Create Your Own Blend at Wine Club Event

The Cleveland Wine Club is giving you the opportunity to craft your own wine blend at a special event at the Cleveland Wine School scheduled on Thursday, January 21, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
This may not be the year you fulfill all your New Year's resolutions, but this could be the year you create a wine of your very own. A wine that is uniquely you.

At this event, sponsored by the Cleveland Wine Club, you and a few friends (perhaps new friends!) will be given three bottles of wine - a Cabernet, Syrah, and Merlot. After being given some instruction and tips on how to best blend the wine, you will get to work on coming up with a blend that is full not only of your personality but one that is also wonderfully drinkable and has a good nose, legs, and finish. You will also come up with a name for your wine and you will create a label as well.

Once you are finished crafting your masterpiece, the Cleveland Wine School's Marianne Frantz will do a walk-through and do a blind-tasting of the wines. She will select the wine with the best characteristics and the person who created it will win a cash prize.

The Wine School does not provide food, so please bring something for the food table (cheese, bread, dips, chocolate, anything goes. Plates and silverware will be provided.

The cost for this event is $30 per person (cash only please). Just pay at the door.

To attend this event, RSVP by visiting the Cleveland Wine Club website.  You can join their wine club by simply providing your email address and creating a password and then RSVP for the event. Simple! You will also then be made aware of other great wine events. The Cleveland Wine School is located at 3355 Richmond Road Ste. 191, Beachwood. Phone (216) 831-9919 for more information.

Photo by Jenny Downing

2007 Ironstone Obsession Symphony

There are a handful of wines that I keep on hand as enjoyable everyday wine. These are wines that pluck the right flavor harmonies and can be uncorked (or unscrewed) without the need for ceremony or special occasion. Ironstone Obsession, made with the Symphony grape, is such a bottle I like to keep within easy grasp.

My wife is not a big Chardonnay fan. She is turned off by the heavy oaking that predominates many of the buttery Chards. As a result, we have tried a lot of different white varieties.

 I discovered this about five or six years ago and was captivated by its drinkability. It has floral aromas and crisp and clean fruit flavors. This is a bit sweeter than our normal fare, with residual sugar of 1.7%. The uniqueness of the grape variety is also a great conversation starter.

When first sampling this wine, I had to do a bit of detective work. I wasn’t sure if Symphony was the name of a proprietary blend, a vineyard or what exactly. I learned that Symphony is a cross between Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris. It was created at the University of California at Davis in 1948 (by Dr. Harold Olmo). It thrives in the mineral rich soils of the Lodi and Sierra Foothills wine growing districts.

The Kautz family founded Ironstone after spending decades as grape growers beginning in the 1940s. Ironstone has the most significant plantings, of this unique grape variety.

With over 5,000 acres of vineyards in Lodi and the Sierra Foothills AVAs, the Kautz Family is one of the top 10 winegrape growers and top 10 family-owned and operated wineries in the United States. In addition to the Ironstone Winery and Entertainment Complex, located in the Sierra Foothills historic Gold Rush town of Murphys, the Kautz Family owns and operates the Bear Creek winery facility located in Lodi, California. The family currently produces and globally markets six wine brands including Ironstone, Ironstone Reserves, Christine Andrew, Sonoma Creek, Dog Tail Vineyards and Leaping Horse Vineyards.

The QPR (Quality Price Ratio) is superb for this wine. It costs about $8 – if you can find it. Although not expensive, it’s outside the domain of many stores that carry only mainstream grape varieties.

Obsession Symphony pairs well with many types of cuisine, especially ones that are on the spicy side. Obsession is great with Pad Thai or other Thai dishes. The hot curry found in Indian cuisine is cooled by Obsession’s fresh fruit flavors.

Polar Opposite Wine Event Slated At Toledo Zoo

Image via Wikipedia

The Toledo Zoo has scheduled its latest Vineyard Adventure wine event. Titled Polar Opposites, the event will take place January 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Arctic Encounter pavillion.

Each Vineyard Adventure is based on a unique theme and is spent at a different location at the Zoo. At each event you will enjoy a delectable mix of wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, live music, and socializing.

The price for Toledo Zoo members is $35. The cost for non-members is $40. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance. You must be 21 years or older to attend a Vineyard Adventure and a valid ID will be required. Reservations can be made by calling 419-385-5721, ext 3092.

Red and White Event Scheduled in Akron

Akron's Red & White on Thursday Night wine event is scheduled 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 28, at the John S. Knight Center, 77 East Mill St., Akron.

Red & White on Thursday Night is a strolling wine and food tasting event featuring live and silent auctions and several raffles. All proceeds benefit the Northeastern Ohio Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. More than 700 guests will enjoy food from over 20 area restaurants and over 75 different wines from five local distributors representing dozens of wineries from around the globe.

Funds raised from the event will enable the Arthritis Foundation to continue its many programs and services for the 1 million Northeast Ohioans living with arthritis.

The 13th annual event will include silent and live auctions and a raffle. Attendees will have a change to win a trip to Napa Valley.....airfare included!


Pre-sale general admission tickets are $85, V.I.P. passes are $125, which includes entrance to the V.I.P. tasting room and general admission. Tickets at the door are $95. For tickets or information call (330) 644-3390 or e-mail angelasmith@arthritis.org.

Photo by Kyle May

Ohio Winery Report: Ferrante Winery

TANNENBAUM TRAIL REPORT – The Ferrante family has a long tradition of wine making in Ohio. In 1937 Nicholas and Anna Ferrante began making wine in the Cleveland area. In 1979 Nicholas Ferrante Sr. moved the winery operation to its current location in Harpersfield Township.
Ferrante was the next stop on our Tannenbaum Trail excursion.

We were looking forward to visiting this winery, which is one of the few Ohio wineries  to have its wines widely distributed within the state.
The Ferrante operation is top-flight, from a splendid winery building and grounds, to an inviting tasting room and well-stocked gift shop.
Our first impressions were very favorable even though our visit was during a somewhat drab December day. In the summer this would truly be a memorable visit.

Upon arrival we were greeted with a glass of Reserve Red which, we were informed, was a great accompaniment to the complimentary appetizer, which was a very nice sized meatball. The Reserve Red is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and is aged for 10 months in French Oak barrels. This is the priciest wine on their list at $34.99. It displays a nice complexity which can be hard to find in Ohio reds. This is smooth, but the Cab gives it a stronger backbone than Merlot alone. This earned top honors during our visit.

The tasting room was a lively affair with many other Tannenbaum travelers, some coming on the trail from the other (Eastern) end. We compared our notes on the wineries and backtracked to the white wines while enjoying the beautiful setting.
The Gewurtztraminer Signature (Grand River Valley) was a great Gewurtz with the proper spiciness we like. This had 1.0% residual sugar and is considered off dry. This was tasty with a floral nose and citrus flavor notes.

I was looking forward to the Golden Bunches Dry Riesling. This was selected as the Best of Show at the 2009 Ohio Wine Competition. It did not disappoint. The finish for this glass was long with aromas and flavors of peach and citrus.

Also sampled was the Pinot Grigio. Green Dragon tried this, which is part of their Signature line.  Our fellow tasters seemed to like this, but this lacked the body and character of the Gewurtz and Riesling.

Ferrante was perhaps the best all-round winery we visited during our brief December trip. It bills itself as a destination winery, and it lives up to the billing. Although we didn’t have time to have a meal at the winery restaurant, it looks great and will certainly be on our schedule for our next visit.

I want to give “props” to Ferrante for spearheading  the Feed The Hungry Hearts dinner in December and hosting it at their facility. This meal for families in need was led by the Ferrante Family and executive chef Nina Kacvinky.

Area wineries and businesses, including Sysco Foods and other purveyors, are donating food, goods and manpower to this first-time event. About 500 persons were served. (In case you were wondering, no alcohol was served.)

Great wine, super facility and “paying it forward.” That’s a nice blend.

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Wine Tasting & Events: Week of Jan. 4, 2010

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

Thursday, January 7
The Andersons, Wine Tasting. Maumee 5-7 PM. Nominal charge.


The Andersons, Wine Tasting. Talmadge Road 6-8 PM. Nominal fee.

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

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. Sippin' on some Southern Hemi: Sure, we all wish we were down there right about now, but let's face it: We're in Ohio! Well I say nuts to that! Time to drink like we're in Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and New Zealand.Cost $1 to $3 per sample.


Friday, January 8
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). Chardonnay: Burgundy vs. California. 1. Larochette Macon Morizottes, 2. Morgan “Highland,” 3. Bouchard Bourgogne, 4. Rombauer. $10 tasting.


Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. Sippin' on some Southern Hemi: Sure, we all wish we were down there right about now, but let's face it: We're in Ohio! Well I say nuts to that! Time to drink like we're in Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, and New Zealand.Cost $1 to $3 per sample.

Saturday, January 9
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). Chardonnay: Burgundy vs. California. 1. Larochette Macon Morizottes, 2. Morgan “Highland,” 3. Bouchard Bourgogne, 4. Rombauer. $10 tasting.


Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Great Closeout Values (Whites and Reds). Pay by the flight or the sample.

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