Finding WIne Events in Chicago

I go to a lot of wine events in and around the Chicago area. I use several sources of information to find out what's going on. For anyone who is interested in finding out about tastings or seminars, I wanted to provide a list of sources I use for information.

• localwineevents.com - This is a great site for finding events all over the country. There is a page dedicated to Chicago events, and even a weekly newsletter that will bring a list of upcomming events to your inbox
  
• samswine.com - Sam's Wine is a huge wine retailer in Chicago. They put on events at their 3 area stores, as well as off site events like Ravinia Bus Rides.
• binnys.com - Binny's is another retailer with quite a few more stores in the Chicagoland area. Binny's puts on tastings at most of their locations throughout the year. Some tastings are free, and some have an associated cost.
• eriwine.com - this is one of those, should I share or not kinds of things. ERI is an auction house in Chicago. They regularly have tastings to promote their auctions. I've been to one of these tastings, and I was quite impressed. These are not events for the casual drinker. The entry fee can be as much as $50, and the wines are well worth the price. Typically ERI will open bottles of rare or old vintages to hype up the auction. Many of the big name wines appear in these tastings. The $50 entry is a good deal, as you get an ounce of any of the wines you are pouring. many of the wines could then go at auction for several hundred dollars. Do the math, and you may be getting $100+ worth of wine. The wine goes fast, so get there on time, and don't spend too much time socializing with your friends.
  

Overall I would say that these sites make up the majority of my wine event information. It is rare that I hear about an event that wasn't mentioned in one of these places. If you are looking ot attend more events, I would suggest subscribing to the localwineevents.com newsletter, and checking the other places from time to time.