Stumbling Block

Folks, I've had a minor family emergency that kept me from posting the Friday post. So forgive me, and don't forget you can always refer to the calendar for information on upcoming wine events.

Thanks!
 - Michelle

Cincinnati Wine Events Calendar

Cincinnati Wine (& Beer & Spirits) Events are now listed in a Google Calendar, embedded here. Trust me when I tell you there are so many, it’s better to use the Agenda format seen on this page. To view more and more events, use the scrollbar on the right side of the agenda. Use the Arrow next to the drop-down menu to print either One-Time Events or Recurring Events.

Each week, we’ll call out a few featured events in a blog post, but all the recurring events are right here. (For information on Dayton, you can
refer to Mark’s blog at Uncorked.) If you know of tastings or events that we missed in the Cincinnati area, or if we have incorrect information, please email us (michelle at wine-girl dot net) and we’ll add it to the list.

You may note that the tastings in KY are mostly free, and the
tastings in Ohio charge at least .25. It’s illegal for a retailer to
give alcohol away in Ohio, so they charge you, but many times it’s a
nominal fee.

Tell them we sent you, and happy tasting!

Friday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Saturday Interactive Wine Tasting Map

Cheers!

Wine Fest Quick Review

Sent from my iPhone — www.write-tech.com www.wine-girl.net

Begin forwarded message:

> From: “Gerl, Kevin” > Date: March 28, 2008 4:45:10 PM EDT > To: Michelle Lentz >

> Kevin here with a few favorite things from this year’s festival: >
> Tgic importers (booth 101) They do a great job of walking through
> the levels of syrah and malbec. I’m not sure if the high-end wines
> will be available, but ask anyway. >
> > Pine ridge (83) djion clone chard and pinot noir are fantastic >
> > Mh usa (43) pinot meunier is a nice example of how a bubbly can be
> made still. >
> > Meeker (87) great all around. >
> > Four vines (145) nice for zin lovers 4 different styles of the same
> grape. >
> > Cutting edge (10-11) great spanish inporter >
> > Rhr (21) great R3 and late harvet zin >
> > That’s my quick notes. >
> >
> Sent by GoodLink (www.good.com)

St Patrick’s Day at Chalk

Always a restaurant to jump on the latest holiday, Chalk has a particularly fun menu for St. Patrick’s Day. Fun enough that I’ll be there tonight, eschewing green beer for a beer flight paired with my food.

Menu: 4 course meal, $32/pp
Guinness Cheddar Ale Soup
Fish n Chips
Lamb Sheppard’s Pie
Carbomb Cake
Beer pairing supplmental, $16/pp

See you there!

My Wine Education Named Top Cincinnati Weblog

The Cincinnati Enquirer announcement article follows, as well as the original press release announcing all 10 blogs.

The winners were DesignCincinnati by Drew Steinbrecher, who blogs on design and architecture highlights around the region, www.drew-o-rama.com/designcincinnati;
and My Wine Education by Michelle Lentz, who delivers a very tasty site
about the local and worldwide wine scene, and Cincinnati
hospitality/nightlife in general, www.wine-girl.net.

The winners beat out 60 other unique blog entries and will receive iPhones.

In the chamber member category, the winning iPhone went to Strategic
Public Relations by Kevin Dugan of FRCH Design Worldwide, who the
chamber said offers insights on the latest in PR developments and
issues locally and globally at http://prblog.typepad.com.

Chamber and CincyTech USA Name Region’s Top 10 Blogs

When
it comes to determining the best blogs in Cincinnati USA, the clear
consensus among the judges: A Top 10 list is not nearly enough.

The
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the region’s high tech initiative
– CincyTechUSA — received 154 nominations for 62 unique blog entries
in Cincinnati USA’s Best Blog Competition over the past seven days on
Cincinnati.com in a quest to name the best blog authored in Cincinnati
USA and the best blog authored by a Chamber member.

“We were
amazed by the quality, the passion and the diversity of the blogs
nominated,” said Bob Coy, president of CincyTechUSA. “Sadly, too many
top-quality blogs can’t be squeezed into one Top 10 list. And
determining the final two winners — who will receive iPhones — will
require yet another round of judging before we can make a tough, tough
decision and our announcement of the winners on Aug. 2.”

According
to Coy, the judges favored blogs created by a single author over blogs
written or produced by a collaboration or an organization. “We felt it
only fair to judge individual bloggers rather than pit a solitary
blogger against an entire organization with much greater resources,”
Coy said. “Even still, it was incredibly difficult to arrive at a short
list. It’s quite evident we have a vibrant and growing blogging
community in Cincinnati USA.”

Because the nomination process was
hosted and promoted by Cincinnati.com, bloggers who are employed by
Cincinnati.com, The Cincinnati Enquirer, CiN Weekly and The Cincinnati
Post could not be considered.

The top winners in the two
respective categories will be announced Thursday, Aug. 2, at the
conclusion of a Web 2.0 Bootcamp in the Chamber’s Learning Center,
Suite 300 of the Carew Tower, 441 Vine St.. They will receive the
hottest Internet gadget going: Apple iPhones. AT&T service is not
included. Pete Blackshaw — chief marketing officer of Nielsen
BuzzMetrics and a national authority on blogging, podcasts and online
video — will present “Consumer Generated Media: Blogs and Streaming
Video,” a comprehensive workshop that will cover the latest wave of
Internet business models, and how companies can leverage these
cost-effective tools to promote their products. Only four seats remain
for the Aug. 2 presentation and can be reserved by calling
513.579.3111. Cost is $175 for Chamber members; $300 for nonmembers.

The Top 10 Best Blogs In Cincinnati USA As Named By The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber And CincyTechUSA

“Building Cincinnati,” blogger Kevin LeMaster, coverage of Cincinnati development news, http://buildingcincinnati.blogspot.com

“Cincinnati Blog,” blogger Brian Griffin, political and progressive news and opinion in Cincinnati, http://cincinnati.blogspot.com/

“DesignCincinnati,” blogger Drew Steinbrecher, design and architecture highlights around the region, http://www.drew-o-rama.com/designcincinnati

“Fort’s
Cancer Sux”, blogger Melissa McLaughlin, Melissa’s (Fort’s) inspiring
journal of her quest to beat stage-four breast cancer, http://fortscancersux.blogspot.com

“Freckle
Photo,” blogger Melissa Speelman, outstanding photo journal by a local
art teacher documenting her family, friends, and classroom activities, http://www.frecklephoto.com

“Each
Note Secure,” blogger Joe Long, WOXY.com staffer who has his finger
directly on the pulse of the music world in Cincinnati USA and beyond, http://www.eachnotesecure.com

“Lance
McAlister,” blogger Lance McAlister, arguably the premier overall
sports blog in Cincinnati USA and the No. 1 fan site of
Pittsburgh-bound lightning bolt Valerie Abati, http://1530homer.com/pages/lancesBlog.html

“My Wine Education,” blogger Michelle Lentz, very tasty site about the local and worldwide wine scene, http://www.wine-girl.net

“Patent Baristas,” blogger Stephen Albainy-Jenie, provides pertinent information about intellectual property topics, http://patentbaristas.com

“Strategic Public Relations,” blogger Kevin Dugan, insights on the latest in PR developments and issues locally and globally, http://prblog.typepad.com

Back to Main Page

Special Wine Event at Liquor Direct

Next weekend is a big weekend in the Cincinnati wine world. There is the International Wine Festival, with dinners that start on Thursday evening. Grand tastings are held on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening. If you can’t make it to the Wine Festival, there are still a lot of great tastings going on in the area. In particular, Liquor Direct in Ft. Thomas is having a special session.

John Erickson, the regional manager for Wimbledon Wines (wines such as Cycles Gladiator, Hahn Estates, Calistoga Cellars, Mettler
and others), will be in the Ft. Thomas store on Saturday, March 24th. He’ll be doing a free seminar using several of his wines. These wines will be featured during the regular 12-4 tasting, but a formal seminar will begin at 1:30 pm. There are about 30 seats available, plus standing room. Even better, the tasting is open to the public and free. According to Kevin Keith, the wine guy for Liquor Direct, John is informative and entertaining.

This is the first time Liquor Direct has hosted an event like this and Kevin & I have already reserved our seats. For more information or to claim your seat, contact Liquor Direct Ft. Thomas at 859-781-8105. The store is located at 90 Alexandria Pike, right off 471 in Ft. Thomas, KY.

Liquor Direct has also updated their web site recently. Kevin Keith provides continuing wine education for the staff, which includes occasional "quizzes" and assignments. The web site now offers staff journals, which are wine reviews, or explorations, written by the staff as one of those assignments. The web site also offers a Blogs page, linking to several local and national blogs (thanks for the link guys! Much appreciated!).