Toledo Museum of Art's Italian Renaissance Dinner Set For Jan.28

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The Toledo Museum of Art has scheduled a very special Italian Renaissance Dinner at 7:00 p.m. on January 28 in the Museum Cloister. The dinner combines a sumptuous meal, art presentation and pairings with superb Italian wines.

A five-course meal by Chef Erica Rapp with paired wines will be served. A presentation on Italian Renaissance and baroque art in the collection will be offered by Carolyn Putney, interim deputy director and director of collections.

Here's a preview of the menu:

I - Antipasto paired with 2007 San Giuseppe Prosecco Vignadoro.

II - Smoked Squid and Grapefruit Salad paired with 2008 Fattoria Lailla Vedicchio dei Castelli Jesi DOC Classico Superiore.

III - Pulled Veal Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter, Toasted Walnuts and Crisp Pancetta paired with 2007 Montaribaldi Barbera d’Asti, La Consolina.

IV - Salt Crusted Snapper, Preserved Artichokes and Cipollini Onions paired with 2007 Branko Pinot Grigio, Collio.

Intermezzo

V - Wild Boar Spare Rib Braised with Dried Plums, Truffled Risotto, Rapini with Garlic paired with 2003 Elio Grasso Barolo Ginestra, Casa Maté.

VI - Dolce - Homemade Limoncello

Tickets are $100 for museum members, $115 for non-members and go on sale to the public on January 7. (Members of the museum's President's Council can order tickets beginning January 5.) For tickets call (419) 255-8000, Ext.7432. Seating is limited and tickets will sell quickly, so don't delay.

Castillo de Molina Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 Casablanca Valley

Castillo de Molina is the premium brand of Vina San Pedro winery, the second largest exporter in Chile. Vina San Pedro also produces the budget line of Gato Negro. The winery sells wine on five continents.

Marco Puyo is the chief winemaker and he devotes most of his energies to Castillo de Molina and VSP's other premium brand, Cabo de Hornos. He worked many seasons in France including time with Chateau Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux and stints in Burgundy and Champagne.

This bottle was purchased at Maumee Wine for $9.99. This had an intense aroma and had an intensity unlike the smooth and mellow Pinots to which I'm accustomed. This is a reserve wine from Chile that pairs well with game, beef stew, big fish dishes, or pasta in tomato sauce. It is light in body and offers flavors of red berries and vanilla -- but with attitude.

Grapes are grown in the Casablanca Valley. The valley’s low temperatures encourage the grapes to ripen more slowly, and the harvest is two to three weeks later than other Chilean wine valleys. The resulting wines are highly concentrated and aromatically intense, with very good acidity and a crisp finish.

Finger Lakes Report: Miles Wine Cellars

Image by mava via Flickr

FINGER LAKES REPORT -- Continuing the winery reports from our October tasting trip. The story of our visit to Miles Wine Cellars on Seneca Lake can now be told. Starting in October I've been relating our travels and tasting experiences from the Finger Lakes. With more than 20 wineries visited, it's taken a while.

But there's a reason I couldn't write about the visit to Miles until now. When we visited the Finger Lakes in 2008, my wife decided that we needed to visit because it had a wine called Ghost which had just won an award for its label design. She thought this would be a great gift.

Well, during that trip time got away from us and in order to make meet our friends in time for lunch, we never made it to Miles. This time we made the stop and bought the special Ghost wine. However, I couldn't write about it until now. Our neighbors read the blog and we wanted to keep the special gift we purchased a secret in order not to ruin the surprise.

Miles Wine Cellars is one of the most unique wineries in the Finger Lakes. Miles Wine Cellars is located in a Greek revival mansion overlooking Seneca Lake at a location that was once the site of a ferry crossing. The large pillars gracing the front of the building make any visit a grand entrance.

We started our tasting with the 2006 Chardonnay, which is very low oak with flavors of ripe apple. This is a pleasant sipper. Our next glass was of Ghost.

Ghost is a step up on the sweetness scale (1.7% residual sugar). It is fruity and light and is a Chardonnay/Cayuga blend. Ghost is a special tribute to the spirits said to inhabit the old mansion. On the front of the bottle is an image of a ghost-like silhouette of a woman. Through her skirts and the wine in the bottle, one can see a line drawing of the house, which appears on the back of the wine bottle. On the front porch of the building you can see small figures of a man and woman embracing.

Clairvoyants who have visited the house to taste wine have told owner Doug Miles that the building has spirits. For years the Miles family has experienced strange sounds, mists and forms. The bottle includes the invitation to "taste the spirits within."

The wine is flavorful and also makes a great gift.

Also sampled during our visit was the 2006 Cabernet Franc. This deep red wine is barrel aged in Hungarian oak and offers flavors of mocha and smoke. This was my favorite of the visit. A bottle goes for $19.95.

We closed our tasting at the ghostly mansion with a sample of Call Me a Cab. This is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir blend. This is a sweeter wine said to complement spicy foods and can be served chilled.

The grounds at Miles Wine Cellars are spectacular and are certainly worth the drive. The winery is at the site of an old ferry landing and offers a spectacular view of Seneca Lake. There is also a dock for those who wish to boat to the mansion.

Michigan Resort Offers Elk Viewing, Gourmet Meal and Wine Tasting

Want to get away from it all? How's this sound: a sleigh ride through the woods, elk viewing, a gourmet meal cooked on a wood stove followed by a tasting of boutique wines? That's what's being offered by Michigan's Thunder Bay Resort and it is just what the doctor ordered. The resort is in Hillman, Michigan, about 20 miles from Alpena. We're not saying it's a remote location, but the resort includes the GPS coordinates just in case.

You can enjoy winter's white blanket, proud evergreens and a horse-drawn sleigh ride as you travel through the Northern Woods. From the sleighs, you can view bull elk with world-class antlers. Later you can warm up in front of a split stone fireplace inside the Elk Antler Log Cabin as your gourmet feast is prepared on antique wood cook stoves.

The meal will be accompanied by seven wines from Alpena winery Stoney Acres Winery. Stoney Acres Winery, a small boutique winery, was established in 1999 in Alpena, Michigan. The business began by providing equipment and ingredients for the home beer and wine maker while the signature wines were being carefully produced from fruit grown by local farms.

In January 2003 the wines were introduced to the public in the tasting room located within the winery. Beginning with the Silver City Red (Merlot) and Silver City White (Riesling) in the grape variety and the Apple, Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry in the fruit varieties the wines were well received.

The cost for the Elk Viewing-Gourmet packages begins at $234 per person for a double and a lower price is available for a quad. The package includes the elk viewing sleigh ride, gourmet dinner and wine tasting, two nights deluxe lodging, two full breakfasts in the Clubhouse Grill and winter activity passes including cross country skiing, snowmobiling and nearby ice fishing. (equipment rental extra).

For additional information, call Thunder Bay at (800) 729-9375.

Photo by Nathan Forget

Ohio Winery Visit: South River Vineyard

TANNENBAUM TRAIL REPORT – The South River Vineyard, 6062 South River Road, Geneva, Ohio, marked the mid-way point in our 10-winery tour on the Tannenbaum Trail. Actually, the South River Vineyard wasn’t one of the official Tannenbaum Trail wineries but we went “off the grid” at the suggestion of some fellow tasters – and we’ve mighty glad we did. This was one of the nicest wineries we visited.

Visiting the winery is almost a spiritual experience. That’s actually a joke, but very appropriate

because the winery is actually a 19th century church. The building was moved from its original location in Shalersville in Portage County in 2000. It served an active church from 1893 until the late 1970s when the congregation built a new building.

The church was disassembled with the aid of Amish carpenters and moved to its current location and still boasts the original floors, some of the stained glass windows and the interior doors. As we entered, the afternoon sun was filtering through the stained glass.

During the reconstruction, a time capsule was salvaged from the building and returned to the remnants of the original congregation. It was a copper box, about the size of a shoe box, soldered shut.

When opened, the copper inside was unweathered and still glowed with the original finish. It contained two leather bound bibles, a list of the 25 members of the church at the time of construction, some local newspaper articles, business cards, and several Indian head pennies.

The price for the tastings were $1 for three samples and we began with the whites. I sampled a very pleasant Riesling which had aromas of orange and honey. Green Dragon tasted the Pinot Grigio.

For the reds we began with Exodus. This is 100% Merlot and we were told that it was labeled such after the movie “Sideways” caused Merlot sales to slump. This had plum and jam flavor notes. Like other South River Vineyard wines, this came in a bottle with very attractive painted artwork.

Green Dragon really enjoyed her next taste, Trinity. This is a proprietary blend of Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Chambourcin in almost equal amounts. This opens smoothly with berries and light oak. We purchased a bottle of this.

My next glass was Karma and “instant karma” really got me. This is their signature blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This packs a more powerful punch than the Trinity with complexities of a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. This has a nice backbone with good tannins and some chewy cherry flavors. This was my favorite.

We closed with the Pinot Noir, which has cherry and strawberry flavors with a touch of oak. It is available in limited quantities and is a winner.

The prices at the winery are astounding low for the quality. Most bottles are $16 or $17. Ice wine is a bit pricier. You can purchase a case of a single wine (excluding ice wine) or a mixed case for only $154, which is $12 per bottle. This is a great value.

Later that evening we went out to dinner and I was delighted to  find Trinity on the wine list – and was pleased to find it pairs well with a gorgonzola burger.

The winery also has a wonderful pavilion. You can grab a glass of wine and stroll out to the pavilion which has an expansive view of the vineyards. This striking columned structure looks like a Greek temple sitting on a hillside. This certainly deserves a warm weather return visit.

Not only is this a great destination for wine lovers, but it’s also a great location for the photo buff.

Vino 100 Wine Bar New Year's Eve Celebration

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The Toledo area's newest wine bar will be ringing the new year on December 31. Vino 100 Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee, (419) 866-8466. will be open on New Year's Eve and will offer an exciting limited menu for your 2010 celebration.

No RSVP is required but seating capacity is limited, in order to guarantee a spot, it is best to call. The menu will consist of jumbo shrimp, oysters on the half shell, prime rib slices, salad, and of course bubbly.The wine bar has two flat screen TVs to the ball drop and festivities in Times Square. There will also be a limited number of party favors, so plan to get there early.

Wine Tasting & Events: Week of Dec. 28, 2009

Monday, December 28
Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Bubble Town. Practice Makes Perfect! Champagne and Sparkling wine flights all week! $20 Taste different bubbles from Ohio to France. Actually the one from Ohio is pretty good stuff! No RSVP. (Store hours 12 noon to 10:00 p.m.)


Tuesday, December 29
** Special Event** Perrysburg Area Arts Council benefit wine tasting, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Aficionado Wine & Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). The cost is $20 per person and $10 of each tasting fee is  donated to the Perrysburg Arts Council. Please tell your family and friends, and come out and support this great cause.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Bubble Town. Practice Makes Perfect! Champagne and Sparkling wine flights all week! $20 Taste different bubbles from Ohio to France. Actually the one from Ohio is pretty good stuff! No RSVP. (Store hours 12 noon to 10:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, December 30
Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM, $15.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Bubble Town. Practice Makes Perfect! Champagne and Sparkling wine flights all week! $20 Taste different bubbles from Ohio to France. Actually the one from Ohio is pretty good stuff! No RSVP. (Store hours 12 noon to 10:00 p.m.)

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Terry Theise, "Grower Champagne." 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Pay by the flight or the sample.

Thursday, December 31 - New Year's Eve 
Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. So Many bubbles. We'll be tasting a great selection of sparkling wine tonight, including: Cava, Prosecco, Asti, California sparklers and, or course, Champagne. Try it before you buy it. Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Vino 100 Shop and Wine Bar, Promenade West, 3355 Briarfield Blvd, Suite D, Maumee -- (419) 866-8466. Open for your New Year's Eve celebration with a special limited menu and bubbly. Reservations not required. To ensure a seat, show up early or call.

Friday, January 1 -- Happy New Year  


Saturday, January 2
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). Argentina Malbec. 1.Alamos, 2.La Linda, 3.Tierra Secreta and 4.High Note. $10 tasting.

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Terry Theise, "New Year's Oddballs." 12:00 to 5 p.m. Pay by the flight or the sample.

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