The Tasting Table Wine World is proud to be the only major beverage store in our area to afford you the opportunity to sample several of our products before you make your purchases each week. We invite you to take advantage of these tasting opportunities so you may learn about new products, discover how your taste buds will react to the experiences, and to develop new favorites.  The following is this week's tasting schedule. Thursday, July 29th at 5:00:   Dealer's Choice!  It's that time again! It's the last Thursday of the month, so it's time once again to play our favorite game... Dealer's Choice - Where YOU Pick the Beers! Pick up one of the playing cards from the tasting table at the front of the store where, if you're early enough, you will find a Royal Flush in Diamonds!   Then pick out any 6-pack in the store for tonight's tasting! Give your card and your selection to one of our attentive staff, and then at 5:00, we'll open them up and have a taste! It's a lot of fun, and you get to try something you've been wanting to taste, or select something that you've found and want to share with the others who will attend! Cards go on the table around 4:30 to 4:45 (or so), so get there in time, and deal us a winning hand! Friday, Starting at 4:00: Three Great Ways to Celebrate Summer! This is a great time of year, with hot weather just perfect for entertaining, with barbecues and outdoor get-togethers, but sometimes, we think the weather is just too hot for wine.   Well, we have some ideas that can be served cold to refresh completely, and another that would be a great complement to anything you take off your grill this summer.   Join us this Friday evening, and see how well this great trio can fit into your summer! 2007 Rock Rabbit Sauvignon Blanc - $10.99:  This is a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc from California's Central Coast. Crisp, clean and bold flavors of nectarine, grapefruit and pineapple, plus a touch of minerality. And there's a 14% inclusion of Gewürztraminer for a hint of floral and spice to complement the fruit. Crisp and refreshing - simply a perfect wine for summer!   2008 Bex Riesling - $11.49:  From the steep slopes of Germany's Mosel-Saar-Ruwar region, where the slate soil offers a distinctive mineral character to highlight the wonderfully fresh scents of fruity citrus, honeysuckle and orange blossoms. It's clean and bright, and bursting with flavor, plus a slight bit of effervescence to make the fruitiness pop!   2006 Avalon Cabernet Sauvignon - $9.99:  A lovely wine made of 80% Central Coast Cabernet blended with 9% Merlot for a lush fruit middle, 7% Syrah for its blueberry note, 3% Tempranillo with its exotic spice, and the final 1% is Zinfandel for a jammy note.   The nose shows cherry pie, rhubarb, boysenberry jam, and a hint of rosemary. French oak adds a touch of vanilla and nutmeg. The wine drinks of juicy blue and black fruit flavors with subtle oak to round and balance the wine.  Also this Friday: The Mark West Revolution! Get ready for the revolutionary taste of... Mark West Winery  Graton, CA   Grapevines? We don't need no stinking grapevines!   The Mark West revolution has begun! Rather than grow the grapes and tend the vines, Mark West Winery buys the finest fruit available, concentrating on Pinots and Chards, and turning them into very affordable wines that only taste like they should cost an arm and a leg - that's all they do!    Viva la Revolution! 2008 Mark West Chardonnay - $9.99:  Aromas of bright citrus, including lemon and pineapple, as well as mango, peach, nectarine, vanilla and lemongrass notes. The wine is bright with clean fruit flavors showing tropical notes with a touch of baked apple. The oak aging gently frames the wine, contributes a slight caramel note, and complements the fruit flavors.   2008 Mark West Pinot Noir - $13.49:  Enticing aromas of strawberry and raspberry with barrel notes of caramel, vanilla and baking spices. Oak aging rounds out the palate and gives the wine its body. The wine drinks of deep, concentrated raspberry, cherry pie with a touch of cola berry. The wine shows juicy fruit texture and subtle oak. Join the California Pinot Revolution - Pinot for the People! And Finally this Friday: New Argentine Powerhouses! Elizabeth is excited to host this tasting of the new wines from Argentina we first told you about a few weeks back from...     La Posta Vineyards Mendoza, Argentina  Special place. Special people. Special Vineyards.   La Posta is a tavern where these winemakers would meet, where they drank wine and spoke passionately for hours of their soils, their vines, and their quest for superior flavors in their grapes. Join us Friday to discover these great new wines from Argentina: 2009 "Cocina Blanco de Blancos" White Blend - $14.99:  This unique white blend is a sensory revelation. Made from 70% Chardonnay, and equal parts Sauvignon Blanc and Torrontes, it is bright, fresh, and crisp with ripe white peach and floral notes in the nose. Honeydew rind, ripe apple and a hint of crisp lime explode on the palate, quickly followed by a complex and balanced finish. 2008 "Estela Armando" Bonarda - $15.99:  Deep crimson-colored, fruity and fragrant with notes of cedar, spice box, red and black raspberries. Medium-bodied, this wine delivers notes of pepper, chocolate, and mint on the palate. Ripe and tasty with gobs of flavor. Saturday, Starting at 1:00: Aussie Wine with a Sense of Flare Okay... you asked for it, you got it!   "Ass Kisser" Wines Nuriootpa, South Australia When we were first asked about these wines, we thought it was a joke! But you know those Aussies and their sense of humor!   When we asked, we were told "Hey, no wine is for perfect for everyone, but everyone knows someone that this wine is just perfect for!" Although the name is a bit of a stretch, the wines are actually quite serious and surprising. Join us Saturday, and see for yourself! 2009 Chardonnay - $11.99:  This non oaked fresh fruit driven 100% Chardonnay exhibits lifted sweet peach and melon flavor. Perfect for seafood banquets and chicken dishes. Ideal for unwinding after that busy day. 2007 "Fine Red" Blend - $11.99:  The color of this Grenache/Shiraz blend is a deep cherry/brick red, and the bouquet is rich and creamy. It displays spicy lifted Shiraz, vanillin oak with licorice and spice of Grenache. It has a mouth watering palate of succulent blackberry fruits, warm and generous, with velvet soft tannins.   2007 Shiraz - $11.99:  The national wine of Australia, this is one lively, vibrant up front spicy Shiraz done in a pleasant, lingering fruit driven style. It shows intense flavor with persistent length and weight. Also at 1:00:  Great Tasting Merlot from Napa! Mitch Cosentino is one of Napa's most gifted wine makers, especially when it comes to Merlot. He seems to have a special affinity for the variety, so we are very happy to be able to offer you this tasting from...   Cosentino Winery Woodbridge, CA Plan to join us this Saturday for this very special wine: 2006 "California" Merlot - $19.49:  A 100% Merlot blend from Napa Valley's Pope Valley, St. Helena, Carneros and Yountville appellations. Spicy and rich. A complex, aromatic set of plums, pepper, a hint of mint and a touch of leather. This full-bodied, well-balanced and complex Merlot is big in the middle of the palate with excellent structure. It shows intense black cherries, pomegranate, currant, and plum flavors with mineral notes that add complexity to a long finish. Closing the Show The Sweet Taste of Italy We close our tasting tonight with a wonderfully soft textured wine from...    Premio Winery Veneto, Italy Premio is a small winery with very large taste! With vineyards scattered from the Piedmont to Venice, they make a wonderful array of wines. Today, we will taste one of their more delicate offerings with...  2009 Moscato d'Asti - $14.99:  Soft, sweet and with a noticeable fizz, this wine is made from gently pressed Moscato grapes from Italy's Piedmont region.    The aroma of lychee nuts and apricot comes through on the frizzante character, as do the flavors of apricot and peach tinged with marzipan.    It may be served before dinner as an aperitif just as easily as with dessert due to its delicate nature. A very versatile wine that can be enjoyed any time!