wine tasting
Corner Kitchen Winter Wine Tasting
This Sunday evening wine lovers will want to head to Corner Kitchen in the Oregon District from 5-7pm for a tasting event featuring 18 wines to choose from! Red, white, pink and bubbles, taste it and then take home a bottle at Ohio State minimum prices.
Each $55 ticket includes five 3oz wine tastes and heavy hour d’oeuvres. Additional tasting ticket will be available for purchase on site.
Menu
Foie Gras Sliders
Gougères
Housemade Bratwurst
Thai Red Curry-Marinated Chicken Skewers
Endive Boats with Candied Pecans, Blue Cheese, & Balsamic Glaze
Shrimp Tempura
BLT Toasts
Crispy Artichoke with Lemon Aioli
Crudite
Assorted Cheeses
Assorted Desserts
18 hand-selected wines from Wine Trends
Corner Kitchen
Late Night Wine Tasting at Christopher’s
On Saturday, March 4th Christopher’s Restaurant will host another of its popular after hours wine tasting events. Featuring six selections from their new wine list paired with exquisite hors d’oeuvres prepared by their very creative catering department. This will be a casual, fun event with a party style atmosphere. It takes place after the restaurant closes for service, from 9:30-11:30 pm. Come for the whole event or drop in any time!
Tickets are available for $ $20 presale and $24 at the event at Christopher’s. Space is limited, so it is recommended to purchase in advance. Christopher’s, an eclectic neighborhood eatery known for offering culinary creations, comfort foods, homemade soups and desserts that is vegetarian friendly, is located at 2318 E Dorothy Lane, just west of The Greene.
Fleming’s Tasting Featuring 50 Wines From Award Winning List
Since 2007 Fleming’s Wine List has been recognized by Wine Spectator‘s Restaurant Awards for having a wine lists that offer interesting selections, appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. The 2016 Award Winners were just announced and Fleming’s is just one of 53 Ohio restaurants that made the list.
They’re pouring the entire Fleming’s 100 over two nights for an expansive tasting experience.Take advantage of this unique opportunity to taste and compare varietals, flavors and styles. Savor the difference between California and Oregon Pinots. Sample Chardonnays side by side. Get introduced to those new reds from South Africa and Argentina. What if your favorite wine is one you’ve never tasted?
Saturday, July 16 5 pm–6:30pm
Saturday, August 20 at 5 pm–6:30on
$35 each night, includes passed hors d’oeuvres
Call Fleming’s at 937-320-9548 for reservations.
Help us Pick a Fight with Cancer!
Even pacifists agree that cancer needs its butt kicked. More and more people realize how cancer affects family members, friends, co-workers etc. It’s hard to find someone that cancer hasn’t touched in one way or another. So we are asking you to help us Pick a Fight with Cancer.
This Thursday, May 5th at the Engineers Club of Dayton, Mike Nichols will be hosting the Pick a Fight with Cancer Wine tasting from 6 – 9 pm.
This great event is to celebrate those who have survived cancer, those angels cheering on from heaven and to support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society.
Mike Nichols states: “Wine tasting event honoring the FIGHTERS. What better venue to lead the charge to support blood cancer research than the historic Engineers Club of Dayton. This historic venue was founded by innovators such as Edward Deeds and Charles Kettering whose inventions changed our world. We ask you to join us for an evening of hope to help render this disease powerless. With every sunrise there is hope and a world of possibilities.”
Along with food and delicious wines to sample, craft beer will also join the party. Giveaways and auction items will attend as well to help round out this wonderful soirée. Dr. James Budde from the Rahn Dental Group has provided a zoom whitening gift for one of our attendees. Square One Salon has graciously donated an Aveda Gift basket, Elsa’s South will provide several treats, dance lessons from Arthur Murray, skin creams from Tel Aviv, Israel and gifts from Rodin and Fields have been donated as well.
Tickets are available at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pick-a-fight-with-cancer-tickets-22797351492 or if you would rather pay at the door, tickets are $30 for one person or $50 for couple (couple meaning significant other, family member or bring a friend!)
So come out, join us and the FIGHTERS as we celebrate their triumphs and lend our support in picking a fight with cancer!
Carvers Holiday Wine Show & Toy for Tots Drive
You are invited to taste over 30 Wines from Robert Mondavi, Stratton Lummis, Row Eleven, Trinchero, Joel Gott, Complicated, Terra d’Oro Charles & Charles, Napa Cellars, Folie a Deux, Civello, Magician with food prepared by Chef William Pence.
Tickets must be purchased in advance by phone or in person
10% of Profits Will be Donated to The Marines Toys For Tots Toy Drive
Marines will be present to collect toy & monetary donations.
(Donations are encouraged but not expected)
Live Music in the Lounge with
Dustin Vincent
Raffle will include select wine & memorabilia as well as Carvers Gift Certificates!
Young and Rude – Beaujolais Nouveau Day

Pinkish purple in color and fruity on the palate, Beaujolais nouveau is an incredibly popular wine.
When discussing wine, age and date are critical factors in understanding the product you are enjoying. Under the town hall in the city of Bremen, Germany lies the Schatzkammer (treasury cellar). It has twelve large casks of wine stored there, named for the Apostles. One of the casks, the Judas cask of 1727, still has a wine in it that is very drinkable. The bulk of the 3,000 liter (793 gallons) cask is still the wine from that year, but it is periodically refreshed with younger wines. The wine inside is known as Rüdesheimer Apostelwein 1727, and it is the world’s oldest drinkable wine. It is not often sold. You can visit as a dignitary or wine expert and get a taste of it, or save up around $200,000 to buy yourself a half bottle of it. People seek out the oldest of wines, and will pay top dollar for a sip of history. Or sometimes just to own it.
There is the other side of that equation. On the third Thursday of every November, the region of Beaujolais, France sends out millions and millions of bottles of Beaujolais Noveau. As opposed to long periods of fermentation and aging, this wine goes from harvest to bottle in six to eight weeks. This wine was traditionally created to be consumed at the end of harvest time, as a celebration after months of hard work. It is not a wine to be cellared; because of the high acidity and fast fermentation it does not age well. It is meant to be consumed within the first year of pressing. It is light and fruity, with hints of banana, strawberry, and pears. People looking to bridge the gap from white wines to reds find this to be the right wine to try out, with The Wine Bible going as far to say it is “the only white wine that happens to be red.” Others have described it as “young and rude” because of its fast fermentation and processing time. It is best served slightly chilled to allow the fruit flavors to emerge. Because of the thin skins and short processing time, it is very light on tannins.

These Gamay grapes will be wine by the time you finish this article.
The grapes, Gamay noir à Jus blanc, better known as simply Gamay, are highly acidic, tough pieces of fruit that are not well suited to making a fine wine. But they do grow very fast. They are ready for picking two weeks before Pinot Nior grapes, which earned them a ban from the Burgundy region. Phillipe the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1395, had wines with a reputation to protect. The horrible, harsh little grape was going to ruin that. He banned them, and they moved south to the Beaujolais region, where they became a hit. They are bad wine making grapes. They go through a process called carbonic maceration to make the wine, which bucks the traditional way so the acids in the grape do not take over the flavor profile. The grapes, uncrushed, are loaded into a large, sealed container. The pressure of the weight of the grapes crushed some of them at the bottom, an important part of the process. Carbon dioxide is then pumped into the vessel, forcing the oxygen out and kick starting the fermentation process. Other varieties of Gamay grapes are also fermented through this process. The law requires Gamay grapes, much like grapes for Champagne, must be hand-picked for the wine making process.

The Japanese love the wine so much they bathe in it.
Why all the celebration over a cheap red wine with white wine tendencies? Have you been out drinking on Cinco de Mayo? Or tipped back a green beer on St. Patrick’s Day? People are in for the celebration, not necessarily for the quality. The release of the wine is an event in itself, since everyone knows what day the wine is going to be released. It was November 15th every year, but was changed to the Thursday date to take advantage of weekend wine consumption. There are celebrations in the area and around France, with some in France cheating the time by celebrating it with Japanese counterparts. There have been races from Beaujolais to Paris and London over the years to see who can deliver the first case of the wine. There are cries of “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive!” (The new Beaujolais has arrived), fireworks (the first bottles are opened at 12:01 AM), and parties across the countries involved. The Japanese even bathe in it. In the United States it is used as a table wine for Thanksgiving due to the two holidays having such close proximity. The wine is pairs well with food in general, so roasted turkey with tart cranberries and savory stuffing all sits delightfully with Beaujolais Noveau.
If you want to try some yourself, the fine people at Dorothy Lane Market will be celebrating it all day today with samples at their stores. A Taste of Wine in Miamisburg also has a Beaujolais Nouveau tasting event at 7pm tonight. You can even pick up a bottle or two of it for the upcoming Thanksgiving feasts. Today is not a celebration for vintage wines in dusty cellars, or rare wines that are conversational pieces. They are celebrating the other great qualities of wine; bringing together people to drink, chat, and enjoy each other’s company. Cheers!
Christopher’s Hosts Autumn Wine Tasting Party
On Friday, November 8th Christopher’s Restaurant, located at 2318 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering, will host an evening of wine, hors d’oeuvres and house music from 9:30 to 11:30pm. Tim Creekmur from Allied Wine will act as sommelier and local electronic artist Ritchie Pritch with Deep House will keep things lively.
The evening promises a casual, relaxing atmosphere with a wide selection of heavy hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef Marishah Paddock. Either skip dinner, or eat lite and early, as you’ll want to sample some of these delicacies along with a flight of 6 wines from the autumn wine list. The menu will include vegetarian and gluten free items as well as wine table classics.
This event is drop-in style, so feel free to arrive anytime between 9:30 and 11:00. $17/person or $30/pair includes 6 short pours, food, coffee and tea. Those who’d like to attend but skip the wine tasting can enjoy everything else for $8/person. Beer and wine will be available by the glass/bottle as well. Beer and wine selections will be available by the glass/bottle as well.
Volunteer For Dayton’s Premier Wine & Gourmet Food Fest
On Sunday, May 20th over 1000 folks will converge on Carillon Park for one of Dayton’s most anticipated wine festivals, Fleurs et Vin. Now in it’s 20th year, the fest has proved to be a spectacular party in the park. This years event will benefit AIDS Resource Center Ohio and Dayton History.
To pull off this event, that features over 300 wines and 25 of Dayton’s finest independent restaurants, hundreds of volunteers are needed. From helping to direct parking, checking ID’s, handing out glasses and plates, distributing ice and water, helping in the beer garden and monitoring the live and silent auctions, there are lots of jobs to do.
And one of the fringe benefits for volunteers at this event, free tasting. That’s right, once you’ve completed your work, you can get a glass and enjoy! Of course all voluteers do need to be 21 or over. So grab your friends and sign up today.
Jane’s Best Bets (2/23 – 2/27)
It’s time to start making plans for the week, as there are lots of events happening around town! Here are a few options!
On Wednesday, talk politics and help solve the world’s problems at the Drinking Liberally – Dayton event at Trolley Stop. Seriously, they will be talking about politics, but I don’t think their solution to the world’s problems will be drinking…although the research shows that drinking water can help solve the dehydration problem. If you own a business, you will want to attend Social Media for Business: How to Create and Use a Facebook Fan Page at Groundz4Living at The Greene…afterall, social media is a super cheap way to advertise! Over at Sinclair, help promote sustainable living and economic development with Green Drinks Dayton, which will include a tour and networking event. All you winos will want to attend the Wine Tasting at Rumbleseat Wine, the Weekly Wine Tasting at The Wine Gallery, Vina Robles Wine Tasting at Bruning’s Wine Cellar, or Wine Down Weekdays at Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar. Craving some sushi? Head to Sima Korean & Japanese Restaurants for 1/2 off Chef’s Specials Rolls. And over at South Park Tavern, check out the music of The Motel Beds, The Smug Brothers, and The Fervor. Hopefully “motel beds” isn’t indicative of the quality of their music!
On Thursday, all you art fans will want to attend REACH (Realizing Ethnic Awareness and Cultural Heritage) Across Dayton Joint Reception/Gallery Talk: Bucher/Moro, which takes place at both the Dayton Visual Arts Center (DVAC) and Sinclair. Please don’t “wine” if you didn’t have an opportunity to sip your favorite merlot on Wednesday, as you will again have your opportunity to do so at the Wine Tasting at The Wine Loft, A Wine Dinner with Philippe Magrez at Jungle Jim’s, the Wine Tasting at Heathers Coffee & Café, or Wine Down Weekdays at Savona Restaurant & Wine Bar. If you love the great outdoors, attend Fundamentals of Family Camping at Five Rivers MetroParks’ St. Clair Building. Some consider music therapeutic, so head to Therapy Café to Sing Your Heart Out for the American Heart Association. If you like theater, our local universities are the place to be! Head to Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater for The Foreigner, Wright State for Picnic, or Wittenberg for As You Like It. Regardless of what you choose to do, I hope you like it.
On Friday, join Generation Dayton for their Fourth Friday Lunch Speaker Series at the Dayton Art Institute, featuring Ginny Strausburg of the DP&L Foundation, who will be talking to young professionals about “Choosing Board Professionals Wisely.” Lunch will be provided, compliments of DP&L, so if you’re a young professional, be sure to register ASAP to secure your spot! Couldn’t get enough wine during the earlier part of the week? Head to the Southern Ohio Kitchens Showroom for the Go Red for Women Wine Tasting. If you haven’t yet been to a fish fry this season, you will without a doubt want to head to the Alter High School Fish Fry. There will be LOTS of people there (including myself!), so be sure to get there early! We’ve already had a few days with spring like temperatures, so be sure to take advantage of the Star-Late Skates at RiverScape’s ice rink before it closes for the season! Theater options for Friday include The Berenstain Bears on Stage at Victoria Theatre, As You Like It at Wittenberg, Fat Pig at Dayton Theatre Guild, Picnic at Wright State, and The Foreigner at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater. At the Schuster Center, attend the Dayton Philharmonic’s Virtuosos at Home. If you wish the doors would open to more musical options in the Dayton region, you’re in luck, as there will be a Doors Tribute at Canal Street Tavern. And finally, for all you sports enthusiasts, the Dayton Gems will be taking on the Evansville IceMen at Hara Arena.
On Saturday, start the day early by participating in Ray’s Mountain Bike Trip at Five Rivers MetroParks’ St. Clair Building. If you have it in you, join The Greene as they “go red” for the American Heart Association by participating in their 2 Mile Run/Walk. At the Victoria Theatre, consider taking your kids to their own “Mardi Gras” with Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco. All you fashionistas (my spell check underlined that word so sorry if I “mispeled” it) have a couple great options from which to choose. Attend either The Noble Circle Project’s AWear Affair Fashion Show and Luncheon at Sinclair or the 11th Annual Crown Jewels Hat Show at Books and Co. at The Greene. Be sure to bring your “hatitude”, as the event’s founder Sharon Howard calls it! I attended last year and it was seriously a blast! Have a few beers and support United Rehabilitation Services by participating in the Bud Light Barstool Open North. If you’ve always wanted to be in the movie business, attend the Production Assistant Training Seminar at Sinclair Community College. Saturday’s theater options include Fat Pig at Dayton Theatre Guild, As You Like It at Wittenberg, Picnic at Wright State, and The Foreigner at Sinclair’s Blair Hall Theater. Or attend the Dayton Philharmonic’s Virtuosos at Home at the Schuster Center. All you “Dancing with the Stars” fans will want to get tickets to see Julianne Hough at Kuss Auditorium. At the Dayton Masonic Center, the Hermes Awards Ceremony will be going on to honor those in the advertising industry. At Hara Arena, you will be able to see the Dayton Gems take on the Quad City Mallards. And if you are sick and tired of winter, head to the Beach Party featuring the Parrots of the Caribbean at Jiffy Lube…oops I mean Quaker Steak & Lube.
On Sunday, head to the Schuster Center for their Visual Voices Art Exhibit: Dayton Skyscrapers 2011. Over at Coco’s, Savor Your Sunday & Support Stivers. If you feel like experiencing the sights and scenes of theater, see Picnic at Wright State, As You Like It at Wittenberg, or Fat Pig at the Dayton Theatre Guild. If you couldn’t get a babysitter to watch your kids so that you could go to a show with your honey, then take the kids to Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco at Victoria Theatre. All you Oscar fans should consider watching the movie awards show AT the movies, as The Neon and the The Little Art Theatre will both be having Oscar screenings. Just don’t be a grouch if your favorite movie/actor/actress/director does not win! And finally, head to the UD Arena to watch the UD Flyers as they take on Xavier. I have to say – I am completely jealous of all of you who have tickets! (And if you have any extras, please feel free to send them my way!)
And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…
What did the hat say to the tie?
You hang around here…I’ll go on a head.
These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar. There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today! Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE! And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!
Have a great week Dayton!
Ever Thought About Being A Wine Critic?
Well here’s your chance to take a class that will teach you everything you need to know. A Taste of Wine in downtown Miamisburg is offering a 4 week class starting Jan 11th. The class will be taught by wine expert Lauren Wiethe of Cutting Edge Selections. You’ll learn the qualities a wine critic looks for in judging a wine. As you taste wines you’ll explore ageability, terrior, screwcaps vs corks and wine ratings. By the end of the class, you too will be a Wine Critic.
Class meets on Tuesdays at 7pm on Jan 11, 18, 25 and Feb 1st. Registration is $10, plus a weekly tasting fee of $15. To Sign up call 247-1120
A Taste of Wine
90 South Main Street | Miamisburg, OH 45342 (Get a map!)
937.247.1120 | atasteofwine@gmail.com
Third Fridays in Yellow Springs
On Third Friday, there was a fiddler playing in the moonlight in the first garden of Alan Macbeth’s fantastical building on Xenia Avenue in Yellow Springs. On the side of the building is a beautiful, warm mural of an African woman and her child. To get to the Yellow Springs Arts Councils Gallery you pass under the swooping brick arch and enter by the fountain. There is another garden in the back with tables and chairs to sit and enjoy this enchanted, peace filled space.
The show I came to see was a whimsical combination of Sharon Mohler’s sculpted miniature stories in the round and Karen Russell’s colorful textile quilts and paper art. For a month beforehand Karen had been reporting on face book about how she just couldn’t stop herself making these gorgeous tiny paper boxes. It was amazing to see the final results when she put them together. Sharon’s tiny sculpted stories are heart warming; they are frozen moments from “three generations of memories.” She calls them Sharon’s Songs. On her web site she says: “Life has been a bumpy road for me, but it has never been dull. I am blessed with a good memory. I can remember things that happened when I was only two years old. So these works are called my “songs” because they are the ballads of my life.” Sharon once told me that in her home she has stacks of hatboxes everywhere, lovingly filled with these sculpted stories.
Sharon and Karen’s work will be up at the YSAC Gallery through October 31st
Since there are 2 artists they decided to have 2 receptions. So you have a second chance on October 15th, this coming up Third Friday to meet the artists and see their work.
On my way back to visit some of the other art receptions on Corry and Dayton Street, I was pulled in by the joyful live music cascading out the open doors at the Emporium. I stood on the sidewalk and watched the musicians laughing and jamming together with people of all ages dancing in the glow of the Emporium’s golden light. Right in front, two little bitty girls were gyrating like mad. The Emporium holds a wine tasting with live music every Friday night.
Across the street on Xenia Avenue, there were drums being played and Soul Fire Tribe, the fire dancers of Yellow Springs, were dancing and whirling fire sticks and hoops. I can’t just walk by when they are performing, I had to stop and join the crowd ooohing and ahing.
September was a perfect Third Friday Fling. But if you missed that one there is a very special one coming up October 15th. Two times a year, Yellow Springs puts on an art stroll. (I know that sounds confusing, the September Third Friday that I just described sounds like an art stroll. Third Fridays often have art receptions but usually not to the degree that Art Stroll Night is dedicated to them. There is added effort for all the businesses/galleries and restaurants in town to have new art, live music and great food. Plus many more people come out to see the art and chat with each other. It’s sort of the friendly super bowl of Art Strolls for Yellow Springs.) Traditionally all the spots with a reception that night have balloons out front. Also traditionally Art Stroll is from 6-9 p.m. but it often goes on later.
This year Art Stroll is in memory of a beloved Yellow Springs artist who passed away this past year- Eddie Eckenrode. At Sam & Eddies Open Books, 232 Xenia Ave. (one of my favorite Yellow Springs’ shops for getting unusual cards and birthday presents,) there will be an Art Reception to celebrate Eddie’s new permanent collection, in the upstairs gallery. On display will be an amazing collection from and history of an Ohio artist’s life.
I’ve got to let you know right now that I am not going to cover all the places with receptions, new art up or wine tastings and live music for Art Stroll. I can’t, you’ll just have to come and discover them yourselves!
But I’ve got to tell you about 2 of the art receptions because I am completely biased about them.
The first one is at the Village Artisans at 100 Corry St. Village Artisans is a Co-Op of 20 local artists. I have happily been one of them for 6 years. We are oil, acrylic and water color painters, potters and wood turners, carvers and inlay artists. We work with stones, gourds and precious metals to make jewelry, ornaments, bowls and drums. We are calligraphers and philosophers, textile artists that quilt and embroider and sew and make fabric bowls and wall art. We work with cameras and computers and stained glass. We make books and author books. And pretty much everyone makes cards. (I sure hope I didn’t forget anyone!)
The Village Artisans is putting on the Dare 2B Square show for the month of October. All the art is 12”X12” and is being sold for $100.00 our reception is on (I bet you guessed it) Art Stroll, October 15th from 6-9 p.m. We have over 20 extra artists from this region that are being showcased and then there is the home crew from Village Artisans who are also well represented. And if I do say so myself it is a great show. Come talk to the artists and enjoy our wine and cheese and other goodies.
The other reception that I am totally biased about is at “would you, could you In A Frame” 113 Corry St. The “Stitch Gasp” show is going to be totally weird and totally wonderful. The artist is Corrine Bayraktaroglu aka Jafabrit, (and my Jafagirl art partner.) She has been on an artistic journey from oil paint to graffiti art to stitched art that is fascinating. At her reception on Art Stroll night you will get to see all the stages from art journals to paintings to glorious hand stitched art. Besides, you’ll get to hear the stories behind the art. Stories told in a delightful, non-reverent British way. It will be fun, I promise you.
Art Stroll in Yellow Springs, 6-9 p.m. October 15th- Be there or be square. (Where have I heard that before?)