Not that anyone needs a reason to drink...

Especially with the holidays upon us... But here is one more big one:
How genius is this!?!? This thing has an internal database of 33 different types of wine. All you do is select the wine type and it will warm or cool the wine to the optimum serving temperature based on the type of the wine.

This chiller or warmer fits one or two bottles of wine at a time. There is a LCD backlit screen and CPU control for constant temperature.

Black Friday post morteum

Well, Black Friday came and went. We opened at 6!!! And had (what seemed to be) thousands of customers all day long. And heck, who wouldn't want to come down when (a) store wide everything was 20 percent off and (b) we had our 19th Annual Liquor and Wine Tasting show.
People were stocking up for their holidays. I think a lot of people think like me...

Holidays=Family=A Need for Cocktails

I tried to see if I could go home with the owner of this cart:
Good news though... We still do have some booze left in stock! Don't take my word for it... Come down and see for yourself. ;)

Black Friday's hottest party in town...

... and you are invited.

Stop by and see us!

drinking for a cause

UFS is partnering with Feed the Children and the Peoria Dream Center to fight child hunger in the Peoria area.
Every bottle of De Loach wine goes to pay for three, count'em! THREE meals for local children. And while that is probably the best part-- the next best part is that it is DELICIOUS! You have your choice of Merlot, Cabernet, chardonnay, or zinfandel.
If you are buying a bottle, it is $7.99 a pop. I vote for mixing and matching your favorites in a case for only $6.99 a bottle. I sampled one of each, not for myself but for YOU, my loyal blog followers and it is delicious!

Wine Tasting

As a prelude to our world famous (oh it is! I have friends in Canada who always come down for it...) Days after Thanksgiving wine tasting, we are having a fall wine tasting two weeks before the chaos commences.

The $5 per person entrance fee goes to Neighborhood House.

Put it on your calendar! And if you are feeling adventurous, come down on the 27th and the 28th for the FUN!

Taxes and Tastings

Our End of Summer/Beat the Tax wine and spirit tasting was VERY well attended...

The people of Central Illinois flocked in to stock up on their alcoholic beverages before the State of Illinois tax hike on booze went into affect September 1.

Despite the tax increases we still have some great deals on wine, beer and liquor and also a very extensive selection. Come see us!

Look at that giant cork! How cool is that!?!?

I'm starting to feel like we're in Utah...

The Illinois state government just passed the most unprecedented alcohol tax increase in state history. The tax rate for beer is going up 21 percent while the rate of tax for wine and liquor is increasing even more!

UFS is giving our customers a chance to stock up on your favorite brands before the tax increases goes into affect September 1.

If you want to prepare for the holiday season and all that family togetherness that will surely require some sort of libation, NOW IS THE TIME.

If you have a bar mitzvah, baptism, family reunion, birthday party or wedding in your future NOW IS THE TIME.

Heck, even if maybe just started seeing someone and they seem like they could be the one... NOW IS THE TIME.

Better safe than sorry... Vodka doesn't go bad (does it?).

Tasting Recap

Friday's Greek Wine Tasting was a lot of fun and pretty tasty.

I like wine and drink it semi-regularly, but I am by no means an expert. The above lady in pink seemed to know what she was doing, so I just kept tasting what she did. This plan served me well!

Uncle Pierre kept distracting me from the tasting at hand, but heck-- he is the boss:


Keep in mind our Greek Wine Specials are going on through July 25th!

A Taste of Greece

If you have never been down to UFS for one of our wine tasting here is your chance. Friday, July 17th we are having a wine tasting that will feature some wines of Greece... Not quite the sultry summer vacation I was hoping to take to the Greek Isles, but I'm hoping if I close my eyes and sip slowly it will feel close.

Bring a friend-- Friday, 2-6 pm (nothing quite so decadent as sipping wine in the middle of a Friday afternoon!).

First up is a 2006 Skouras Megas Oenos (try saying that three times fast). According to "Wine & Spirits" magazine "a touch of smoky oak adds polish" to this red wine "but not so much as to cover up the warm, cherry-red fruit and forest floor fragrance." Furthermore it was given a 93 rating by the magazine (and heck, they know their stuff). Get it for less at UFS! A 750 ml bottle will cost you $19.99!

Another wine we'll be tasting is the 2008 Sigalas Santorini, which is a white wine that was given a rating of 90 by "Wine & Spirits". The magazine calls it "unusually forward" which is how I like my wine... and my men, I won't lie... Take a bottle home for $16.99.

Another tasty, tasty buy is the 2008 Sigalas Asirtiko Athiri. Rated at a 90, "Wine & Spirits" reviewed it as "fragrant with honeysuckle and rich with sweet pineapple flavor". This is a perfect summer wine with an even summer-y (yes, I'm pretty sure that's a word) price of $11.99.

"Polished and elegant yet succulent and juicy"-- No, "Wine & Spirits" is not describing me! But rather the 2007 Skouras St. George. Modern, yet soulfull, (another description that could pertain to me) this red with a 90 rating is priced at $10.99. Who knew soul was so affordable?

The 2008 Skouras Moschofilero, which is rated at 88 by "Wine & Spirits", is a rich white that goes great with grilled fish. And if you need some grilling utensils-- hey! we have those too! At the bargain price of $11.99 a bottle, you'll have some cash leftover for this cool grilling tool:
Last up are our two extreme value wines-- the 2008 Skouras White and the 2007 Skouras Red. At $6.99 you can afford to stock up for you End of Summer Parties... or your Mid-July Shin-Digs... or your Friday Night Get-Togethers... or even your Tuesday Night "Stay At Homes"! Because a nice bottle of wine needs no occasion. ;)