Consider Saturday Street Closings Before Your Friday Night Revel

I was reminded that on Saturday morning and afternoon, there will be a lot of streets closed downtown for the very long, but highly entertaining, St Patrick’s Day Parade. Of course, I was reminded in case anyone wants to attend the Wine Fest Auction and Luncheon at the Hilton. But you all know what I’m thinking. If you plan on ending up in a hotel on Friday night after the Grand Tastings, consider the street closings when parking. Since the parade also tends to last several hours, you also need to consider the street closings if you’re heading downtown for the afternoon Grand Tasting.

Starting at 8:00am  Saturday, these streets will be closed :

• Eggleston between Broadway and East 3rd St
• Reedy between Broadway and Court St
• All of Butler, Culvert, and Sentinel Streets

Starting at 10:30 am, the following additional streets will close:

• 5th St from Sentinel to Plum St
• Plum St from 5th to 3rd St
• West 3rd from Plum to Central

Last year we just embraced the parade wholeheartedly. I recommend a huge breakfast at Hathaway’s, then cut under the parade and through the parking garage to end up topside on Fountain Square. Then you can just relax and enjoy the fun and occasional oddity of the parade.

You can join us on the Square again this year, as we meet up with the Hoperatives, MommyBits, and several other bloggers. We’d love to see you!

Wine-Girl’s 3rd Annual Wine Festival Survival Guide

The days are numbered. The Cincinnati International Wine Festival is this weekend. Hundreds of wines, hundreds of people, and you with your tasting glass. How on earth do you survive it?

Welcome to Wine-Girl’s 3^rd Annual Wine Festival Survival Guide. Every year I poll a large group of wine bloggers and find out if there are any outstanding tips, which I add to my own. These tips are geared for people who are heading to the Festival to try new wines, learn new things, and not get generally hammered.

(Need a printed copy of this? There’s a better than average chance you’ll find it in today’s MetroMix!)

So, from the collected wisdom of the Wine Blogging Twittersphere and in no particular order, here are some ways to survive tasting hundreds of wines:

1. Decide when you want to go. The Friday Grand Tasting has always seemed more manageable to me, with slightly less people. The Saturday Grand Tasting is generally the biggest event, with what seems like an unending number of people. My favorite session is Saturday afternoon, as fewer people attend and I can get more face-time with the winemakers. This year you’ll find Kevin & I enjoying the Friday night session and I may be pouring wine for both Saturday events.
2. Eat a big meal before hand. You’ll stay sober longer. You may want to follow your festival experience with a large meal afterwards. Either way, it’s a busy weekend downtown, and the St. Patrick’s Day parade and festivities fall on Saturday. Whenever you decide to eat, make reservations.
3. Consider a designated driver, cab service, or even a hotel room. Last year we decided to succumb to an afternoon and evening of alcohol and we got a hotel room. The Wine Fest web site offers several hotel packages downtown, and we often find great last minute deals at The Cincinnatian. This year we landed at the Hyatt, courtesy of Hotwire.
   Thinking of a cab service? You can always use FETCH (513-35-FETCH), which routes a cab to you from an available company.
4. Make a game plan. Let me make this easier for you – you can download the 4-part guide from Cincinnati Magazine.
   In the guide, you can find the list of attending wineries, the corresponding floor plan, and the list of wines in the Special Tasting Room. Plan ahead. See what looks interesting. Accept that you can’t possibly try everything. You may want to decide to divide and conquer within your group of friends.
5. Start at the end. Most people will start at the beginning. Starting at the end (or back) will allow you to fight a smaller crowd – at least until you make it to the middle.
6. Manage your route so that you visit the sparkling wine and champagne in between big wines. Sparklers are excellent palate cleansers and you’ll last longer if you try those in between the big reds.
7. Save those dessert wines for last. One year I succumbed to temptation and had a chocolate port early on. As tasty as it was, my next ten wines still tasted like chocolate.
8. Try new things and don’t ignore the little and/or local guys. Just because you haven’t heard of them doesn’t mean they’re bad. Truly, some of the booths have the name of the distributor, but they might be featuring three or four different wineries. This is a perfect opportunity to branch out and explore a little. Who knows what you’ll find?
9. Dress comfortably. Seriously, ladies, there is no need for high heels. You can still look cute and trendy and leave the stilettos at home. You will be walking a lot, standing even more, and jostling in and out of a lot of people. Expect it to be warm in the tasting hall. Lots of people and red wine can raise the temperature in a room.
10. Since we’re talking about clothes, wear dark colors. I know it’s almost Spring, but don’t pull out your sundresses and pastels. Even if you manage to avoid spilling red wine on yourself, someone else might very well careen into you. Lots of people + lots of alcohol = lots of wine accidents. Dark colors are your best bet.
11. Carry a small bottle of Wine Away or a Tide Stain Stick. Even if you don’t need it, someone else might. I mentioned dark clothing, yes?
12. Get there early. People start filtering in late and things get really crowded really fast. Enjoy being early.
13. Spit.
    What? Yes, I said spit. It’s actually an accepted practice. However, even at the Trade Tasting you don’t see it that often. One of the winemakers commented to me a few years ago that Cincinnati is strange because hardly anyone spits.
    Some thoughts on spitting:
    - Carry your own spit cup. Dixie cups work, as well as those Solo plastic cups. When a table is crowded, it’s hard to get to the bucket, nor do you want to be in someone else’s spit stream. Also, it’s easier to be discreet when you are quietly spitting into your own cup.
    - Dump instead of spit. I don’t spit at the Wine Festival. When I’m judging a wine competition, it doesn’t bother me to spit into a personal cup. But in our weird lack-of-spitting city, I get really self-conscious. So I take a small sip or two, try to really glean something out of it, and dump the rest of the wine into the bucket. It’s expected. You’re not wasting wine or hurting anyone’s feelings.
14. Take breaks every 30 minutes or so to have some snacks and water, as well as to regroup.
15. Hydrate, and wine doesn’t count. Bring water if they aren’t handing it out. But you’ll definitely want some handy.
16. Stop by the bathroom periodically and I don’t mean to use the facilities. You need to periodically rinse out your glass. It doesn’t take long for your wine glass to be sticky and filled with the residue of previous tastes.
17. The caveat to number 10 is that you should also try to rinse your glass with wine whenever possible and then dump. Rinsing with wine works better than water (although it won’t make the stickiness and red fingers go away). Just ask the nice person behind the table for a rinse. Heck, they might even respect you a little more for asking.
18. Don’t try to take detailed tasting notes. Sometimes I just rate things on my happy face scale; occasionally I’ll write a sentence. There will be no time for detailed information, nor will you really have free hands or space for writing.
19. Most importantly, have a fantastic time! We’ll have a follow-up post within the week, but I really look forward to hearing your own thoughts.

Chilean Wine, Post Earthquake

I was in one of my favorite wine shops on Friday (which I will not name) and the nice guy pouring wine started telling me about the dire straits the Chilean wine industry was in post-earthquake. Turns out, the nice guy interpreted a $250 million dollar loss a little too pessimistically. It’s certainly bad, but it could be a lot worse.

Image from Montes Winery, Chile

I found the Wine Spectator article he referenced and supplemented it with my favorite online wine magazine, Decanter. Turns out that $250 million is across the Chilean wine industry as a whole, and includes 125 million litres of what is basically spilled juice. So if you break that up between all the wineries, it’s a loss, but nothing like they had originally feared.

From Decanter on March 3:

After a board meeting today at Vinos de Chile and Wines of Chile, the domestic and international operations that represent 95% of the industry, the verdict is that some 12.5% of the country’s cellared wine has been lost.

That is about US$250m worth of wine – a figure that will not represent actual loss as the wine is insured, and moreover the country’s wineries were overstocked, Rene Merino, president of Wines of Chile told decanter.com. ‘This will not affect our supply to our importers at all.’

That last sentence is key, because it means that you can still buy Chilean wine over the next year without a problem. Additionally, the wineries may not have lost much wine, but their employees did lose their homes, electricity, and so much more. I may actually make a point to buy more Chilean wine in 2010 and hope that somehow, by helping the wineries, I can help their employees.

From Wine Specatator, March 3:

In addition, many wineries now have scores of workers in need of shelter. ”What really concerns us now is our workers, as many have lost their homes,” said Merino. “This has to be addressed quickly. However, there is much that is out of our hands—electricity, roads, ports are obviously under government control, rather than ours.”

Wine Spectator also mentions that while the overall damage estimate is lower than feared, some wineries were indeed hard hit:

• Viña Santa Rita: ~8 million L, 1 m of which was premium juice
• Viña Montes (Purple Angel, Folly, Cherub): ~20% loss of icon level wines (Alpha M, Folly, Purple Angel)
• Miguel Torres: ~ 100,000 litres
• Viña Santa Carolina: ~ 200,000 litres
• MontGras: ~ 5% tanks, 10% barrels
• Viu Manent: Less than 15% of inventory
• Concha Y Toro: Initial figure of 40 million was “wildly exaggerated, but losses will be significant.”

Update: I’ve also heard from Viña Los Vascos (a Lafite estate) in the comments.

Featured Cincinnati Wine Events: Mar 6-12

So have you bought your Wine Festival tickets yet? It’s coming up really soon. In fact, it’s next weekend? How about your Beer Festival tickets? That one’s only a couple weeks away. And of course, don’t forget to experience BockFest starting tonight. Go see the Trojan Goat in the BockFest parade on Saturday!And in the spirit of BockFest, I opted for a Beer Photo!

The upcoming week is primarily about the Wine Festival that caps off the week (or begins the next weekend). You can still get tickets for some of the winery dinners, and the Cork n Bottle event with Michael Mondavi is not to be missed. Dep’s Fine Wines (yes, Liquor Direct) is also hosting a winemaker on Wednesday evening. Dennis Hill from Perfecta and Cannonball wines is in town for, you guessed it, the Wine Festival. The Dep’s event is free!

Remember, all the recurring events, those dependable weekly tastings, are displayed on our calendar. The one-time events are after the jump.

For information on what’s going on in Dayton, you can refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.

Local Wine Tasting Event Calendar

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Image used under Creative Commons from mccun934

Saturday, Mar 6

BockFest
Visit the BockFest website for the schedule of events and more information

Wine Tasting: Call for topic
Jungle Jim’s
5440 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
1 pm, Prices vary per topic
Reservations required. (513) 674-6008

Traipsing through Beaujolais
The Party Source
95 Riviera Drive
Bellevue, KY 41073
This wine region just south of glamorous Burgundy is among the most misunderstood in the world. Beaujolais is a terrific wine, even a serious red wine and with real aging potential in the cellar. With the right selections, Beaujolais can pair with a wide range of hearty foods–at a fraction of the cost of its northern neighbor.
1-3 pm, $20
Reservations required.
859.291.4007

Tuesday, Mar 9

French Regional Wine Tasting
20 Brix
101 Main Street
Milford, OH
6 pm, $45/pp
Reservations required.
(513) 831-2749

Exclusive Tasting with Michael Mondavi
Cork n Bottle
Buttermilk Pike Location
Crescent Springs, KY
We are pleased and privileged to bring to our Buttermilk Pike store our good friend, Michael Mondavi for a private wine tasting. Michael will be here to guide us through a sampling of his family’s latest vintages from Napa Valley. He will also be signing bottle purchases of his collectible Cabernets. Appetizers, cheeses and hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening to complement the wines. Come join us for this special event.
6:30 pm, $25
(859) 341 – 9600
RSVP Required. tim.hue@corknbottle.com

Wednesday, Mar 10

Meet the Winemaker: Cannonball and Perfecta Wines
Dep’s Fine Wines (formerly Liquor Direct)
90 Alexandria Pike
Fort Thomas, KY
Dennis Hill from Cannonball and Perfecta Wines joining us for an impromptu wine tasting at our Fort Thomas store. Reservations available. It’s free of charge. Contact shannon@depsfinewine.com to reserve your seats now.
859.781.8105

Bartending 102 with Josh Durr
Tonic on 4th
125 West 4th Street
Cincinnati, OH
A Crash Course in the Foundations of the Professional Bartender
5:30 – 8:30 pm, $55
Reserve via Ticket Derby
More info: (513) 721-1345)

Thursday, Mar 11

Toast for Hope Wine Tasting Fundraiser
Benefits Women’s Crisis Center
Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center
1028 Scott Blvd.
Covington, KY 41011
Fine wines, gourmet hors d’oeuvres and live music.
5-7 pm, $60
More Information, 859-372-3571

Amarone & Friends: Italy’s Dried Grape Wines
The Party Source
95 Riviera Drive
Bellevue, KY 41073
The Italians have a most curious tradition of drying grapes slightly before pressing them. The resulting red wines have a concentrated, powerful character, leading up to the king of them all, Amarone. Join Jay on a tour of Amarone and friends.
6:30 – 8:30 pm, $20
Reservations required.
859.291.4007

Wine dinners for the CIWF:

DaVeed’s at 934
Graziano Family of Wines
Tickets: $125

Eddie Merlot’s
Kuletto Wines
Tickets: $125

Embers
The Hess Collection
Tickets: $150

Hugo
Frank Family Vineyards
Tickets: $150

Morton’s, The Steakhouse
Villa San Juliette
Tickets: $150

Orchids at Palm Court
Terlato International
Tickets: $125

Friday, Mar 12

Cincinnati International Wine Festival Grand Tasting
Duke Energy Convention Center
Grand Ballroom, 3rd Floor
525 Elm Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
6:30 – 9 pm
$70.00 prior to event, $75.00 at the door
$105 for Grand Tasting ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $110 at the door

Mexican Classics: Tequila and More
The Party Source
95 Riviera Drive
Bellevue, KY 41073
Mexico’s classic distillates, Tequila and Mezcal, are totally unique in the world of fine spirits. Along with Tequila Ocho–which ROCKED our world in 2009–you can taste the best añejo Tequila and rarest Mezcal. Viv-uh la May-Hee-Coh in the EQ!
6:30 – 8:30 pm, $20
Reservations required.
859.291.4007

#OTBN: 2005 Lazarre Pinot Noir

This past Saturday was Open That Bottle Night. I’d forgotten about it, until I saw a bunch of tweets on Saturday night. OTBN asks that you take that special bottle of wine you’ve been saving for a special occasion, and just open it. No occasion is ever special enough, right? I’m particularly bad at hanging onto wine for a special occasion, so OTBN is a good exercise for me, and I never regret it.

Last year we opened a Staglin Family 20th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon. This year, we dived into my Pinot Noir collection. Every year I find some small little Pinot Noir vintner and invest in 3 bottles. I know 3 bottles isn’t a lot, but it is to my pocketbook. Generally these pinots aren’t cheap. Last year, when I met Adam Lazarre and fell head over heels for his Hahn wines, I knew I’d found my pinot investment for the year. Adam, in addition to his winemaking responsibilities at Villa San Juliette, also has his own label that is exclusively pinot noir. I immediately ordered my 3 bottles.

2005 Lazarre Pinot Noir Sierra Madre Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
~$40 (I can’t quite remember), special ordered from The Party Source

This particular pinot, of which there were only 112 cases made, is from Santa Maria Valley. Santa Maria, considered part of California’s Central Coast, is one of the state’s coolest grape-growing regions and offers one of the longest seasons between bud and harvest. It’s a superstar region for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Maybe it’s because I have a “wine crush” on Adam Lazarre. (Leave me alone. I can still have crushes.) But I’ve always found his Pinot Noirs to have a bit of sex appeal, and they do tend to send me reeling into hyperbole. This bottle was no exception.

It’s a bit young and would benefit from some more time in the bottle. That’s fine with me, considering I’ve got two more bottles maturing in my basement.  It also would have benefited from some air. Since I remembered OTBN at the last minute, we pretty much opened and poured at 10 pm on Saturday night. So with our first taste, the wine was still a bit tight. That said, it was still enjoyable, with a lot of earthiness. Our first night with this wine made me think of the Latin dances I learn in ballroom. They are all sexy and just this side of wild, with all of the passion starting at the earth and working it’s way up to the hips.

The next night we finished the bottle and it had taken the time to open up a bit. Why do I think I still need to age the other 2 bottles? Because even on night two, this pinot was a bit wild and untamed. It lost a bit of the earthiness and instead was silky, like the perfect lingerie. To continue the ridiculous analogy I started above, our second night with this wine was more like an Argentine Tango, a dance that started in the bordellos of South America.

Adam’s wines seem to affect me on an emotional level. As many wines as I drink, that really doesn’t happen very often. It’s also why I’d give my left arm to afford the Morton’s wine dinner next week, featuring Villa San Juliette.

Our review:

Featured Cincinnati Wine Events Feb 27 – Mar 5

The Party Source has a slew of offerings during this upcoming pre-Wine Festival week, including a free Sampling Soiree (eat your way thru the Party Source). Jungle Jim’s is offering low-cost premium tastings in 3 different sessions tomorrow as well. The rest of the week is low-key, although there are two different wine/food options for Tuesday night out in Milford.

Next weekend begins the FESTive month of March, which offers three different alcohol-themed festivals: BockFest (March 5-7), the Cincinnati International Wine Festival (March 12-13), and BeerFest (March 26-28).

Remember, all the recurring events, those dependable weekly tastings, are displayed on our calendar. The one-time events are after the jump.

For information on what’s going on in Dayton, you can refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.

Local Wine Tasting Event Calendar

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Image used under Creative Commons from Gianni D

Read the rest of this entry »

Cincinnati Int’l Wine Festival Events

Back in December, I posted about the upcoming Cincinnati International Wine Festival. Yes, tickets went on sale back then. Tickets tend to go rather rapidly. Closer to the date, I promise I’ll post an updated version of my Annual Wine Festival Survival Guide.

In the meantime, you need to buy your tickets. You can purchase tickets from any of the listed stores, which include Cork n Bottle, Dilly Deli & Cafe, The Liquor Cabinet, and Little Sonoma.

The official Host this year is Michael Mondavi. Instead of spending a lot of money to meet him at a wine dinner, I recommend going to a Cork n Bottle event instead. On March 9, Michael will be at the Buttermilk location for an exclusive tasting. Michael will be guiding participants through a sampling of his family’s latest vintages and will also be signing bottle purchases of his collectible Cabernet Sauvignon.The event runs from 6:30 – 8:30 and costs $25. You definitely need to RSVP, because space is limited, so email tim.hue@corknbottle.com to grab a spot.

If you are interested in the Wine Dinners that precede the Festival each year, grab a spot uber-quick. Even though the dinners are pricey, they include all of your food and wine, and you get to schmooze with winemakers.  Most of the dinners take place on March 11 and, although I’ve listed them at the bottom, you’ll see many are already sold out. If I had $300 to spare (which I don’t), I’d kill to go to the Villa San Juliette tasting at Morton’s. I have a small crush on the winemaker.

The Wine Festival runs March 12 – March 13:

• Friday Evening, Mar 12 6:30 – 9:00 PM: $70.00 prior to event, $75.00 at the door
  $105 for Grand Tasting ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $110 at the door
• Saturday Afternoon, Mar 13, 2:30 – 4:30 PM: $60.00 prior to event, $65.00 at the door
  $95.00 for Grand Tasting ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $100.00 at the door
• Saturday Evening, Mar 13, 6:30 – 9:00 PM: $70.00 prior to event, $75.00 at the door
  $105 for Grand Tasting Ticket and Special Tasting ticket, $110 at the door
• Special Tasting Room: Enjoy high end wines for one hour prior to the Grand Tastings. Each ticket will be an additonal charge of $35 for 7 tastes.

The moral of all of this is – buy your tickets soon. Whether it’s for the special dinners or for the festival itself, make your plans early this year.

Wine Dinners

March 10:

Michael Mondavi at The Palace Restaurant in the Cincinnatian Hotel
Tickets $175 - SOLD OUT!

March 11:

Carlo & Johnny – SOLD OUT!
Banfi International
Tickets: $150

DaVeed’s at 934
Graziano Family of Wines
Tickets: $125

Eddie Merlot’s
Kuletto Wines
Tickets: $125

Embers
The Hess Collection
Tickets: $150

Hugo
Frank Family Vineyards
Tickets: $150

Jags – SOLD OUT!
Truchard Vineyards
The Meeker Vineyard
Tickets: $150

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse – SOLD OUT!
Wines from the Nickel & Nickel Family
Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel and Dolce
Tickets: $150

Boca – SOLD OUT
Marc de Grazia Selections
Tickets: $150

Morton’s, The Steakhouse
Villa San Juliette
Tickets: $150

Orchids at Palm Court
Terlato International
Tickets: $125

Tonic Cocktail Classes Are Here!

Now you, too, can be a craft bartender. Well, sort of. You can definitely learn the ins and outs while enjoying the ambience of my favorite bar.

They’re calling it the Tonic On Fourth Cocktails and Spirits Club, but basically it’s a set of classes. (You can sign up for each class individually.) It includes a hands‐on class curriculum, all taught by my favorite mixologist (ok, excluding Molly) Josh Durr. The first class, Bartending 101, looks to be similar to the excellent class I took from Josh back in December. The classes will prove to be both educational and fun, and will be geared for both the novice and advanced.

Why are they offering these? Basically they want everyone to enjoy a classic cocktail – whether at their bar or in your own home. The way I see it, the more people who understand a good cocktail, the more bartenders will have to start making an excellent Manhattan.

Photo by Bob 5chw4rtz

The Tonic on Fourth Cocktails and Spirits Club will offer courses twice a month beginning February 25, 2010 from 5:30‐8:00pm. The first class of each month will be part of the Bartending Series, rotating series levels each month. The second class of the month will focus on more specific topics, drilling down into things like those homemade tinctures and bitters with which I’m so taken.

Photo by Bob 5chw4rtz

The upcoming classes, all of which run from 5:30 – 8:30 pm, include

• Bartending 101, 102, & 103 (Master Class Series)
  • 101: Successful Home Bartending & Foundations of Bartending - 2/25 and 5/13, $35
  • 102: A Crash Course in the Foundations of the Professional Bartender - 3/10, $55
  • 103: How to Mix Drinks in the 21st Century - 4/8, $75
• Distillation – Discover how your favorite spirits are made.
  • 3/31, $45
• Bourbon : A History & Tasting of our Nations Authentic Spirit
  • 4/22, $45
• Spring Cocktails: Market Fresh Libations
  • 5/27, $45

You can purchase your spot through TicketDerby.com under the heading “Tonic Cocktail School.”

Thanks to Bob for some of the photos!

FNI: Twittering about wine!

Are you on Twitter? Today, the Cooking with Caitlin girls are hosting a Foodies Night In that’s all about wine! Yours truly will be one of the hosts.

If you are on Twitter, just make sure you’re following me, @cookingwithcaitlin, or @girlfriendology. We’ll be tweeting questions about wine and food between the hours of 4-6 pm today.

You can follow along even if you’re not on Twitter by searching Twitter for the tag #fni, or by plugging the #fni tag into a web-based app like Tweetgrid or Tweetchat.

I hope to “see” you there!  

Get out the vote

I’d be a lousy politician – I completely forgot to campaign. Sometime in January I posted about the CityBeat Best of Cincinnati competition. If you didn’t vote then, go ahead and vote now. You can vote for your favorite everythings in the city (including best blog – so pick me please!) To vote for this particular blog, just go to the link, scroll down to Public Eye, and you’ll find My Wine Education under the Blog section. Of course, you’ll also find some of my best friends in the same category. You don’t have to vote in every category – just the ones that interest you.

There you go. Vote for me and do it before the end of the weekend!