Wine

Brunings Wine & Spinoza’s Launch Summer Series

May 27, 2015 By Dayton Most Metro

This debut event kicks off a summer-long wine and pizza pairing series featuring special off-menu pizzas and unique wines available exclusively at Spinoza’s (menu price by the glass or bottle) and at Brunings Wine Cellar (retail price by the bottle or 10% case discount).

Pizza Feature for May/June:
Steak & Mixed Mushroom Pizza with Gruyere & Fontina Cheese, sauteed mushroom mix, marinated Black Angus sirloin, caramelized onions, and Danish blue cheese with horseradish aioli & scallions after the bake.

Dayton’s Premier Wine & Gourmet Food Festival is Sunday!

May 15, 2015 By Lisa Grigsby

Twenty four years ago, when Vail Miller of Heidelberg and Mike Frank of Arrow Wine thought up the event that has come to be known as Fleurs et Vin, it was to bring wine to the people in a way that wasn’t stuffy and thus the Party in the Park began. Now moved on to the second generation of these influential families in the Dayton Drinking scene, the party continues to grow.

This Sunday, May 17th at 1pm there will be over 300+ wines to sample under a huge tent in Welcome Park, which is behind UD Arena. And we all know that the taste of wine can change when paired with food, so you’ll have food samples from 20 of the region’s finest independent restaurants. Offerings will include Lamb Taco’s, Slaw Dogs, Grilled Salmon, Carved Beef, BBQ Pork, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Chevre with Olive Tapenade, Shrimp & Crab stuffed Ravioli and so much more…

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Amy from Allied Wine, Kyle Cabernet and Mif from Arrow Wine

2015 Fleurs et Vin Participating Restaurants

Amber Rose
Carver’s
Central Perc
Coco’s Bistro
De’lish
Giovanni’s
Hawthorn Grill
Jay’s Seafood
Kohler Catering
Lock 2

Meadowlark
Mudlick Tap House
Nonnie Waller’s
Oakwood Club
Salar
Scratch Event Catering
Wheat Penny
Thai 9
The Dock
The Deli at The Top of the Market

Dayton’s Premier Wine and Gourmet Food Festival also features a silent auction that has over 70 packages to choose from including autographed books, a handmade quilt, candles, jewelry and a sectional sofa rom Dayton Discount Furniture!

As well as Gift Certificates from Roost, TJ Chumps, Hairless Hare Brewery, Dayton Art Institute, My Pilates Studio, Briana Snyder Photography, Organic Trails Restaurant, The Dirty Gym, Baker-Bird Winery, Thai9, Lily’s Bistro, Houser Asphalt and 5 monts of house cleaning from Simply Green Maids.

And Gift Baskets from Square One Salon and Spa, Tim Horton’s and Trader Joe’s, Raise Your Brush, Sherwood Florist, Dayton Dragons, Marilyn Merlot, Jagermeister and more.

Perhaps you’d prefer Tickets to Crowns by The Human Race, Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Art Museum, Bach Society of Dayton, Shadowbox Theater, Dayton Funny Bone, Dayton Art Institute, Laser Web and ARC Ohio’s Masquerage.

Not a wine drinker? Relax in the Stella Artois Beer Garden, where Stella, Stella Cidre, Sam Adams Summer Ale and Goose Island brews will be on tap. Live music by J.T. Fedrick and the Sax Groove will provide a back drop for an awesome day of tasting at Welcome Park. The park, tucked behind UD Arena and Welcome Stadium is a new venue for this event and offers plenty of parking. Guests can enter gates B or C at the Arena, you’ll know you’re in the right place when you are welcomed by dancing grape, Kyle Cabernet.

Proceed for the event will benefit AIDS Resource Center Ohio. Tickets are $70 in advance, and can be picked up at Arrow Wine, Bella Vino, Liquor & Wine Warehouse, Miami Valley Spirits, Rumbleseat Wine, The Wine Gallery or purchased online at Fleursetvin.com. Tickets at the park will be $75. All guests at Fleurs must be 21 or older and the event is rain or shine.

Fleurs et Vin has partnered with UBER to offer first time users $20 towards your ride to or from the event by using code FLEURSETVIN15. Just download the app to get started.

Oregon Pinot Noir Tasting at Arrow Wine Centerville Tonight

April 20, 2015 By Dayton Most Metro

Patricia Green Cellars is located in the Ribbon Ridge Appellation of the Willamette Valley of Oregon on a 52 acre estate purchased in 2000 by Patty Green and Jim Anderson. The winery, and thus the two friends and business partners, are noted for producing a tremendously broad selection of vineyard designated Pinot Noirs from several vineyards representing some of the better sites in the Willamette Valley with a particular emphasis over the years on Ribbon Ridge, Dundee Hills and the Chehalem Mountain appellations. Patricia Green Cellars focus is to produce Pinot Noirs that show the distinct characteristics of the sites and vintage within the context of the wines. Due to this all of the vineyards the winery either maintains or purchases fruit from are extremely well-tended sites that seek to grow the best fruit possible through rigorous attention to detail on every single vine. Over the years as many as 20 different bottlings of Pinot Noir have been produced in any given vintage. To ensure that these wines are of the highest quality possible, are unique in and of themselves and distinct across the range of wines the decisions we made about the quality of each barrel is quite rigorous ensuring that each bottling represents the best possible wine from each vineyard and vintage.

At a larger level the philosophy of the winery is fairly simple: Do what needs to be done. The two partners of Patricia Green Cellars feel that you simply cannot enter into a vintage with pre-conceived notions of what is going to happen, what the fruit is going to be like, what the wines are going to be like and what is going to need to be done to turn fruit into the best wines possible. There are certain approaches and techniques that will obviously be applied, however the intensity of those actions is fluid. That fluid nature would extend to nearly every aspect of the winemaking. Ultimately things are done as simply as is possible. The 14th century friar William of Ockham stated that “one should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.” This is the physics theory known as Occam’s Razor. It applies to winemaking though, too. With over 50 combined years worth of winemaking experience the two partners are quite possibly the longest-partnered winemaking duo in Oregon and they have come to realize that the hardest thing to do is to do the simplest things. However, by paring down, as much as is possible and as much as is sensible, they have found that the wines are better off for it.

Of course to be a truly successful winery one must start with very strong raw materials. That is where the strength of Patricia Green Cellars lives as a winery. Over the years an ever-increasingly strong set of vineyards has made up the core of the winery’s Pinot Noir volume. The crowning jewel initially was landing what is the Estate Vineyard with the purchase of the property back in 2000. After that the near yearly search to bring in extraordinarily high-quality sites, most times with older vines serving as a part of the equation, continues and the winery continues to be able to release unique wines from terrific sites that drive the reputation and finances of the winery. At this juncture Patricia Green Cellars has now assembled what is certainly its strongest collection of well-farmed, high-quality sites with great reputations in its entire existence. The dogged determination to continue to produce the best bottlings of vineyard designated Pinot Noirs, to continually show the willingness and ability to craft critically-acclaimed Pinots from new sites and sell them on a vintage in and vintage out basis has opened the door to this day where a stable of vineyards reflects the winery’s reputation and the winemakers’ skill level.

Arrow Wine Centerville will be sampling the Award Winning Pinot Noirs, from Patricia Green Cellars, Willamette Valley, today (Mon, April 20th) from 5-8pm. Patricia will be there explaining the nuances of the wines! The tasting is casual, reservations are not required and tastes are nominally priced.

Tickets on Sale Saturday For Dayton’s Premier Wine & Gourmet Food Event!

March 11, 2015 By Lisa Grigsby

The original “Party in the Park” was the brain child of two friends, Vail Miller Sr. of Heidelberg and Mike Frank of Arrow Wine. With a mission of bringing wine out of just the wine cellars and to the general public, the idea of a wine festival was born. Now 24 years later, Fleurs et Vin is the most anticipated, talked about and attend wine event in the Miami Valley.

On Sunday May 17 from 1- 4pm, wine connoisseurs and novices alike will sample the best wines from around the world while enjoying culinary treats from 20 of the top independent restaurants in the region.

Last year there were over 420 wines for sampling, as well as a beer garden featuring Belgium brews. Wines and beer selections for this year are still being put together. And if that isn’t enough to keep you busy, J.t. Fedrick and his band will be in full swing, the dance floor open and wonderful baskets available for bidding in the silent auction. And come 4pm, the best entertainment of the day can often be found at the live auction, where thousands of dollars are raised in just minutes iwth the sale of wine collectibles, with proceeds benefiting AIDS Resource Center Ohio. If you’d like to support the even with a donation to the auction you can start that process with this online donation form.

Tickets for Fleurs et Vin run $70 in advance $75 at the door, but this Saturday only, Arrow Wine will host a Super Saturday tasting from 11am – 5pm at both the Far Hills and Centerville stores, and the ARC Ohio Associate Board members will be selling Fleurs et Vin tickets for just $60.

Bruning’s Wine Cellar to Host Wine Appreciation Series

February 9, 2015 By Dayton Most Metro

Learn wine from an expert and get more out of each sip. Do you want to learn to talk intelligently about wine, or start your own collection? Are you a serious wine lover looking to deepen your knowledge? Either way, this five week series presented by Micheal Freeman of Vintner Select will cover wine tasting techniques, explore characteristics of different wine regions around the world and more.

The classes kick off on Monday, Feb 23rd from 6-8pm at Bruning’s in Beavercreek and continue each Monday through March 23rd. Cost for all five week course is $100 and includes wine tasting, cheese and crackers, formal instruction and all class printed materials. The last class of the series will be a wine and food pairing.

Space is limited and you can call 937.426.4950 to reserve your spot or just stop in at Brunings at 2476 Commons Blvd. .

Young and Rude – Beaujolais Nouveau Day

November 20, 2014 By Brian Petro

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 15^th 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!

California Cabernet Tasting at Arrow Wine

October 14, 2014 By Dayton Most Metro

We will be pouring 6 California Cabernets ‘Blind’. Guess which are which and receive a Special Prize!

Cabernets to be tasted: 2011 Elizabeth Spencer, 2010 Trinchero Mario’s Vineyard, 2008 Heitz Napa Valley, 2010 Simi Landslide, 2012 Beringer Knights Vineyard, 2010 Jordan

$25.00 for the flight. No reservations necessary

From Burgundy, with Love – National Chardonnay Day

May 22, 2014 By Brian Petro Leave a Comment

Bottles of wine from France and California

A sampling of the wines from the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting.

Steven Spurrier did not set out to send the wine world into a great upheaval. He was an advocate of French wine, and always looking for ways to further that belief. He was so confident of the superiority of his beloved wines that he arranged a blind tasting versus the wines of California to prove it. Paris was selected as the site (of course), and judges from all over the country were brought in for the event. The Paris Wine Tasting was going to prove once and for all that French wine was superior to all other comers. The year was 1976, the same year the United States was celebrating its bicentennial. Little did anyone know at the time that the U.S. was going to cause another major upheaval in a major European power during that anniversary.

Chardonnay was the white wine of choice for both countries; the French brought in a Bordeaux for the red, and the U.S. offered a Cabernet Sauvignon. There was so little doubt in the outcome, France sent no media. TIME magazine was the only press that attended the event. In a decision that stunned everyone in the wine world, the wines in the United States were declared the best across the board.

The Judgment of Paris launched California wines into the spotlight, Chardonnay being thrust straight to the forefront. But Chardonnay had a well-deserved reputation in the wine industry for centuries before that. No one is sure when or how this flexible grape came into being. The most popular theory is that the Romans brought the Gouais blanc variety of grapes to Gaul as they marched through Europe. The grapes started to cross breed with the native Pinot grapes, and the Chardonnay grape was born. In its European home it was used to create white Burgundy wine, seen as one of the finest white wines in the world. There was a blend of the soil, the flexibility of the grape, and the oak it was kept in that develop rich and complex flavors. It is also one of the three grapes (with Pinot noir or Pinot Meunier) that are commonly used in champagne production. Chardonnay vines love chalk, clay, and limestone soils the best, one reason it flourished in the Burgundy region. The vine also travels well, making it the second most popular white wine grape in the world, and fifth of all wine grapes.

Chardonnay grapes, just waiting to be plucked.

Planting Chardonnay grapes in your vineyard is almost a rite of passage; it is a relatively easy grape to grow. It also is not picky about where it grows, taking root all over the world. It buds early in the spring, but the right techniques can delay the budding for warmer weather to keep the grape’s acidity. The quick ripening does not have to be delayed, making it perfect for a short growing season. Cooler regions, like northern California and New York, are also ideal. The grapes do not ripen as quickly, allowing them to stay on the vine longer to develop some flavor. That is the one small drawback of this super grape. On its own, it does not have much flavor. It is completely dependent on two things: the soil it is grown in (or terroir) and oaking the wine (storing it in oak barrels). This means that the vintner has a big opportunity to implant their own mark on it. They have choices on if they want to put in oak (imparting vanilla and caramel flavors) and where to grow it. If they do not use oak barrels to mature the wine, they will use stainless steel columns. The stainless steel adds nothing, so the flavors of the soil are more pronounced. Cooler climates will impart fruit notes like apple or pear, while warmer climates can add tropical mango and pineapple flavors. The vintner can also choose to put the wine through malolactic fermentation. This changes malic acid to lactic acid, adding a butteriness to the wine. The charm and popularity of Chardonnay comes from the malleability of the flavor profile. This wide spectrum of flavors means that it can go well with any dish, from savory to sweet, if you select the proper wine.

Golden, dry, and delicious.

It is not all sunshine and spring breezes for this widely loved wine. Talking about Chardonnay with some friends, one of them called it “the McDonalds of wines”. Much like McDonalds, and to the chagrin of many wine drinkers, Chardonnay is global. It is sturdy, easy to grow, and very profitable. With so much of it planted all over the world, it is very common as well. It lacks a distinction that a Chablis, made of the same grape, enjoys. The lack of flavor in the grape also means that it can be overpowered by strong flavors, especially when it is left in the oak too long. It has also been popular for a very long time, so it is associated with older wine drinkers. And no one wants to be drinking what their parents drank.

The Judgment of Paris opened the floodgates for Chardonnay all over the world. The tête-à-tête match in 1976 was not a random event; every competition between France and the United States afterwards has had similar results. The celebration and overall continued popularity of this dry, impressionable wine resulted in the creation of National Chardonnay Day in 2009. The actual day it is celebrated on, much like the wine it celebrates, is still malleable. It is near the last week of May, but various sites have it being honored on the 22^nd or 23^rd. It has also been enjoyed some years as late as May 26^th. Of course, enjoying Chardonnay on all of those days is just as acceptable. Head to Arrow Wine, Rumbleseat Wine, The Wine Gallery, or any of the many wine merchants in Dayton and pick up a bottle or two to enjoy with friends. If you have any suggestions, we’d love to hear them in the comments below or on Facebook! Now, who has the wine key?

Five for Drinking: Champagne

December 30, 2013 By Brian Petro Leave a Comment

Champagne has its own inner glow.

New Year’s Day is fast approaching. That means a huge celebration of the year we just finished and a leaping off point for the year we are about to tackle. Major celebrations are equated with bringing out the bubbly. The corks are going to pop and champagne is going to flow. It is a lovely, crisp and effervescent drink on its own. It is also a great base for some delicious cocktails.

Champagne in a cocktail has been around for as long as champagne has been around. Here are five cocktails you can make for your guests to add a little more flavor to the mix.

Punch It Up

Punches are classics when it comes to cocktails; people would mix up huge batches for self-service at parties, meetings, and creating Constitutions. It is a simple, delicious way to get a cocktail into your guests’ hands as they walk in the door. Here is a concoction from Allrecipes that is typical of a punch recipe:

Champagne Punch (makes 35 4 oz. servings)

1 12 oz. can of cranberry juice concentrate
1 12 oz. can of pink lemonade concentrate
1 6 oz. can of limeade concentrate
1 bottle of chilled white wine
1 liter of soda water
2 bottles of chilled champagne

In a large punch bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Add a large block of ice to keep it all cold. Garnish with sliced lemons and limes.

Simple to make and delightful to drink. You can change the flavors to the taste of your guests, just mind the proportions.

Keep It Simple

People hear the word “cocktail” and think of something complex, yet elegant. Good cocktails can be just two or three ingredients mixed in the proper proportions. A Black Velvet can be made with ingredients you already have at the party!

Black Velvet, if you please…

Black Velvet

Stout (Guinness is the traditional choice, but select your favorite)
Champagne

In a glass, mix equal parts stout and champagne. It is just that simple. Just pour SLOWLY. Champagne fizzes a great deal when you add things to it.

Gotta Go Back In Time

Casablanca is one of my favorite movies of all time. Captain Renault spends a good deal of the movie ordering and consuming champagne cocktails. It is not a generic cocktail name, but something specific (and simple) to make.

Champagne Cocktail

1 sugar cube
4 dashes Angostura bitters
Champagne

Put the sugar cube and bitters into a champagne flute or coupe. Pour the champagne over the other ingredients and garnish with a twist of lemon. Enjoy!

Before processed foods, sodas and easily accessible juices, sugar and bitters were very popular ingredients used to flavor drinks.

Show Off Your Skills

Here is a rare gem of a cocktail. It was created in Louisville in 1917, named after the hotel it was invented in, then lost until 1997 when it was printed in New Classic Cocktails. It is a vintage cocktail that has not caught on, and I have no idea why. It is delightful.

Seelbach Cocktail

1 oz. bourbon
.5 oz. orange liqueur
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
5 oz. champagne

Pour all the ingredients except for the champagne into a flute and stir. Add the champagne and give it a few more gentle stirs. You can use an orange twist as a garnish.

It takes a few more ingredients, but it is well worth it. Bitters last for a long time, so you can play with different cocktail and cooking combinations through the year.

The ball that is going to drop to end 2013. What will you be drinking?

Something New

I have been known to play with an ingredient or two. One of my favorite things to do as a bartender is make things up on the spot, using past recipes as a base to launch off of. This recipe is a result of that.

Ginger Spiced Champagne

1 oz. ginger liqueur
.5 oz. raspberry liqueur
1 oz. cranberry juice
Champagne

Mix all of the ingredients except for the champagne in a champagne flute. Add the champagne and give it a gentle stir or two.

The ginger and cranberry add a little bite to the sweet champagne. It may take a few ingredients that you do not have around the house, but the end result is well worth it.

One thing to remember about using champagne with a cocktail is that the champagne should be the star. It is more than just a mixer; it adds sweetness and sparkle to whatever it is being mixed with. Of course, if there is any champagne on January 1^st you can make mimosas. Happy New Year!

Cheers To National Moscato Day On May 9

May 9, 2013 By Lisa Grigsby 1 Comment

America’s youth have a sweet tooth, and it’s driving the sales of Moscato. Just over the last three years, sales of moscato have exploded into something of a sugary sweet bomb. In 2011, the Wall Street Journal reports, sales grew 78%; in 2012, moscato overtook sauvignon blanc as the second most-popular white varietal (chardonnay still holding onto its number one spot), with sales of 2.8 million, reports the Napa Valley Register. And sales of moscato grew again by 25 percent in 2012. “In the U.S., moscato’s popularity has exploded over the past three years, with sales growing faster than any other wine varietal,” Stephanie Gallo, the vice president of marketing for Gallo Family Vineyard.

“Previously people thought drinking sophisticated meant drinking dry wine,” says Wendy Nyberg, senior director of marketing for Sutter Home, part of Trinchero Family Estate. “The younger consumer doesn’t care about that – they like sweet things, and they drink what they like.”

one of the zillion imoscato pics on instagram

That might be overstating it, but Moscato’s rise is certainly hinged on a younger drinker – and on its sweet side. While sweet, Moscato is not a dessert wine. The low alcohol content, around 7 to 9 percent, and blossomy aromas certainly add to its appeal, as does it’s friendly price tag of $8 to $15. And even though the grape – native to Northern Italy – has been around for ages, Moscato’s newfound popularity is being driven by California vineyards, and here ability to target the milenials. And it’s working when there’s an Instagram hashtag for it. If you browse the current 259,037 photos on Instagram, you’ll find everything from simple bottle shots (the more reserved photos) to 20-something girls posing with glasses, bottle shots, lots and lots of “selfies.”

America’s affinity for Moscato continues to make headlines as its light, aromatic style brings more and more people into wine. You know Moscato has infiltrated the culture when Campari released the first Moscato-based vodka on the market, a flavored vodka that taps into the stunning popularity of the sweet, fruity, aromatic wine which has been called “the new Cristal” for being peddled by hip hop artists like Nelly, Drake, Soulja Boy and Gucci Mane. The excitement around this wine varietal led Gallo Family Vineyards to establish May 9^th as National Moscato Day as a way to capture these important wine conversations and toast the varietal that has everyone talking.

“The legacy of my grandfather and great uncle, Ernest and Julio Gallo, is the importance of making quality and affordable wines that Americans want to enjoy during life’s everyday moments,” saidStephanie Gallo, Vice President of Marketing at E&J Gallo Winery and third generation Gallo family member. “For nearly 80 years we have been joining Americans at the table, so it’s exciting to see a particular wine style draw so many new people into the wine category. National Moscato Day was established to celebrate these newcomers and wine enthusiasts alike.”

Today, May 9th, Gallo Family Vineyards will be hosting the second annual National Moscato Day Twitter Party from 9:00pm to 10:00pm EDT . Throughout the party, participants will have the opportunity to share and gather hosting tips, food pairing suggestions and wine facts by joining the conversation using the hashtag #MoscatoDay on Twitter.

To lead the charge, Gallo Family Vineyards enlisted entertaining expert Robyn Moreno to provide easy entertaining tips guaranteed to make anyone’s National Moscato Day party a hit.

“Throwing a wine-themed party is a great way to spend time with your friends and families, and you don’t need much to make it a success,” says Moreno. “Here are ways to get started:

Mix It Up: Gallo Family Vineyards offers three delicious types of Moscato – White, Red, and Pink. If you want people to get talking about the wine, try setting up different stations around the room. Feature tasting notes if you really want to get the conversation going.
Not Your Ordinary Cheese Tray: Moscato pairs perfectly with cheese, such as Brie, Camembert, aged Parmesan and Pecorino Romano. Style up your cheese plate by making a slit in a wine cork and sliding in a card labeling the cheeses. The display is an easy and elegant way to let your guests know what they are eating.
Spice Not Stress: Moscato and spicy food are the perfect combination and serving Paella is a clever, chic way to feed a crowd. Plus, since this flavorful rice-based dish can be made with almost anything – grilled meats, seafood, or veggies – everyone will be able to enjoy it and you won’t be tasked with making multiple meals.
Decorating Couldn’t Be Easier: Create clever centerpieces from pretty items in your home. A beautiful tray can become a blossoming centerpiece when decorated with fresh fruit and a birdcage can become a glided candleholder with a pillar placed inside.
Don’t Let The Party End: To enjoy another night of great wine, pour the remaining Moscato into ice trays that you can use later in sparkling water for a updated take on a “white wine spritzer!”

So for every bottle of Moscato on the shelf of your local wine shop, a wine snob is turning up their nose at this sweet varietal being celebrated in rap video’s.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruG-V7SXvkY’]

Said one Napa Valley wine expert to the Wall Street Journal,”The moscato movement feels more like the wine-cooler movement today.” Sure, if you love wine coolers, you will probably also love moscato. Or, writes Willy Staley in New York magazine, “For wine snobs, moscato is the new white zin, the varietal used as a knowing punch line on Frasier and, more recently, as the tongue-in-cheek name of a highbrow-meets-lowbrow arts-and-food magazine. It’s a signifier for plonk at which the enlightened turn up their well-trained noses.” Even the New York Times’ Eric Pfanner has chimed in as a wine snob:

“While it is pleasing to see an underappreciated wine style get a deserved bit of attention, the response of the global wine trade to the moscato phenomenon has been less commendable. While moscato used to be made mostly in the hills around Asti [in Italy], sources proliferated as the industry scrambled to capitalize on the new interest. Suddenly there was moscato from California, from Australia, from Argentina, from South Africa — you name it. A lot of the new moscato tastes nothing like the original. Indeed, it tastes the way you might expect a sweet, slightly fizzy wine that’s low in alcohol — and usually cheap — to taste.”

Well then. Why the love-hate relationship?

Well, it’s definitely love for Gallo and other brands that decided to jump on board the moscato bandwagon — and they’re laughing all the way to the bank. “We’re seeing a new generation enjoying sweet wines outside of traditional occasions, particularly with millennials,” says Gallo. “They are taking a greater interest in wine than ever before, and moscato is at the forefront of why they’re choosing wine.” Gallo continues, “In the past, it was customary to pour moscato after dinner or with dessert. Now, we’re seeing a younger, more adventurous generation of wine drinkers who aren’t adhering to conventional wine traditions.”

So can we really hate on millennials for choosing a moscato? After all, we’re a generation that grew up on Coke and sugary sweet drinks, so it should be no surprise that our wine palates lean toward something sweet over something acidic or tannic. Tim Elliot writes on his blog Winecast that this isn’t that surprising that the wine market is meeting the demand: “A decade ago tankers of Australian shriaz with a slight addition of concentrate to add residual sugar weaned Americans off Coke and into wine. If you browse your local wine store or supermarket you will also notice more ‘sweet red’ blends on the shelf than ever. And I’ve seen a rise in sweet riesling lately as well.”

So love it or hate it, we wish you a happy Moscato Day!

Grapes of Gratitude to benefit local nonprofits!

February 26, 2013 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Competitive wine tasting comes to the Miami Valley this Thursday, Feb 28th at 6pm. Grapes of Gratitude is a team wine tasting event created to allow local nonprofits to raise money while participants blindly taste an array of wines of the same varietal.

Groups of 1 -3 people form a team and each team brings 3 of the exact same bottles of wine to be tasted. The first varietal chosen to showcase will be Cabernet Sauvignon. To participate your team will bring 3 identical bottles of a Cabernet Sauvignon to the event.

When your team arrives at the Dayton Grand Hotel for the event, you’ll check in your wine. The first two bottles are bagged and tagged for tasting. The third bottle is set aside to form the prizes for the winning teams. Guests taste all the wines while enjoying appetizers and rate the wines.

The team that brings the highest ranked wine will take home two thirds of the 3rd bottles, the 2nd place team take home one third of the prize wine adn the team that brought the lowest ranked wine get to take home the extra bottle of their own wine! If 2 or more teams bring the same wine, rankings can still differ depending upon the temperature of the wine, how long it has been open, etc.

So grab some friends and get your team together and buy your tickets now! Your $10 advance ticket ($15 at the door) will benefit the Associate Board of AIDS Resource Center Ohio for this first Grapes of Gratitude event. Grapes of Gratitude will repeat every other month, and the charity partner will rotate for each tasting. If you’d like to submit your nonprofit to be a partner for a future tasting event, please send us an email.

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2013

Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Address: Dayton Grand Hotel 11 S. Ludlow St. Dayton, OH 45402
Parking in the hotel garage is free

If you’d like to attend this event you can purchase tickets online.

Tasting the Stars in Champagne

February 14, 2013 By Brian Petro 18,068 Comments

“I only drink champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” ~Madame Lily Bollinger

Originally, champagne was served in glasses that looked like this.

Madame Bollinger would know the best time to drink champagne. As one of the greatest women to work in the champagne industry in the house whose name she bears, Mme. Bollinger brought champagne through the Great Depression and World War Two. She promoted a style of champagne that changed the industry, moving it from the sweeter side of the spectrum to the dry the British always seem to favor. She was the face of the Bollinger brand, an unusual position for a woman in 1941, and through her efforts, helped the city of Ay, after the war, while earning several honors from both Great Britain and France. She continued the tradition of providing the royalty of England with champagne for all of their events, but more importantly creating champagne so iconic that even James Bond drinks it.

Champagne is a drink of celebration, and is there a better time to be celebrating than on Valentine’s Day? Love is in the air, chocolates and flowers are roaming through offices and homes around the world, so why not bring out that bottle of champagne you were saving for a special occasion? And while you are enjoying your wine, enjoy some interesting facts, trivia, and quotes about this bubbly beauty.

Dom Perignon, considered the father of champagne, was not trying to create a sparkling drink. He was trying to
prevent it. The bubbles in champagne were a flaw caused by secondary fermentation. Cold stops the fermentation process, and can leave some sugar in the bottle. When spring comes back and the weather warms up, the fermentation starts up, and creates the fizz. Dom Perignon was the father of blending grapes before pressing them.
The grapes blended to make champagne in the modern era are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.
Modern champagne tastes were determined by the British. Champagne was first deliberately created by a man named Christopher Merret in the mid 17^th century. They liked the carbonation in their wine, though it was the French king that Louis XIV made it popular with the nobility. It was much sweeter at the time. It was the British again that demanded drier and drier champagne, giving us the general range of sweetness we enjoy today.
Uncorking a bottle of champagne is serious business. Before the glass was strong enough, the secondary fermentation caused bottles to explode. All of that gas with no outlet builds up pressure. It can be up to 90 PSI, just under three times what is recommended in a car tire. Plenty of pressure and a little neck, when put together, create a weapon that can shoot the cork at speeds of up to 50 MPH. That could put your eye out. Ain’t nobody got time for that on Valentine’s Day.
If you are going for distance, not speed, you are going to have to shoot your cork over 178 feet to break the world record, set by an American in 1988.
The bubbles are crucial to the enjoyment of the champagne. There is an estimated 49 million bubbles in a bottle. Moet and Chandon, in tandem with Heineken, spent $7 million dollars on special photography that revealed 250 million bubbles were contained in each bottle. To get the most bubbles in your bubbly, cool the bottle to about 45 degrees F. With the bottle at a 45 degree angle, put the bottom of the bottle against your hip or thigh. The first thing you will need to do is remove the foil, then the cage on the cork. Be careful; sometimes the cork is loose, and removing the cage will cause the cork to pop. Take a towel and wrap it around the neck, making sure you cover the cork. Holding tight to the cork, twist it gently until it comes out. The less noise you make, the more bubbles you get to enjoy in your glass.
Champagne only comes from France by international law. Champagne is part of the larger group of sparkling wines you can find anywhere in the world. If you get it in Italy, it is prosecco , which is becoming very popular. Spain has cava, Germany has sekt, and Portugal has espumante.
The Spanish sparkling wine cava, made mainly in the Catalona region.
How sweet do you want your champagne? Brut Nature is the driest of the dry, with no sugar, or very little, added to the wine. Extra Brut has some sugar added, but it still very dry. Brut is the most commonly purchased champagne, and is still a little on the dry side. Extra sec has a little more sweetness than Brut, and a little more sugar added. Demi Sec is dessert-level sweet, with quite a bit more sugar added. Sec is a very sweet champagne, definitely served after a meal as a dessert.
We prefer to drink champagne in a flute, but if you watch older films, you can see them drinking champagne out of a wider glass known as a coupé. It does not hold the bubbles as well, but was the traditional way of drinking champagne. It is also said to be molded from the breast of Marie Antoinette. Let them eat cake indeed…
Beautiful women have always been linked to champagne. One of the most beautiful women of all time, Marilyn Monroe, is rumored to have taken a bath in over 350 bottles of champagne.
The tallest champagne flute was revealed at a festival in Italy. It stands seven feet tall and can hold twenty two bottles of champagne. The largest bottle of champagne currently made is called Midas, holding forty regular sized bottles of premium bubbly. Only six were made, at a cost of $100,000 a bottle.

While Valentine’s Day is a special day and calls for a special celebratory beverage, champagne is something that can be enjoyed every day. The season of champagne tastings is usually in December for New Years or Christmas, but many restaurants will sell certain champagnes by the glass if you are looking to try some out. The staff here will let you know when the next tastings or events are. Spend today surrounded by friends and loved ones, and celebrate with a drink that has a little more sparkle.

Waiter, There is Champagne in my Cocktail…

December 28, 2012 By Brian Petro 1 Comment

Champagne is a beverage that we bring out only at special celebrations. It was the French royalty at the beginning of the 18^th century that popularized the trend of drinking this sparkling beverage. It became perceived (with marketing help from the grape growers in the Champagne region of France) as a drink of the affluent, so the people of the middle and working classes only would drink it for special occasions. Even though champagne and other sparkling wines have become fairly easy to find and purchase at a modest price, it is still something we associate with infrequent celebrations and special events. We see it when sports teams win championships, when couples get married, maybe when someone smashes a bottle of it to christen a boat, and of course, New Year’s Eve. People sip it straight out of a flute or a coupe if they are feeling a little more vintage vibe. What you do not see much of is people mixing it into a cocktail.

A mimosa at breakfast is typically the extent of people’s experience with a champagne based cocktail. Possibly a bellini for brunch or a light lunch drink. There are so many more cocktails you can make with champagne as the base, playing off the general sweetness and effervescence of it. The one thing you always want to keep in mind: champagne is very carbonated. Take care when you are mixing the ingredients together. Also, champagne is a sparkling wine specific to the Champagne region of France. It belongs to the larger category of sparkling white wines where you will find cava (Spain), prosecco (Italy), and sekt (Germany). For the purposes of the recipes, I am going to use what the original source calls for. You can use other sparkling wines, but the taste will vary accordingly.

Champagne Cocktails 101

Here are a few cocktails you can make with champagne and common liquors, or other mixers you may have at your party.

Bellini

1.5 oz. peach schnapps
4-6 oz. prosecco

Pour the peach schnapps into a flute, and then add champagne. Stir gently, and garnish with a peach slice.

Before all of you bartenders and other cocktail experts leap upon me, a traditional bellini is made with white peach puree, not peach schnapps. If you can find the ripe peaches in the store, or premade peach puree, substitute that for the peach schnapps. I have even
seen this recipe called a Dirty Bellini.

Mimosa

2 oz. orange juice
.25 oz orange liqueur (triple sec, Grand Marnier, etc.)
4-6 oz. champagne

Pour the orange juice into the flute, and then add champagne. The orange liqueur is added last, as a float, and is optional if you do not have it available. It will also not be bad to have on New Year’s Day.

Black Velvet

Stout (Guinness is the traditional choice)
Champagne

Add equal parts stout and champagne into a pilsner glass. It is a bigger trick that you might think. I will usually put the champagne in first, and then add the stout VERY slowly, keeping a close eye on the bubbling of the champagne. When Prince Albert passed away, the whole country went into mourning with Queen Victoria. Even the champagne, with the help from Guinness, was black with sorrow.

Champagne Cocktails 201

Very popular, you may need to purchase a few specialty ingredients, or make a few extra preparations for these cocktails.

Kir Royale

.5 oz Crème de cassis
6 oz. champagne

Pour a standard pour of champagne in a flute and add the crème de cassis. Crème de cassis is a black currant flavored liqueur. A kir can also be made in a similar fashion, substituting a dry white wine for the champagne.

Champagne Cocktail

Sugar cube soaked in Angostura bitters (2 dashes of bitters should do)
6 oz. champagne
Splash of cognac (optional)

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of the flute. Pour the champagne over the cube, allowing the sugar and bitters to dissolve. The cognac float at the end is more popular in England than it is here. This is another notable vintage cocktail, something you will see mentioned in more than a few black and white movies. Talkies, as the kids call them.

Poinsettia

3 oz. cranberry juice
1 oz. orange liqueur
3 oz. champagne

Pour the cranberry juice and orange liqueur into a flute and stir together. Add the champagne and enjoy. It is seasonal, festive, and delicious.

Champagne Cocktails 301

These are going to take liqueurs that are a little more obscure or expensive, and much more preparation.
They may be a little less known generally, but have a place in cocktail history.

Death in the Afternoon

1 oz. absinthe or Pernod
5 oz. champagne

Pour the absinthe into a flute, and then add champagne. Absinthe balances out the sweet champagne with a hint of wormwood and licorice flavors. Ernest Hemmingway, who is credited with the creation of the drink, also suggests in the recipe to enjoy three to five in the afternoon. This probably explains quite a bit about his work.

French 75

1 oz. gin
.5 oz. lemon juice
1.5 tsp. simple syrup
4 oz. champagne

In a mixing glass, combine the gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Shake it, and strain the contents into a Collins glass over ice. Top it off with the champagne and gently stir it. Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice. If you are not a fan of gin, you can substitute it with cognac. This cocktail got its name because it was said it felt like you were hit with a French 75mm field gun, a staple of the French army during World War I and the first piece of modern artillery. Boom.

Seelbach Cocktail

1.5 oz. bourbon
.5 oz. orange liqueur
7 dashes Angostura bitters
7 dashes Peychaud bitters
4 oz. champagne

Mix the bourbon, bitters, and orange liqueur briefly over ice, and strain into a flute. Top off the mixture with champagne. It was created at the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville just before Prohibition hit, and the original recipe for this cocktail was lost. It was found recently and brought back to life, with a shocking amount of bitters that offer some balance to the sweetness of the champagne, bourbon, and orange.

You know champagne is going to be in the mix on December 31^st. With a little more planning and a few more purchases, you can have a wide range of cocktails available that can be made with that single ingredient. Of course, there is nothing wrong with just enjoying it as it comes out of the bottle. If you enjoy a little too much of it (since you will not be driving, right?), we have a few remedies for the hangover on January 1^st.

Have a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve, and a prosperous 2013.

Cheers!

Christopher’s To Host Autumn Wine Dinner

October 18, 2012 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Christopher’s Restaurant in Kettering began serving beer and wine about a year ago and now on Saturday, November 3rd they will be hosting an autumn wine dinner at 4:30 pm. It will feature an exquisite, five-course, small plate menu with samplings of 5 different wines from their newly updated wine list. Reservations are required and limited.

You can call 299-0089 or stop by Christopher’s at 2318 Dorothy Lane to purchase your tickets. Reservations will be available until October 31st unless they sell out, which at $30 per person will be quickly, I predict!

The Menu is as follows:

Squash soup with lump crab and toasted almond fraiche with Rodney Strong Chardonnay

Fig and goat cheese toastettes with Darcy Kent Pinot Noir

Beet salad with hazelnuts horseradish vinaigrette and melted brie with Hand Craft Petite Sirah

Roast Duck with Apple Cider Gravy & Sweet Potato Gnocci with Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon

Dark Chocolate Sacher Torte with Lock & Ket Meritage

Vegetarian options are available

Wine – Its Own Event

May 17, 2012 By Brian Petro 1 Comment

We will be tasting both types. White and red.

Wine is complex. From the selection of which type of wine to the individual brands, even the cost of the wine, all of it can be intimidating if you are trying to expand your knowledge. When you hear people talking about wines, you hear them using words like tannic or dry to talk about how it tastes. Or they will mention it tastes like chocolate, berries, herbs, vanilla, earth (!) or tobacco (!!), and they will say the last two as if that is a POSITIVE thing. They will sniff and swirl and do all manner of odd rituals before they even taste it. After they taste it, there is a fairly good chance they may spit it out! Isn’t that some kind of party foul?

Much like anything else, once you start getting into the subtleties of wine, you will start to see that there is a method to all of the madness. Part of the enjoyment of wine is its layers and complexity while it is washing around in your mouth. All of the swirling and sniffing and staring is done for a reason. So is the spitting.

To start off, pour yourself a glass of either red or white wine. Do not fill the glass all the way (never do that), but just a few ounces to wet the whistle. White wines lean to the sweeter, fruitier side of the flavor spectrum, while reds tend to be more savory or spicy. When you taste the wine, do more observation than judging. Focus on what you are experiencing through your senses, as opposed to what think you should be seeing, smelling or tasting. Everyone has different senses, and that is part of the enjoyment of the wine. You can also ignore the cost of the bottle. Many articles have been written about the correlation of the cost of a bottle of wine to its taste, and the general consensus is that price does not affect the taste of wine. Your belief that it tastes better does. Just kick your mind back and enjoy the journey.

Tilting the glass a bit gives you a better view.

Now that you have the glass, look through the wine that is partially filling it. It is best to do this against something as white as possible, as to not tint the color of the wine with other background colors. Red wines can range in color from brick red to a brilliant ruby. White wines will not have the wide range that reds have, but you may see some pale yellows, greens, or browns in your glass. Tilt the glass away from you to get the full effect, also noticing how the color changes from the center to the edges. While you are peering like an expert at your wine, make note if it is crystal clear, or is it somewhat cloudy. A little duller may mean your wine is just unfiltered, and this is quite fine. If it is murky or cloudy, there may be bigger issues. Wine can evolve in the bottle if not preserved correctly, and over time can turn sour or develop other impurities.

Once you have looked at the stationary wine, swirl the wine around the glass a little to coat the edges. You really want to take some time when you do this. This causes a couple of thing to happen simultaneously. First, it can give you an idea of how thick the wine is by the formation of “legs” on the side of the glass. The legs are drops of wine that are taking their sweet time getting back to the rest of the liquid. The slower they move down, the thicker the wine is going to feel in your mouth. It also throws off some of the alcohol so the deeper scents and flavors of the wine can be released. The combination of oxygen, subtle heat, and movement is enough to release those aromas.

You should take two different sniffs of the wine. The first sniff should be quick, just to get some hints of what is in the glass. It gives your brain some time to place the scents and prepares you for a second, deeper smell. When you smell the wine, it is really important to ignore what other people are saying and focus on what you are experiencing. Does it smell like strawberries? Apricots? Butterscotch? Tobacco? Make mental notes of what your initial reactions. Everyone has different senses of smell, and while you may come up with similar notes as other people, don’t allow their perception influence yours. When you have processed the first sniff, put your nose in the glass for a little deeper exploration. Does it still smell the same? Notice anything new? Again, make note of what you are experiencing. Smell has an influence on what you taste, so it is important to be faithful to your own sense.

Swirling the wine releases aromas and flavors.

Now you can take a sip, but only a sip. The alcohol and basic impressions are going to hit first. You may get a dry sensation in your mouth, which is more common in tannic or acidic red wines. If trying a white wine, it will more often be sweet to dry. If you mouth goes dry and stays dry, that is a tannic wine. If your mouth goes dry and you start to salivate, that is acidic wine. The saliva is trying to counter the acids in the wine. Keep holding the wine in your mouth, and swish it around a little. Like mouthwash, but you want it to flow, not crash. This is where the tongue starts to do the real work. Some people will even take a bit of air in through their mouth, which can help release more flavor. Reds tend to be savory or spicy, offering up pepper, cinnamon, or oak; possibly berry, plum or fig on the fruitier side. Sometimes even chocolate. White wines will offer more honey, butter, and toffee flavors, with their own fruity apple or citrus notes. In no way is that all you could taste. There are plenty of flavors for you to explore. Reds may have a little honey in them, and whites can be a little oaky. You are just going to have to train your palate to tell the difference. NOW you can swallow it or spit it into a bucket. If you are going to taste a great deal of wine, you may need to spit some out. Little sips here and there add up.

The last part of the taste is how long does it linger? Does it hang out pleasantly for a while on your lips and tongue, or is it gone as soon at the wine leaves your mouth? What flavors are left? Was it light and crisp, or weighty and smooth? And did you like it? All of these final questions determine whether you are going to want a full glass or if you are going to find something more to your liking. Again, you ultimately decide which wines you like and do not like! The cost or name on the bottle does not matter if it is something you love.

You are going to need some practice at this. This weekend at Fluers et Vin would be a wonderful time to start your journey, with hundreds of different wines and food offered. If that is too intimidating, you can go to Arrow Wine & Spirits most weekends. They also bring in experts during the week from different wineries to educate you more on wine. Dorothy Lane Market also has wine tastings most weekends. Rumbleseat Wine also has wine available to taste, and a slew of other tastings and live shows. Keep an eye out on our event calendar for other tastings around the Miami Valley, as they are becoming more and more common. And if you know a good wine for other readers to experience, leave it in the comments below, or any of the other comment areas we post to. Cheers!

Fleur et Vin

May 12, 2012 By Lisa Grigsby Leave a Comment

Vail Sr, Vail Jr, Mif and Mike Frank

Twenty years ago Vail Miller, Sr of Heidelberg Distributing and Mike Frank of Arrow Wine got together to plan an event that would make drinking wine more fun and less formal. They figured if they could convince folks to have a glass of wine with dinner at home they’d both make more money. They also agreed that the event should benefit their local community and that’s how Fleurs was created. The event has continued to flourish and now the 2nd generation of Vail Miller, Jr and Mif Frank are at the helm of Dayton’s Premier Wine and Gourmet Food Festival.

On Sunday, May 20th from 1- 4pm at Carillon Park, 24 restaurants will be on hand to compliment the over 300 wines that will be served up by local distributors. Restaurants scheduled to participate include: Amber Rose, Brock Mastersons, Carvers, Central Perc, Christopher’s, Culp’s Cafe, Dark Horse, De’Lish, Dewey’s Pizza, Giovanni’s, Hawthorn Grill, Jay’s Seafood, LeDoux’s, Louisiana Grille, Mamma DiSalvo’s, Meadowlark, Neil’s Heritage House, Oakwood Club, Sa Bai, Scratch Event Catering, Thai 9, The Dock, Top of the Market and The Wine Loft,

As you arrive you’ll be handed a plate and souvenir Fleurs et Vin wine glass. The tent is set up so you can

Photo by Teesha McClam at 2010 Fleurs et VIn

grab a plate, and then cross over to the middle where the wines are and match up wine to compliment your food. Wine will be poured by area distributors, as well as VIP’s from Firelands Winery, E & J Gallo, Easley Winery, St Michelle Wines, Veleta Winery, Treasury Wine Estates and perhaps a few more. Take advantage of these experts knowledge to learn about their wines and ask for recommendations.

Several years ago a Belgian Beer Tent was added to the event, and this year you’ll be able to sample Leffe- sweet and silky beer with aromas of clove, vanilla and smoky caramel, Hoegaarden-a Belgium white, Stella Artois- a European-style pilsner, Duvell- a strong golden ale, Ommegang Hennepin- a hoppy, farmhouse-style ale and Chimay Triple- the ﬁrst Trappist Triple beer. While supplies last, you ‘ll be able to take home a souvenir glass from your favorite beer. Jump’s Gourmet Peanuts have donated their nuts for snacking on, while in the beer tent.

This years musical entertainment will be provided by The Eric Jerardi Band. Jerardi has a long affiliation with Fleurs, for many years serving up treats from his Little Store on Peters Pike. New this year, the Wall of Wine – for only $20, guests will get to choose a mystery bottle of red or white. Stocked bottles will range from a value of $10 – $85. If you’d prefer to know what you’re getting, you’ll want to check out the silent auction that will feature art, theater tickets, restaurant gift certificates and much more. At 4pm the live auction will begin, with an array of wine collectibles, chef dinners and more. Even if you don’t plan on bidding, you’ll want to stick around and watch this- it’s always a high energy, competitive, fast moving part of the fest.

Tickets are and are $60 in advance, available online or at your favorite wine store: Arrow Wine , Bella Vino, Brunning’s Wine Cellar, Cuvee, Rumbleseat , The Wine Gallery, Jerardi’s Little Store, Miami Valley Wine & Spirits , A Taste of Wine and The Wine Loft. Proceeds from the day will benefit AIDS Resource Center Ohio and Dayton History.

Ticket Contest

As a media sponsor for Fleur et Vin, Dayton Most Metro has two pairs of tickets to give away to this very popular event! Justthis article (to help us spread the word on FB), fill out the form below and then comment below and tell us what your favorite wine is – even if it is just “Red” or “White”. And if you are a non-drinker, then tell us which of the participating restaurants you are most looking forward to trying. We’ll draw two lucky winners on Tuesday May 15 after 2pm – GOOD LUCK!

CONTEST CLOSED

Congratulations to Jenna Johnson and Bill Tatalovich – they each won a pair of tickets to Fleur et Vin! CHEERS!