As promised, here is a short review of a second wine tasting event that I attended on Tuesday and which I found to be very enjoyable and informative. The tasting was held at Galit, a restaurant in Chicago specializing in Mediterranean food. The wines were roses from Provence. Provence is known for roses because the climate, soil and grape varieties that grow in the region are ideal for making roses. The grapes, when picked, have bright acidity, are relatively low in sugar con

Wine tasting events are a varied affair. This week I went to four wine events over the course of seven days and each event was totally different than the next. Of course, I had my favorites for different reasons. I detest loud places with crowds so that eliminates the large venues that encourage drinking rather than discreet and informed wine education. This week, I enjoyed two wine events that took a unique approach which encouraged intimacy and intelligent conversation and

This week has been a wonderful mix of different tastings. I went to three national tastings sponsored by the wine agencies of Australia, Portugal and Spain. Here are some brief takeaways from my experiences at all three tastings. The first two were held in Chicago and the third in New York City. The first tasting I went to featured wines from Australia. It was held at the Chicago Athletic Club and I was very grateful that the sponsor provided valet parking for those, like me,

Learning the various wine making regions of Italy can be quite daunting. I'm neither a sommelier (I can barely spell the word) nor do I have the nose or palate for a string of long descriptors that impress those that know wine. But I've been enjoying going to seminars hosted by the various wine making regions of the world when they come to Chicago. Just last week, I attended a walk around on Alsatian wines sponsored by Wines of Alsace USA and a seminar/tasting on the wines fr

This time of year, we get invited to many wine tasting events as the weather is breaking, sales of white wines, roses, and sparkling wines increase, and many young wines (whites especially) have been bottled, imported, and are ready to be consumed and enjoyed. We get invited to wine events that are sponsored by countries, wine making regions (both domestic and international), distributors, and wine associations. It all can be overwhelming. Based on a wonderful experience we e

If you live in Chicago and follow the grocery business like I do, you'll know that the closing of produce seller Stanley's has received a great deal of attention. Stanley's was a fixture for many shoppers as it offered rock bottom prices on produce and had been in the business for years so had a loyal following who came from near and far to save money. Sources cited in today's Tribune article (SUN APR 28) mention the increased competition of recent openings by grocery giants

Wine tastings come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Too often, they're way too large and more of a cattle call. These type of wine tasting doesn't really add to an appreciation of what's out there. There is little time for reflection and just a drunk rowdy crowd that make lots of noise. No thanks! But when done correctly, a trade industry wine tasting can be quite informative and a pleasant social occasion. You get to meet other wine professionals and to discuss industr