Photo by Hannaford

Proceeds from the Fall Gathering will benefit Winners Walk Tall, an organization that strives to develop today’s youth into tomorrow’s winners through a character-building program that teaches fundamental values and life-changing skills.

For those of you knew to The Bacchanalian Society, their mission is to integrate social and professional networking with philanthropy by helping charities put on wine tastings. There are only four Bacchanalian events per year…Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer.

What also makes the Bacchanalian Society events unique is the competitive nature of their wine tastings. You and the other participants provide the wine and also serve as the wine tasting judges. The competition is based on what the Bacchanalian Society calls the Rule of Three, and instead of trying to explain those rules in detail here please visit the Bacchanalian Society website to get the rundown.

Fall Gathering Details:
Date: Wednesday, Sept 22 from 7-10 PM
Where: Fountain Square, Downtown Cincinnati
Wine Varietal: Australian Shiraz
Charity: Winners Walk Tall
Suggested Donation: $15 in Advance, $18 at the door

Photo by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker

Start your Cincinnati Fourth of July weekend at Piazza Discepoli in downtown Glendale for their Friday Night Wine Tasting. Glendale’s historic Town Square is one of my favorite spots in the city, and a quintessential American town square that’s perfect for celebrating the Fourth.  Piazza Discepoli will be featuring the Staff’s Favorite Picks, from a 2009 Simi Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc to a 2007 Joel Gott Mohr-Fry Ranches Vineyard Zinfandel.  The tasting runs from 5:00-8:00 PM.

Afterward grab dinner at The Iron Horse Inn also in the Glendale Town Square. Iron Horse offers a couple of different dining options. Downstairs features fine dining at affordable prices, while the upstairs bar area called Bracker’s Tavern is more casual featuring pub-type fare. A huge wine list along with several craft beers makes it a great stop.

On Saturday it’s time to get out and enjoy the sunshine, and a great place to do that is Harmony Hill Vineyards in Bethel, Ohio.  Harmony Hill is a boutique winery that features award winning wines along with great music.  On Saturday from 2:00-5:00 PM acoustic guitarist Mark Hundley will be performing.  Stroll the vineyard, grab a bottle of wine and sit back and enjoy the music.

For dinner on Saturday night head to 20 Brix, located in historic downtown Milford (catching on to the historic downtown theme yet?).  20 Brix is a wine bar, wine seller and restaurant all rolled into one, and has become one of my favorite places to dine in Cincinnati.  The food is impeccably prepared and delicious, and you won’t find a better wine list in Cincinnati.

On Sunday, perhaps after running in Evendale’s July 4th 10K run, try Dilly Cafe in Mariemont for lunch (UPDATE: Dilly Cafe is still a great place for lunch, but just found out they are closed on July 4th).  Dilly Cafe is truly one of the great lunch spots in Cincinnati (try to grab a table outside).  It’s tough to go wrong with anything on the menu, but my favorite is the North Atlantic cod sandwich and sweet potato fries, paired with a Chenin blanc or one of 30 quality wines by the glass.

And of course a Fourth of July weekend just wouldn’t be complete without a fireworks display. Head to Ault Park in Mt. Lookout for their 45th Annual Fourth of July fireworks display.  After the fireworks sit back, relax, and enjoy that extra bottle of Harmony Hill Rubato you brought home.

Have a happy and safe Fourth!

Harmony Hill Vineyards
A small boutique winery in Bethel, just about a 40 minute drive outside of Cincinnati, Harmony Hill is known for two things: great wine and great weekend entertainment.  This weekend will be no exception.  All of the 2009 wines will be available included the Concerto and dessert wines.  A new roof has been added to the Hill Center Stage and great entertainers are lined up all weekend including Doc Dan & the Stray Dog Band, The Suburbanites, and John Ford.  Hours are 5-9 PM on Friday, 2-9 PM on Saturday and 2-9 PM on Monday.

Kinkead Ridge Vineyard and Winery
Located in Ripley, Ohio, Kinkead Ridge specializes in premium wines produced in limited quantities.  A tough 2009 harvest means this weekend might be your only shot to pick up the 2009 releases from Kinkead Ridge.  The winery will be open on Saturday and Monday from 10 AM to 6 PM for the release of the Kinkead Ridge Viognier/Roussanne and River Village Cellars White Wine.  Unfortunately Kinkead Ridge will be closed this summer due to the limited availability of wine.

Meranda-Nixon Winery
Also in Ripley, Ohio, Meranda-Nixon pretty much stays open all year, so although not officially their opening it’s still a place you should check out.  The Meranda-Nixon tasting room will be open on Friday from 1-7 PM, and Saturday from 11-9:30 PM.  Saturdays are steak and salmon night in the tasting room…just $50 per couple for dinner and a bottle of wine.

La Vigna Estate Winery
Located in Georgetown, Ohio, La Vigna will be open this Memorial Day weekend for the release of their 2009 Proprietary White Wine and our 2008 Proprietary Red Wine. To celebrate opening weekend, Jazz trombonist Sarah Morrow will be performing on Saturday.

Vinoklet Winery
Home of seven award winning wines, Vinoklet Winery and Restaurant is located on 30 acres of picturesque rolling hills and lakes in Colerain Township.  Vinoklet will be featuring their “Grill to Perfection” dinner this Friday and Saturday evening…tasting of 6 wines, a bottle of wine, a choice of entree (the patron grills), a buffet with soup through assorted desserts, coffee and iced tea for $74 per couple. Reservations are recommended by calling 513-385-9309.

From the Festival website features of the event include upscale street food, a ton of wine and craft beer (too many options to list here…for a complete list click here), live music, boutique shopping and historic home tours.

The food options look pretty spectacular with a combination of Glendale and other greater Cincinnati restaurants on hand.  Restaurants include Blue Bird Bakery and Cafe (Singapore salad), Grand Finale (seafood Chowder, white chocolate mousse), Daveeds (pork BBQ sanwiches, parmesan truffle fries), Cock and Bull (fish ‘n chips) and Iron Horse (pork belly, creamy grits).

The Glendale Wine, Beer and Food Festival runs Friday (4-9 PM), Saturday (noon-8 PM) and Sunday (noon-6 PM).  To get there take I-75 to the Sharon Road exit and head west a couple of miles to the Glendale Village Square.

Photo by Hannaford

Dozens of wines from around the world will be featured, along with a smart group of wine folks to help you navigate the wines and learn a bit about what you’re drinking.  Light jazz will add to the ambiance with the Faux Frenchman kicking things off at 5 PM, followed by the Chris Corner Trio at 8 PM.

The event itself is free, with guests purchasing tickets on site for a small taste or full glass.  Food will also be available for purchase.  Everyone is welcomed, but you have to be 21 to purchase tickets.

When the Fountain Square tasting wraps up guests are invited to head to the Righteous Room for the official after party.  Your Fountain Square event wristband will get you half-price glasses of wine.

The “pre-season” market opens this Sunday at 9:30 AM.  12 vendors will be on hand, including Blue Oven Bakery and the best bread you’ve ever had.  Perfect Sunday:  start your day in Hyde Park Square cheering on the runners in the 12th Annual Flying Pig Marathon, and then head a block east to the Hyde Park Farmers Market.

Moerlein, Hudepohl, Schoenling, Burger and Little Kings will all be coming home to the new OTR facility, which will be located in the former Husman Potato Chip plant on Moore Street just north of Liberty and east of Vine. Initial plans call for minor renovations and a general clean up of the facility so the company can relocate its corporate offices from its current Middletown location. Christian Moerlein plans to employ up to 25 at this location in 2011.

“We are proud to be part of the continued renaissance and economic development of Over-the-Rhine,” said Greg Hardman President and CEO of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company. The building’s sound infrastructure and historical significance were main considerations in choosing the Over-the-Rhine location.

157 years ago, brew master Christian Moerlein, an immigrant from Truppach Bavaria, Germany brewed his first beer in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine Brewery District. The Christian Moerlein Brewing Company ended operations in 1920 at the start of Prohibition and did not resume operations after prohibition ended in 1933.

The Christian Moerlein Brewing Company is the brewer of handcrafted Moerlein Lagers & Ales including Moerlein OTR Ale, Moerlein Lager House, Moerlein Barbarossa Double Dark Lager, and Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock.

So the first event has already come and gone (it was this past Friday…sorry!) but the next event will be coming up on May 7.  Each month a different wine theme will be selected based on region or other criteria, with each Gateway merchant offering a unique wine selection.

Participating Gateway Quarter merchants include Mica, OUTSIDE, Joseph Williams Home, Metronation, and Segway.

OTR’s Gateway Quarter area begins near 12th and Vine Street and continues north to about 15th street.  Since 2006 about $93 million has been invested to develop this historic area, famous for its large collection of Italianate, Muted Greek Revival, and Queen Anne architecture.

For more information on Grapevine Fridays and OTR’s Gateway Quarter visit www.OTRGateway.com.

My wife and I on the advice of friends took advantage of the Medal Winners first.  Smart move as about two hours in your palate definitely becomes less discriminating.

It was great to see several local wineries representing the Festival well, including Valley Vineyards, Chateau Pomije, and Burnett Ridge.

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival was an absolute blast, and please make sure you add 2011 to your calendar today!  It really is phenomenal we have a wine event of this magnitude in Cincinnati, and much deserved credit to the hard working folks at the Cincinnati Wine Festival that make it all happen.

Photo by Jim Effler

First a bit of background for those new to Bockfest.  Bock-Fest comes from a celebration of Bock beer…a rich and complex lager beer.  Back in Cincinnati’s hay day of brewing in the 1800s, the more than 18 local breweries started a tradition of releasing all their Bock beer on the same day.  This day marked the end of Winter and coming of Spring and soon became Bockfest as we know it today.  Now onto the beer.

Over-the-Rhine’s Bockfest begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday.  Festivities kick off on Friday evening around 6 with the Bockfest Parade on Main Street, followed by the Blessing of the Bock Beer in front of Bockfest Hall (located this year in a portion of the Kauffman Brewery at 1621 Moore Street).  A free, continuous shuttle bus will take you all throughout Over-the-Rhine to the many great participating Bockfest bars including Arnold’s, Mr. Pitiful’s and Milton’s.

On Saturday the good times continue with the Prohibition Resistance Tours.  It’s a great way to learn about Cincinnati’s brewing past while exploring some of the actual historic brewing buildings.  Saturday culminates with the crowning of the Bockfest Sausage Queen at 8 PM.  The free shuttle also continues all day and night Saturday from 10 AM to 1 AM.

On Sunday a good ticket is the Historic Church Tour which begins at 2 PM at Bockfest Hall and runs about two hours.  Music and more beer continues all day at Arnolds.

To learn even more about Bockfest and purchase tickets to the many fun events visit www.BockFest.com.