Lost Vineyards Tempranillo Calatayud, Spain   This medium-bodied and medium dry tempranillo is all you can ask for at $3.99. It smells like dark chocolate and light leather. Cherry comes to mind first when sipping, but that dark chocolate has a stronger presence overall. It’s bitter in a way that ties in nicely to the
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Dearly Beloved Forever Red 2009 Mendocino County, CA No shame here—I bought this wine because of that freaking awesome label. Seriously, it has texture! And the name of the wine is in the skull’s teeth! I love it. Forever Red contains lots of tart, but luscious, berry. Think thick, juicy boysenberries. Cedar is on the
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Geer Street Garden 644 Foster Street Central Park District, Durham Website Sandwiches/Entrees: $8–$17 Geer Street Garden opened last spring, and it’s been a welcome addition to this fast-expanding area of town. Located in an old gas station, it’s a pub with a great beer list featuring plenty of local brews and a menu full of
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Martine Galhoune Moulin 2010 Pinot Noir France Nectarine. The nose of this wine is full of nectarine. It’s thin-bodied, fun to drink, and a welcome shift from the overly dry wines I’ve had lately. I’d call this one medium dry. It has vanilla, spice, nectarine, chocolate, and cherry all balanced well together. The MGM 2010
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Castelmaure Corbières Col des Vents 2008 Languedoc, South France   This red wine’s nose is full of jammy blackberry-fruit-leather notes. It smells warm, with a smidge of potpourri essence to it. Aeration is important for appreciating this wine—-it tastes far too tight and tart without it, like cranberry and eucalyptus. Given some airing, the tartness
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Bull City Burger and Brewery 107 E. Parrish Street Downtown Durham Website Burgers start at $6 Hotdogs start at $5 This order-at-the-counter joint is a great setting for an after work meal and drink with friends. The long picnic tables are very appealing for a large group, and the atmosphere is nicely relaxed and neighborly.
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Aviator Smokehouse 525 East Broad Street Fuquay-Varina Website $6.95–$13.95   The Aviator Smokehouse in downtown Fuquay-Varina is an offshoot of the Aviator Brewing Company, which is a favorite of plenty of Triangle-area beer drinkers. That beer connection carries over to their menu. The first thing I noticed under the list of sides was a proclamation
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Tempra Tantrum 2009 Bodegas, Spain This wine with a moderately amusing name is a tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon blend. You’d think they’d go all tempranillo with the name, but trust me—they did well with the blend. They also sell a tempranillo and shiraz blend under the same name, just in case you get confused! The
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Last week, a group of about 40 other foodies and I took a Taste Carolina tour together as part of a TriFoodie Tweetup. If you aren’t aware of these tweetups and you are a lover of Triangle-area food, then start following @durhamfoodie and @andreaweigl on Twitter now, so you can get details on the next
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Lost Sonnet Meritage 2007 Napa Valley, CA This is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and merlot. One sip at the Trader Joe’s tasting table, and I was sold on it being worth the $9.99 (hey, that’s expensive for TJ’s wine!). The nose is very appealing, with a scent of warmed spices and vanilla
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