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: