Music & Fireworks in the Vineyards -Morgan Creek Winery

Morgan Creek Winery will be hosting a series of Music & Fireworks in the Vineyards this summer.

Dates are June 18, July 2, & August 13

6pm-10pm

Admission is $10

Bring a picnic or purchase food on site.

All of this along with winery tours and wine tastings!

For more information check out the Wine Events tab and for more information on Morgan Creek Winery check out the Alabama Wineries and Vineyards tab.

Corks in the Courtyard-June 2nd

Corks in the Courtyard is back this year!

Come out to the A&P Lofts in Old Cloverdale to sip and stroll through the shops at the A&P with wine tastings, door prizes and live music by Henry Pugh from 5:30-7:30Pm

Admission is $5.

For more information call 334.356.4598 or visit www.rsvp-montgomery.com

Serving Wine: Temperature

Article courtesy of Publix Wine Guide

Serving your wine at the right temperature can make all the difference between a so-so sip and a "wow" of a wine. While over-chilling wines can mask their flavors and aromas, serving them too warm can make them taste flabby and dull. For the most enjoyment, serve wines at the following temperatures:

Champagnes/Sparkling Wines-45°F
Lighter whites (such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling) - 45°F to 55°F
Full-bodied whites (such as Chardonnay)-55°F to 60°F
Lighter reds (such as Beaujolais and Pinot Noir)-55°F to 60°F
Full Bodied Reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel and Merlot 62°F to 67°F


To get your wines to these temperatures, chill reds about 45 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator before serving; two hours should suffice for the whites. Don't worry if your wines are colder than the above temperatures when you first take them out of the refrigerator—the warmth from a room full of friends will quickly take the chill out of any glass, and soon your wine will taste just right.

For more wine tips from Publix Wine Guide go to www.publix.com/clubs/wine/wine101/Home.do

Art & Soul at Pure Artistry Cafe'

Hosted by Kalonji Gilchrist

Friday, May 27th @ 8pm

Art & Soul is an event dedicated to the visual arts. Come out and invigorate your senses with paintings, photos and sculptures by local and regional artists, while enjoying smooth jazz and light appetizers.

This event includes door prizes and a silent auction. You will also have the opportunity to mingle and connect with the artists as they express the inspiration for their pieces.

This event is presented by Pure Artistry Cafe' located in Montgomery, AL.

Make sure to check out the Laugh Lounge at Pure Artistry Cafe' this Saturday, May 21st!

To find out more information on Pure Artistry Cafe', tickets and events go to http://www.palitcafe.com/

Good Food, Good Wine, Good God Let's Eat!

Eat, Drink and be Merry is exactly what I and group of friends did last month!

We attended a Five Course Wine Dinner benefitting the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance on Monday, April 25 at Carrabba's. The food was declicious and the company of friends was a plus. This wine dinner is held every year to help find a cure for this disease. The wine dinner was $35 which is a steal compared to most wine dinners that range from $45-$80. So of course I had to jump on this! The wine pairings were perfect with the food and I was stuffed and feeling the wine at the end of the night. I didn't even taste the last red wine because I had approached my limit. LOL



Below is the menu of our wine dinner. My favorite dish Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. It was so tender and seasoned so well it taste like steak! My favorite wine of the night was the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay.

Antipasti
Spinach Fonduta
An oven-baked blend of spinach with Fontina and Gruyere cheeses, served with grilled bruschette bread
Wine Paring: Kendall Jackson Chardonnay

Insalate
Italian Salad
Wine Paring: Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc

Pasta
Penne Franco
Mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and black olives, in garlic and oil with ricotta salata cheese
Wine Pairing: Ravenswood Zinfandel

Carne
Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Wood grilled to perfection and topped with an apple and fig infused port wine sauce Wine Pairing: Pian Di Nova, Super Tuscan

Dolci
Creme Brulee
A rich custard dessert topped with a layer of caramelized sugar


Unfortunately, we didn't get the Creme Brulee but overall we were all very pleased with the dinner.I meant to take pictures of each dish but I was so hungry and the food looked so good that I forgot to. At the end of dinner we were each given nice wooden Carrabba's cutting boards. The dinner was everything I expected it to be and I look forward to my next one!

If you would like to attend a wine dinner at Carrabba's or get specials and deals on meals sign up for Carrabba's Amici Club at www.carrabbas.com/amici-club/

For more information on Friedreich's Ataxia go to http://www.curefa.org/.

Giving Back One Bottle At A Time with ONEHOPE WINE

I recently came across this wonderful brand of wines from a friend who suggested I follow them on Twitter. When I found out what the wine distributors are doing with the profits from the sell of their wine, I had to share it. With each bottle of wine that is sold half of the profits are donated to charity.

ONEHOPE has donated over half of $400,000 to there partneted charities. Matt of ONEHOPE informed me that they are now distributing in the Southeast.

Check out ONEHOPE at http://www.onehopewine.com/.

May is National Wine Month!

I can't explain how excited I am about National Wine Month! I have thought of several ways to celebrate this wonderful month. One way I plan to celebrate is to visit one of the 14 wineries here in our great state of Alabama. I also plan to attend wine tastings at some of the other wine shops in our area. I've becomed a fan of PepperTree Steaks N' Wines but I will be attending a tasting this Friday at Ted the Wine Guy. (Oh yeah its free you'd like to attend as well)So here's some info on National Wine Month. Now mind you this is celebrated in the UK but who says we can't celebrate it in the USA?

National Wine Month takes place in May 2011 - the start of the summer period - when wine consumers are likely to be trying new wines

MAKE TIME FOR WINE is the umbrella campaign designed to:

• Increase awareness of the wide variety of wines available
• Give reasons for people to experiment and try different wines
• Encourage people to discover more about wine
• Engage different groups of consumers

To find out more about National Wine Month go to www.nationalwinemonth.org

So how do you plan to celebrate National Wine Month?