Last night the new store in Sebring opened with a bang at the grand opening tasting.  It’s a gorgeous new store with all of the appointments and amenities.  Suppliers from all of the big distributors contributed their time and efforts, as did local restaurants. 

    I served the Haton Brut and Rosé Champagnes and the Costarosa Sangue di Giuda.  The Haton Champagnes are wines that I bring in through a small local distributor and are the best values we have in Champagne.  The Brut sells for $29.99 and the Rosé for $32.99.  The Hatons are a small, family company located in Damery on the banks of the Marne River in the heart of Champagne country.  They have recently built a new facility on the edge of town that is ultramodern and the cleanest winery I have seen, an important factor in Champagne production.  Both wines were well received.

 
Jean-Noel explaining the new equipment to our crew (left) and yours truly in the cellar at Damery with Jean-Noel and Sebastien Haton (right)

   The Sangue di Giuda (Sahng-way de Joo-da) or Blood of Judas is a wine made in the Lombardy region of Italy from a blend of Bonarda, Barbera, Nebbiolo and others and has a slight fizz or frizzante character with some sweetness.  It’s about as dark, opaque purple as any wine you’ll see, with lively bubbles.  It fills a niche for those who want a red wine but not a dry one.  We sold every bottle in the store and people were asking for more.  The name is Costarosa and it sells for $12.99.

--Brad Lewis, Fine Wines Buyer