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February 2008
Here in America’s heartland, we’re voting — and tasting wines
The eyes of the world — okay, the country — will be on Ohio this week, as we Buckeyes wield an unexpectedly large role in deciding who becomes Leader of the Free World next January. How better to warm to that task than to sample from among the bevy of wines offered to us by local retailers and restaurants this weekend and later in the week? After all, if we’re gong to bask in the glow of all the national attention, we’ve got to be at our best, right?
And the wine folks are certainly doing their part, offering up gems such as Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Cabernet, Stag’s Leap Chardonnay, and wines from the likes of Ramey, Brewer-Clifton, Ken Wright, Melville, Cakebread, B.R. Cohn … good heavens we drink well here in the heartland.
The following list of wine tastings and special events comes to Uncorked via the heroic efforts of a Dayton-based listserv, which compiles the information. For more on Cincinnati-area wine tastings, visit my colleague Michelle’s My Wine Education blog. To access the Dayton-based list, simply click on “continue reading” below. And, don’t forget to vote on Tuesday! Cheers … Mark Fisher
First, a note: Here’s a beer dinner that came in late and didn’t make it into this week’s listserv list, but is a little something different: A four-course dinner accompanied by various beers will be held March 5 at the Amber Rose Restaurant. A brewmaster from Anheuser-Busch will be on hand. Price is $35, call Amy Zahora of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association at 461-6872 for more information or to make reservations. Now, on to the listserv’s sterling list:
Jay’s Kitchen Door Friday, February 29, 2008 4-8 pm 2006 Cave de Tain Marsanne 2005 Chateau Haut Gaudin 2005 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape 2004 L’Ecole No. 41 Merlot 2005 Pride Cabernet
Saturday, March 1, 2008 1-6 pm 2005 Chateau D’ Orschwihr Gewurztraminer 2005 Girard Artistry Napa Valley 2004 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 Les Forts DE Latour
Monday, March 10, 2008 Kenwood Wine Dinner $55 Thursday, March 27, 2008 ZD Wine Dinner $60 Wednesday, April 30, 2008 L’Ecole Wine Dinner $60 Monday, May 12, 2008 Wine Dinner with Alessandro Angelini $55 Saturday, May 31, 2008 Copper River Salmon Luncheon $65
Arrow Wine & Spirits Far Hills - Kettering Saturday, March 1, 2008 11-4 pm 2005 Huntington Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Anne Amie Pinot Gris 2003 Red Flyer Red 2005 Louis Jadot Cote de Nuits 2005 Lagier Meredith Syrah 2004 Robert Mondavi Private Reserve Cabernet
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood Friday, February 29, 2008 5-8pm Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Stags Leap Wine Chardonnay 2005 Atalayas Riberia Del Duero 2004 Melville Syrah 2005 Giorgio Moretti Borgeri 2006 Brown Bag
Saturday, March 1, 2008 1-6 pm Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco 2006 Gavi 2006 J L Chave Cote du Rhone 2006 Dare Cabernet Franc 2003/04 Culler Syrah 2004 Clio 2005 Bonus Bottle
DLM Washington Square Thursday, February 28, 2008 5-8 pm Ken Wright Cellars 2006 Vintage Pinot Noirs Carter Vineyard Abbot’s Claim Vineyard Canary Hill Vineyard Savoya Vineyard Encore Wine!
Saturday, March 1, 2008 12-5 pm 2005 Ramey “Sonoma Coast” Chardonnay 2005 Brewer Clifton “Rancho Santa Rosa” Pinot Noir 2006 Marquis Philips Shiraz 2003 Keenan Merlot 2006 Layer Cake Primitivo Encore Wine!
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, February 29, 2008 3-7pm 2005 Louis Latour Beaune Chardonnay 2005 Dierberg Pinot Noir 2004 Melville Estate Syrah 2003 Luigi Bosca Gala 2 Mystery wine
Beers: Allagash Four
Saturday, March 1, 2008 12-5 pm 2005 Abbaye De Santenay Meursault 2003 Field Stone Merlot 2001 Arcadian Syrah 2001 Ladera Cabernet 1995 Osborne Porto Mystery Wine
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 - 7 pm, Friday 11:30 - 8 pm Saturday 11:30 - 7 pm www.cuveewinebar.net Tasting from Friday, February 29 -Thursday, March 6, 2008 Ondine 2005 Chenin Blanc Ormonde 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Leese-Fitch 2006 Chardonnay Chateau Marot 2005 Bordeaux El Coto 2004 Rioja Crianza Pecan Stream 2005 Red Guado al Melo Bolgheri
Beer: Heavy Seas Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale (Clipper City Brewery) Saturday Food: Lamb & Bean Soup, Pork Belly Saturday, 10 minute chair massages 12:30-3:30.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 Soup Night! 4:30-7 pm
Monday, March 10 Louis Bernard Wines, Drop-In Tasting Tuesday, March 25 Wines from Argentina and Chile with Jorge Perez-Drop-In 5-7PM Wednesday April 16 Susan McCrea of McCrea Cellars, maker of premium Rhone Varietal wines in Washington. Drop-In Tasting 5-7 PM
Arrow Centerville 937-433-6778 615 Lyons Rd Centerville Friday, February 29, 2008 5-7 pm Beer Tasting New Holland Lucid Kolsch Style… Otter Creek Kolsch… Mad River Brewing Company Barleywine Ale… Goose Island Kilgubbin Red Ale… Harpoon Irish Ale
Saturday, March 1, 2008 11 am-5 pm Wine Tasting 2007Chateau Lamothe White Bordeaux… 2006 Cakebread Chardonnay… 2006 Root:1 Cabernet Sauvignon… 2004 Tittarelli Malbec Reserva… 2003 Fieldstone Merlot… 2006 Clos de Los Siete
Rue Dumaine www.ruedumainerestaurant.com Tuesday, March 5, 2008 5-7 pm Three 2oz tastes of wine and Chef Anne Kearney will be preparing a variety of hors d’oervres to accompany the wines. CAVE DE TAIN Crozes-Hermitage, 2004 SCHILD ESTATE Shiraz Barossa Valley, 2006 OWEN ROE Syrah Columbia Valley Ex Umbris, 2006
The Wine Gallery and Cafe, Corner of 3rd and Wayne Wednesday March 5, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM
Market Wine Imports, Second Street Public Market Saturday, March 1, 2008 8AM to 1PM. Value wine tasting!
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 937-320-9548 Wine Wednesdays 5pm to 8pm in the bar. Wednesday, March 5, 2008 FLIGHT ONE GEORGES DUBEUF JULIENAS Red Beaujolais, France, 2006 M. CHAPOUTIER Belleruche, Cotes-Du-Rhone, 2005 B.R. COHN Syrcab, Sonoma County, Napa County, 2004 HONIG Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2004
FLIGHT TWO CODORNIU Brut, Cava, Spain GELIDA DE MARQUES Brut, Cava, Spain, 2003 SONOMA-CUTRER Chardonnay, Russian River Ranches, 2005 PATZ & HALL Chardonnay, Dutton Ranch, Russian River Valley, 2005
Amber Rose Beer Dinner with Brew Master from Anheuser Busch Wednesday, March 5, 2008 7 pm $35.00 includes tax and gratuity 4 course meal, each course paired with a different beer To purchase a ticket call, 461-6872.
A Taste of Wine 90 S. Main St Miamisburg, OH 937.247-1120 Les Eymeries, Root 1 Sauvignon Blanc, Maysara Roseena, Zunio Merlot, Clovely Estate’s Queensland Shiraz, Root 1 Cabernet Sauvignon
March 5 Jelly Bean Wine Tasting March 13 Port Tasting March 14 Irish Beer Tasting March 15 Live music with Rob Snider March 19 Australian Wine Tasting
Winans - Dayton Mail Saturday, March 1, 2008 4-10 pm Diva Wine Tasting - Sat. March 1 Dayton Mall Location Only Drylands - Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand Rodney Strong - Chardonnay, Chalk Hill, Sonoma, California Goose Ridge - Red Wine Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington State Broquel - Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina Trinchero - Single Vinyard Merlot, Chicken Ranch, Napa Valley, California
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant February 29, 2008 6:30 pm, $70 per person plus tax (gratuity included) Five courses with five “leaping” wines… RSVP Stephanie Clemens 937.431.9765
L’Auberge
Monday, March 3, 2008
Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Wines with Dr. Dirk Richter
$85.00 per person
Diver Scallop, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Peas, Pancetta
Wine: 2006 Classic Riesling Trocken, Mosel
Grilled Vegetable Salad, Fennel, Baby Leeks, Treviso, Bitter Greens, Chorizo, Balsamic Vinaigrette Wine: 2006 Mulheimer Sonnenlay “Zeppelin” Riesling
Golden Trout, Olives, Farrow, Thyme, Citrus Gastrique
Wine: 2004 Graacher Dompropst Kabinett
Braised Pork Belly, Apple, Cilantro, Steel Oatmeal, Braising Jus Wine: 2006 Brauneberger Juffer Spatelese
Vanilla, Blue Cheese Souflle, Tarragon Roasted Pears, Whipped Apple Cider Wine: 2006 Veldenzer Elisenberg Auslese
Cork-n-Vine Wine Cellar in Troy, Ohio February 29, 2008 at 5 pm - March 7, 2008 Simi Chardonnay Macon Charmay Penfolds Bin 389 Shiraz The Show Cabernet Sauvignon, a Joel Gott Production Trapiche Oak Cask Malbec Domaine Pouy Chablis/Chardonnay
The Bob Dalic of Vintage Point Wines specialty tasting has been rescheduled for March 5th from 5:30 to 7:30
Miami Valley Wine & Spirits 943 West Main St., Tipp City, Oh. 45371 Friday, February 29, 2008 5-9 pm San Pietro Pinot Grigio Fattoria di Lucignano Chianti Santa Lucia Vigna del Melograno Baglio di Serramarrocco Nero d’Avola La Spinetta Moscato D’Asti
Bella Vino, Wine Merchant & Bar, Springboro, OH 45066 Thursday , February 28, 2008 5:30-7:30pm. 2006 Yalumba Chardonnay form Eden Valley 2006 Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache from Barossa 2004 Yalumba Shiraz from Barossa 2005 Jim Barry Lodgehill Shiraz from Clare Valley 2003 Adams Road Cabernet/Merlot from Margaret RiveR
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com Friday, February 29th at 7 pm - An assortment of organically farmed wines.
Saturday, March 1st, 3-6 pm - Employee Picks
La Petite France http://www.lapetitefrance.biz/ Reservations 513-733-8383 February 29, 2008 and March 1, 2008 “Taste of France” featuring the cuisine of Normandy. $40 Aperitif - Vouvray Appetizer- Baked omelette aux epinards (with spinach) Entree - Poulet au Camembert (chicken breast in Camembert cream sauce) Dessert - Apple maple crepe
Friday evening, March 14, 2008 Wine dinner, “Ciao Italia”. $60 per person. Aperitifs will be served at 6:30pm.
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Wine reaches every corner of the globe — and we do mean EVERY corner
You and I have already concluded that we are part of a powerful trend right here in the good ol’ USA, but two stories hot off the Decanter.com presses this morning illustrate just how deeply wine’s influence is being felt in some rather unexpected places throughout the world.
First, a story on how two wine-auction houses, one based in New York and the other in London, are arranging auctions in Hong Kong . The firms Bonhams and Acker Merrall & Condit say their plans represent an effort to cater to affluent China’s soaring taste for fine and rare wines.
Second, an eyebrow-raiser entitled Arab wine production set to increase, which reports that Syria, of all places, is poised to begin producing wine, joining a growing list of Arab countries surrounding the Mediterranean.
“Wine production and quality in Algeria, Eygpt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia is experiencing a ‘renaissance’ and ‘blooming’ following years of civil war, nationalization and religious opposition,” the Decanter story says.
This is certainly not the image (or perhaps stereotype) that I have of those countries. You?
Behold, the magical blend of fermentation and grapes. Certainly does shrink the world a bit, doesn’t it?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Share your memories of the Peerless Mill Inn
It began in 1828 as a sawmill on the Miami & Erie Canal, and it has served generations of Dayton-area diners since it became a restaurant 79 years ago. But now, battered by increased competition and the weight of huge loans he had to take out to rebuild after a devastating fire, the owner of the Peerless Mill restaurant in Miamisburg has decided to close April 30, according to a Dayton Daily News story I wrote for today’s editions.
The restaurant is in foreclosure, and owner Gary Wiegele said both he and his restaurant are broke. He is, however, hoping customers come by for a last dinner or two before April 30.
If you grew up in the Dayton area, chances are you ate at Peerless Mill at some point. I know I did, on more than one occasion, starting with Mother’s Day dinner when I was 8 or 9. I seem to remember the restaurant served very good prime rib, but as a kid, what really captured my attention were the crunchy radishes and carrot sticks and a cup of cheese spread that were the first thing brought to every diner’s table.
Anybody else have any “Peerless” memories to share? You can tell us here on Uncorked by clicking on the “post your comment” link below, or you can join readers of our home page who are commenting on the loss of Peerless Mill — an invitation several readers with strong opinions about the restaurant’s recent performance have already taken advantage of. Or, better yet, you can leave comments in both places, if you’d like.
Mark Fisher
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Animal rights activists: heroes or thugs?
Check out this Decanter.com story entitled “Michelin restaurant drops foie gras after protest vandalism”.
Now, there’s no doubt the treatment of geese and ducks that leads to the production of foie gras is disgusting. But rather than revealing, debating and educating, the Animal Liberation Front resorted to illegal tactics to intimidate a private business to do what what the activists demanded. And those tactics worked.
Are these animal rights protesters heroes or thugs? Are they activists, or are they terrorists?
Mark Fisher
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Araujo vertical, 1991-2004: tasting every vintage of a cult wine
Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world’s most sought-after wines, and has been since its debut vintage in 1991, the year after Bart and Daphne Araujo purchased the historic Napa Valley vineyard from Milt and Barbara Eisele.
Simply put, bottles of this wine are impossible to come by, or when they do become available at auction, the wines are astonishingly expensive, selling for several hundred dollars a bottle (A four-bottle vertical of this wine, vintages 2001 through 2004, attracted a bid of $1.300 just yesterday on Winebid.com..
Three Dayton-area wine enthusiasts who taste wines together started comparing notes on their partial Araujo collections and discovered that together, they had a full vertical - at least one bottle from every vintage from the label’s inception in 1991 through 2004. They often threatened to combine forces for a full retrospective tasting, but frankly, that’s the kind of tasting that is talked about but often never comes about.
Except this time, it did. Boy, did it ever.
Earlier this month, a small group gathered at the Springboro home of Mark Dreher, one of the Araujo collectors, who organized the tasting along with his fellow Araujo vintage owners George Punter and Brent Bamberger. (Punter also oversees the wine department at Dorothy Lane Market’s Oakwood store, by the way.) Punter’s son, George Punter III, and his son’s former restaurant colleague Dave Nelson, both culinary school grads/chefs in the Louisville area, came to Dayton to prepare a multi-course meal to accompany the wines.
That is a recipe for an unforgettable evening. First, here’s the menu that the young Punter and Nelson prepared, and the order and flights in which the wines were served:
— California Duck Confit Roll with Carr Orange w/soy glaze (served with assorted Burgundies as a warmup to the Araujos)
— Lamb “Lolli” w/Potato Gratin with red wine essence (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1991-92-93)
— Tuna Steak Au Poivre (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1994-95-96)
— Risotto Gorgonzola Fritter with micro greens (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 1997-98-99)
— Pork Mignon with Pan Truffle Sauce (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 2000-01-02)
— Monkfish w/Lobster Sauce (served with Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet 2003 & 2004)
— Key Lime Cheese Cake with Guava/Raspberry Garnish
More on the dinner later. First, the wines (Note: these vintage tasting notes are a collaboration between fellow attendee Doug Lehrer and myself):
— 1991 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Cassis and dark fruits dominate the aromas, which initially had to be coaxed with vigorous swirling. On the palate, the wine shows tremendous power and concentration, with a solid core of fruit, a firm structure and backbone of acidity. Chocolate notes pave the way to a long, balanced finish. This wine is still bound by fierce tannins, and there was some discussion of whether/when this might soften (and what fruit will remain). The consensus was that the wine has years of beautiful drinking ahead of it. This got the most votes for ‘wine of the night.’ What a debut vintage!
— 1992 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Much more French in styling, with iodine and lead-pencil notes intermingling with very bright and forward cassis in the nose. Complex flavors. The solid core of fruit sneaks through in the finish. Some tasters found the wine (in stark contrast to the 1991) a bit short on structure, and overall a little softer than they would have preferred.
— 1993 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The cork crumbled upon removal, and the wine initially exhibited a burnt toast-dill pickle juice nose that seemed like oxidation. But those components largely dissipated with airing, and the wine’s flavors of chocolatey fruit were a pleasant surprise. It was the structural “baby bear” of the 91-92-93 flight, neither too soft nor too tannic. Some found the finish a bit short.
— 1994 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: The nose was initially rather muted and had just a touch of the oxidative notes described for the 1993 & 1995, and it seemed the wine was going through a closed stage. Initial notes of grilled meat yielded with time to the signature fruit aromas that the entire collection displayed. In contrast to the reticent nose, the flavors were explosively fruity, almost jammy, from the start. Not as complex as some of its stablemates, but that could change with more time in the bottle.
— 1995 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Initially, this wine had aromas almost identical to the ’93 - burnt toast and pickle juice. Again, amazingly, those aromas faded with airing, and the wine revealed a solid core of fruit and very fine tannin-acid structure. It proved to be a very complete wine, full vibrant aromas, vivid flavors, silky mouthfeel, and long, satiny finish.
— 1996 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Balanced and complete, with a meaty, eucalyptus-accented nose intermingled with red and black fruits. Giving the sweetest impression of the 1990’s wines, the fruit rides through the moderately long finish. A rich, deep and complex wine.
— 1997 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Everything that the 1996 displayed, this ’97 exhibited as well, with perhaps a bit more toasty oak and tannin, but everything in the proper balance for a long life ahead. Showing remarkable complexity, perfect acidity, and a tremendously long finish that really struts its pedigree, this is what California cab was meant to be.
— 1998 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Vanilla aromas mingle with red fruits, this well-balanced wine seemed a bit more straightforward than the previous two blockbuster vintages, with solid fruit dominating the medium-length finish. While it made a very nice showing for an oft-dismissed vintage, it certainly suffered in comparison to its flight-mates — the 1997 and 1999.
— 1999 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Initially a bit closed on the nose, with concentrated flavors of cassis and blueberries, as well as a touch of saddle leather, finishing with an intriguing and appealing trace of bitterness.
— 2000 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Bright, gushy fruit dominates the nose, and is confirmed on the palate, which packs in plenty of dark fruits and cassis. This is a wine that isn’t showing all of its dimensions yet, although with a long and inviting finish, who can complain?
— 2001 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Concentrated dark berry fruits dominate again, this time with a more chocolatey component adding interest. This wine had the most impressive density of the flight (00-01-02) and finished beautifully.
— 2002 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: A young, packed wine with a muted nose for now, but a concentrated core of fruit, glycerin and chocolate notes, and that pleasant trace of bitterness in the finish that the ’99 also displayed. Some tasters thought the structure a bit soft, particularly given its tender age.
— 2003 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Dark fruit shares the stage with iodine and chocolate on the nose, which also delivers a bit of an alcohol tickle. The alcohol (14.6%) makes its presence felt in the finish as well, and not very pleasingly (especially given the condition of the tasters!).
— 2004 Araujo Estate Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: Nose is peppery and hot, reminiscent of Australian shiraz. This wine is almost liqueur-like, with plenty of glycerin, but the alcohol (14.8%) cuts short the finish. The final two wines seemed to emphasize alcohol and glycerin more than their predecessors, which makes me wonder about their ageability.
The wines delivered great pleasure, and the ability to taste the full vertical was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were all impressed by the judicious use of oak by the winemaker, never making itself an obtrusive note in even the youngest wines. The final two wines seemed to emphasize alcohol more than their predecessors — Araujo collectors can judge that development for themselves, over time. Overall, the wines were stunning, and this tasting was an education unto itself, a chance to explore the development of one of California’s flagship cabernets.
Now, about the food. Many of us, by the end of the night, remarked that we were just as impressed - if not more impressed - by the fabulous meal we were served as we were by the wines. Punter and Nelson put together a succession of creative, satisfying dishes to complement the wines. In particular, the Pork Mignon with Pan Truffle Sauce, which the chefs said they have spent years perfecting, elevated pork tenderloin to new heights. If these guys ever open a restaurant in Louisville - or anywhere else, for that matter - we’re talking road trip!
By night’s end, each of us felt a bit like Bacchus. And I think we looked like him, too.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
(Photo courtesy of Jon Warner)
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At what price is a Cotes du Rhone no longer really a Cotes du Rhone?
One of the absolute hits of Arrow Wine’s “Super Saturday” last weekend (Feb. 16 at the Far Hills store) was the 2006 J.L. Chave “Mon Coeur” Cotes du Rhone. The wine is huge, young, packed and delicious. It also costs $26.
Another wine retailer — this one in California — is selling a different Rhone producer’s 2006 Cotes du Rhone for $35.50, and a Cotes du Rhone “Reserve” for $47.50.
My question is: aren’t those Chateauneuf-du-Pape prices?
I guess those higher prices for imported wines — courtesy of the dollar’s weakness against the Euro — are starting to hit home. Chave does make one of the best wines in the world, the winery’s now-astonishingly-expensive Hermitage. And compared to the less expensive Chateauneuf-du-Papes that are in the same price range as the Mon Coeur, Chave’s Cotes du Rhone bottling may well be every bit as good, if not better.
But I sure do miss the days of great $6.99 Cotes du Rhones. You?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Tastings: Super Saturday at Arrow South, Vision Cellars at Mesh, and more
An inspiring lineup of wine tastings and events awaits, courtesy of the Dayton-based wine listserv that meticulously compiles the information to help us plan our week’s wine strategy.
The events include a “Super Saturday” wine tasting from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Arrow Wine’s Centerville store (a list of wines to be tasted is available on the “continue reading” link). Also, I received late word via email from Adam Shobert of Wineworks Ohio that Mac McDonald, winemaker and owner at Vision Cellars, will be pouring a few of his wines on Monday, February 25th from 5 to 7 p.m. in the lounge at Mesh restaurant in West Chester. Chef Paul Sturkey and his team will be preparing heavy appetizers for this casual meet and greet event. The cost is $25 per person.
The following wine-tasting list comes to Uncorked courtesy of a Dayton-based listserv and is copied and pasted here.
Jay’s Kitchen Door Friday, February 22, 2008 4-8 pm Five wines! Always a great tasting!
Saturday, February 23, 2008 1-6 pm Four wines worth tasting!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 7 pm Ridge Dinner $60 Ridge Litton Springs Zinfandel Pan-Seared Salmon with Sauteed Mushrooms, Baby Greens, Toasted Pine Nuts and Fresh Goat Cheese Pagani Ranch Grilled Marinated Quail with Caramelized Onion Tart, Balsamic Reduction Ridge Montebello Cabernet Crusted Rack of Lamb with Dijon Herb Spaetzle and Ragut of Vegetable with Tomato Rosemary Sauce Apricot Peach Turnover
Arrow Far Hills - Kettering Saturday, February 23, 2008 11-5 pm chateau cap de faugeres 2005 miller syrah sage cayon 2004 rosenblum 2005 viognier red tree petite sirah 2005 hermitage du pic st. loup coteaux du languedoc 2004 rex hill 06 pinot noir
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood Friday, February 22, 2008 5-8pm Lunetta Prosecco Paradiso Pinot Grigio 2006 Sfida Primiovo Blend 2006 Chateau Beaulieu Cotes de Provence 2003 Terra Valentine Cab Spring Mountain 2004 Brown Bag
Saturday, February 23, 2008 1-6 pm Egly-Ouriet NV Brut Chateau les Eymeies 2006 White Burgundy Dierberg Pinot Noir 2005 Devole Pinocchio 2006 Ferreria Vintage Port 1995 Bonus Bottle!
DLM Washington Square Thursday, February 21, 2008 5-8 pm 2006 La Cadalora Pinot Grigio 2005 Louis Jadot Meursault Charmes 2003 Lirac Cotes du Rhone 2004 Chateau Ste Michelle Orphelin 2005 Pertimali Rosso di Montalcino Encore Wine!
Saturday, February 23, 2008 12-5 pm 2006 Maculan Pino & Toi 2005 San Pietro Pinot Noir 2006 SFIDA Rosso 2005 Leone Rosso 2003 Mazzi Amarone 1999 Montellori Vin Santo Encore Wine!
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, February 22, 2008 3-7pm 2006 Borra Vineyards White 2004 Borra Vineyards Red 2002 Reininger Merlot 1999 Conn Valley Cabernet Mystery wine
Beers: Dogfish Head Red & White
Saturday, February 23, 2008 12-5 pm 2003 Fontica Italian White 2005 Chappellet Chardonnay 2001 Vinaguarena Tinta del Toro 2001 Pira Barolo 2006 Ortman Cuvee Eddy Mystery Wine
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 - 7 pm, Friday 11:30 - 8 pm Saturday 11:30 - 7 pm www.cuveewinebar.net Tasting from Friday, February 22 -Thursday, February 28, 2008 Vignalta Sirio 2006 Moscato del Veneto Borra 2006 White Fusion Esterlina 2005 Chardonnay Heitz 2005 Grignolino Vignalta Gemmola Ben Marco 2005 Malbec
Beer: Heavy Seas Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale (Clipper City Brewery) Saturday Food: TBA Saturday, massage will be here 12:30-3:30 providing10 minute chair massages.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Soup Night! 4:30-7 pm Featuring Fieldstone Wines with Chris Foster of Fieldstone Winery
Wednesday, February 27-Drop-In Tasting featuring Fieldstone Wines 5-7PM Monday, March 10 Louis Bernard Wines, Drop-In Tasting-time to be announced. Tuesday, March 25 Wines from Argentina and Chile with Jorge Perez-Drop-In 5-7PM Wednesday April 16 Susan McCrea of McCrea Cellars, maker of premium Rhone Varietal wines in Washington. Drop-In Tasting 5-7 PM
Arrow Centerville 937-433-6778 615 Lyons Rd Centerville Friday, February 22, 2008 5-7 pm Beer Tasting Land Shark- Margaritaville Brewing Co…. Red Tulip Ale-Holland… Obovoid Emperical Stout- Boulder Brewing Co…. Sun Dog- Amber Wheat… Bell’s Sparkling Ale
Super Saturday, February 23, 2008 11 am-5 pm Wine Tasting 2006 Lioco Chardonnay… 2005 Artazuri Garnacha… 2005 Cinnabar Mercurey Rising Red… 2005 Molino Nebbiolo… 2005 J,R.E. Zinfandel “Tradition” 2005 Rosenblum “Kathy’s Vineyard” Viognier… 2000 Altemasi Italian Sparkling Wine… 2005 Zingari Toscana Red… 2003 Constant “Diamond Mountain” Cabernet Sauvignon… 2006 E.O.S. Tears of Dew Moscato… 2006 Beringer Alluvium Blanc… 2007 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc… 2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hills Shiraz/Cabernet… 2006 Hanna Chardonnay… 2006 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir… 2004 Kendall-Jackson Merlot… 2005 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon… NV Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs…
Rue Dumaine www.ruedumainerestaurant.com Tuesday, February 26, 2008 5-7 pm Three 2oz tastes of wine and Chef Anne Kearney will be preparing a variety of hors d’oervres to accompany the wines. MOULIN DE LA LAGUNE Haut-Medoc, 2000 ROBERT PECOTA Cabernet Sauvignon Kara’s Vineyard,2006 WAKEFIELD Cabernet Sauvignon Clare Valley St. Andrews, 2002
The Wine Gallery and Cafe, Corner of 3rd and Wayne Wednesday February 27, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM The French Connection Lacour Peyrade Bergerac Domaine Georges Brunet Vouvray Chateau Des Tuquets Bordeaux Domaine du Grand Bouqueteau Chinon Domaine Andreotti Old Vine Pinot Noir
Thursday, February 28, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM February Beer Tasting featuring AVERY Beers Red Point Ale IPA Karma New World Porter Salvation (Large format)
Market Wine Imports, Second Street Public Market Saturday, February 23, 2008 8AM to 1PM. Value wine tasting!
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 937-320-9548 Wine Wednesdays 5pm to 8pm in the bar. Wednesday, February 27, 2008 B.R. Cohn Chardonnay, Carneros, 2005 Chateau les graves de barrau Bordeaux, France, 2002 B.R. cohn Red Wine, North Coast Doobie Red Series, 2004 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley Olive Hill Estate, 2004
A Taste of Wine 90 S. Main St Miamisburg, OH 937.247-1120 Seghesio Arneis,Paul Newman Chardonnay, Paul Newman Cabernet Sauvignon, Seven Peaks Merlot, Seven Peaks Syrah, Gran Sangre de Toro. Featured beer: Landshark February 22 - German Beer Tasting March 5 Jelly Bean Wine Tasting March 13 Port Tasting March 14 Irish Beer Tasting March 15 Live music with Rob Snider March 19 Australian Wine Tasting
Trader Joe’s in Kettering. Tastings Thursday 6:00 to 8:00 and Sunday 4:00 to 7:00. Newton’s Folly Authentic Draft Cider and Draft Granny Smith Cider - Vermont. Feudo Zirtari Bianco - Chardonnay and Inzolia (2005) IGT Sicilia, Italy. Feudo Zirtari Rosso - Cabernet Sauvignon and Nero d’Avola (2003) IGT Sicilia, Italy. Villa Borghetti Valpolicella Classico (2006) DOC Valpolicella, Italy.
Winans - Dayton Mail Saturday, February 23, 2008 4-10 pm Goose Ridge, Red, 2004 Trinchero, Chicken Ranch Single Vinyard, Merlot Rodney Strong Chardonnay, 2005 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc, 2007 Trapiche Broguel Malbec, 2005
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant February 29, 2008 6:30 pm, $70 per person plus tax (gratuity included) Five courses with five “leaping” wines… RSVP Stephanie Clemens 937.431.9765
Cork-n-Vine Wine Cellar in Troy, Ohio February 22, 2008 at 5 pm - February 29, 2008 Gagliardo Villa Moscato Chateau St. Jean Fume Blanc Sonoma Toad Hollow Pinot Noir Rose Boarding Pass Shiraz Simi Cabernet
February 27, 2008 from 5:30 - 7:30 Bob Dalic of Vintage Point Wines Layer Cake Joseph Carr Stone Cap Goose Ridge Gold Luna
Miami Valley Wine & Spirits 943 West Main St., Tipp City, Oh. 45371 Friday, February 22, 2008 5-9 pm Lotus Cabernet Sauvignon Lotus Merlot Lotus Chardonney R&B Saxy Syrah Francois Montand Brut Rose
Bella Vino, Wine Merchant & Bar, Springboro, OH 45066 Thursday , February 21, 2008 5:30-7:30pm. Willi Haag Riesling-Kabinett Bouchard Aîné & Fils Pinossimo Pinot Noir Paraiso Syrah Domaine Michel Poinard Crozes Hermitage “Irreverente” Portugal Red
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com Friday, February 22, 2008 7 pm: Washington State Wines from Bergevin Lane Vineyards
Saturday, February 23rd, 3-6 pm OTBN (Open That Bottle Night)
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 7-9 pm Wine Dinner at Guenther’s Steak & Seafood
La Petite France http://www.lapetitefrance.biz/ Reservations 513-733-8383 February 29, 2008 and March 1, 2008 “Taste of France” featuring the cuisine of Normandy. $40 Aperitif - Vouvray Appetizer- Baked omelette aux epinards (with spinach) Entree - Poulet au Camembert (chicken breast in Camembert cream sauce) Dessert - Apple maple crepe
Michael Anthony’s at The Inn Friday February 22, 2008 7:30 P.M. $85.00/person All Inclusive Celebrating Syrah with Palmeri Wines RSVP 937.526.3020
DiStefano Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Spicy Hummus with Crispy Flat Bread Country Pate En Croute Georges Bank Cod in Saor
Mandolin Chardonnay 2006 Oven Roasted Roma Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella, Basil Pesto and Pinenuts
Palmeri Napa Valley Syrah Van Ness Vineyard 2004 Eggplant Involtini with Fresh Ricotta Cheese and Scallions
Palmeri Napa Valley Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard 2004 Roasted Red Pepper and Mushroom Soup
Palmeri Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah Stagecoach Vineyard 2003 Fresh Mahi Mahi with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Fresh Herbs and Linguini
Green Mountain Organic French Roast Coffee LimonCello Sorbetto
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Your very own fantasy wine
If you had a chance to make your perfect dream wine, what would it be? Which grape varieties? Where from? How much oak? Full malo? Stainless steel or barrel fermentation?
The idea comes from a press release I received from Christine Piccin, representing Sonoma Grapemasters, which basically offers wine enthusiasts the chance to create their dream wine. Of course, unlike Grapemasters, sharing your dream wine ideas here on Uncorked is free.
I have several cuvees in mind. Here’s a California version: A Syrah, sourced from the central coast (Paso Robles or Santa Barbara), picked at a modest ripeness level to hold down alcohol and preserve that white pepper-bacon fat quality that northern Rhone wines exhibit, very modest oak (say, 15 percent new), blended with 10 percent grenache and 5 percent mourvedre, bottled unfiltered, and aged in bottle 15 months before release.
Mmmmmm.
So … what’s YOUR fantasy wine?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Blind tasting forces rethinking of California wine stereotypes
I hold these truths to be self-evident. Well, make that HELD.
1) I prefer French wines to California wines.
2) California wines are all about fruit and extraction and alcohol and don’t age well.
3) French wines have more complexity, better acidity and age far better.
4) I can tell a French wine from a California wine at one sniff, or, at least, after a taste. I mean, couldn’t anyone??
These were the bedrock beliefs I developed over decades of wine enjoyment. But now, the bedrock is fractured.
On Sunday night, I attended a wine tasting at the home of Dayton-area opthalmologist Michael Kunesh, who has a knack for putting together tastings that explore wine in interesting ways. This time, it was Bordeaux versus California, tasted blind, in two flights of six. The wines ranged widely in age. As it turned out, we ended up with six Bordeaux and six California wines, and he put three of each into each flight, bagged ‘em and poured ‘em. (For a full list of the wines, click on the “continue reading” link below).
This should be a piece of cake, right? The Bordeaux will exhibit aromas of lead pencil, cigar box, iodine and cassis, while the California wines will be dominated by dark fruits intermingled with toasty oak and perhaps a hint of eucalyptus. Slam dunk.
Oh, beware the humiliation that a blind tasting can inflict.
When it came to the wines’ country of origin, I got 6 out of 12 right. Six of Twelve. Good GOD, I may as well have flipped a coin. Or evaluated the wines from, oh I don’t know, across the room, without smelling or tasting them. Egad!
My only small consolation was that my fellow tasters — well, most of them — did scarcely better (no one accurately identified the country of origin of all 12). And there were some very seasoned tasters at the table, with experience and credentials that dwarf mine. Some wines simply fooled us, and overall, the tasting challenged our perceptions — and our stereotypes.
Oh, we came up with all kinds of excuses. The varying ages of the wines made it difficult on us, narrowing the gap of differences between California and Bordeaux. Some of the California cabs we included are made in a “French style” and are atypical of California. The Bordeaux we chose weren’t the “first team” and a couple were past their prime. Et cetera. There is a small slice of truth in these rationalizations, but it’s not enough.
It’s time to throw out the old stereotypes. It’s time for even the most hardened francophiles to rediscover California.
Who’da thunk it?
For a list of wines tasted and the favorites of the night, please click on “continue reading.”
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
The Californians:
1994 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
1995 Phillip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon
1996 Opus One
1997 Spring Mountain Reserve
1997 Beringer Alluvium Red
1999 Peter Michael Les Pavots
The French
1986 Ch. Gruaud Larose
1986 LaGrange
1989 Brainaire-Ducru
1994 Angelus
1998 Clos de la Oratoire
1999 Pavie
The favorites: The Spring Mountain and Peter Michael really strutted their stuff, showing fruit, complexity, structure and length. The Opus One and Montelena showed well also.
The worst miss: The one wine I was MOST sure of in terms of origin was the Opus One — because I was certain it was from France. This was reminiscent of a tasting I attended about 15 years ago at what was then TW’s restaurant in Miamisburg, and which was put together by the folks at Arrow Wine & Spirits. This tasting was similar to the one I just attended in that we tasted a group of California cabs and Bordeaux blind and guessed their country of origin, only this time, all of the wines were from a single vintage, 1990. (I think I did slightly better than .500, which means what, my palate is now worse than it was a decade and a half ago??). At that tasting, the wine I was MOST sure of — I knew it was from France — turned out to be the Dominus from California.
I’ll say it again: Egad.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Kids and wine: how young is too young?
How young is too young when it comes to introducing children to the concept of wine as a civilized mealtime beverage? Or is there such a thing as too young?
An Associated Press story by Victoria Brett regarding the parents of a 5-year-old girl who “happily sips chardonnay, zinfandel, Champagne and merlot” begs that question. The story notes that some parents “have adopted the southern European custom of offering young children small amounts of wine, hoping to remove the forbidden fruit appeal and teach an appreciation for fine dining.”
Turns out the father in this case, Patrick Llerena, is himself a wine blogger, the author of Oenophilia, as well as the owner of a California winery. On his blog, Patrick gives us a bit of a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how the story came about.
I share Patrick Llerena’s passion for wine and food. But I’m not sure I share his belief about starting out the wine-appreciation lessons quite that young. Although now that I think about it, I do recall allowing my oldest son (now 19) take a sip of a very sweet, late-harvest German Riesling one afternoon at Arrow Wine’s Far Hills store when he was not much older than 5, which he promptly and proudly announced to his mother when we got home. I think I’m STILL in trouble for that one.
Otherwise, my boys got only a very occasional sip (out of my glass) at the dinner table — they usually scrunched up their faces and said it tasted sour — and they certainly didn’t know their chards from their zins by age 5.
Still, I do think there’s something to be said about the concept of “removing the forbidden-fruit appeal” that European families seem to have perfected. I remember my first real encounter with that concept, in the summer of 2001, when my wife and I and our boys, then 12 and 13, ate lunch in a winery outside Florence. When they poured the wines at the table, the servers, who looked to be grandmotherly, didn’t hesitate or even blink when it came to pouring wine into my sons’ glasses. My 12-year-old peeked at his mom as if to say, “I didn’t do it, honest.” My 13-year-old looked at us and smiled as if to say, “Yeah, this is the way it ought to be.”
So … what do you think? How young is too young — or is there such a thing?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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A little sumthin’ to get through a Sunday … or even a Monday
Since I careened from one debauchery-filled wine event to the next (hyperbole perhaps, but not by much) this past weekend, and today on Monday head to Columbus to serve as a judge of a huge all-day pizza competition (truly!), let me offer up a package we published in the Dayton Daily News Saturday on the struggle for survival on the part of Dayton-area restaurants (and other eateries nationwide).
The stories include Miami Valley could see more restaurants go out of business, a short summary story, along with Locally owned eateries and chains alike seem to following a national trend and a map of recent restaurant closings in the region.
Your thoughts?
Mark Fisher
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A real sweetheart of a wine tasting
Why limit Valentine’s Day to a single day? Let’s just pretend the special day is called Valentine’s weekend …
Some very fine and special events await this weekend, including but not limited to the Super Saturday wine tasting at Arrow Wine’s Far Hills store (the Centerville store will hold theirs next Saturday), and the Jay’s 32nd Anniversary Bordeaux Luncheon.
But those events are just the tip of the iceberg. Note that the list welcomes some new venues, such as the inaugural wine event at Rue Dumaine restaurant and an upcoming wine dinner at McCormick & Schmick’s (note also the Disalvo’s Deli special dinner). Also, there is a wine dinner at 7 p.m. this coming Tuesday at El Meson that did not make the list but features the wines of Trapiche and dishes from Argentina & Chile, which El Meson’s owners and some of its customers visited a few weeks back. Catch all that is happening by clicking “Continue reading” below, and silently thank the Dayton-based wine listserv that compiles this tastings and events list for its members and for Uncorked. For more on Cincinnati-area wine tastings, visit my colleague Michelle’s My Wine Education blog.
Happy Valentine’s Weekend, and enjoy!
Mark Fisher
Jay’s Kitchen Door Friday, February 15, 2008 4-8 pm It’s a Bordeaux kind of weekend! NV Chateau Gamage Cremant 2006 Dourthe No 1 White Bordeaux 2003 Chateau Belgrave 2005 Chateau Paveil DE Luze (Margaux) and several additional Bordeaux wines!
Saturday, February 16, 2008 1-6 pm It’s Bordeaux weekend! NV Chateau Gamage Cremant 2006 Dourthe No 1 White Bordeaux 2003 Chateau Belgrave 2005 Chateau Paveil DE Luze (Margaux) and several additional Bordeaux wines!
Saturday, February 16, 2008 12:30 pm $65 <- New price Jay’s 32nd Anniversary Bordeaux Luncheon Braised Pheasant Breast with Brunoise Vegetables and Crispy Potatoes Sauteed Bass with Turnip Puree, Spinach and Saffron-Vanilla Sauce Petite Salad of Apple Wood Smoked Bacon and Caramelized Fennel Veal Roast with Apricot-Thyme Chutney, Roasted Potatoes and Root Vegetables Chocolate Bing Cherry Cake with Bing Cherry Sauce
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Ridge Dinner
Arrow Far Hills - Kettering Super Saturday, February 16, 2008 11-5 pm More than 20 wines! 2006 Tres Picos Old Vine Garnacha 2006 Four Graces Pinot Noir 2004 Hedges Three Vineyard Red 2005 Chappellet Mountain Cuvee 2006 Torbreck Cuvee Juviniles 2006 Schloss Vollrads Spatlese 2004 Used Automobile Parts 2005 Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf du Pape 2006 Chave Cotes du Rhone 2006 Beringer Alluvium Blanc 2005 Leal Threesome 2005 Hendry Block 7 Zinfandel 2005 Scavino Rosso Tavola
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood Friday, February 15, 2008 5-8pm Cave de Tain Marsanne 2006 Mossback Chardonnay 2005 Leal Threesome (Rhone Blend) 2005 Valfieri Barolo 2003 Susana Balbo Cabernet 2003 Brown Bag
Saturday, February 16, 2008 1-6 pm Altemasi Brut 2000 Foureau Vouvray 2006 Marchese Antinori Chianti Classico Reserva 2003 Seghesio Barolo 2003 Petra Toscana 2003 First Class Shiraz 2005 Bonus Bottle
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 5:30 - 8:30 pm in the Oakwood upstairs café. Beer Tasting - British ales, porters, stouts and barleywines
DLM Washington Square Thursday, February 14, 2008 5-8 pm NV Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noir 2006 Foreau Vouvray Sec 2004 Coltibuono Cancelli 2006 J L Chave “Mon Coeur” Cotes du Rhone 2005 Santa Ema Merlot Encore Wine!
Saturday, February 16, 2008 12-5 pm 2006 Burgan’s Albarino 2006 Barahonda Carro Tinto 2006 Tres Picos Garnacha 2001 Lealtanza 2001 Ramirez de Ganuza Encore Wine!
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, February 15, 2008 3-7pm 2005 Vie Di Romans Chardonnay 2006 Penner Ash Pinot Noir 2004 Gago 2003 Michel Schlumberger Cabernet Sauvignon
Beers: Southern Tier Back Burner Barley Wine Southern Tier Jah Va Imperial Stout
Saturday, February 16, 2008 12-5 pm 2005 Ramey Sonoma Chardonnay 2003 La Spinetta Sezzana 2003 Teira Zinfandel 2003 Anomaly Cabernet Sauvignon
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 - 7 pm, Friday 11:30 - 8 pm Saturday 11:30 - 7 pm www.cuveewinebar.net Tasting from Friday, February 15 -Thursday, February 21, 2008 Sparkling Sake Ayama Chenin Blanc Firestone Gewurztraminer Crios Blanco Mauro Veglio Barbera D’Alba Irreverente Mazocco Zinfandel
Beer: Heavy Seas Holy Sheet Uber Abbey Ale Saturday Food: TBA Saturday, massage will be here 12:30-3:30 providing10 minute chair massages.
Every Wednesday night Chef Chris will be making a hearty soup or stew! Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Soup Night! 4:30-7 pm Game Chili!
Arrow Centerville 937-433-6778 615 Lyons Rd Centerville Friday, February 8, 2008 5-7 pm Beer Tasting Barley Wines! Sierra Nevada Bigfoot… Stone Old Guardian… Victory Old Horizontal… Flying Dog Horn Dog
Saturday, February 16, 2008 11 am-5 pm Wine Tasting 2005 Ramey Carneros Chardonnay… 2005 Montellori Chianti… 2006 Armador Cabernet Sauvignon… 2006 Prisoner… 2005 Ramey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon… 1999 Montellori Vin Santo
Super Saturday, February 23, 2008 11-5 pm
Rue Dumaine www.ruedumainerestaurant.com Tuesday, February 19, 2008 5-7 pm Three 2oz tastes of wine and Chef Anne Kearney will be preparing a variety of hors d’oervres to accompany the wines FREDERIC MAGNIEN Chambolle-Musigny Les Herbues, 2001 PENNER-ASH Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, 2006 LUCA Pinot Noir Altos De Mendoza, 2005
The Wine Gallery and Cafe, Corner of 3rd and Wayne Wednesday February 20, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM Wines from around the world! Gruner Veltliner Lapis Luna 2004 Merlot Lapis Luna 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Market Wine Imports, Second Street Public Market Saturday, February 16, 2008 8AM to 1PM. Value wine tasting!
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 937-320-9548 Wine Wednesdays 5pm to 8pm in the bar. Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Taste of Wine 90 S. Main St Miamisburg, OH 937.247-1120 This week lovingly featuring: Romeo, Juliet, Old Fart, Old Fart’s Wife, Menage a Trois Red, Lovers Lane, Faust and Champagne “love potions”
February 14 - Dinner & A Show rsvp to Chimneys 937-304-9468 February 16 - Live Music - Rob Snyder February 19 - Italian Food and Wine Pairing 6:30pm RSVP February 22 - GERMAN BEER TASTING
Trader Joe’s in Kettering. Tastings Thursday 6:00 to 8:00 and Sunday 4:00 to 7:00. Du Peloux Ugni-Viognier (2006) Vin du Pays de Vaucluse, France. Trader Joe’s Coastal Cabernet Sauvignon (2005) AVA Central Coast, California. Il Valore Primitivo (2006) IGT Puglia, Italy. Trader Joe’s President’s Reserve Merlot - Stagecoach Vineyard (2002) AVA Napa Valley, California.
Disalvo’s Deli February 20, 2008 Wine tasting and Meal of the Month, RSVP by February 18 Seafood Medley over Linguine Cesar Salad Chibata Bread Lemon Cake Desert
Wines Erath Pinot Noir Sanford Chardonnay Louis Jadot Beaujolais And others
Winans - Dayton Mall Columbia Winery - Riesling 2006 - Washington State (White) Ca’ Ronesca - Pinot Grigio 2005 - Italy (White) Folavento Maremma - 2004 - Tuscany, Italy (Red) Penfolds - Bin 407 - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2004 - Australia (Red) Charles Krug - Pinot Noir - 2005 - Napa (Red)
McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant February 29, 2008 6:30 pm, $70 per person plus tax (gratuity included) Five courses with five “leaping” wines… RSVP Stephanie Clemens 937.431.9765
Cork-n-Vine Wine Cellar in Troy, Ohio February 15, 2008 at 5 pm - February 2, 2008 Kim Crawford Riesling-Meridian Pinot Noir-Gnarley Head Merlot- St. Clement Merlot- Chateau St. Jean Cabernet(Sonoma)
Miami Valley Wine & Spirits 943 West Main St., Tipp City, Oh. 45371 Friday, February 8, 2008 5-9 pm Yelcho Cabernet Sauvignon Yelcho Reserve Carmenere Yelcho Chardonney Yelcho Sauvignon Blanc Milton Park Shiraz Price of tasting will include broasted wings and fries.
Bella Vino, Wine Merchant & Bar, Springboro, OH 45066 Thursday , February 16, 2008 5:30-7:30pm. Tasting wines with a Valentine theme. Foreplay Red and White, O Seduction, Temptation, Sin, and Redemption Zins.
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com Friday, February 15, 2008 7 pm Celebrating Italian Month Italian Sampler
Saturday, February 16 2008 3-6 pm More Italian Wines paired with Cornerstone Pizza!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008 7-9 pm Wine Dinner at Guenther’s Steak & Seafood
La Petite France http://www.lapetitefrance.biz/ Reservations 513-733-8383 February 14-16, 2008 Special Valentine Day’s Dinners!
February 29, 2008 and March 1, 2008 “Taste of France” featuring the cuisine of Normandy. $40 Aperitif - Vouvray Appetizer - Baked omelette aux epinards (with spinach) Entree - Poulet au Camembert (chicken breast in Camembert cream sauce) Dessert - Apple maple crepe
The Winery at Versailles (937) 526-3232 6572 St Rte 47 Versailles, Ohio 45380 Feb 16th - Annual Valentine Gourmet Dinner. 4 course event, 7:30 p.m., make your reservations now. Cost is $50 per person PLUS tax and gratuity.
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Some of world’s best wine values have distinctly Dayton connection
Juan Palomar’s dream is to make wines in his native Spain that are every bit as good as, say, you’d find in the Napa Valley.
To my tastes, he has already succeeded. And it’s a shame more people haven’t found out.
The Dayton-area urologist and surgeon who retired from his practice more than five years ago essentially commutes from his Washington Twp. home to southern Spain several times during the year to make wines under the Veleta label and to tend to his other epicurean pursuits (olive oils, vinegars, canned seafood products and more). I wrote about Dr. Palomar on Uncorked two years ago and profiled him in the Dayton Daily News in 2004.
I sat down recently with Palomar and my fellow blogging colleague Michelle of My Wine Education fame to taste through Veleta’s newest releases, and came away with one overriding impression:
These wines are tremendous bargains.
Some tasting notes on some of Veleta’s VERY reasonably priced offerings:
— Veleta Vijiriega 2006 ($8.99): a clean, refreshing, dry white that includes 10 percent chardonnay. Perfect as an aperitif.
— Veleta Chardonnay 2006 ($8.99): Deep golden color, full-bodied, dry, with a long, clean finish, with just a kiss of oak from two months aging in barrel. “Chardonnay has adapted marvelously to the mountains,” Palomar said of his vines. He’s right. I’d LOVE to slip this wine into a tasting of Napa/Sonoma chards in the $30-$50 price range, because I suspect it would show very well — and no one would know they’re tasting a ringer.
— Veleta Tempranillo 2004 ($11.99): This wine opens with big fruit, then finishes with a bit of tannin that smoothes out with time and airing. It spent a year in American oak and nearly three years in bottle before release.
— Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 ($13.99): Spot-on varietal flavor, with plenty of fruit backed by structure and acidity. This is rarity: an under-$15 cab that will improve with age, but drinks well now, too.
— Veleta Nolados 2005 ($13.99): An intriguing blend of 40 percent cabernet sauvignon, 40 percent cab franc and 20 percent tempranillo, this deeply colored, gorgeous red boasts great balance of fruit, acidity and structure, and its complex flavors unfold in the mouth long after it’s swallowed.
In addition, Palomar produces two sparkling wines of great distinction for a great price — a Cava ($13) and a Blancs de Noir ($13). The latter in particular is a beauty, with a hint of pink in the color, cleansing acidity and great length.
The prices of these wines, for the quality in the bottle, are simply extraordinary. Yet Palomar talks candidly of the frustration of trying to get people to taste his wines and take Veleta’s offerings seriously. They don’t come from a high-profile region of Spain — he’s in the province of Granada, 10 miles from the Mediterranean — and there’s a lot of other wine being sold in this price range, from Spain and other countries. Ominously — at least in my mind — he talks of the pressure to make big, highly extracted, high-alcohol wines that are most likely to do well in tasting competitions, so he can get the attention of retailers and other wine purveyors. So far, Palomar has for the most part resisted that temptation, and his wines (and his customers) have benefitted.
Veleta wines can be found on the shelves of most Dayton-area wine shops. Snap some up now before anyone else discovers them, and see whether you agree these are some of the best values around — Dayton connection and all.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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A glass of ‘two-buck mutt,’ and an update
A double-barreled offering today: First, the canine puns fly fast and furious in the pitch for the Dog Lovers Wine Club, but hey, I know Uncorked readers — we can do better. Right? I say again, AM I RIGHT??
Those who sign up for the club can choose from among three options: Bow-wow-wow Club, Lounging Pup Club, or the Laughing Pooch Club. Looks like the proceeds go to a worthy cause — animal shelters and rescue groups — and Ohio is among the states they’ll ship to.
So what will YOU have for Yappy Hour …
Also, we told you last month about Ann Boucher’s decision to close Serendipity, her suburban Columbus wine retail operation. Well, Ann has landed on her feet quite nicely: She tells us in an email that she has accepted a position with Cincy-based wine distributor Cutting Edge Selections, where she’ll work for Mark Maher, who has his own Dayton connections (among other things, he once worked at the Pine Club — and later sold wine to the restaurant).
“Unconfirmed reports” suggest Ann may pour Cutting Edge’s wines at one of the upcoming “Super Saturday” tastings at Arrow Wine & Spirits.
So congrats to Ann, and … Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Restaurant Week: Now it’s my turn
Last week, Uncorked readers had their say regarding Restaurant Week, and nearly two dozen of you responded (including some late comments that just came in over the weekend).
My hunch is most restaurant owners strive to put their very best foot forward during Restaurant Week, recognizing that the promotion represents a golden opportunity to impress potential new customers. And savvy restaurateurs are reading these reader reviews to see what their customers thought of their offerings, so thanks to all those who posted comments.
Now, it’s my turn. I went to a half-dozen restaurants, mixing in some destinations that I hadn’t visited for a while — or in one case, ever — with some Restaurant Week newcomers and veterans, and had mostly — mostly — positive experiences:
Sweeney’s Seafood: My first visit to this Centerville restaurant featured more hits than misses — though the misses were frustrating. Another guest raved about the Crab & Lobster Bisque, but my bowl was served on the cool side of tepid, and the New England Clam Chowder wasn’t quite hot enough, either. The smoked salmon Caesar salad contained an abundance of salmon over romaine that was heavily dressed in a creamy, garlicky dressing. The Crabmeat-stuffed Flounder was tasty and cooked properly, piled high with capers in a lemony sauce. Lobster Ravioli was smothered in a rich shrimp sauce, a satisfying and filling winter dish. Cajun Jambalaya was a very generous portion of fish, shrimp, spicy andouille sausage and more, with a pleasantly spicy kick.
Benham’s: This Dayton institution is usually lunch-only, but opened to robust dinner crowds during Restaurant Week, and also will reopen for dinner on Valentine’s Day weekend. For Restaurant Week, Benham’s offered up a tasty and well-portioned Seafood Boston Bibb Salad, beefy and flavorful short ribs that had been both seared and braised, and an intensely flavored, pleasantly tart Lemon Pudding Cake.
Cafe Boulevard: Located in Dayton’s Oregon District, offered my favorite appetizer of the week: Wild Mushroom and Sweet Pea Risotto. The peas and mushrooms paired nicely, and benefitted from the creamy-yet-toothsome rice. The restaurant offered no fewer than four choices of entrees, cooking both the Grilled Pork Chop and Roasted Breast of Chicken to just the right level of doneness, and accenting the chicken with a creamy blend of mashed parsnips and potatoes and a smoky bacon-studded sauce. An Artichoke, Spinach and Mushroom Galette with Garlic, Leeks and Cheese was also a hit. The sole misstep was an oversalted potato-white cheddar soup, but the variety and execution of the other choices made up for it.
Meadowlark: This restaurant made a last-minute substitution to their menu of three entree choices, replacing a planned Beef Short Rib with sliced Grilled Prime Sirloin anointed with truffle oil and lemon, served with a creamy and satisfying polenta. Hard to complain with that switch. The Arctic Char served with sauteed winter greens and bacon was cooked perfectly, its flesh moist with crisp top. And the Frites and Beets — shoestring-thin French Fries dusted with salt and garlic, served alongside a bowl of roasted beets with goat cheese and toasted pecans — remain addictive in the most positive sense of the word.
Winds Cafe: This is the first time that The Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs has participated in Restaurant Week — and they started with a bang. The restaurant offered a perfectly dressed Caesar Salad or a cup of Cheddar Soup, which had a deceptively thin appearance but delivered smoky, complex flavors. Entree choices included a properly cooked Grilled Salmon with Beet Sauce or Braised Duck Leg over white beans. The crisp-skinned leg-and-thigh portion was tender, moist and flavorful, quite possibly the best entree of the week. A dessert of Chocolate Date Walnut Cake, though, was dry.
l’Auberge: Owner Josef Reif tried something new this year: In addition to serving the traditional three-course meal on the Bistro side of his restaurant for the proscribed price of $20.08, he offered a special on the more formal Dining Room side: his usual $65 “tasting menu” for a reduced price of $32.08. Despite the $12 additional cost compared to other eateries’ Restaurant Week specials, this was, simply, the bargain of the week. The meal opened with a dollop of tuna tartare on a single slice of baguette, followed by a Lobster Ravioli topped by a chunk of lobster claw meat and served in a creamy lobster sauce alongside sauteed Royal Trumpet mushrooms. A salad course was accented with sliced golden beets that would convert the most ardent beet-hater. Entree choices included Dover Sole Meuniere, cooked whole and filleted tableside, and tournedos of Angus beef tenderloin carved tableside and drizzled with Bordelaise sauce — all cooked and seasoned perfectly. Diners could then choose from desserts or a selection from the cheese cart. The Dayton area’s most travel guide-decorated restaurant proved it still can set the quality standard — and at a value price.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking? “When’s the summer restaurant week?”
The answer: July 27-Aug. 1.
Thanks again for the comments — they do make a difference!
Mark Fisher
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An Affair to Remember, indeed!
The full list of wine tastings with but a click of your mouse on “continue reading” below, including something a little different to get folks revved up for Valentine’s Day:
Winans Dayton, located in The Village of Dayton Mall next to the Rusty Bucket, will feature wines from “Love Movies” in honor of Valentine’s Day during their tasting from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 9).
Three movies will be shown, and wines that are connected to the movies will be available for sampling during the showings:
— “An Affair to Remember” (Rose Champagne),
— “A Walk in the Clouds” (a white and a red from the Napa Valley),
— “A Good Year” (wines from the Provence region of France).
This is a drop-in event — no reservations required — and there is no cover charge for the movies; there is, of course, a charge for the wine samples. Call (937) 610-4555 for more information.
For more on Cincinnati-area wine tastings, visit my colleague Michelle’s My Wine Education blog, which also features information about a memorial scholarship Michelle is putting together for her 21-year-old sister Krystal. Krystal died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart defect last year while attending college in Kentucky.
Mark Fisher
Jays Kitchen Door Friday, February 8, 2008 4-8 pm 2006 Girard Sauvignon Blanc 2005 Girard Petite Sirah 2004 BV Rutherford Cabernet 2004 Chateau Croix Beaucaillou 2004 Chateau Branaire Ducru
Saturday, February 9, 2008 1-6 pm 2003 Domaine Wachau Riesling Federspiel 2000 LE Macioche Brunello di Montalcino 2004 Rombauer Cabernet 2003 Bond Melbury
Saturday, February 16, 2008 12:30 pm $65 <- New price Jay’s 32nd Anniversary Bordeaux Luncheon Braised Pheasant Breast with Brunoise Vegetables and Crispy Potatoes Sautéed Bass with Turnip Puree, Spinach and Saffron-Vanilla Sauce Petite Salad of Apple Wood Smoked Bacon and Caramelized Fennel Veal Roast with Apricot-Thyme Chutney, Roasted Potatoes and Root Vegetables Chocolate Bing Cherry Cake with Bing Cherry Sauce
Arrow Far Hills - Kettering Saturday, February 9, 2008 11-4 pm 2006 Esser Chardonnay 2005 sonnino Chianti 2004 screw Kappa Napa Merlot 2006 Tait “Ball Buster” 2000 Chateau Lacombe Bordeaux 2005 Neyers Syrah 2004 Chateau Leoville Poyferre St. Julien
Super Saturday, February 16, 2008 11-5 pm
Dorothy Lane Market (DLM) Oakwood Friday, February 8, 2008 5-8pm Casteller NV Cava Rose Gnarly Head Chardonnay 2006 Faiveley Bourgogne 2004 Torres Celeste Crianza 2004 Quarterback Red Aussie Blend 2005 Brown Bag
Saturday, February 9, 2008 1-6 pm De Favri Rose Prosecco NV Eymann Riesling Kabinett Troken 2006 Rosenblum Rockpile Zinfandel 2005 Justin Cabernet 2005 Zenato Ripasso 2004 Bonus Bottle
Wednesday, Feb 20, 2008 5:30 - 8:30 pm in the Oakwood upstairs café. Beer Tasting - British ales, porters, stouts and barleywines
DLM Washington Square Thursday, February 7, 2008 5-8 pm 2006 Fontaleoni Vernaccia 2004 Irreverente 2004 Torres Celeste 2003 Constant Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Encore Wine!
Saturday, February 9, 2008 12-5 pm Fifi’s Vinos di Amore NV Prosecco Colli Treviagne Le Rive 2006 Massone Gavi 2006 Scagliolo Moscato d’Asti 2005 First Love Red 2005 Piccolo Cru 2004 Zenato Ripasso 2002 La Potazzine Brunello di Montalcino
Dorothy Lane Springboro Friday, February 8, 2008 3-7pm 2006 Jacquelynn Sauvignon Blanc 2004 Hendry Chardonnay 2004 M. Chapoutier Petite Ruche 2003 Da Vinci Chianti Reserva Mystery wine Beers: N’ice Chouffe, Obovoid Stout
Saturday, February 9, 2008 12-5 pm 2004 Martine Barraud Pouilley Fuisse 2005 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay (Sweeny) 2004 La Macioche Rosso 2003 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Mystery Wine Beers: Left Hand Imperial Oak Aged Stout, Piraat Ale
Cuvee Wine Bar and Cellar, 4457 State Route 725 Bellbrook Tuesday - Thursday 11:30 - 7 pm, Friday 11:30 - 8 pm Saturday 11:30 - 7 pm www.cuveewinebar.net Tasting from Friday, February 8 -Thursday, February 14, 2008 Chateau du DonJon 2006 Rose of Minervois Girard 2006 Sauvignon Blanc Cave de Tain 2006 Marsanne Luca 2006 Chardonnay Perry Creek 2002 Merlot Ledgewood 2005 Syrah Tres Picos 2006 Campo de Borga Garnacha
Beer: Bell’s Double Bock Saturday Food: Sliced Steak Sandwich on Sourdough Saturday, massage will be here 12:30-3:30 providing10 minute chair massages.
Every Wednesday night Chef Chris will be making a hearty soup or stew! Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Soup Night! 4:30-7 pm Chicken Gumbo
Arrow Centerville 937-433-6778 615 Lyons Rd Centerville Friday, February 8, 2008 5-7 pm Beer Tasting Chocolate Beers Young’s Double Chocolate Stout… Bell’s Java Stout… Bison Chocolate Stout… Fort Collins Brewery Chocolate Stout… Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Super Saturday, February 23, 2008 11-5 pm
Saturday, February 9, 2008 11 am-5 pm Wine Tasting 2005 Darting Riesling Spatlese… 2004 Irreverent Red… 2005 Finca Flichman Barrancas… 2005 Louis Bernard Chateauneuf du Pape… 2004 Chateau Fontarne Margaux
The Wine Gallery and Cafe, Corner of 3rd and Wayne Wednesday February 13, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM Thorne Clarke 10 year Tawny Port 2006 Jip Jip Rock Shiraz 2003 Morambro Shiraz 2006 Milton Park Chardonnay 2005 Thorne Clarke Shotfire Cuvee
February 14, 2008 5:30PM to 8:30PM. Special Valentines Day Wine Tasting benefiting The Gays Men Chorus of Dayton. $25.00 for the tasting and appetizer buffet. 2006 Baciami Albana di Romagna 2005 Dos Rojo TGM Camelback 2006 Shotridge Shiraz 2006 L Kreusch Dornfelder 2005 Finca Fleischman Malbec
Market Wine Imports, Second Street Public Market Saturday, February 9, 2008 8AM to 1PM.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 937-320-9548 Wine Wednesdays 5pm to 8pm in the bar. Wednesday, February 13, 2008 WENTE, Chardonnay, Livermore Valley, 2005 BERGSTROM, Pinot Noir, Cumberland Reserve, Willamette Valley, 2006 RODNEY STRONG, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County, 2003 CLOS APALTA, Red Wine, Rapel Valley, 2004
A Taste of Wine 90 S. Main St Miamisburg, OH 937.247-1120 This week featuring: Greg Norman Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, Greg Norman Pinot Noir, Santa Barbara, Greg Norman Zinfandel, Lake County, Greg Norman Petitie Sirah, Paso Robles, Greg Norman Cabernet, North Coast California February 6 - South American Wine Tasting 7pm February 7 - Greg Norman Night 7pm February 13 - Organic Wine Tasting 7pm February 14 - Dinner & A Show RSVP Chimneys 937-304-9468 February 16 - Live Music - Rob Snyder February 19 - Italian Food and Wine Pairing 6:30pm RSVP February 22 - GERMAN BEER TASTING
Savona Restaurant, Centerville Wednesday, February 13, 2008 5-7 pm Family of Dievole wines
Trader Joe’s in Kettering. Tastings Thursday 6:00 to 8:00 and Sunday 4:00 to 7:00. Cambria Katherine’s Vineyard Chardonnay (2005) AVA Santa Maria Valley, California. Comte de Galeyran Brut (NV) AOC Blanquette de Limoux, France. Le Vignate Rosso (2006) DOC Castelli Romani, Italy. Trader Joe’s Late Harvest Moscato (2005) AVA Paso Robles, California.
Disalvo’s Deli February 20, 2008 Wine tasting and Meal of the Month, RSVP by February 18 Seafood Medley over Linguine Cesar Salad Chibata Bread Lemon Cake Desert
Wines Erath Pinot Noir Sanford Chardonnay Louis Jadot Beaujolais
Winans - Dayton Mail Saturday, February 9, 2008 4-10 pm Wine with “Movies About Love” An Affair to Remember - Pink Champagne (Rose) A Walk in the Clouds - Berringer & St. Helena (two wines, a white and a red) A Good Year - Wines from Provence, France
American Institute of Wine and Food Big Reds Tasting Friday, February 15th, 7:00-9:30 Wright Patterson Club, WPAFB $80 Members, $90 Non-members RSVP by February 8th 937-434-9539 for more details!
Wind’s Café in Yellow Springs. Valentine Dinner Menu available all week!
Cork-n-Vine Wine Cellar in Troy, Ohio February 8, 2008 at 5 pm - February 15, 2008 Bellerive Prosecco-Castello Del Poggio Moscato D’Asti, Little Black Dress Pinot Grigio, Bitch Grenache, Chave MonCouer Cotes Du Rhone 05, Seduction from O’Brien Vineyards
Miami Valley Wine & Spirits 943 West Main St., Tipp City, Oh. 45371 Friday, February 8, 2008 5-9 pm Caymus Conundrum Bohemian Highway Chardonnay Artesa Pinot Noir Reserve Rosenblum Chateau La Paws Rhone Ricasoli Formule
Bella Vino, Wine Merchant & Bar, Springboro, OH 45066 Thursday , February 6, 2008 5:30-7:30pm. 2006 Chardonnay Premium 2006 Torrontes Premium 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Premium 2005 Malbec Premium 2005 Malbec Alizarine
Little Sonoma, 6078 West Chester Road, West Chester, OH 45069.513-942-9463. Located two blocks north of Union Centre Blvd. at the corner of Muhlhauser and West Chester Roads www.LittleSonomaWines.com Friday, February 8th, 7 pm: Rieslings from Around the World Saturday, February 9, 2008 3-6 pm Rieslings and Gewürztraminers Wed, Feb 13, 6:30-8:30 pm ~ Wine Class: Exploring the Varietals RSVP $25 Wednesday, February 27, 2008 7-9 pm Wine Dinner at Guenther’s Steak & Seafood
La Petite France http://www.lapetitefrance.biz/ Reservations 513-733-8383
The Winery at Versailles (937) 526-3232 6572 St Rte 47 Versailles, Ohio 45380 Feb 8th and 9th - Wine and Chocolate Night. Reservations required. Feb 16th - Annual Valentine Gourmet Dinner. 4 course event, 7:30 p.m., make your reservations now. Cost is $50 per person PLUS tax and gratuity.
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New ‘wine bra’ allows for surreptitious drinking
I am not making this up.
A new product called The Wine Rack bra allows a woman (presumably) to store a full-sized bottle of wine in two matching polyurethane bladders embedded in a sports bra. The contents can then be consumed through a drinking tube.
The Wine Rack’s slogan? “My cups runneth over.”
The product comes on the heels of the polyurethane beer belly for men, which also is designed for surreptitious consumption during football games, family reunions, the opera — you name it.
The Wine Rack has already gotten some attention in the British press, and in fact, one size is already out of stock.
A colleague asks: “Does it come with one straw — or two?
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
(Image from Firebox.com)
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A carryout with THESE wines?
What pops into your mind when you think of a carryout?
Specifically, what kind of wine selection do you envision a carryout offering?
Yeah, me too.
That’s why I was stunned, shocked, taken aback and flabbergasted when I walked into Centerville Carryout, 34 W. Franklin St. just west of State Route 48, earlier this week and saw the sea of wine (and beers, OhMyGOSH the beers) in this cramped space of a deli-carryout.
What kind of wines, you ask? Well, how does Penfolds Grange grab you? Or Opus One? Silver Oak? Stag’s Leap Cask 23, Ridge Monte Bello, Mondavi Reserve, Dominus … I think you get the idea. Not cases and cases or multiple vintages of the stuff, but still, there they are, on the shelves.
Why have I not heard of this place? Have y’all known about it and been holding out on me?
Mike Sullivan, the carryout’s owner, said his offerings have been building slowly over the last seven years. “I’ve just been listening to my customers who know wine, and dabbling in it a little bit myself,” Sullivan said.
On the shelves, I found Barolos, French Syrahs, wines from Hawaii, from Michigan, a robust selection of Ohio wines — and the beers, my GAWD, the beers, or did I mention that?
One reason for Centerville Carryout’s low profile: Sullivan doesn’t have the license required to offer wine tastings to the public. He says he’s looking into it. And another big drawback: The carryout doesn’t take credit or debit cards at the moment. Sullivan says that will change later this month. Until then, there is an on-site ATM.
Still, this place struck me as a best-kept secret of the local wine scene.
And definitely — definitely — not your average carryout.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Drunk wine tasters? WHAT drunk wine tasters?
I had to chuckle when I saw the quote from Craig Root, a tasting-room consultant based in the Napa Valley town of St. Helena, in a story in the LA Times headlined Getting Juiced at Wine Tastings (the LA Times web site requires free registration). Here’s what Root said about drunkenness in winery tasting rooms:
“It’s a pervasive problem … The limo crowd appears to have great demographics on the surface, but some of them tend to — and there’s no polite way to put this — they tend to just get juiced.”
I chuckled because I remembered a quote from a Napa Valley winery owner that we spotlighted just a few months ago in an Uncorked entry entitled Wineries take steps to combat drunken misbehavior, in which the winery owner seemed to sniff that while such problems exist elsewhere in California, why, that sort of thing certainly doesn’t happen here, in the wine mecca known that is Napa.
“We seek serious tasters,” the winery owner told Decanter.com.
“Yeah, right,” was my response at the time. And now, a Napa-based tasting room consultant apparently agrees (unless, of course, he was referring to every tasting room BUT Napa’s).
Uncorked readers had plenty to say about the tasting-room misbehavior at the time, and the comments are worth noting in light of the brand new LA Times piece.
Here’s more from the Times piece regarding Napa:
In Napa County, a number of wineries have simply put out signs announcing: “No limos.” Unfortunately, the signs have a tendency to disappear, said Michael Korson, an investigator for the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The owners “assume they’re taken by people who don’t agree with the concept,” said Korson, whose five-county area contains about 900 of the state’s 1,200 wineries.
Wine marketers love to portray the sophisticated, dignified, classy side of their products while ignoring the, well, other side. But occasionally someone comes along and points out that the emperor has no clothes. I think that’s exactly what Craig Root did today.
And I bet he gets some calls today from some of his fellow Napa citizens asking him, “Wha’d you have to say THAT for?”
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You and I are part of a powerful trend
Do you consider yourself a trend-setter?
You should.
Take a look at this Santa Rosa Press Democrat story entitled “Growing Thirst for Wine”, which charts how Americans are consuming record amounts of wine, a fact that has propelled the U.S. into the second-largest — and fastest-growing — wine market in the world.
Somewhat surprising, given the weakness of the dollar, is the surge of imported wines, which represent about 31 percent of the wines purchased in the U.S. Younger wine drinkers are even more likely to choose wines from a foreign country.
That growth may be hard to sustain. I’ve heard anecdotal stories from local wine retailers about big price hikes on the horizon for wines from France, Italy, Germany and other countries that until now have “held the line” on increases as the dollar slumped against the Euro, but that now must begin to adjust their prices to reflect the reality of the currency imbalance.
Another fly in the ointment: The worsening economy. The market specialists noticed a softening of demand at the end of 2007 as the U.S. economy soured — and I doubt that anything has happened in the first month of 2008 to reverse that trend.
But let’s bask in the glow for a moment. Compared with the rate of growth (or in some cases, the drop) in wine sales in other countries, America’s thirst for wine is robust, and our little corner of the world — despite the crazy-quilt patchwork of Prohibition-era state laws that often conspire to thwart our ability to get the wines we want — has discovered that wine can be a healthy, life-enhancing mealtime beverage.
Now that’s something to raise a glass to.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Relay for Life kickoff is Thursday night
A little something different on a Sunday: some of you know Jaci, who pours the wines at Dorothy Lane Market Oakwood’s wine tastings. She passes along the following information regarding the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event. The fund-raiser is held at many different communities in July, including Oakwood on July 11-12 this year. This Thursday, Feb. 7, there will be a “kickoff celebration” and organizing event at 7 p.m. in the Oakwood High School faculty room. For more information, or to join a team, sponsor a team, or purchase luminaries in honor of loved ones, contact Ted O’Connor at ted@primationdesign.com or (937) 299-5977, or go to the Oakwood Relay for Life web site.
The relay is described in the cancer society’s news release as “a time and place where people come to celebrate those who have survived cancer, remember those we’ve lost, and fight back against a disease that touches too many lives.” True that. And if you know of other communities with similar kickoff events scheduled soon, feel free to “post a comment” to let us know about it.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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Readers weigh in on Restaurant Week
I’m trying to take maximum advantage of Restaurant Week, with reservations pretty much each night. Crowds seem robust. The places I’ve visited so far — Sweeney’s, Benham’s, Meadowlark, Cafe Boulevard, and on Thursday night, The Winds — have all been hopping. Don’t forget to check out the menus for the Restaurant Week specials, in which diners pay $20.08 for a three-course meal, and the restaurant donates $1 from each meal to Culture Works or A Special Wish foundation.
A few reader reviews have trickled in from the early-week dinners, but now that Restaurant Week is in full swing, we’d like to hear from you. Where did you go, and how was the meal and the experience? Just click on “Post your comment” and let us know. I’ll have more later as well, so stop back to see what your friends and neighbors (and some restaurant critic) thought of Restaurant Week.
Also, I wrote another story yesterday about a restaurant closing — this time it was Grindstone Charley’s in Kettering. My blogging colleague Ron Rollins, one of the Leadbellies, has posed the question on his blog: What’s with all the restaurant closings? Please offer up your opinions on the Leadbelly blog.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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