Boosalis Bakery and … wine shop?

By Uncorked | Wednesday, December 3, 2008, 06:51 AM

Boosalis Baking and Cafe at 9486 Springboro Pike (Ohio 741) in Miami Twp., across from Lexis Nexis, is now offering bottles of wine for sale to take home in addition to serving wine in the restaurant/bakery.

The bakery held its first wine tasting last Saturday, and a couple of impressions quickly emerged: the wine selection is by no means large, but it’s well-selected. Local blues musician and wine guy Eric Jerardi of The Little Store fame consulted with cafe owner Matt Boosalis on the wine selections, and there are some incredible values to be found here, such as the 2006 Campogrande Orvieto from Santa Cristina Antinori ($13.99), a bracing, bone-dry and refreshing white from Italy, and the 2005 Dourthe No. 1 Bordeaux ($12.99), a merlot-dominated blend that is as good as red wine gets in this price range, especially from Bordeaux.

Beyond that, the baguettes that the bakery sells are the among the very best I’ve tasted outside of Europe (a future “blind taste test” next to the also-excellent DLM’s baguettes would be a fun idea, don’t you think?), and the Butter Croissants are thoroughly decadent and appropriately named.

For wine enthusiasts and bread-and-pastry lovers, Boosalis Bakery is worth checking out.

For more information, call the bakery at (937) 424-0636.

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Ohio-Michigan rivalry moves from gridiron to vineyards

By Uncorked | Monday, December 1, 2008, 10:22 AM

The final score wasn’t quite as lopsided as the deeply satisfying 42-7 result from the real Ohio State-Michigan game — this rivalry was far more good-natured than the football version — but the first-ever “Ohio vs.Michigan Wine Clash 2008” produced some fun and illuminating results nonetheless.

Check out this Slow Food Columbus blog entry on the “wine clash.”

The event was sponsored by Slow Food’s Columbus chapter and by Slow Food’s Huron Valley chapters, and organized by Andrew Hall, a Columbus-area wine enthusiast who figured conducting the competition right around the time of the Buckeye-Wolverine game would spice things up a bit.

Here’s what Hall had to say about the competition:

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.

The overall quality was enlightening even to those of us who were experienced. The two states have nothing to be ashamed of … Buying local — a worthy goal on its own — doesn’t mean sacrificing quality. . … Also of note, three of the five winners are all below $20/bottle and all are below $30. Wines of both states do represent value.

Here’s a list of the categories and the winners:

— Sparkling Wine: Shady Lane Cellars Blanc de Blancs 2000 (MI)

— Aromatic White: Ferrante Winery “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)

Hmm. By my count, Michigan “won.” Time to check for stuffed ballot boxes …

By the way, many Ohio wineries have special events scheduled for December.

If the full list of wineries and the wines entered into the contest does not appear below, click on “continue reading.”

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Giving thanks for wine events like these

By Uncorked | Friday, November 28, 2008, 06:43 AM

Thanksgiving indeed. It is time to give thanks for the bestest wine tastings and events list on either side of the MIssissippi, and for the Dayton-based listserv that compiles it, and most of all, for the wine shops, grocers, restaurants and wineries that offer us this bountiful harvest every week. You rock. Click on “continue reading” below to gaze upon the wonders in store for us …

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Newspaper comic brings new meaning to wine bliss

By Uncorked | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 08:48 PM

In case you didn’t see it in Tuesday morning’s paper, check out the Bliss comic strip (well, panel) from that day (11-25-08). Fun stuff …

Cheers!

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5 wineries team up for Ohio River Valley Barrel Tasting Tour

By Uncorked | Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 06:25 AM

Those intrepid southern Ohio wineries are at it again, to wit the following news release:

THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY ANNUAL BARREL TASTING TOUR, SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29

FIVE SOUTHERN OHIO WINERIES OPEN THEIR CELLARS TO SAMPLE UNRELEASED VINTAGES

Five Southern Ohio wineries have teamed up for the “Annual Ohio River Valley Barrel Tasting Tour.” The winemakers at Harmony Hill Vineyards & Estate Winery (Bethel), Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery (Ripley), Burnet Ridge Winery (Cincinnati), Henke Winery (Cincinnati) and Woodstone Creek Winery (Cincinnati) will open their cellars to feature barrel sampling of unreleased vintages. Currently released award winning wines will also be available at the tasting counters for those interested in purchasing that special holiday gift. This is a very traditional event common in California and Oregon, for families and friends to tour their local wineries, taste current and upcoming releases and meet the winemakers. More information is available at www.KinkeadRidge.com/barreltasting.htm . Cincinnati Magazine features this event as a Top Pick for November.

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The world’s most amazing wine tastings and events list

By Uncorked | Friday, November 21, 2008, 07:00 AM

Really, I’m not kidding. The MOST amazing wine tasting events list ANYwhere. It comes to Uncorked via the heroic efforts (and given the expanding nature of the list, that effort is getting more heroic by the week) of a Dayton-based listserv, and it’s yours for just a click of a mouse on “continue reading” below. Enjoy! And for information regarding Cincinnati-area wine events, go to Michelle’s My Wine Education blog.

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Nouveau Day — will you be tasting?

By Uncorked | Thursday, November 20, 2008, 10:43 AM

Today’s the third Thursday in November, which means it’s … Nouveau Day!

Is it just me, or have I been sensing less and less enthusiasm for the special day in which Beaujolais Nouveau and other nouveau-style wines from the new vintage are released?

Many local wine shops and grocer’s wine departments are tasting all day today and/or into the evening. Call ahead to find out your favorite shop’s plans, and let us know how the wines stack up to previous vintages.

Will YOU be tasting the nouveaus today?

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