April 28th Wine Tasting. Please join us on Monday, April 28th at Main Street Coffee in East Greenwich as we take you on a tour of Washington State's Chateau St. Michelle vineyard and its wonderful selections that obtain rave reviews consistently. To purchase tickets, please contact MSC at 885-8787 or TSG at 886-9463. Tickets are $25 and must be purchased at the time of reservation. Tickets are on sale now, and seating is limited.

May 15th Train Your Palate Wine Seminar. Ever wonder how to actually taste wines' flavors that are often described so eloquently. Well if you are one of those who may struggle to put words to what you are tasting then come join us on Thursday, May 15th for the Train Your Palate wine seminar as Proprietor Jessica Granatiero helps you become a master among your business colleagues, family and friends at understanding how to taste and describing what you taste. The evening will begin with hors d'oeuvres and a sparkling wine reception at 6:30 PM that will then lead into the wine tasting seminar at 7 PM. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at The Savory Grape. Held at the Post Office Cafe on Main Street in EG, the seminar is limited to 25 people, so please purchase your tickets early.

Artist Exhibition. The vivid works of Elena Avanesova will be on display at The Savory Grape from now until July. Created primarily in oil on canvas, her works challenge our views of magnificent color palette and perspective, while remaining rooted in a familiar floral setting. Elena has lived and worked around the world. Her works have been featured in private collections in Switzerland, Ireland, Turkey and the US. To see more of Elena's work, please visit www.avanart.com

Summer will quickly sneak up on us Rhode Islanders, and many of us will have an imperative obligation to create a menu for Memorial Day weekend. Here at the shop, we've had a lot of inquiries about what wines pair well with grilled and BBQ foods. With such an important task at hand, we had an emergency meeting. We all gathered in the tasting room, and brainstormed wines and favorite summer fare. After extensive research, we were exhausted, and full. (No one ever said this was easy.) And our labor of love left us with the following guide of wines for the Spring and Summer grill. Click here for the full article.

2007 High Note Malbec, Argentina. The velvety texture and deep flavor of the small juicy berries of High Note's Malbec grapes are distinctively influenced by the environment in which they are grown. High Note's Uco Valley vineyards, high in the Andes foothills of Mendoza, enjoy the perfect combination of elements for growing this unique varietal. The result is High Note's brilliant violet color with intense, sweet spice on the palate balanced by notes of plums, cassis, blackberries and black cherries. It is creamy, smooth, and ripe in the mouth with a long silky finish. ($13.99)

2004 Wakefield Promise Land Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia. Full bodied and richly textured, this Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blend delivers a big mouthful of wine for the price. Aromas include rich ripe berry aromas and fresh licorice, American oak maturation is also evident with characters of smoky bacon and vanilla. Ginger, spicy berry fruit and vanilla bean are all evident across the palate while the finish is that of Cabernet with a fine persistence of mint and cassis and lingering tannins. ($14.99)

Ridge Vineyard, California. Earlier this year, Ridge allocated Rhode Island a small sampling of its new releases. We responded quickly and were lucky to receive a small allocation of these limited wines. If you are interested in any of the below wines, please stop by the shop or call us to ensure you receive the selection you want.

• 2006 Ridge Zinfandel Paso Robles, $29.99
• 2005 Ridge Syrah Lytton West, $35.99
• 2005 Ridge Cabernet Merlot Estate Santa Cruz Mountains, $39.99

Friday, April 25th (5 to 8 PM) Great BBQ Wines.

• 2007 High Note Malbec, Argentina. Please see tasting notes above in this week's Savory Selections. ($13.99)

• 2004 Wakefield Promise Land Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia. Please see tasting notes above in this week's Savory Selections. ($14.99)

• 2006 Valckenberg Gewurztraminer, Germany. The Valckenberg Gewurztraminer is a light- bodied, medium-dry white with lovely aromas of roses, accompanied by flavors of ripe peach. Fruity on the front, this Gewurztraminer finishes a bit drier with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. This wine is perfect with spicy cuisine, meatier seafood, poultry, and barbecue. ($12.49)

Saturday, April 26th (3 to 7 PM) The First Rosés of the Season.

• 2006 1+1=3 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, Spain. Dark pink in color, this Rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon, is full of ripe raspberry and cherry aromas. Firm and chewy, with a more serious demeanor than most Rosés, it shows weighty cherry and red berry flavors and a red wine structure. Finishing with a very good length, it will be a great accompaniment to many of your spring and summer meals. ($15.99)

• 2007 Commanderie de Peyrassol Côtes de Provence, France. This is a workhorse Rosé coupled with an elite cuvée from the appellation known for its brilliance in this category. The Commanderie cuvée is a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. Pale rose in color, the wine is fresh and lively on the palate yet nicely dry with a mineral finish. Great with many of your favorites catches from the sea. ($19.99)

• 2007 Domaine de Fenouillet Côtes du Ventoux, France. This Cotes du Ventoux Rosé from the village of Beaumes de Venise is pale rose in color and quite fruity with a brisk mineral finish. Comprised of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, this selection is one of our favorite French Roses with dried cherry and strawberry flavors with a light spice on the finish. ($13.49)

• 2007 Domaine la Manarine Côtes du Rhône, France. Blended from equal amounts of Grenache and Mourvedre, this wine carries a dark rose color and is surprisingly rich with notes of violets, raspberries and strawberries. Bright and refreshing, it has a soft acidity that makes it a lovely food wine. Just divine. ($15.49)

email: jessica@thesavorygrape.com

phone: 401.886.9463

web: http://www.thesavorygrape.com