My Wine Education

Don't Miss It: Who's Coming and What You Can Get

I know, I've been a lousy blogger in the last few weeks. I haven't done the weekly events round-up and daily posts aren't really happening. Because I'm one of only four people on the organizing committee for the Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship - and the big benefit is this coming weekend - I've been a bit distracted. I'll be back to normal after Saturday.

So, who's coming?
Our benefit can't help but be good when folks like Monika from Such a Redkat Blonde, Bob & the Mrs from 5chw4rtz, and Amy & family from Amy in Ohio are in attendance. Twitterer Chris Bergman is serving as our resident photographer for the night, wandering around and snapping photos of everyone and everything.

What'cha got to drink?
My living room has been overtaken by the wine portion of the Silent Auction. I can't wait for the event to be over just so I can have the room back.

As you can see, we've got a lot of wine.  Here's just a sampling:

• 5L bottle of Steele Syrah, with thanks to Kevin Keith
• 3 bottles of high end wine, including Chester Kidder, thanks to David Lazarus
• 3 bottles of Marilyn Merlot from Hyde Park Wine & Spirits
• 6 different bottles of Harmony Hill wine, including a hard to find and yummy dessert wine
• 2 bottles of Kinkead Ridge (in which we've also included wine glasses and a gift certificate to the Wildwood Inn)
• 1 bottle of Pommery Champagne from my Twitter friend Amy, basketed with a bottle of 1998 Bordeaux from wine blogger David
• A half-case of wine from Tim at CheapWineRatings.com
• 2 fantastic "Better Beer" baskets from Tom & Carla at Hoperatives
• a French wine basket from The Party Source
• 2 bottles of Spanish wine from Kevin & I, paired with a Paella Party from Paella at Your Place
• An amazing (seriously amazing) picnic basket from Tricia at Napoleon Ridge Farm and Nature Center that includes a nice bottle of Pinot Gris

Pouring: Hahn SLH Pinot Noir

On Friday and Saturday this week, I'll be hosting a tasting at Liquor Direct. On Friday, you'll find me at the Covington store and on Saturday, I'll be at Fort Thomas. My theme, of sorts, is Spring Wines (or perhaps, Wines That Remind Me of Spring). All week I"ll be posting the tasting notes for some of the wines I'll have on my table. Come out to the tasting this weekend - I'd love to see you  and the tasting is free!
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So, because some of my choices weren't available, we're only going to have one red wine on the table this weekend (but a lot of great whites). If you scorn reds, that's okay. Mike will have a whole slew of them on his table at the opposite store.

Our lone red for this tasting is the Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir. I think a Pinot is perfect year round, but because it's not as heavy of a red as say a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Zinfandel, Pinot Noir is a pretty good choice for Spring as well.

Back in January, I got to meet Adam Lazarre, former winemaker for Hahn, at The Party Source. I was instantly smitten with the man and his wines, so it was a no-brainer to put one of his amazing Pinot Noirs on my table.

Here are my notes for this particular Pinot from that Party Source event:

Ah, pinot. I love a good pinot noir. According to Lazarre, making the wine is easy - it's growing the grapes that's hard. I think a good pinot noir can be sexy, of all things, and Lazarre's pinots get sexier by the bottle. This one is a blend of four different vineyards. I found the nose to be smoky, with a lot of recessed fruit that was begging to be let out. The taste had a lot of black cherry in it, sort of velvety. I bet this wine would open up even more, given the chance. In my head there was a black cherry in a short skirt, strutting into a smoky bar.

So it's a sexy Pinot, and I bet you'll enjoy it. I hope to see you this weekend!

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Don't forget to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Dinner & Silent Auction. It's April 18, 6-10 pm. Buy Tickets Now. 

Pouring: McNab Ridge French Colombard

On Friday and Saturday this week, I'll be hosting a tasting at Liquor Direct. On Friday, you'll find me at the Covington store and on Saturday, I'll be at Fort Thomas. My theme, of sorts, is Spring Wines (or perhaps, Wines That Remind Me of Spring). All week I"ll be posting the tasting notes for some of the wines I'll have on my table. Come out to the tasting this weekend - I'd love to see you  and the tasting is free!
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You may remember that we had this at our Oceanaire brunch I wrote about last week. I was so taken by it that I begged the nice folks at Liquor Direct to order some for our tasting this weekend.

French Colombard is a white wine that McNab Ridge is growing to "preserve history in the county." Not many people grow French Columbard anymore, but it used to be quite common. It is believed to be an offspring of chenin blanc, another favorite grape of mine. Colombard was originally grown in France for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac (yum), so I'm not surprised I have an affinity for it.

This is an off-dry wine with 1.8% residual sugar. It had natural, bright acid. I noted that it was sweet, light, aromatic, and refreshing. Kevin noted the intensely floral characteristics, such as white flowers and pansies. During our more traditional first course at brunch, this wine added a bit of spice to the first course - or perhaps the food added the spice to the wine. It was certainly easy to drink and based on our own experiences, I think it might pair well with your own Easter brunch.
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Don't forget to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Dinner & Silent Auction. It's April 18, 6-10 pm. Buy Tickets Now.

Pouring: d'Arenberg The Hermit Crab

On Friday and Saturday this week, I'll be hosting a tasting at Liquor Direct. On Friday, you'll find me at the Fort Thomas Covington location and on Saturday I'll be at the Covington Fort Thomas location. My theme, of sorts, is Spring Wines (or perhaps, Wines That Remind Me of Spring). All week I"ll be posting the tasting notes for some of the wines I'll have on my table. Come out to the tasting this weekend - I'd love to see you  and the tasting is free!
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The Hermit Crab from d'Arenberg, Viognier Marsanne 2008

I went to Liquor Direct several times last week to gather up various white Rhone varietals - Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne ... I wanted to have at least one, if not several of these on my table. (Turns out, I'm having trouble coming up with a second red for the "I only drink reds" drinkers.) One of the bottles I took home was The Hermit Crab.

What a funny name. In fact, they call it the Hermit Crab to encourage you to drink this with shellfish and seafood. I think it would also work fairly well with ham, but don't quote me on that. I tend to pair things terribly. Hermit Crab also short for Hermitage, the French appellation where Viognier is grown. But this Hermitage is from Australia, a combination of McLaren Vale and the Adelaide Hills. The Hermit Crab is a blend of 72% Viognier and 28% Marsanne.

It's a nice pale straw / hay color. On the nose are a lot of peach and pear blossoms, lots of spring blooms and tulips. It continues to be a floral wine in your mouth as well. There is a little bit of fruit loops, which I love to find in any viognier, but it also tastes an awful lot like drinking flowers. Just because it's a floral white doesn't mean it's a wimpy wine though. The Hermit Crab is round and full, but is also nicely balanced with acidity and spices from the marsanne. It certainly disappeared quickly enough in our house.

Our review:

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Don't forget to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Dinner & Silent Auction. It's April 18, 6-10 pm. Buy Tickets Now. 

It's Spring! Come Taste with Us for Free! - UPDATED

Our friends at Liquor Direct always find a way to incorporate the local blogging community. This weekend, along with Mike from The Naked Vine, I'll be hosting another free tasting at their stores. We'd love for you to come out and join us.

Friday:  I'll be at the Fort Thomas Covington store and Mike will be at Fort Thomas Covington
Saturday: We flip. I'll be in Fort Thomas Covington and Mike will be in Covington Fort Thomas

I don't know what Mike has up his sleeve. I know I'm pulling out some white Rhone varietals, including a Viognier Marsanne, as well as at least one pretty sexy pinot noir from Hahn. My theme will be Spring Wines. Maybe I can help you find some wines for your Easter brunch or dinner. All week I'll be posting the tasting notes for the wines on my table.

So let's recap:

Friday, I'll be at Liquor Direct Covington, down near the river across from Skyline and Riverfront Pizza and near the Holiday Inn.
670 W. 3rd Street, Covington, KY 41011
Tasting: 4-8 pm
Cost: FREE!

Saturday, I'll be Liquor Direct Fort Thomas, right off the Southgate exit of 471.
90 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, KY 41075
859-781-8105
Tasting: 2-6 pm
Cost: FREE!

Pouring:

Saint-Meyland Brut
McNab Ridge French Colombard
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc-Viognier
D'Arenberg Hermit Crab Viognier-Marsanne
Qupe Marsanne
Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir

We hope to see you there!

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Don't forget to buy tickets for the 2nd Annual Krystal Pepper Memorial Scholarship Dinner & Silent Auction. It's April 18, 6-10 pm. Buy Tickets Now. 

Local News: Discounts, Tastings, and Paella

There are three interesting events / offers coming up at local wine shops. These are in order of occurrence, but make sure you RSVP soon for the Liquor Direct event listed at the end.

Tomorrow is the day when the new Kentucky tax goes into effect, raising your taxes in the middle of a recession. That's right everyone. Go buy your alcohol today!  In response to the tax, The Party Source is launching a new program effective April 1: The Party Source New Deal, which will help you combat the tax and save money when buying in bulk.

• 10% discount on solid cases of wine (previously 5%)
• 5% discount on mixed cases of wine (new)
• 10% discount on solid cases of spirits (previously 5%)
• 5% discount on mixed cases of spirits (new)
• 5% discount on mixed cases including both wine and spirits (new)

It starts to get a little more complicated when you start adding in sizes. For instance, a 3-5L bottle or a box counts as 3 bottles towards your case.  But if you hate math (like me), don't worry. The Party Source has provided a cheat sheet you can download that details the whole program. One last fun item on this - any wine or beer spirits orphans in your cart, outside of the case, gets a 5% discount.

Next, our friend Hector Esteve of Paella at Your Place will be at Chateau Pomije in O'Bryonville this Friday, April 3, for Casual Friday. The accompanying wine tasting will showcase the medal winners from the recent Cincinnati International Wine Festival. The tasting runs 5:30-8:30 pm and costs $15 per person.

Finally, Liquor Direct is having a nifty event on April 7 (next Tuesday). From 5:30 - 8 pm at the Fort Thomas location, you can enjoy a special event led by Bruce Neyers, owner of Neyers Vineyards near Rutherford (Napa). Bruce is also the National Sales manager for the excellent Kermit Lynch Wine Selections.  Bruce will lead the tasting and discussion centering around some of his own wines as well as some selections from the Kermit Lynch French portfolio. You can show up early for appetizers and a meet and greet. Spaces are filling up fast, so call 859.291.2550 or email Kevin to make your reservation. Oh, and like so many events at Liquor Direct, this event is free.

St Patrick's Day in Cincinnati

There will be no Weekly Event posting today, as Kevin & I are gluttons for punishment. We're heading to the industry/trade tasting at the wine festival, stopping for dinner, and heading back to the special tasting room and evening session. Thank goodness we're staying in a hotel. We're kicking off Saturday with breakfast at Hathaway's and then the Cincinnati never-ever-cancelled St. Patrick's Day parade.

A quick reminder that next week is also Restaurant Week. Now, onto St Patrick's Day.

Image Credit

In Cincinnati, our German heritage is forgotten as the St. Patrick's Day celebrations kick off on Friday night and continue all day Saturday on Fountain Square. Urban Cincy has a great round-up of the downtown events.

Metromix has an entire section for St Patty's Day festivities including all those great little pubs across the city. The folks at CinWeekly also have a few listed, and there are a couple of events listed on CityBeat / ZipScene.

2009 Wine Festival: 9 Things I'm Excited About

You can find the online guide here to help plan your visit: Online Tasting Guide and Map.

Please keep in mind that this is just the top 9 things I found when perusing the booklet, I'm sure there will be plenty of other surprises we find as we wonder around tomorrow. Let me know in the comments if I missed anything!

1. Live blogging the event tomorrow. This should be quite a bit of fun and make the quick wrap up easier on myself this year. You can follow it on our blog. I'll be twittering and Michelle will be moblogging.

2. Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana Wineries. This year the following wineries will be representing:

• Vinoklet Winery (Booth 4)
• Elk Creek Vineyards (Booth 11)
• Henke Winery (Booth 12)
• Burnet Ridge (Booth 24)
• Firelands Winery (Booth 25)
• Meier's Wine Cellars (Booth 78)
• Oliver Winery (Booth 120)
• Valley Vinyard (Booth 128)
• Tino Vino (Booth 131)
• Meranda-Nixon Winery (Booth 133)

3. Maryhill Winery (Booth 2). A nice selection of a few wines that Michelle got a chance to taste a few weeks ago and has been raving about.

4. Four Vines (Booth 20). This was on my list as one the the must stops last year and I happy to get a chance to try the 2006 vintages.

5. Reininger/Helix Winery (Booth 22). Another winery Michelle has talked about for the last few weeks and also not currently in our regular haunts.

6. Meeker Vineyard (Booth 37) had one of the nice balanced Chardonnays that I really enjoyed last year and I look forward to trying their 2005 this year.

7. Cupcake Vineyards (Booth 98) was a participant in the live blogging session at last year's Wine Blogger Conference and I'm glad they have come to our area.

8. Dry Creek Vineyard (Booth 117) is a favorite of mine. Another participant in the WBC last year and their Fume Blanc was served at one of the dinners. The Dry Creek appellation is one of those places in America that has a consistent taste from all the different wineries I have visited. If you have never tried them, I recommend using this opportunity to do so as they are available in the area.

9. Rounding out the evening with the Chocolate Amore from Trentadue Winery (Booth 113). This was a favorite of Michelle a few years back and is something to be enjoyed with it's rich choclate flavors that coat both the glass and palate. Drink it last though.

 - Kevin

Spring 2009: GCI Restaurant Week

My word, March is a busy month. No sooner do we wrap up the Wine Festival, than the Spring offering of Greater Cincinnati Independents' Restaurant Week happens. March 16 - March 22 you can visit 26 locally owned restaurants for a 3-course, prix-fixe menu for $26.09.

As I've said the last few times we have had Restaurant Week, this is a great opportunity to try some restaurants you haven't experienced for a great price.

We've had both good and bad experiences. I believe that, because they are bringing in so many new customers, restaurants should always put their best foot forward during Restaurant Week. However, we've had a mediocre experience at Tink, a passable experience at Red, and amazing experiences at Bella Luna, The Pub, and Chalk. So it runs the gamut. I still think it's a great deal and the restaurants will, hopefully, take advantage of the chance to show off a little.

Keep in mind that the $26.09 does not include drinks, taxes, or tip. However, we've noticed in the past that a lot of restaurants offer a paired wine flight for a special price as well. According to the GCI web site, some of the casual themed restaurants are offering dinner for 2 for $26.09!

Restaurant Week is such a deal that it's our Recession Deal of the week.

Participating restaurants are after the jump, and you can read full details on the GCI web site.

Wine & Shakespeare (heavy on the wine)

Saturday night, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is holding a wine tasting event at MicroWines as their 2009/2010 Season Announcement Party. CSC announces their new season and you get to try yummy, small production wines. I'm a big fan of MicroWines and a tasting there is an chance to try some unique, hard-to-find wines.

We'll be tasting

• Hofer Gruner Veltliner Weinviertel (Vienna)
• Domaine Barroubio Muscat Sec (Languedoc)
• Weingut Binz Spatburgunder (Baden, Germany)
• Sonnino Leone Rosse Toscana (Italy)

 

The tasting is open to everyone, but you do need to RSVP. Cost, because the wines are small production and this is a charity event, is $75/person. You can feel okay about that because a portion of the ticket price will be tax-deductible, and all proceeds go to help keep CSC happily afloat. The price includes the four-flight tasting and light bites by Funky's catering. If it matters to you, you also get the chance to hobnob with the actors.

Now, here's the really good part: each ticket enters you into the "door prize" drawing for the evening. As CSC announces each production in the upcoming 2009/2010 season, they'll draw the name of one attendee, who will receive a mini-lot of fine wines selected by MicroWines. There are seven shows, so seven winners. MicroWines is a small place, so I'm going to say your chances are pretty good.

There are two tastings: 5-7 pm and 8-10 pm. There is still room in both, but I know the early one is filling up faster. For reservations, contact Development Director Kelly Bollinger by email or phone: 513-381-2273 ext. 217. You can also fill out this form (PDF) and fax it to 513.381.2298. As long as you RSVP, you can still pay at the door.  Kevin and I will be at the later tasting, and we'd love to see you there!