If you’re thinking about brushing up on your wine knowledge or interested in touring the South of France, we’ve got some perfect books for you – and they’re on sale.

Wine For Dummies ($14.98)

Wine enthusiasts and novices, raise your glasses! The #1 wine book has been extensively updated! If you’re a connoisseur, Wine For Dummies, Fourth Edition will get you up to speed on what’s in and show you how to take your hobby to the next level. If you’re new to the world of wine, it will clue you in on what you’ve been missing and show you how to get started. – dummies.com

Wine Tours In The South Of France ($24.98 )

This book takes readers on an informative and picturesque stroll through the sun-drenched regions of the south of France, which in the past 15 years has dramatically revamped its wine-growing and vinification procedures. As experts like Robert Parker begin to take notice, many wine enthusiasts are flocking to this beautiful region where they can explore the wineries firsthand and take advantage of the unusually affordable prices while they last. Each region, with its own quaint village, is photographed through the changing seasons, and the most prestigious estates are explored in detail. From white wine to red, from subtle to full-bodied, the expert makers of these new-generation wines invite us to share in their passion. – amazon.com

The Winemaker’s Dance ($21.98)



There is a saying among winemakers that “great wine begins with dirt.” Beginning from this intriguing premise, The Winemaker’s Dance embarks on an eye-opening exploration of “terroir” in one of the greatest places on earth to grow wine–California’s Napa Valley. Jonathan Swinchatt and David G. Howell weave a tale that begins millions of years ago with the clash of continental plates that created the Napa Valley and go on to show how this small region, with its myriad microclimates, complex geologic history, and dedicated winemakers, came to produce world-class wines. A fascinating look at the art and science of winemaking and the only comprehensive book that covers Napa’s geology, history, and environment, The Winemaker’s Dance will help wine enthusiasts better understand wine talk and wine writing and, most importantly, wine itself. – amazon.com

Did you know that Muscadet and fish are a match made in heaven?
Here are some of our favorite bottles that you’ll find on display this month:

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine, Dom. de la Louvetrie – 2010
Muscadet “Le Fief du Breil”, Dom. de la Louvetrie – 2010
Muscadet “Amphibolite” Nature, Dom. de la Louvetrie – 2010

California Cabs, Chardonnays & Zinfandels

We all long to escape to a warmer climate this time of year. If you aren’t able to hop a plane, you can enjoy the next best thing: California wines. We’ll be sipping these this winter:

Matchbook Cabernet Sauvignon – 2009
Sawbuck Chardonnay – 2009
Sobon Estate Zinfandel, Hillside – 2009

 
What To Drink With Your Favorite Takeout
We have menus from some of our favorite neighborhood restaurants on display this month. Stop in, grab a menu, grab a bottle & enjoy some of your favorite cuisine without all of the hard work. You deserve a break every so often. Read about why these pairings work and then check out all of our favorite wines for takeout here.

What We’re Drinking Now

Vega Sindoa Merlot, Bodegas Nekeas – 2010

Plummy and modern, fresh and smooth, crowd-pleasing Merlot and a stunning value. Medium-bodied, but unrestrained, tannins are overtly smooth and supple. A fine crossover red that can go equally well with savory roast / barbecued chicken, burgers and steaks.

 
A Sweet Treat For You

Brachetto d’Acqui, Ca’Bianca – 2010

A lightly sparkling and delicately sweet traditional red wine from Italy’s Piedmont region. Possessing an vibrant ruby red color with a fine mousse, as well an alluring perfume of freshly crushed berries carry through on the palate contained in a zippy, fruity package. This unique red is perfect for summer brunch or with berry and chocolate based desserts. The Brachetto d’Acqui is sourced from estate owned vineyards situated well above 1000 feet in elevation along eastern slopes in Piedmont’s Alto Monferrato region. Vines are densely planted in soils composed of sedimentary marl. Vineyard yields are kept extremely low and the wine is vinified in the traditional manner for this DOCG – charrmat method for lightly frizzante wine.

Fair Quinoa Vodka #ADTFairQuinoa
Fair Goji Berry Liqueur #ADTFairGoji
Fair Café Liqueur #ADTFairCafe

Gemtree Vineyards “Tadpole” Shiraz, McLaren Vale – 2008 #ADTTadpole
Gemtree Vineyards “Moonstone”, McLaren Vale – 2010 #ADTMoonstone
Engine Room Sparkling Shiraz – NV #ADTEngineRoom
Redhead Studios “Tomahawk” Cab Sauv – 2008 #ADTRedhead

In celebration of National Hot Toddy day, our wine and spirits expert, Omari Wheat, is giving us his take on some more interesting additions to the traditional warm winter cocktail. Grab some honey and boil up some water and try adding one of these spirits tonight to celebrate this wonderful holiday.

Compas Box Orangerie - Whiskey with notes of oranges and spices
Gran Centenario Rosangel – Tequila infused with hibiscus flowers
Coquerel VSOP, Calvados – Brandy with flavors of green apples and mint and a slightly floral finish
Tanteo Cocoa Tequila - With notes of cocoa and jalapeño
Mezcal Manonegra Espadin – With delicate notes of fruit, fresh herbs, and sweet smoky character intertwined

Have a recipe that you love? Well, we’d love to hear about it! Comment, post, or tweet at us. Cheers

Nothing says I’m a responsible drinker more than an environmentally friendly tote to carry your favorite wine & spirits in. Our 6 bottle bag has arrived and they’re only 99 cents, which means you can pass up the plastic and still have enough money left over for dinner. These bags are just one more simple step towards making our world a bit greener. So, ask a cashier for yours and drink up!

Our bartenders series continued last Monday night with Rosser Lomax of Rye House pouring Woodford Reserve Bourbon. We pulled him aside for a quick Q&A before the eager masses crowded our tasting bar. 

How did you first get into bartending?
Like a lot of people do – by drinking. I started drinking interesting cocktails when i was living in Philadelphia. A Saratoga was my first introduction into cocktails.

What’s the strangest drink request you’ve ever received?
Someone who was willing to pay for a top shelf version of a long island iced tea.

Favorite winter time cocktail?
Scotch. With a splash of water.

Top 3 things in order that you love about being a bartender?
1. Having someone come into my establishment, be made to feel at home, and leave thinking – I’ll be going back there again.
2. Trying new and interesting boozes
3. Camaraderie with other spirits aficionados in the industry

Favorite movie of all time?
Street of Crocodiles
What do you love about it? 
The interaction between stop motion animation and the music. It’s visual poetry.

No holiday gathering is complete without some bubbly and a few cocktails, and since it’s the season for sharing, we’ve asked our very own cocktail guru, Jenn Smith, to share one of her favorite sparkling drinks.

The Casino Cocktail:

The idea here is that by substituting Absinthe for the classic Champagne Cocktail’s Angostura bitters, you get a more complex drink. Add 2 – 3 dashes of Absinthe to a champagne flute that has a sugar cube in the bottom. Fill the flute ¾ full with ice cold, Brut champagne, and garnish with a twist of lemon. It is deceptively simple – the cold bubbles, herbal absinthe and balance of sweet-and-sour elevate all of the ingredients when served together.

Cool gift idea: The Perrier-Jouët Fleur Gift. The beloved bottle now comes in an elegant Belle Epoque Bicentenary gift box, along with two Champagne flutes designed by artist Daniel Arsham. It’s available online or in-store.

For The Jet Setter: The Bitter Truth Traveler’s Set

This set features Old Time Aromatic, Creole, Jerry Thomas’ Own Decanter Bitters, Celery, and Orange. Each one is 20 mL, for a total of 100 mL.

For The Astor Fan: Astor Wine Accessories Kit

Astor’s very own wine accessories kit comes in a black embossed gift box and includes: corkscrew, drip-stop ring, pourer and stopper.

For The Whiskey Buff: WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey 10 yr

‘Tis a rare treat to be allowed to taste a 100% Rye Whiskey and yet another treat to have it be 10 years old. This 100 proof whiskey is softer than you’d imagine with cherry vanilla notes initially turning into the toasted rye notes on the palate.

For The Saké Lover: Namako Blossom Saké Set

This beautiful ceramic saké set is a deep Namako blue color depicted with spring blossoms. The set includes one saké bottle (9 oz.) and four saké cups (1.5 oz. each).

For The Italian Food Connoisseur: Il Rosso di Casa VdT, Romagnoli – 2010

Easy, bright red plums mingle on a palate laced with faint tannins in a wine ideally suited for pizza and the gamut of pasta dishes.

For the Future Brother-in-Law: Speyburn 10 Yr. Single Malt
This should be your everyday scotch from now on.

For The High Roller: Dalmore King Alexander III

With whisky distilled in ’91-’97, this beauty is aged in 6 diff types of barrels: Sherry, Bourbon, Marsala, Madeira, Port & Cab Sauv. Notes: dried red fruit, floral, nuts, baking spices= glorious everlasting finish.

This week we discovered that it’s never a dull moment when celebrated bartender, Jason Littrell is around. This Monday, Jason took over the Astor Wines & Spirits tasting bar for the second installment of our US Bartenders Guild Master Series. While he was mixing the cocktail of the evening, we asked him a few things that we wanted to know and he poured us a mighty delicious drink with cinnamon syrup, orgeat, cane syrup, lime, pineapple, bitters, mint & Chairman’s Reserve Rum.

Tell us about the cocktail you’re making tonight:
It’s called “Behind God’s Back”. It’s a St Lucian phrase for something that happens on the other side of the island. Something that you don’t want your wife to know about.

What’s the strangest drink request you’ve ever received?
When people ask me for pickle backs. What do you mean you want pickle juice in your drink?

What’s your winter spirit of choice?
Bourbon. I should probably say Rum.

Top 3 things in order that you love about being a bartender?
People, drinking (I’m good at it), and I think it’s a truly honorable profession.

We have an imbibing playlist on Spotify. What favorite drinking tune(s) would you add to it?
Cant stop listenig to Big Boi.

Do you cook?
I make a mean Irish coffee.
That’s not food.
I made some really good Juevos rancheros the other day.
Juevos Rancheros and Irish Coffee together? Hah. No. I made an awesome bloody Mary with the juevos. Celery salt, cloves, pickle brine. It’s awesome.

With the holidays fast approaching, we also wanted to give you a heads up on our special store hours. We’ll be open a bit later some evenings so you can be sure to find time to stock up. As always, if you need any bottle suggestions, feel free to ask one of our incredibly knowledgeable staff members, or ask us on twitter or facebook. Happy holidays!

We’ll be open during normal hours through December 12th:
Monday – Friday 9 am – 9 pm
Sunday 12 pm – 6 pm

Saturday, December 17th: 9 am – 10 pm

Sunday, December 18th: 12 pm – 7 pm

Monday, December 19th through Friday, December 23rd: 9 am – 10 pm

Saturday, December 24th: 9 am – 7 pm

Sunday, December 25th: CLOSED

Monday, December 26th, Tuesday, December 27th, and Wednesday, December 28th: Normal Hours 9 am – 9 pm

Thursday, December 29th and Friday, December 30th: 9 am – 10 pm

Saturday, December 31st: 9 am – 8 pm

Sunday, January 1st: CLOSED