10/07/2026
š¦ W**E & GOTHIC LITERATURE: WEEK ONE š¦ā
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Every Wednesday in October, weāre pairing a little literary darkness with a little liquid courage.ā
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Each week, we will feature one of our favorite classic gothic books (available for purchase in the store) and a bottle of w**e from the very country where its story unfolds. Weāll only have a handful of bottles and books available, and theyāll be priced especially nicely for the occasion.ā
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š THIS WEEK: CARMILLAā
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, 1872ā
Before Dracula. Before Nosferatu. Before your shelves became overrun with vampires that sparkled and pretended to be teenage high schoolers. ā
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There was Carmilla.ā
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Le Fanuās gothic novella follows Laura, a young woman living in an isolated castle in the forests of Styria, Austria, whose life is upended by the arrival of the beautiful, mysterious Carmilla. Seductive, eerie, and deliciously unsettling, Carmilla was published a full 25 years before Bram Stokerās Dracula and is considered one of the foundational works of modern vampire fiction.ā
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Itās atmospheric, q***r, creepy, and surprisingly ahead of its time. And if youāve only ever met vampires through Dracula, Twilight, or Interview with the Vampire, itās time to meet the woman who helped start it all.ā
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š· THE W**E: 2023 Johanneshof Reinisch Pinot Noirā
Thermenregion, Niederƶsterreich, Austriaā
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Austrian gothic deserves Austrian w**e. And we believe that if vampires drank w**e, theyād choose something red-fruited, earthy, elegant, and utterly thirst-quenching. Thisāll do the trick.ā
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Hailing from the Thermenregion, just south of Vienna, this Pinot Noir comes from a historic w**e region named for the geothermal hot springs beneath its vineyards. The 2023 is bright and silky, with wild cherry, strawberry, cranberry, delicate florals, and a touch of pink peppercorn. Light on its feet but full of character, it finishes soft and lingering, like a beautiful woman you simply canāt shake from the dark recesses of your mind.ā
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Come early to read dangerously and drink accordingly. The bottles are limited, and we canāt promise theyāll survive the night. Weāll save you a seat.