Wine to accompany a winter wonderland

By Mark Fisher | Friday, February 5, 2010, 05:54 AM

Isn’t it wonderful that we have the opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Ohio weather? Don’t you feel sorry for those deprived Florida snowbirds who miss out on that opportunity?

We can celebrate diversity in wine as well, as you’re about to see in this amazing list of tastings, dinners and other events compiled by a generous and hard-working Dayton-based listserv. THEY haven’t flown the coop either.

So strap on your snow boots and enjoy!

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When is a pinot noir not really a pinot noir? French prosecutor thinks he knows

By Mark Fisher | Wednesday, February 3, 2010, 04:05 PM

Check out this story from Decanter.com entitled “Charges brought in Pinot Noir-Red Bicyclette scandal”.

I know, I know, this type of thing has been going on for years, etc. etc. Maybe I’m naive, but I still find this stunning, particularly the scope of the allegations. Thirteen defendants? And a small lake of wine that was passed off as pinot when it was, in fact, something else?

I just wonder whether there was perhaps just a hint of, “Oh, we’ll just sell it to the Americans — they’ll never be able to tell the difference anyway” attitude at work here. Ya THINK??

Have you had any unusually dark-colored, full-bodied, relatively inexpensive “pinot noir” lately?

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Warming the bones with a taste of wine

By Mark Fisher | Friday, January 29, 2010, 06:06 AM

No reason to huddle at home against the cold, when our local wine shops, grocers, restaurants and others are uncorking some fabulous vintages to help us get our blood moving again. The Dayton-based listserv has once again compiled a riveting list of wine tastings, dinners and events that has the potential to enhance our enjoyment of life. Why pass up the opportunity? Just click on the “continue reading” link if the list doesn’t appear immediately below, and then do the right thing.

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WYSO wine & chocolate tasting, auction set for Feb. 6

By Mark Fisher | Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 11:52 AM

WYSO-FM, the public radio station (91.3) in Yellow Springs, will hold its Silent Auction, Wine & Chocolate Tasting at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 at Antioch University McGregor, 900 Dayton St. in Yellow Springs. The event will include hors d’oeuvres from Current Cuisine, wines from The Winds Cafe, and chocolates from Winans Fine Chocolates & Coffees. Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door. To donate items before Friday, Jan. 29, or to purchase advance tickets, which are available through Feb. 5, call Jacki Mayer at (937) 769-1388.

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Boonshoft to host ‘science of wine’ event

By Mark Fisher | Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 11:35 AM

DAYTON — The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, 2600 DeWeese Parkway, will host The Science of Wine from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Jan. 30.

Included in the ticket price are heavy hors d’oeuvres, a selection of 28 wines available for sampling, full open bar, presentations by wine industry experts, live music and laser shows. Proceeds benefit the Boonshoft Museum’s science, math, technology and engineering programs.

Tickets are $75, or $100 for a VIP package that includes a broader wine and food selections. Reservations are available online at BoonshoftMuseum.org, or by phone at (937) 275-7431, ext. 144. Tickets are also available at participating local wine retail shops.

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A wine tastings and events list to make other cities green with envy

By Mark Fisher | Friday, January 22, 2010, 06:44 AM

Want wine? Dayton’s got it. Well, Dayton and southwest Ohio, to be more precise.

The following list of wine tastings, dinners and events comes to Uncorked via the characteristically heroic efforts of the Dayton-based wine listserv that compiles it. Not to mention the reliably heroic efforts of the wine shops, wine bars, grocery wine departments and restaurants to make us happy by making available to us samples of some of the finest wines made.

Mouton-Rothschild … Barolo … Chateauneuf-du-Pape … Brunello di Montalcino … Gevrey-Chambertin … zins, pinots, cabernets, chardonnays …

Who cares if it’s January in Ohio? Is this not the best place in the world for wine enthusiasts to live, work and play?

Show me another city that boasts a tastings list like this one. And this is just ONE WEEK of the wine paradise that is Dayton, Ohio.

I’m just sayin’ …

Click on “continue reading” if this eye-popping and palate-pleasing list doesn’t appear immediately below …

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New riverfront wine bar’s grand opening is Wednesday

By Mark Fisher | Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 07:16 AM

DAYTON — It’s got a new name, a better view, more seating and less-hassle parking, but the Wine Gallery hasn’t turned its back on what owner Brian Linnean calls oneof his wine bar’s greatest strengths.

“If people liked the atmosphere at the other place, they’re going to love the atmosphere here,” Linnean said.

After three years of operating at 424 E. Third St. in a building with limited kitchen capabilities and inconvenient parking, the Wine Gallery and Cafe has moved to 5 W. Monument Ave., at the northwest corner of North Main Street and Monument Avenue on the first floor of the Beerman Building annex. A “kickoff tasting” for new wine bar and retail wine shop — now called simply “The Wine Gallery” — will be held Wednesday, Jan. 20, starting at 5 p.m., with about 30 wines and a half-dozen beers available for tasting for a fee, accompanied by a complimentary buffet, Linnean said.

The previous location suffered from a lack of kitchen accommodations, including the absence of ventilation hoods, that hampered the wine bar’s food offerings.

“We had only a small convection oven there, and it got to the point that we couldn’t produce enough food to accommodate all of our customers,” Linnean said. “Now we have gas stoves, larger convection ovens and a full-sized kitchen that overlooks the Great Miami River.”

The wine-tasting area overlooks the river and Riverscape. Occupancy has jumped from 72 to 99, and square footage has jumped to 4,500 square feet, Linnean said.

And there is an opportunity to grow. “We have another 4,500 square feet available to us on the second floor,” said Linnean, who has suggested that a full-service restaurant may be a future option for the additional space.

On-street parking is available on Monument Avenue, and a PMI parking lot is next door, Linnean said — an improvement from the previous location, where patrons who parked in a nearby private lot sometimes emerged to find their cars towed away.

“We’ve eliminated the $120 tow bills,” Linnean said.

The Wine Gallery employs 12, but Linnean said he expects to hire five or six additional employees in the coming months as the Wine Gallery expands its lunch service to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, perhaps as early as February.

For now, the Wine Gallery is open Tuesday through Thursday 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. For more information, call (937) 224-9463.

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