It is now up to the 9th annual version located at the Newport Aquarium. This year they have continued the Top Shelf room for anyone who might be interested in a few higher end offerings. The participating restaurants run from BBQ to seafood, with a list being found on the LLS site.

Last year, I helped to pour both at the Party Source spirits table, featuring a selection of mescals, private barrel bourbons, and a rum. The Top Shelf area had a scotch selection that was similarly fantastic. I’m not sure exactly what the non-wine offerings will be this year, but the Praty Source team does a great job of making sure there options for everyone.

Both the food and spirits are in addition to the wine and beer options that are available. The exact list is a closely kept secret, but I have never been disappointed with the selections.

This is the first year that I am a committee member for this event and I encourage everyone who attends to let me know about your experience.

Date: November 10th, 2012
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Newport Aquarium
General Admission Tickets are $100
Top Shelf Tickets are $150
All proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 513.698.2457.

Recently, I celebrated my birthday at La Poste Eatery and Wine Room and it was one of the best wine and food experiences ever. We decided to have wine pairings with dinner.

Our first course was the Foie Gras on Banana Bread with a sliced Banana with caramelized sugar on top that had a maple carmel syrup finished with cracked sea salt. We had a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne. The hint of sweetness from the Champagne complimented the syrup and the Banana Bread and the driness of the brut matched perfectly with the salt. The Foie Gras melted in your mouth and had this creamy after taste.

The second course was an order of Ravioli with a field blend of mushrooms, fresh sage, cream, and parmesan reggiano. It was paired with Styring Estate Pinot Noir ’06, this was one of the best comfort combinations that I ever had. The Ravioli had a parmesan sage cream sauce with crispy pieces of sage on top that added a slight crispiness to the cream. The Styring Estate Pinot Noir was the perfect pairing. It was a very soft tasting with berries and finish with tannins. This is one of the best well balanced Pinot Noir that I have ever tasted.

The third course was fresh catch of John Dory, a nice crispy white fish with a wonderful red wine reduction with sliced carrots and sliced parsnips. A sweet and savory taste intertwined with the light fish was perfect and it was paired with Domaine Aubissieres Cuvee Silex Vouvray ’09.  It wasn’t tart at all, a slightly sweet taste of melon and fruits. I loved it because it didn’t have that sour taste that Sauvignon Blancs have. A wonderful summer wine that you can drink all summer long and for $16.99 a bottle with a 90 point rating from Robert Parker who wouldn’t want to.

The last course was a white chocolate bread pudding with dried cherries and a butter cream carmel sauce. It was paired with La Tour Vielle Banyuls dessert wine. First of all anything with white chocolate and bread pudding is exquisite. The taste that carried me into bliss was the port-style wine that in France they chill and drink it as an aperitif. This nutty, fruity dessert paired perfectly with the chocolate dessert.

I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves wines, food and wonderful ambiance.

February is shaping up to be a great time to be a beer drinker in the Cincinnati area. The weather’s cold and the nights are long, but there are an amazing number of events coming in the next few weeks. Here’s a quick rundown:

In a few weeks, it will be the inaugural celebration of Cincinnati Beer Week. An official site has popped up to try and track the various events around the city, but I recommend hopping over to the Hoperatives blog for their take on the latest information. Here are a few of the events about which I’m excited:

Thursday February 2
Party Town Local Breweries Backroom Brawl from 6:00 – 8:00pm
Party Town kicks off Cincinnati’s Inaugural Beer Week with a “Backroom Brawl” of only local craft brews featuring the “Cincinnati Beer Week Barleywine,” a collaboration between local brewers, and our 18 tap growler program voted “Best of 2011″ by Cincinnati Magazine! Cost $2.00

Friday February 3
Arnold’s Bourbon Barrel 1861 Porter Happy Hour Tapping at 5pm
In honor of beer week Christian Moerlein has remixed a batch of the Arnold’s 1861 Porter. Arnold’s is already the only place that you could get the Porter, but for this special release, Christian Moerlein will be aging the same beer in a bourbon barrel.

Saturday February 4:
Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha! from 07:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Cincy Brew Ha-Ha Winter Edition will bring all that has been enjoyed over the past 5 years indoors to the Cintas Center on Xavier University’s campus for its Winter Edition. This one-of-a-kind local event features top beers and top comedians creating the perfect recipe for a great time. From ales to lagers and pilsners to stouts, there is something for every type of beer aficionado – including 6 firkins! Cincy Brew Ha-Ha Winter Edition will feature over 80 selections of beer to sample and multiple comedians on 2 stages.

Additionally, there are a bunch of other events, including a 3 Floyds beer dinner at Tellers (2/8) and a selection of Left Hand beers on tap at the Hyde Park Cock and Bull (2/9) . This all leads up to the Cincinnati Winter Beer Festival on the 10th and 11th. Last year, this event was a great time and apparently it’s going to be even bigger this year. Click over to their site for more information and tickets.

On Feb 25, the Moerlein Lager house will be opening as part of the Banks, adding the first alternative to the Holy Grail, which opened last March. Tickets are $150 and the doors open at 6:30. More information can be found over on the Lager House official website.

I’m off to drink a Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere. That should help keep me sated until next month.

This Saturday I decided to go the Ohio River Valley 6th Annual Barrel Tasting. First off it was a beautiful day and what a lovely drive. Since I live in Northern Kentucky, I decided to go to Harmony Hill Vineyards  in Bethel, then to the Ripley to Miranda-Nixon Winery and then end at Kinkead Ridge Winery.

Disclaimer: When sampling wines that are still aging in the barrel are not complete or finished products. So when tasting them you can taste the potential of what they will be. All of the wines I will will be talking about came straight from the aging barrels.

My first stop was Harmony Hill Vineyards. As we drove back to the tasting room and the barrel tasting all we could think of was how beautiful and quaint it was. Harmony Hill is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and everywhere you look there are donkeys, fawns, birds, and many other wildlife. The Barrel tasting was held in the underground wine cave. We tried 2 wines a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chambourcin. The Sauvignon Blanc was good you could tell when it’s done aging it would be a crisp medium bodied wine. The Chambourcin was decent, but when you tried the finished product in their tasting room it was yummy. A great bold red wine with tastes of oak, currant, and pepper. My suggestion if you go to Harmony Hills go during their summer months, pack a picnic basket and buy a bottle of wine and listen to the live music. Its a whole entertainment experience.

Second was Miranda-Nixon Winery, this place was beautiful too! Not only can you see the acres of vineyards its next door to a horse farm. We sampled 3 wines from the barrel a Chardonnay, a Sangiovese, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chardonnay was amazing and it will be even more amazing once its finished aging. The Sangiovese was young of course but you could tell it had great potential when finished aging. I liked the Cabernet but I really thought the other 2 had more potential. There tasting room overlooks the hills of the vineyards and the horses on the farm. We tasted some of the wines in the tasting room and I fell in love with 3 of their wines. The 2010 Traminette (a crisp white wine that has a hint of sweetness), 2010 Catawba (a blush wine with hints of citrus and sweet), and the American Cabernet Sauvignon (a balanced cab with hints of berry flavors with a semi-dry finish). My suggestion go to their Saturday night tasting dinners $55 per couple accompanied with a bottle of wine with your choice of Salmon or Steak.

Now I have saved the best for last! My favorite Winery was the Kinkead Ridge Winery, they have their wines mastered. These wines will stand the challenge against of any wines anywhere. We first tasted wines as the finished product and then we tasted them out of the barrel. The first wine we tried was their Cabernet Franc and I all ready knew I wanted to buy a bottle. We tried 4 wines from the barrel and all of them were showing strong characteristics of big red wines. We started off with the Cabernet Franc which all ready had some tanins, a hint of cherry, and a little spice aftertaste. This was by far my favorite out of the barrels. I then tried the Cabernet Sauvignon which was on its way to be a full-bodied tanic cab. It was of course still in its young stage but it sure showed potential. Next we moved onto the Syrah which was a little more fruitier tasting or lighter tasting than I would expect from a Syrah. I’m sure after it’s fully aged and bottled the wine will be great after a few years of aging in the bottle. The last barrel tasting was a Petit Verdot this was also showing strong tannins and a spicy aftertaste. This will be the wine to buy when it gets released next year. Trust me when all of the wines get released next year, I’m going to be the first in line to purchase them.

] Pictured: I’m with the winemaker of Kinkead Ridge Winery, Ron Barrett, I bought the last bottle of Viognier/Roussanne which he autographed for my collection.  Here it is on their website.

Cheers and remember support all your local vineyards/wineries. You’d be surprised what’s in your own backyard.

Angela

Hello all,

In my spare time I like to come up with my own recipes for drinks. This is a recipe that I came up with while waiting for my Italian dinner to finish baking. I thought about some of the key ingredients that are in a lot of Italian drinks or foods for example vanilla, lemon, and white wine. What I came up with was something called Italian Sparkle.  Its light, has a hint of vanilla, and it adds to any dish.

The Italian Sparkle

¾ bottle of dry white wine
1 ½ oz of Ginger Ale
10 oz of club soda
1 ½ oz of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
¾ oz of lemon juice
2 oz of Apricot Brandy

Mix in chilled pitcher
Chill champagne flutes or wine glasses
Garnish the flutes or glasses with lemon slice

Serves – 8 champagne flutes

Raise a glass to fine Australian wines this fall at the Mollydooker Blending and Wine Tasting Celebration! Held on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Morton’s The Steakhouse Cincinnati, the event will feature Sparky Marquis, the award-winning winemaker and owner of Mollydooker Wines.

During the event, Marquis will lead guests through a tasting of several 2010 Mollydooker Leftys, named playfully after the fact that both Marquis and his wife Sarah are left handed. He will also invite patrons to participate in a fun wine blending session, where they will create and vote on their favorite blends.

Guests will also be treated to a three-course dinner and both Marquis and wine expert Michael Brown from Vintner Select will be available throughout the event to answer guests’ wine-related questions. The evening starts at 6:30 p.m. and the cost is $100 per person, including the tasting, blending, dinner, wine pairings, tax and gratuity. Space is limited. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.mollydookerwines.com.

The Mollydooker Blending and Wine Tasting Celebration Dinner Menu:

Appetizer
Miniature Crab Cakes
Blue Cheese Tenderloin Crostini

Entrée
Beef Filet with broccoli and mashed potatoes

Dessert
Double Chocolate Mousse

Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar will be hosting a German and Austrian Winemaker Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 20. The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a champagne reception, followed by a five-course gourmet dinner at 7 p.m. prepared by chef Stephen Williams.

In attendance will be German winemakers Johannes Selbach of Selbach-Oster, Harald Hexamer of Weingut Hexamer and Johannes Leitz of Weingut Leitz, along with Austrian winemaker Christine Saahs of Nikolaihof. All of the featured winemakers, as well as wine experts Jeff Hickenlooper of Vintner Select and Nicole Mersmann of Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar, will be available throughout the evening to answer guests’ questions about the showcased wines.

The cost of dinner is $75 per person, including tax and gratuity. Space is limited. For more information, or to make a reservation, please call 859-491-7777.

The Winemaker Dinner Menu is as follows:

First Course

Lobster Ravioli
Nikolaihof 2009 Grüner Veltliner Hefeabzug

Second Course

Smoked Scallop Crudo
Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2009 Riesling Kabinett

Third Course

Ossabaw Heritage Pork
Weingut Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg 2009 Riesling Quarzit

Fourth Course

Duck Stuffed With Braised Rabbit
Sattler 2009 St. Laurent, Neusiedlersee

Fifth Course

Duo of Hot and Cold Foie Gras
Weingut Leitz Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz 2009 Riesling Spätlese

Ahead of the Disney Epcot Food and Wine festival, Michelle and I stopped for dinner at Portobello in Downtown Disney. The past few years, we’ve kicked off our trip with Irish pub Raglan Road, but we decided to switch things up a little.

Eating at the bar allows for a choice of 4 different speciality meatballs. The beef, pork, or chicken meatballs are 1.95 each add a dollar for the salmon. You can also get a selection of 3 for 5.00 (6.00 if you pick salmon). Each type of meat is paired with a single spice to drive the pairing: Chicken with Sage, Salmon with Tarragon. My favorites were the spicy pork and beef meatballs, while Michelle enjoyed the chicken.

I was also able to try two beers from Orlando Brewing which is an organic brewery located not surprisingly in Orlando. I started with the EPA (English Pale Ale) which had a fantasic amount of malt to help balance the hops. There was almost a caramel flavor at the end right before the bitterness came in. It was a nice and round flavored beer that went really well with the Spicy Pork and Beef meatballs. The sage and the hops didn’t match as well.

For dessert, I tried a bottle of the Blackwater Porter, also from Orlando Brewing. Nice rich coffe flavor and a deeper color than I expected in a porter. The flavor was nice and paired well with one of the signature desserts, the Beerimisu. Michelle ordered this in order to keep her streak of trying Tiramisu deserts as often as possible.

Instead of an expresso, they added the same porter that I tried in order to get the roasted coffee flavor. It was a great switch that had us wondering if we could switch our tiramisu recipe at home to use a stout or porter. Nice and creamy with the light hint of coffee that Michelle prefers.

A great time the first night at the Meatball bar at Portobello in Downtown Disney.

You’ll recognize Bryant’s name from some of our more recent Wine Shop Wednesday posts, as both he and Chef Dave have been out at the Wise Owl Wine Bar in West Chester.

I got a call from Bryant this afternoon and here’s what I know so far. La Poste is looking to be a little of everything good, it sounds like. That includes having a “massive and all-encompassing wine list” that includes plenty of by the glass selections as well as by the bottle.

It sounds like primarily American cuisine. Bryant got excited as he described how they want to have a bit of the ambience of the a champagne lunch at the Waldorf in the ’60s, but don’t worry – they’re going to have primarily bistro fare and maybe a tasting menu so that Chef Dave can show off his stuff.

Tink’s is in a lovely location in Clifton on Telford and Ludlow. It’s a neighborhood restaurant and the owners want to cultivate that neighborhood feeling, hoping they have regulars. Happily, Bryant also told me he’d save a regular seat at the bar for me.

La Poste is set to open in Fall 2010.

The real wine dinner occurs next Wednesday night, April 21, and benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Cost is $150 per person (reservations). Peter Mondavi, Jr, will be live and in person for the event, which culminates in a live auction for a beautiful, specially commissioned 27 liter bottle of Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002. This bottle – weighing approximately 100 pounds, measuring three feet in circumference and filled with the equivalent of 36 standard bottles of wine or 180 glasses of wine – will be on display at Morton’s through the evening of the wine dinner.

I’m not a food blogger, nor will I pretend to be. While I loved some of what we had, much of it ended up on Kevin’s plate due to my absolute pickiness. But I did enjoy the wine and can tell you (with a little bit of help from Kevin), that everything paired perfectly. Again, the wines we had are not necessarily the wines that will be served on Wednesday night, but they are comparable.

Charles Krug Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2007: Filled with pears, apricots, and grapefruit; high in acid (very citrusy), and cut nicely through the seafood.

Charles Krug Carneros Chardonnay 2007: On its own, without food, I found this to be buttery and heavy. However, it paired wonderfully with the salad, which lightened it up considerably.

2004 Charles Krug Vintage Select Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine was paired with a filet, mashed potatoes, and a spinach-stuffed roasted tomato. I found a lot of roses and dark cherries on the nose. It was tannic, but it helped to clear the palate and paired perfectly with the roasted tomatoes, balancing out their acid.

It’s worth noting that we had a 2004, but the night of the wine dinner, participants will enjoy wines from the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintage.

Charles Krug Zinfandel Port: We took this port and paired it with various fruits and cheeses. The port was a lot more tart when paired with raspberries, for instance, but strawberries added an additional sweetness. Kevin and I both favored the port with the cheeses, in particular the Gouda, which brought out the raspberry in the port itself.

Interested in our Twitter conversation with Peter Mondavi, Jr? I captured it all and you can view the entire tweet chat after the jump.

Reserve your dinner spot online or call Morton’s at (513) 621-3111.

Twitter Feed from the Morton’s Blogger Preview

I pulled this feed from the wonderful WTHashtag. So here you go … the tweets to Peter Mondavi, Jr (winemaker at Krug) from Morton’s. Many of us submitted questions ahead of time. I submitted the questions in bold (answers are also in bold).

Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q1. What is the role of the cork vs. the screw cap? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A1 Twist-offs reliable! Protects fresh, young aspects of wine. Doing test w my favorite sauv blanc! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q2. Do different corks affect the taste/smell of the wine? How? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A2 Cork natural-there?s variability-quality contrl 2 ensure beaut flavors in our wines are protected. #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q3. What are the key differences between California and Washington wines? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A3 All about terroir-recognize which grapes grow best. WA being proven great place 2 make merlot, 4 exmpl. #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q4. How do harvesting times/seasons differ between varietals? Do planting times differ, too? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons @mortons_cinci A4 Whites come in 1st. Our sauv blanc harvest begins mid-August. Cab Sauv harvest can go thru end Oct. #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q5. What are some differences one can expect when comparing Californian, French, Australian wines? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons @mortons_cinci A5 New World tend 2 B more obviously fruity-Old World (French) R earthier and often more subtle. #mortons
charleskrugwine: @Mortons All in Napa Valley; Yountville, Carneros, St. Helena, Howell Mountain. Come visit sometime! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q6. In your opinion, what wine/varietal is most underappreciated or overlooked? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A6 Personally? Sauv blanc can B distinctive like R newly released 2009?tropical fruit, lemon-lime, pear! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q7. What wines do you recommend most for novice drinkers? How can ?newbies? expand their palates? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons @mortons_cinci A7 Start with lghtr less oaky whites. In reds, less tannic like pinot noir & zinfandel. Compare! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q8. What white wines do you recommend for pairing with steak? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A8 Prefer CAB with steak, but I?d probably go for an oakier, more robust chardonnay if I chose a white. #mortons
charleskrugwine: @Mortons Yes, 8 mos. Newly released ’08 on oak for 10 mos. It’s superb! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q9. Which glass tastes best ? first glass, middle or last glass of the bottle? Or does it matter? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A9 1st glass tastes best, last probably becomes slightly desensitized to the wine?s great nuances. #mortons
charleskrugwine: @Mortons @mortons_cinci of course, always depends on the wine! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q10. What subtleties will we taste in the Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 95, 98 & 06 we?re trying in Cincy? #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q11. In what direction you intend to take the winery now that there is a new dynamic due to the recession? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A11 Staying on course 2 Bcome great Napa producer Bordeaux reds tho’ may take longer than orgnl plans! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q12. Do you intend to launch any new labels? #mortons
@charleskrugwine:@mortons @mortons_cinci A12 Always a topic under discussion. We are considering a sister label. #mortons
Mortons @charleskrugwine Q13. What can fans of the Charles Krug label expect to see from you in the future?
charleskrugwine: @mortons_cinci A13 100% estate-grown grapes-all wines. Almost there-Goal to staying winery healthy & 100% family-owned #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q14. What?s your favorite Charles Krug wine? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons @mortons_cinci A14 Depends on many things-weather, mood, season and of course, what I?m eating! … #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons @mortons_cinci Re:Q 14 All our wines are food friendly and pair with any menu! #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Q15. What redevelopment is taking place at the Charles Krug winery right now? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @mortons A15 Big-Krug?s original Redwood Cellar-Creating premier barrel room & winemaking space for all Resv wines. #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Traditional wine mking is @ the heart of Krug Winery. Are there “non-trad’l” elements that you are exploring? #mortons
charleskrugwine: @Mortons_Cinci Our Sauv Blanc is stainless steel fermented, no oak for one. Our Generations blend is ever evolving #mortons
Mortons: @charleskrugwine Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us tonight. We enjoyed the conversation. #mortons
charleskrugwine: @Mortons Enjoyed tweeting with you all this evening. Hope you enjoy some Charles Krug wines soon.