Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Gifted Cork – St. Augustine


My husband and I just got home from a week-long getaway to St. Augustine, Florida. My parents go there every year for a month so it was the perfect opportunity to explore a new town. Not to mention enjoy 30º + weather and beautiful sunshine. My next few posts will be on the places that stood out the most to us and would more than highly recommend them if you are ever in the area. They are a must.

We stumbled upon this boutique one afternoon when we were walking the cobblestone streets in the historical district. It's a charming little shop with unique wine-related gifts and over 300 wine labels from various countries. It's obvious the wines are carefully picked as the selection is extraordinary and left me wishing I could bring home one of everything. The woman who owns it (I unfortunately didn't get her name), is absolutely delightful and ensures your experience with her store, and her wine, are unmatched.

On our first visit, we left with a few bottles, but not before doing her famous afternoon wine tasting. For a mere $5, you get to try 4 of her 8 wines showcased for that particular week. Each week is a different country, and we just happened on her USA week. She also focuses on price, featuring only wines under $20 for the tasting. Believe it or not, in this flight we had an Oregon Pinot Noir! Another that hit the spot was an old vine Zin from Lodi called Predator (I personally loved this wine with it's bacon-like flavours).

A few days later we brought my parents to experience the same hospitality and friendliness we had chanced upon. They were seriously blown away. We went through all 8 of her wines and even got to try a few new ones she was considering getting for her shop. Some little nibbles to cleanse the palate, complementary dark chocolate and free wine glasses left us in awe at the hour we had just spent. My father left with some more wine, even one he did not try, but at this point trusted she knew what he liked and went with her recommendation.

Again, if you're ever in the area, this is one place you can't skip. And if you can't make it to St. Augustine, they do sell online.

64-A Hypolita Street
St. Augustine, Florida
904-810-1083

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Yum! That looks delicious! Have you ever had popsicles from the Hyppo? They're in downtown St. Augustine and have the craziest flavors!