Acustic Cellars 2008 Montsant Spain

This stylish and smooth wine was a selection during a recent business trip to Chicago. Our small group visited The Gage, a cool gastropub with a great wine list and an eclectic menu. I chose this wine because it was a Grenache blend. Grenache (Garnacha in Spanish) is a silky, food-friendly grape. This wine is blended with Samso (also known as Carinena). This Spanish beauty is dark purple, with a subtle nose of black cherry. This is well balanced with a nice complexity. It is aged in oak and has some low-key tannins in the background and a touch of spice.                                                                          

The wine was a nice match for our varied entrees, which ranged from Amish chicken, to pork chops and rib eye. This wine is a glass with class. It is also moderately priced.

Lake Erie Wine Fest Set June 19-20 at Geneva-On-The-Lake

The Lake Erie Wine Fest will be held Friday and Saturday, June 19-20, at the Landing Festival Marketplace at Geneva-On-The-Lake (next to Old Firehouse Winery).

The event, which is scheduled 1:00 to 7:00 PM each day, will feature Ohio wines, food and wine pairing demonstrations from several local restaurants, home winemaking demonstrations, vinticulture lectures to help with your backyard vines and arts and crafts displays.

Participating wineries include: Old Mill Winery, Virant Family Winery, Lakehouse Inn & Winery, The Winery at Spring Hill, Klingshirn Winery, Old Firehouse Winery, Ferrante Winery, Emerine Estates and Debonne Vineyards.


Tickets are $20 for adult taster, $5 for designated driver, and $5 for under 21. Music is sponsored by The Northcoast Voice. Check out our artist, crafters, and demonstrations. Food will be available from some of the areas finest retaurants. For tickets and more information go to http://www.lakeeriewinefest.com/.

Flickr photo by Omar G

Summer Solstice Wine, Art, and Blues Festival Scheduled June 18-20

The Eighth Annual Summer Solstice Wine, Art, and Blues Festival hosted by The Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy is scheduled June 18-20 at Sarah’s Vineyard, 1204 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,  (330) 929.8057.

The events will feature arts, crafts, music and great Ohio wine from Breitenbach Winery, Candlelight Winery, Klingshirn Winery, Viking Vineyards & Winery, Maize Valley Winery, Mastropietro Winery, The Winery at Wolf Creek, Troutman Vineyards, and Sarah’s Vineyard. Admission each day is $8 and includes a crystal wine glass. Parking is free.

Hours are 4:00 to 10:00 PM Friday, June 18, Noon to 10:00 PM Saturday and Noon to 6:00 PM Sunday. The daily schedule is as follows:

•Friday, June 18th - Music by The Jeff Poulis Blues Revue (4pm-6pm) and The Frankie Starr Band (7pm-10pm).

•Saturday, June 19th  - Music by The Steve Cipriano Band (12pm-2pm), The Mike Lenz Band (3pm-6pm) and The Bluestones Blues Band (7pm-10pm).

•Sunday, June 20th - Music by The Band Howard Street Blues (1:30pm-5:30pm).

Browse and shop with artists who will be displaying jewelry, pottery, prints, handmade tiles, handmade soaps, decorative gourds, stained glass, woodworking, metal working, fabric art, and photography. Take a leisurely walk through the vineyard and sample delicious food and wine.

Sarah’s Vineyard is an established farmstead and part of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Initiative - an innovative program designed by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to bring small scale sustainable agriculture back to the Valley.

Photo by Bakr Aptemob

Wine Tastings & Events: Week of June 14, 2010

Image of Bott-Geyl via Snooth

Wednesday, June 16

Anderson's Market, Sylvania, Wine Tasting. 6-8:00 PM. Closeouts:

1. Stellina di Notte Chianti, 2. Jade Mountain “La Provencale,” 3. Black Pearl Cabernet Sauvignon, 4. Peter Mertes Riesling Spaetlese. Nominal fee per sample or $6 per flight.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM. Hearty Wines for Father’s Day. $15.

Manhattan’s Restaurant, 1516 Adams Street, Toledo. Wine Tasting with Uptown Vineyard. 6:30 PM. $15. Five wines and appetizers. In Union Square room. Reservations required. E-mail info@uptownvineyard.com or call (866) 276-1984.

Thursday, June 17
The Andersons, Maumee, Wine Tasting. 5-7 PM. Food Pairings –
beef: 1. Solnia – Rioja– Spain, 2.  Liberty School – Cuvee – Paso Robles, California; 3. Geyser Peak – Cabernet Sauvignon – Sonoma, California; 4. Haut Medoc du Haut Beyzac – Red Bordeaux – France. Nominal fee per sample or $7 per flight.

The Andersons, Talmadge Road. Wine Tasting, 6-8 PM. Regal Rieslings. From dry to sweet, Rieslings are one of the world’s great wines and the best of food friendly wines. DRY: 1. Richter Classis, Germany, 2. Pikes, Australia.  LIGHTLY SWEET TO VERY SWEET:

3. Clean Slate, Germany, 4. Dr. “L” Loosen, Germany, 5. Bott-Geyl, Alsace, France, 6. Hoffman-Simon Piesporter Goldtropfchen Spatlese, Germany, 7.  Bastgen Bruneberger-Juffer Spatlese, Germany, 8.  Gorman “Bully” Red Mountain, WA, 9.  Dr. Loosen Urzinger-Wurzgarten Auslese, Germany, 10.  Jordan Alexander Valley. Nominal fee per sample.

Beer and Wine Cave, 4400 Heatherdowns, (419) 382-6221. 6-8 PM. Hearty Wines for Father’s Day. $15.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. Super Funtime Blind Wine Tasting Extravaganza II. Remember how much fun we had at the last blind tasting? Well, it's back by popular demand. Time for the champs to defend their crowns! $1 to $3 per sample.

Friday, June 18
* Special Event * Wine by the Glass Pavilion, Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion, 7:00 to 9:30 PM. Santa Maria Barbeque. Enjoy four wines, light snacks, and a view of our Hot Shop. Prices are $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Dad's Cabs: 1. Dreyer Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, 2. Twenty Rows Cabernet Sauvignon, 3. Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, 4. Stag's Leap "Artemis" Cabernet. $15 tasting.

Corks Wine and Liquor, Promenade Plaza, 27250 Crossroads Pkwy., Rossford – (419) 872-6800. 6-9 PM. Super Funtime Blind Wine Tasting Extravaganza II. Remember how much fun we had at the last blind tasting? Well, it's back by popular demand. Time for the champs to defend their crowns! $1 to $3 per sample.

Saturday, June 19
Aficionado Wine and Cigars, The Shoppes at RiverPlace, 26567 N. Dixie Highway, Suite 135, Perrysburg, (419-873-4444). 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. Dad's Cabs: 1. Dreyer Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, 2. Twenty Rows Cabernet Sauvignon, 3. Oberon Cabernet Sauvignon, 4. Stag's Leap "Artemis" Cabernet. $15 tasting.

The Andersons, Woodville, Wine Tasting. 1-3 PM. 1. Hugl Gruner Veltliner Austria, 2. Clean Slate, 2009 Riesling, Mosel Germany, 3. Dancing Chef, Sweet Red, Spain, 4. Don Vino, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon CA. Nominal fee per sample or $2.25 per flight.

Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000. Noon to 5:00 p.m. Italy’s Obscure Value Wines.Pay by the sample or flight.

[Information on tastings can be sent to TWAV@ATT.NET.]

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Lone Oak Vineyard Estate Sets Event for Dads

Image via Wikipedia

Lone Oak Vineyard Estate, 8400 Ann Arbor Rd., Grass Lake, Michigan, (517) 522-8167, has scheduled a Father's Day open house on Saturday, June 19, from 12 noon to 4:00 PM. The Jackson-area winery will offer live music and complimentary appetizers on their new deck. Gary Detlefs will perform 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Gary will help "get your groove on" with the sounds of smooth jazz guitar.

All dads will receive one of the newly designed Lone Oak logo wine glasses. This is a great opportunity to give dad some quality "wind-down" time the day before his big day. The event takes place rain or shine with seating indoors if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Estancia 2007 Central Coast Merlot

This rich bodied merlot was the hit of a large reception I attended a couple months ago. Attendees loved the wine and assumed it was from a Napa winemaker. Guess again. Estancia is a Paso Robles, California, wine producer and this tasty bottle is crafted with grapes from the Monterey County and Paso Robles.

We recently popped open a bottle after dinner. The color is a deep ruby with aroma of dark fruit and vanilla. The wine has 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Syrah to give it an elegant blended taste. The wine is round with a lingering finish.

Estancia focuses on using the best of new technology along with old world methods. They also deliver great wine at a very affordable price (about $12).

This isn't a wedding anniversary wine -- but is an excellent Thursday evening wine. A nice choice with red meat or salmon.