Cincinnati Wine Festival: THE Place to Try Some Amazing Wines

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By: Cresta

I am so glad I went to this year’s Cincinnati International Wine Festival. It was fun, well worth the price, and I was able to try some amazing wines. Plus $35 of my ticket went to local charities. This year’s event featured more than 100 wineries offering tastings of 600 or so different wines.

I went to the Friday Evening Grand Tasting. For about the first 45 minutes or so it wasn’t very busy. I was able to move around with no problem and I didn’t wait in line to taste most of the samples I wanted to try. Even after the crowd picked up, it didn’t feel overly crowded to me. A couple of the booths had small clusters of people but nothing unmanageable.

There were plenty of food stations with delicious appetizers spread throughout the area – cheese and crackers, mini quiches, gourmet olives. I was even able to grab some coffee on my way out.

I took Michelle’s advice and wore FLAT boots. Might not have been as stylish as the ladies wearing the skinny-minnie high heels but I was comfy. I also downloaded the event program Friday afternoon and highlighted the wines I wanted to try. I made it a point to mostly choose ones that I don’t normally drink, which worked out pretty well. I also roamed around a bit and randomly selected some others to try.

The majority of the pourers were very helpful and chatty about their wines. It was a little difficult to take notes, hold my glass and eat, but I’ll do my best in sharing some of my favorites.

Vintner Select Imports of France: 2010 Labbe Abymes, Vin de Savoie A clean, dry white wine made from the Jacquère grape. Light and tangy with floral fruit flavors.

World Wine Headquarters: 2010 Altivo “Vineyard Selection” Malbec, Argentina Very smooth. Dark berry flavor. Lively tannins and firm acidity.

Somerston Wine Co.: 2010 Highflyer Granache Blanc, Napa Creamy consistency with citrusy-lime flavor and a little bit of spice. Crisp acidity.

Dr. Loosen: 2010 Villa Wolf Gewurztraminer (Gold Medal Winner) Floral aroma with some spice. Clean, light and fruity.

Oyster Bay: 2011 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc Green pepper and grass notes with grapefruit and citrus flavors. Light and refreshing. Probably the best Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever had. The pourer told me that its deliciousness comes from the fruit’s longer hang time on the vine due to the excellent climate in the Marlborough region.

Treasury Wine Estates: Colores Del Sol, Malbec, Reserva, Argentina Very smooth, full-bodied, bold and flavorful – full of raspberry and cherry.

Firelands: 2010 Firelands Ice Wine I don’t know that this was necessarily one of my favorites, but it was quite different. Very sweet and grapey. The grapes stay on the vine until December and then they are pressed while frozen, so there’s not much juice that comes from the fruit. Therefore it’s very concentrated.

What were some of your faves? Comment here and let me know.

Posted by Cresta at 5:04 pm in Wine Misc | Permalink | Comments (3)

3 Responses to “Cincinnati Wine Festival: THE Place to Try Some Amazing Wines”

kathie says:

March 15, 2012 at 9:47 am

I went to the show on Sat. afternoon. My friend and I always pre-plan w/a copy of the guide what we would like to try.I prefer whites and a few reds. I liked La Ciboise Blanc (Terlato Wines), very fresh, Magistrate Santa Barbara co. Chardonnay (winery exchange)Unfi=ortunately I just wrote,’very good!’ And the final white was Flowers Chardonnay,(Huneeus Vinters)My fav’ of the day. We love going to the afternoon show, it is one of our favorite things to do each March!
Bill says:

March 21, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Was pouring for three of the four sessions, but still managed to try almost 100 wines over the two days. If you’re going to be serious, take along a clipboard to hold the program and extras you pick up and leaves a hand free for your glass. Anyway…

08 Duckhorn Goldeneye
09 Sean Minor Red Blend
09 Dashe Late Harvest Zin
09 Sivas-Sonoma Zin
07 Graziano Zin
09 McNab Merlot – gorgeous
08 Styring Cab
07 Highflyer Centerline
2011 Innocent Bystander Pink Moscato – Great palette refresher.
09 Cline Big Break – was closed out at $19.99. If at that price, it’s a steal
07 Dr. Loosen Eiswein – sold in .1875 bottles and $20 but a real treat
10 Cannonball SB
09 Cannonball Merlot – one of my favorites of the show.
07 Terlato Devil’s Peak
08 JAQK 22 Black Cab
09 Columbia Crest H3 Cab
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