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| - I've been hearing about Barriques for the last couple of years, and its fame is reaching all the way to Seattle. While my fiance Ben is in school here in Madison, and I am still in Seattle, I sometimes call up Barriques and order special bottles for Ben to pick up. Depending on who answers the phone, the employees' wine knowledge has been hit-and-miss, but I understand that they're doing more than just selling wine. Sandwiches, coffee, tea, etc...these guys are busy! And it's no place for wine snobs--just people that love to drink a good bottle!
As I'm about to become a full-time Madison resident, I visited Barriques on Monroe St. today to check out the wine selection. My priorities in a new city are as follows: Good coffee? Check. Good wine? Check. Music scene? I suspect "check", but haven't found out for myself yet. Anyway, back to the wine! Barriques has a great "Wall of 100" featuring 100 wines under $10 each. The selection is really interesting and quite solid, with helpful tasting notes from the owner/buyer above each wine. I understand that they also host tastings every Friday night, and I can't wait to check those out!
I'm giving Barriques four stars now, but I suspect I'll tack on the fifth and final crowning star after checking out their menu and participating in a tasting event. One last note: as I was purchasing my six bottles today, I was informed that on Tuesdays you can get 10% off of a full case. Bravo, Barriques!
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