Monday night, Husband and I braved the cold and snow to venture out to the Twisted Vine to taste a vast array of Ohio wines! We actually weren't surprised to find there were a few gems in the bunch!
One of our old favorites, Kinkead Ridge, was selected (no surprise, it's fantastic) as well as a few other great local wines.
Tomorrow, please visit Alana's and show your support for Ohio wines! If you aren't up for a full-on dinner, don't forget that Alana's has put in a great new bar, so you can sidle up and have a glass of Ohio wine and an appetizer or salad made from lots of local products.
I was at Alana's last week and we had a really amazing meal. Just to get your taste buds working, we had: shaved Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and Rogue River Blue; goat cheese and leek cakes; amazing duck confit with Thai bbq sauce; we also had a small past of garganelle with spinach and a nutmeg bechamel, risotto with pumpkin and more Brussels sprouts, and a really, really, really good ribeye. (Thanks Lioco! We loved your wines even before you bought us dinner! for those of you who attended my December dinner, we served their Indica with Seth's amazing potato gnocchi with sweet potatoes and sage).
At any rate, I hope you will head to Alana's and try out some Ohio wines.
Here is the official press release about the tasting:
(Columbus, Ohio – November 19, 2008) Ahead of the legendary gridiron clash, wine lovers in Michigan and Ohio assembled to determine whose wines would triumph in a head-to-head clash. The Slow Food chapters of Columbus and Huron Valley are pleased to congratulate the winners:
Sparkling Wine: Shady Lane Cellars Blanc de Blancs 2000 (MI)
Aromatic White: Ferrante “Golden Bunches”Riesling 2007 (OH)
White Wine: Black Star Farms “Arcturos” Chardonnay sur lie 2006 (MI)
Pinot Noir: Black Star Farms “Arcturos” Pinot Noir 2006 (MI)
Red Wine: Kinkead Ridge Revelation 2006 (OH)
While the real winners are the consumers of Michigan and Ohio who have an array of quality local wines to enjoy, these wines emerged as the MVPs for their respective teams. “I would consider any of these winning wines to be on a par in quality to their peers from California and elsewhere,” said organizer Andrew Hall, “and at very consumer-friendly prices.”
Both Ohio and Michigan share a centuries-old tradition of viticulture which was wrecked by Prohibition but has re-emerged in recent times. From the Ohio River Valley to the upper shores of Lake Michigan, growers and winemakers are working hard to create unique and quality wines. In light of the growing concerns about the carbon footprint of transported products, this event was created to showcase these local efforts and in the context of one of our storied local rivalry. On November 16th and 17th, groups of judges convened in Ann Arbor and in Columbus to judge over 60 selected wines from Michigan and Ohio. This is the first purely consumer-selected judging of wines in either state. It is also unique among competitions in being limited to wines from grapes exclusively from those states.
“There were a lot of good wines from both states,” commented one of the judges, “and I hope that people will give them a chance. Restaurants and consumers are starting to care a lot about local produce and wines should follow.”
Slow Food Columbus sponsored this event as part of a ‘Drink Local’ campaign. On November 20th, the first annual celebration of this event, the top-rated Ohio wines will be available by the glass at Alana’s Restaurant in Columbus.
