A weekend of wine

The weekend of Nov 10th Chicago was literally awash in wine events. I was out of town Saturday, but Sunday saw me devoting an entire day to tasting wine. The Midwest Wine Expo ran from 11-4, but that wasn't enough to satiate my taste buds, I also hopped over to Enoteca Roma for a Crushpad party.

The wine expo was phenomenal. I don't think it would have been possible for the event to have been better planned, better staffed, or better attended. If you didn't go, you missed out on a great event. It surpassed my expectations in almost every area.

I've been harping on Bordeaux for a long time. Its no secret to readers that I have a soft spot for the wine. It seems every time I open a bottle I learn something new. So I was happy to see that the expo included not three, not four, but five tables of Bordeaux wines. And if that wasn't enough, there was an entire seminar devoted to the region, hosted by someone who may have been one fo the best wine speakers I've ever heard, Shields Hood.

Bordeaux wasn't the only wine at the expo though. Attendees, at least the ones who noticed it, were treated to a multi table array of Spanish wines. Garnacha Ltd. put on an impressive display of wines, foods, and pictures from all over Spain. After spending half an hour tasting through their wines, I'm more interested in visiting the Iberian Peninsula than I've ever been.

The surprise of the day though was the complete lack of Pinot Noir. Be it Califronia, Burgundy or New Zealand, I was shocked at how little Pinot Noir was being poured. On top of that what little Pinot there was on the tables was uninspiring. I don't know what it was, maybe my palate was blown by all those big cab blends I'd been drinking, maybe I just don't like Pinot that much, or maybe all the good Pinot in town was over at Navy Pier that weekend. I considered titling this post "Pinot is Dead", but that seemed a little dramatic. There is no denying though that it was a no show for this year's Midwest Wine Festival.

I hope you got a chance to check out the festival; and if you didn't, well next year you should. This is a first class event, and if you are at all into wine, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Like I said, the festival wasn't enough. After a few solid hours of sipping, I headed over to Enoteca Roma. Crushpad put on quite the party. The event was mostly to court perspective clients, and to give them a chance to mingle with people who were already making wine. They had a few wines there to try, including a very tasty Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot. This was the wine I was hoping for, and still am hoping for, out of the Wentzel Vineyard Pinot I helped with. I'm hoping to get back to Enoteca Roma for a normal evening at the bar. I'll post something when I make it.