' Asti 2008 - $14.99

(100% Moscato; Asti, Italy)

Muscat is one of the secret pleasures of wine. This Muscat is sweet, but sweet like the ripest, sweetest peach you have ever tasted - ideal for brunch or after dinner. Muscat is the most aromatic wine and has a distinct, heady, perfumed aroma that is always, distinctly Muscat. A delicate perfume of flowers, peach and a touch of orange are echoed in the palate. It is a touch frizzante with a bit of CO2, like Champagne, but at a very low pressure. This gives it an ethereal quality. A note to all the lovers out there - until you've tried Muscat kisses, well…

"I don't want to dwell on death here, but I just remembered that when my interpreter tasted this sparkling Muscat, she told me she would like to drown in it. If you have never had Moscato, it is like a weightless nectar with a fine bead. That is exists is marvelous." - importer Kermit Lynch