My Wine Education

Marble Hill Chocolate Shop Closes

The Business Courier daily email informed me that Marble Hill Chocolate Lounge in O'Bryonville has closed as of today. The Marble Hill web site simply says "Marble Hill is closed for business."

Marble Hill often had wine and chocolate pairings, called Friday Night Flights, that seemed like a wonderful idea. I'm sad to see this little chocolatier close its doors.

If you have prior reservations or gift certificates, please contact Marble Hill at info[at]marblehillchocolatier[dot]com.

 

Featured Cincinnati Wine Events: 5/23 - 5/29

May has felt like an exceptionally long month and I don't know why. Memorial Day is falling not on the usual last weekend of the month, but more in the middle. We'll be spending this Memorial Day judging wines for the Central Kentucky Wine Festival. This particular judging experience takes us to the small town of Danville.

When we return, we hope to catch Taste of Cincinnati, which sta rts Saturday and runs through Monday. Every year I discover a new restaurant and new foods at this fun festival, which takes place on and around the newly revitalized Fountain Square.

This is also a big weekend for many of the local wineries. Harmony Hill, Kinkead Ridge, Lakeside Vineyards, and Meranda Nixon all open this weekend. If you enjoy Kinkead Ridge, this is one of the few opportunities you'll have in 2008 to visit the winery. Kinkead Ridge will only be open on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving weekend this year, as the 2007 Easter frost greatly depleted the vintage.

For the full list of Cincinnati tastings, both one-time and recurring, refer to our Google Calendar on this page. For information on what's going on in Dayton, you can refer to Mark's blog at Uncorked.

Tell the retailers we sent you, and have a great holiday weekend!

This week's Friday image is the offical poster for Taste of Cincinnati.

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Cheers!

Featured Events

Friday May 23
Harmony Hill Vineyard
2534 Swings Corner / Point Isabel Road
Bethel, OH 45106
513.734.3548
Live music and wine tasting
5-9 pm

Meranda-Nixon Winery
6517 Laycock Rd
Ripley, OH 45167
Tasting Room Open
12:30-8:30 pm

Saturday May 24
Harmony Hill Vineyard
2534 Swings Corner / Point Isabel Road
Bethel, OH 45106
513.734.3548
Live music and wine tasting
12-6 pm

Jungle Jim's
Oscar Event Center
Various Scheduled Wine Tastings - refer to web site for details
5440 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, OH 45014
1-3 pm
Cost varies but is usually around $30
Reservations required

Kinkead Ridge Winery
904 Hamburg Street
Ripley, Ohio 45167
(937) 392-6077
Tasting Room Open
10 am - 6 pm

Meranda-Nixon Winery
6517 Laycock Rd
Ripley, OH 45167
Tasting Room Open
11am-9:00 pm
Every Saturday 4PM to 9:30PM
Steak and Salmon dinners accompanied with a  bottle of wine.
Now accepting reservations.

Taste of Cincinnati
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
5th Street Downtown
12 pm - 12 am

Sunday, May 25
Taste of Cincinnati
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
5th Street Downtown
12 pm - 12 am

Monday, May 19
Harmony Hill Vineyard
2534 Swings Corner / Point Isabel Road
Bethel, OH 45106
513.734.3548
Live music and wine tasting
12-6 pm

Kinkead Ridge Winery
904 Hamburg Street
Ripley, Ohio 45167
(937) 392-6077
Tasting Room Open
10 am - 6 pm

Lakeside Vineyard
3324 Ohio 756
Felicity, OH 45120
513-876-1810
Family Day with food, wine tasting, and games
12 pm - 8 pm

Meranda-Nixon Winery
6517 Laycock Rd
Ripley, OH 45167
Tasting Room Open
12:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Taste of Cincinnati
Saturday, Sunday, Monday
5th Street Downtown
12 pm - 12 am

Thursday, May 29
Italian Wine Tasting: Rocca delle Macie Wines with Vito Candela
Dilly Deli
6818 Wooster Pike
Mariemont, OH 45227
513-561-5233
Reservations required.

Tags:Cincinnati Wine, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Wine Events, Cincinnati Wine Tastings, Cincinnati Wine Dinners, Wine Tastings 

Reviews: Mr Black's Concoction & Abacela Rosado

It's been a while since we reviewed some wines, and we've had two fun ones recently. I thought I'd share.

Small Gully Mr. Black's Concoction 2004 Shiraz Viognier, Barossa Valley, Australia:
I first had this when we went to Bouquet in January. I loved it and searched everywhere for it. Well, it's finally appearing. The plain Shiraz is available at Liquor Direct and the Shiraz-Viognier that I tried is now at Party Town Turfway. (Apparently, it's been at Party Town since shortly after I asked for it, which is great service that I didn't follow up on.)
Mr Black's Shiraz-Viognier Concoction consists of 4% Viognier, 96% Shiraz, and it has a powerful and fragrant bouquet. This is a high-alcohol fruit bomb. I don't know why I like it so much - it's not my normal style at all. I find it to be well-balanced; I could feel the alcohol but I couldn't taste it. The fruit seems to contain the wine and it didn't seem "hot." To say it is fruit-forward is an understatement, though. There are all sorts of berries and cherries and dark fruits, all racing to get to your tongue first. It's definitely jammy. This Concoction is a big wine, there's no doubt about it, but it's also a fun wine. I'm not sure how it would work with a meal, but it pairs well with cheese. It retails for around $20 at Party Town.
Our rating:

Now for the opposite end of the spectrum:

2006 Abacela Rosado, Southern Oregon:
This rosé is the sort of rosé that even people who won't drink pink would enjoy. Kevin is proof enough of that. Often stating that he "hasn't found his inner pink," this rosé is one that he enjoys.
As it should be, the Abacela Rosado is a dry rosé, made of 93% Tempranillo and 7% grenache. It's loaded with strawberry, cranberry, and some citrus. This rosé is immensely food friendly. We first had it with Easter dinner, then our second bottle last week we drank without food. It complemented the ham at Easter but can stand on its own without a problem. As far as rosés go, this one has some heft ,thanks in part to its nice dry finish. Don't expect this to be flabby, sugary, or reminiscent of Kool-Aid like some roses can be. It was recommended to us by Kevin Keith at Liquor Direct, and we appreciate the recommendation!
Our rating:

RIP, Robert Mondavi

This was coming, of course. Mondavi was 94 years old, and proof of the health benefits of wine and California breezes. Yet, I'm still somewhat surprised, and sad. Robert Mondavi passed away at his home in Yountville this morning.

He left an amazing legazy behind him. Last year, I read his autobiography, Harvests of Joy, published in 1998. As I read the book I swung between dislike, admiration, and confusion regarding the man who helped build the Napa we know today. In the end, he admitted his own mistakes and I was left with a clear admiration for Mondavi.

There is the legendary fight between Robert & Peter, two brothers, which sent Robert out on his own, building the first winery in Napa since Prohibition. He saw the winery as a tourist destination, forever changing the perception of Napa Valley (for good or evil, your choice). He traveled France, learning more about Bordeaux and Burgundy styles of wine. And he began to understand, and quest for, terroir. That quest led to the purchase of his To Kalon vineyards. I have some wine from those vineyards, and I have (of all things) a stone coaster with a print of those vineyards. After reading the book, I was rather fascinated with the man.

His winery has grown, expanded, and suffered through financial hardships in the last 20 years. I was never thrilled with the decision to sell to Constellation Brands. In the meantime, Mondavi launched  philantropies, including COPIA and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine & Food Science at UC Davis, which is almost complete. He and Magrit, his wife, also donated funds to complete the UC Davis performing arts center.

When I think of Robert Mondavi, I remember one clear moment. In 2005, on July 4, we were in Santa Rosa. I had managed to get tickets to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band concert at the Mondavi winery that night. We had a picnic from the Oakville Grocery and met some wonderful people spread out on blankets around us. Behind us, at a table in the vineyard, Robert & Magrit were dancing. In 2005, Mondavi was 91 years old, but had no trouble getting up and sharing one dance with his wife on a perfect summer evening.

Many Mondavi wines are inexpensive or generic. But there are some wonderful wines as well - I have two bottles of a reserve cabernet: one of which I'm aging another couple years and one that I do believe I'll be popping open this weekend, in honor of Robert Mondavi.

Featured Cincinnati Wine Events, 5/16 - 5/22

This next week is front-loaded, you could say. Two of those events I have a rather personal involvement with, and I'm going to take this one post to promote them, if you don't mind.
One event in particular I want to mention - the Top Shelf Sports Grille fundraiser on Saturday. Remember the scholarship we established in memory of my sister? We're having another benefit. We raised $11000 at the inaugural event back in March, but we need to raise $25000. Saturday, from 12-6, a portion of the proceeds at Top Shelf will go towards the scholarship fund. So come on out, have a beer, a burger, or watch the Preakness at the sports bar. Your drinking and eating will benefit a great cause.

Also in this front loaded week, we have a nifty concert at Twist Lounge downtown. I've previously reviewed Twist - I really enjoyed the place. Concert:nova is performing a latin themed concert in honor of the upcoming Florencia en al Amazonas, the Spanish opera premiering this summer at Music Hall. This event is for everyone (and it isn't all Opera music, but fun Spanish tunes and dancing as well). However, this is also a welcome reception for hosts/hostesses of the Cincinnati Center Stage (YP Group) Curtains Up party on June 14. Interested in being a host/hostess? It's not much work, and a lot of fun. Email me at michelle[at]wine-girl[dot]net.

For the full list of Cincinnati tastings, both one-time and recurring, refer to our Google Calendar on this page. For information on what's going on in Dayton, you can refer to Mark's blog at Uncorked.

Tell the retailers we sent you, and happy tasting!

The Friday Cincinnati image is from MoToMo , via a CC license on Flickr.

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Cheers!

Featured Events

Saturday, May 17
Top Shelf Sports Grille
Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser
1990 North Bend Road
Hebron, KY 41048
859.534.5910
Proceeds between 12-6 pm benefit the scholarship
Raffles and split the pot also available
12-6 pm

Sunday, May 18
17th Annual Fleurs de Fete 2008
Dayton’s premier wine & gourmet food festival
Featuring more than 300 tasting wines and food samples from
25 of the Dayton area’s finest restaurants
Please join us for a casual afternoon of wine, food & jazz
Ticket price includes admission, food, wine, souvenir wine glass
and plate
Carillon Historical Park
$60 in advance, $65 at the gate

Monday, May 19
Twist Lounge
concert:nova latin concert
127 West 4th Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513.721.1345
Sensual Sounds + Stunning Canvases: Hot Latin Sounds at Twist Lounge
$10/ $8 students and Enjoy The Arts members, 9 pm

 Tuesday, May 20
Wine Tasting 101
Chalk food + wine 
318 Greenup Street
Covington, KY 41011
859.643.1234
Learn the art of wine tasting with Sommelier Bryant Phillips
7:00, $46
Reservations required via phone or email chalkfoodandwine[at]gmail[dot]com

Tags:Cincinnati Wine, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Wine Events, Cincinnati Wine Tastings, Cincinnati Wine Dinners, Wine Tastings 

La Fée Verte ... Absinthe Comes to Kentucky

Absinthe, the spirit that was banned a century ago, is back, legal, and making its local debut on Thursday night at the Party Source. Made from wormwood, green anise, and fennel, with a green hue, it's often known as The Green Fairy.

Absinthe originated as a "remedy" in the late 1700's in Switzerland. It contains wormwood, green anise, and fennel. It was brought to popularity by Henry-Louis Pernod, who opened the first absinthe distillery in 1797. In 1805, they were producing enough absinthe to open a second distillery in France called Maison Pernod Fils.

In the 1840s, absinthe was given to French troops as a malaria treatment. When the troops returned home, they brought with them a taste for the green spirit. By the 1860s, most French restaurants and clubs had the 5 pm l'heure verte, the green hour. I like to think this is how Happy Hour originated.

All social classes enjoyed absinthe, but the drink became associated with bohemian artists and poets, such as Toulouse-Lautrec, van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, and more. Remember the scene in the beginning of Moulin Rouge with the floating green fairy? It makes more sense now, yes?

Absinthe was banned shortly before the movement towards prohibition. There were rumors (inaccurate) that it made you crazy, depressed, suicidal, even murderous. Of course, it didn't - at least not any more than other spirits. Bans on absinthe began in 1905 in Sweden and continued internationally until France finally banned it in 1915.

Absinthe preparation is almost a ritual. Called la louche, it involves draining a thin cold line of water over a cube of sugar into the glass of absinthe. The sugar is generally sitting on an absinthe spoon, which is a beautifully decorated slotted spoon.

Absinthe fountains (for the perfect stream of cold water), absinthe spoons, reservoir glasses, and more will all be  available at The Party Source, starting now! Tonite, you can come to an absinthe "party", starting at 5 pm, where you can learn about la louche and try two different types of absinthe.

Absinthe can also be used in cocktails. One of the most famous is Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, which is a mixture of iced champagne (replacing the water and sugar in la louche) and absinthe. A dash of absinthe can be used effectively in a Manhattan and in the distinctly New Orleans style Sazerac.

The Absinthe Party at The Party Source starts at 5 pm tonight and is free.

The Party Source Absinthe site

The artwork used in this article is in the public domain. The Absinthe House photo from New Orleans we took on a 2005 trip to the Crescent City.

Restaurants Affected by Gas Prices Too

Let's face it. As gas rapidly heads towards $4/gallon, we're spending less money on eating out and more on feeding our cars.

We've all seen the results of the fuel price hikes in our own lives, and if you've paid attention, in the grocery store. There is no better time than now to become a locavore, with the price of fuel being added in to the price of your cereal, your milk, your eggs, your veggies, and anything else you're not picking up locally.

Photo by Carly & Art

 It's affecting local restaurants in the same way. According to this article on WLWT.com, it's changing everything from lunch prices and availability to whether or not new restaurants will succeed.

Some restaurants, such as Sully’s, have cut alcohol and labor costs during the lunch rush to draw more customers.“It's not as much of a rush anymore,” said shift manager Demirus Williams. “Normally, right now, it's Friday, we would be packed by now.”

Boi Na Braza has already cancelled their lunch options. (That was an awful lot of food for lunch anyway.) McCormick & Schmick's is counting on the summer convention season, as I'm sure are many of the downtown locations, especially since the Broadway Series wraps up it's season soon. Without the theatre crowd, there isn't a lot of draw to fire up your fuel-eating SUV and head downtown from the north suburbs.

Oceanaire, a high-end seafood chain opening across from Nada and the Aronoff, is opening soon to this uncertain environment.

Restaurants are also suffering from fuel surcharges levied by vendors. When a restaurant, such as McCormick & Schmick's or Oceanaire, has to ship in fresh a large portion of their food, they are going to be affected by the growing transportation costs.

Me? I'm going to try to stick to eating local - whether shopping at Findlay Market or eating at Chalk or NuVo (locavore-centric restaurants).

Cincinnati Featured Wine Events 5/9 - 5/15

Hopefully the weather will clear up and we'll have a beautiful weekend. Kevin & I will be wrapped up in wine all weekend, judging the competition for the Northern KY Wine Festival. The Festival itself isn't until June 7, but the judging happens ahead of time.

As I will each week, I've spotlighted a few events that tickle my fancy. Enjoy a Lobsta Bake downtown at City Cellars on Saturday in their new expanded tasting room. On Tuesday, learn about pairing wine and chocolate from Bill Sands & Jaren Whalen, Chef from Chalk, at the Midwest Culinary Institute. On Wednesday, attend a wine dinner at McCormick & Schmick's featuring Rodney Strong Vineyards. The Party Source, as usual, has a fun and eclectic lineup throughout the weekend, ending with A Taste of Germano's on Monday evening.

It's worth mentioning that for the next month, Germano's has their own recurring wine tasting event with light antipasti each Friday night, 6 pm, for $25. The Whole Foods in Rookwood has now officially joined the Friday night tasting fray as well.

For the full list of Cincinnati tastings, refer to our Google Calendar on this page.  For information on what's going on in Dayton, you can refer to Mark's blog at Uncorked.

Tell the retailers we sent you, and happy tasting!

The Friday Cincinnati image is from Brent Moore, via a CC license on Flickr.

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Cheers!

Featured Events

Friday, May 9
Columbia Center
Wine Tasting Fundraiser for Madisonville Education & Assistance Center
3500 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45226
513-233-2498
$30, 7 pm
Reservations required.

Saturday, May 10
City Cellars
Lobsta Bake
908 Race Street
Cincinnati, OH
513-621-9463
5:30 - 8:30 pm, $75
Reservations required.

Tuesday, May 13
Chocolate: Savory to Sweet Wine & Chocolate Pairing
Midwest Culinary Institute 
3250 Central Parkway
Cincinnati, OH 45223
513-562-2777
Learn the art of pairing wine and chocolate with Jared Whalen and Bill Sands
6:00 - 9 pm, $65
Reservations required.

Wednesday, May 14
McCormick & Schmick's
Rodney Strong Vineyards Wine Dinner  
21 E. Fifth St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-721-9361
6:30 pm, $68.95
Reservations required.

Thursday, May 15
3rd Thursday Wine Walk
O'Bryonville Business District
Madison Road
Special retail hours, complimentary wines and refreshments at participating merchants.
5-8 pm

Tags:Cincinnati Wine, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Wine Events, Cincinnati Wine Tastings, Cincinnati Wine Dinners, Wine Tastings 

WBW #45: Old World Riesling

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday is hosted by Tim at Winecast and focuses on Old World Rieslings. What is Old World? Well, Tim wanted us to pick a Riesling from Germany, France’s Alsace region, and Austria. We were happy to discover a German Riesling chilling in our storage fridge.

2005 Leitz Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Spätlese 

Leitz is located in the Rheigau region of Germany. I had the chance to meet Johannes Leitz last year, and I was impressed. This is a young winemaker, with the profession running through his veins. He’s incredibly personable and loves to share his wines. Here’s what Jancis Robinson has to say about Johannes:

Young Johannes Leitz is now one of the absolute superstars, not just of the Rheingau but of German wine in toto. By taking an analytical look at the small Rüdesheim estate he inherited when very young he has steadily improved wines into some of the most thrilling by reducing yields, using ambient yeasts, imposing stringent hygiene so that the wines can be fermented at a snail's pace on its lees.

This Riesling is a Spätlese, which refers to grapes that are selectively picked at least 7 days after the main harvest. Because such fruit is riper than the grapes from the main harvest, it contains more sugar and produces wines that are rich and sweet. The natural sugar must attain around 19-23% sugar by weight.

This wine was named for a donated Magdalene cross in a village that had been racked by the plague in the 17th century. The grapes are grown in loamy, garden-type soil. This wine has a lot of minerality and balanced acidity, thoroughly refreshing. We had the Magdelenenkreuz with some good ol’ American fried chicken, and it complemented the meal wonderfully.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. It’s a great patio wine – crying out for a perfect early summer evening.

Our review:

Thanks to Tim for hosting for the third time around!

Three Innings and Lunch

I'm not really a baseball fan, but I love to go to games. I like the people watching and the sun. Plus, if you sit by me, a foul ball is guaranteed to come your way. It just happens like that, and since I care not, I tend to get squished in the skirmish to grab the ball.

The Reds are launching Three Innings and a Lunch today, with the game against the Cubs.

Under the promotion, sponsored by the Business Courier, the Reds will sell tickets for $15 that include a $10 voucher for food at Great American Ballpark. Fans essentially get lunch plus a $5 ticket.

The deal covers any $14 ticket in the View level, which makes up nearly the entire upper deck. Despite the name, fans aren't just limited to three innings, although the promotion is aimed at downtown workers who may just want to stop by for a few innings, said Michael Anderson, Reds public relations manager.

The promotion is only valid for four other afternoon games and is not valid on July 4. Buy tickets here.