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One way I can always tell if a wine event is intended to be serious and educational, or simply for fun, is to quickly glance around for a spit bucket.  Finding a high percentage of spitters at any wine gathering pretty well assures you’re at a trade tasting - one where a modicum of sobriety must be maintained and intelligent notes taken.  But any wine lover can benefit from spitting when there are a large number of wines to be tried.
But those in the trade not only spit, we've somehow managed to turn it into another form of competition.  As if we needed such a thing.  Admittedly, I am not the most accurate wine spitter you’ll ever meet - probably no more than a B-Grade spitter, relative to the best cellar denizens.
My first serious spitting lesson took place in the Cellar at Swanson Winery when Marco Capelli was their Winemaker (he is now heading up his own enterprise in Placerville)....

People often ask me about decanting wine.  They usually want pointers on how to conduct the intriguing ritual, but decanting is more than simply a stylish way to serve wine – it can actually make wine taste better.
There are just three things to remember about decanting – first, decant a young red wine to soften its tannins; second, decant an old red wine to leave its natural sediment in the bottle; and third, it’s fun, easy to do and earns you instant wine geek points amongst your friends.
Decanting Young Red Wines Decanting amplifies the subtle flavors that are over-powered by a young wine’s tannins.  Allow me to draw an analogy from the world of music, where a descant is “an ornamental melody or counterpoint sung or played above a theme.”  Descants are subtle and easily missed if the bass section is left to their own devises (with apologies to the great Chamet Moffett, bass players see every piece as a solo).
Well, drinking a young red wine is like an orchestra with over-enthusiastic bass players.  The wine’s dominant bass notes – its tannins – overshadow the wine’s finer points.  But pull up...

Hello Friends,
September is going to be an eventfull month in our Specialty department here at Roosevelt Square; full of tastings, classes, promotions & new products.  
TEA & COFFEE:
Some of you may have noticed that recently our specialty department took over coffee & tea, plus we have now moved all of the bulk teas into our department in a brand new display! I am also pleased to announce that we are now carrying "Remedy Teas".  Some of you may know Remedy from their quaint, stylish & casual teahouse on 15th Avenue up on Capitol Hill (if you haven't been there, I suggest that you go check it out)!.  Remedy Teas is not only a locally owned & operated business, but also co-owned by our former floral director (who now makes many of the beautiful chalk signs about the store). Remedy's blends are artful & innovative (and you may find me there sipping tea with my son on any given day, as we are frequent customers). 
BEER:September welcomes Oktoberfest to the beer department, and is also the time for the hop harvest, which means many seasonal beers & special celebratory releases.  Watch for special beer events.  Ask our beer buyer Joel for details when you are in the store! 
WINE:
As for wine, Will & I are planning a big BLOW-OUT sale in September.  We have yet to announce the exact details (dates, scope, a depth of discount), but you can expect it to be no small event (Don't worry, I'll send out an addendum to this newsletter as soon as we iron out the details). 
I have lots of tasting events & classes planned (something every week, in fact!), and here they are:  
Friday Casual Wine Tastings in Salud - $2: 
Friday, August 21st, 4-6pm: I plan this week to open some limited, rare & classic Alsacian wines...