OK, let’s start by taking a look at the picture in this post. What do you see? If you said a room packed full of eager, wine sampling Sarasotans, then you get a gold star. Actually, this scene, which is replayed each month, is from the most recent wine tasting held at Michael’s Wine Cellar. I had heard the buzz about the monthly tasting, but had to see it for myself. To say that the turnout was great would like saying that a 1947 Château Cheval Blanc, is just another French wine.
It’s a really nice way to spend part of your Saturday afternoon. For the price of $10 (free if you’re a Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club member), you get to sample some fantastic wines, learn a little about each of them from some very knowledgeable people in the business and maybe make a new friend or two. That’s a pretty nice way to spend part of your day. When you enter they give a wine glass and a listing of all of the wines available for tasting that day. The wines are grouped by tables, which makes sampling several wines easy.
This past Saturday’s tasting featured a fine selection of Malbecs, along with many other styles and varieties. My personal favorites of the afternoon were (in no particular order), Paul Hobbs Malbec “El Felino” 2007, Remhoogte Estate “Aigle Noir” Pinotage Blend 2004 and the Rudd Sauvignon Blanc 2006. All total there were over 50 wines you could sample, rate and compare. It’s the perfect way to try a few new labels without committing to the entire bottle.
Michael’s Wine Cellar features over 200 wines priced at under $20, so there is always something in your price range. Make sure to look for the announcement of next months tasting. If you happened to have been there, leave a comment and tell us what your favorite wines of the afternoon were.
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