E-Specials are Bruce's email-driven wine offers: hand-picked bottles, themed mixed cases, and limited allocations that land here on the site when they go live. These are the deals that move fast, often tied to a specific shipment or a short window of availability at the shop.

New E-Specials post on the VINO homepage as they arrive. You can also sign up for the VINO mailing list to get them in your inbox before they sell through. Browse the archive below for past offers, tasting notes, and pricing details.

Very pleased to offer you two gorgeous Sicilian wines that are absolutely ready for your dinner table and will bring all the warmth and soul of that ruggedly gorgeous island!!

Beautiful Bianco
~ 2018 FEUDO MONTONI Grillo Sicilia
$19.95 bottle/ $192.00 case
This is an intense, mouthwatering, world class bottle of Sicilian white (made from the grillo grape) that I can PROMISE you will love! It has so much going on (read the near poetic Wine Advocate review below), is so absolutely slurpable, and for me at least (I’m embarrassed/proud of the three bottles I’ve had in the last week) impossible to stay away from! All stainless fermented to preserve every ounce of vibrancy and character. And like so much vino bianco this is a ridiculously great wine with food. A total “Wow!” wine for my palate!
>> 90 pts- Wine Advocate: “I am reminded of the wind-swept waves of grass you see when you look over the beautiful expanse of this property in inland Sicily. The 2018 Sicilia Grillo Timpa is a balanced and fresh white wine that delivers equal parts citrus, fruit and sharp mineral intensity. Then, you get that attractive smell of freshly cut wild grasses.”
>> 92 pts- Vinous: “Delicate aromas of lemon, lime, sage and minty herbs. With aeration a note of Moscato Bianco-like orange blossom, grapefruit and sweet spices emerge. Fresh and juicy, with very good vibrancy to the flavors of fresh citrus fruits and minty herbs. The finish is long and juicy, offering a hint of powdered rocks on the tail end.”
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Sensual Sicilian
~ 2012 I CUSTODI Etna Rosso “Aetneus”
$32.95 bottle/ $177.00 half-case/ $316.00 case
I Custodi’s winemaker Mario Paoluzi stopped by the store during a recent Portland visit with his current releases and I was floored by how good they are. I’ve had minimal interactions with I Custodi’s Sicilian wines, and they were eye opening. Especially this gorgeous 2012 Aetneus, which remains the current release for this bottling. A blend of 80% nerello mascalese and 20% nerello cappuccio from vines that average 90 years of age on the north side of Mt. Etna. The stone terraced vineyards are located at 2300’, where the heat of the day is ameliorated by the cool evening breezes. This is a lovely, beautifully balanced red, with Etna’s classic rusticity and smoky mineral character matched by great elegance, power, and balance that reminds me of a top flight Barolo. Etna rossos are never monolithic blockbusters, instead being compelling wines of complexity, sensuality, and finesse. This exemplary bottle is just now hitting its stride, and will be drinking well for years. Bravo!
>> 94 pts- Wine Advocate: “This wine is released a few years later than its peers. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the aging trajectory of red wine from Etna. The 2012 Etna Rosso Aetneus is a bold and powerful expression with ample muscle power and determination that drives it from the back. It shows dark fruit nuances with black currant and spicy cranberry with tarry, smoky notes. The wine’s soft fruit fiber has held up elegantly over these past eight years. The bouquet is very clean and polished, and although you are reminded of the wine’s volcanic origins, those mineral notes are never too strong. I am happily impressed with this beautiful expression from Etna.”