What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

So tonite is New Year’s Eve, ushering out the old year and decade and welcoming in the new. Tonite, we’re just having a low-key evening including dinner out with friends and maybe back to their place. At the moment, I’m just leaning towards Dick Clark / Ryan Seacrest and some tea at midnight. It’s been a crazy busy year, full of travel and change. I’m hoping if I usher in the new year calmly, then 2010 might reflect some of that calm.

What are you doing? There are a lot of options, and I’ll point you in the right direction to find lists of parties. Don’t forget, the new Mynt Martini is now open on Fountain Square. I expect the place to give Tonic a run for its money, although I’ll take vintage cocktails over creative martinis any day. Amazing location though! If anyone goes, I’d love for you to write me up a review!

On to festivities:

• MetroMix has compiled a pretty good listing of the larger New Year’s Eve celebrations.
• ZipScene is listing over 130 New Year’s events. You have no excuse for not finding something to do. Bootsy’s and Red are included on that list.
• The Wise Owl Wine Bar in West Chester (sorry, no web site yet) has a fairly low-key New Year’s Eve event. You can RSVP online or call them at 513.889.2500.
• CityBeat has everything listed, from parties, to hosting your own dinner party, to a worst-case scenario survival guide.

And in case you overindulge – hey, it happens! – you can count on a free taxi ride home. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is sponsoring free taxi rides home as long as you’re within the 275 loop. The number to call (write this down) is 513-768-FREE.

Image by Flickr User Waldo Jaquith
via Creative Commons

Wine-Girl.net’s Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner Redux: Host and Hostess Edition

This week, Kevin and I are having a virtual (er, imaginary) Thanksgiving dinner (redux) with some of our wine friends. Monday, our retailer buddies arrived, with some amazing wine favorites in tow. Tuesday, the local wine bloggers dropped by. Today you get our own choices – just a couple of wines that we think might complement a Thanksgiving meal.

As you may have noticed this week, there is no right or wrong for a Thanksgiving wine. Drink what you like, just like your local wine bloggers and retailers.

After the jump, find our own Thanksgiving pairings.

Originally posted on Nov 26, 2008

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Wine-Girl.net’s Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner Redux: Local Blogger Edition

Kevin and I are having a virtual (er, imaginary) Thanksgiving dinner
dinner
(redux) with some of our wine friends. Yesterday, our retailer buddies arrived first, with some amazing wine favorites in tow. In this edition, our local wine blogger friends make a big entrance, and they’ve brought some big wine with them.

I asked each of them to “bring” their favorites for Thanksgiving
dinner. You’ll see that their tastes vary a lot, proving that there is
no right or wrong. Drink what you like, just like your local wine bloggers.

We’ve invited Tim Lemke from CheapWineRatings.com, Mike Rosenberg from The Naked Vine, and Jonathan Seeds from BestDrinkEver.net.

Tomorrow, you’ll get favorites from your host and hostess here at Wine-Girl.net, just in case you’re curious as to what we’d offer our guests.

After the jump, find the outstanding blogger choices.

Originally published on Nov 25, 2008

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Wine-Girl.net’s Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner Redux: Retailer Edition

Kevin and I are having a virtual (er, imaginary) Thanksgiving dinner
(redux) with some of our wine friends. In this edition, our retailer friends
have arrived first, and they’ve brought an amazing amount of wine.

I asked each of them to “bring” their favorites for Thanksgiving
dinner. You’ll see that their tastes vary a lot, proving that there is
no right or wrong. Drink what you like, just like our retailer friends.

From Dep’s Fine Wine & Spirits (formerly Liquor Direct), we invited wine buyer Kevin Keith and his assistants Jesse (ed. note: Jesse is no longer with Dep’s) and Shannon. The Party Source is represented by Danny Gold and Jay Erisman.

Tomorrow, you’ll get favorites from our other virtual attendees: the local wine bloggers. On Wednesday, we’ll give you our own recommendations in the host and hostess edition.

Some fantastic retailer favorites are after the jump.

Originally posted on Nov 24, 2008

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Virtual Thanksgiving Redux

Last year, I had local bloggers and retailers submit the perfect wines for a Thanksgiving feast. Because I have so many new readers this year, and because I’m still somewhat battling the flu and an inability to taste anything other than cough syrup, I’m reposting that series over Monday -Wednesday of this week.

Wishing everyone a happy  – and healthy – Thanksgiving week and a safe shopping weekend!

Image by Flickr user Hammer51012
via Creative Commons license