This Week's Tasting
Feasting on a Budget
November 11, 2026
Do you have a crowd coming for a holiday meal? Or perhaps you want this season's entertaining to be a little lighter on your wallet? This is for you.
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This Week Wednesday, November 11, 2026 Feasting on a Budget In-store, 5 - 6:30pm
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Do you have a crowd coming for a holiday meal? Or perhaps you want this season's entertaining to be a little lighter on your wallet?
This is for you.
We'll try six of the wines from our upcoming Federal Case. Some of them are long-time customer favorites; others are new and intriguing. All overdeliver in flavor and character for their prices.
White
2020 Secret Squirrel White Wine
smooth, savory ‘southern Rhone’
The smooth and savory qualities of France's Rhône Valley whites have become more and more popular as those wines have become more expensive. Not so this negotiant offering from one of Washington State's premier wineries. It incorporates all the right grapes: Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Viognier, Marsanne, and Picpoul into a blend that is at the same time as deep and softly savory as it is light on the palate.
Aroma: Heady and savory, nice, intense, full, pretty light and fresh, herbal; Mouth: Rounded, ripe, intense, juicy and forward, smooth and satisfying; Very Good Plus $19.95; Case, $16.99
2025 Dyckerhoff Reuilly Blanc
bold budget Sancerre adjacent
The Loire Valley cousin to Sancerre has been a favorite among our customers for several vintages. The 2025 vintage is the best yet, bolder and richer, full of melon and quince; broad and long on the palate. It is even more one of our best values in Sauvignon Blanc.
Aroma: Savory, heady herbal; dense, very heady; Mouth: Fleshy, rather broad, bright, clean, long; Very Good Plus $19.95; Case, $16.95
Red
2025 GD Vajra Langhe Rosso
all-purpose Piedmont
This table red shows great balance, freshness, ripe fruit, and silky texture at a terrific price. The wine is a field blend of mainly Nebbiolo with Dolcetto, Barbera, Freisa, and a couple of other Piedmont grapes. A versatile food wine that goes well with harvest-type cuisine, especially at the Thanksgiving table.
Aroma: Crunchy red fruits, cherry, redcurrant, wild strawberry, rosehip, and dried thyme. Mouth: Light body, juicy texture, fine tannin, vibrant acidity, fresh and highly quaffable. Very Good Plus $17.95, Case $14.99
2021 Abadia de Gomariz Ribeiro
full, smooth and unique
You won't know the local grapes that make up this wine from Galicia in Spain's mountainous northwest, but you will remember their unique mélange of flavors. It's naturally made from indigenous grapes, aged in neutral oak barrels for 18 months; the wine is concentrated, very deep yet smooth in texture, with subtle earthy but not rustic flavors, a bit more adventurous than fuller Pinot or Syrah; it is distinct from both.
Aroma: blackcurrant, complemented by a spicy undertone and pronounced mineral accents. Mouth: it flows smoothly and exudes freshness. A mature and well-structured red wine, it has rich fruit, with a murmur of earth notes Very Good – Excellent?
$21.95, case 18.95
2023 Ambra Carmignano Santa Cristina in Pilli
Chianti goes super Tuscan
This Tuscan red from just west of Florence is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo Nero, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. A warm, spicy, medium-bodied red pairs perfectly with wintertime cuisine. This is definitely a wine that makes Italian red wine so popular and so easy to enjoy.
Aroma: Sour cherry, cranberry, cedar spice box, porcini, and dried Tuscan herbs. Mouth: Fresh and juicy with medium body, fine-grained tannins, vibrant acidity, and a structured, savory, long finish. Very Good Plus $21.95, Case $18.95
2020 Ch Montfaucon Cotes du Rhone La Cote
full-throttled and bold
This is a rarity at its price, a single vineyard estate Côte du Rhône that, at six years old, still has a way to go. Montfaucon is 1 of Lirac’s foremost estates. This comes from 50-year-old vines. Give some air before drinking; this half-Grenache, with Syrah and other grapes, shows Côte du Rhône- the way they used to: big, rounded, hearty enough to go with your best winter warm dishes. Compared to its competitors, it was a bargain at $23; we're offering it for $ 19.95, $ 16.99 by the case, but there are only six left.
Richard and Len
Attendees at the tasting can purchase any at its case price
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
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FREE DELIVERY!
in Greater Boston on orders more than $250
