Chicago Wine Report | 4.12.2023
Upcoming Wine Events
I (Lainie) love local wine clubs: If you want to expand your palate, support your favorite wine shop, and (usually) get some great perks like special events and discounts, ask the owner or staff at your favorite spot about signing up.
Picnic Wine & Provisions in Rogers Park is a magical haven, beautifully decorated with seating arrangements that allow you to be as private or social as you want. Their wine selection is top-notch, but you can enjoy beer, other adult beverages, and non-alcoholic options. Their club brings its members two wines every three months, making it a bit more affordable than monthly clubs.
Membership comes with many benefits, including discounts on purchases, complimentary wine tastings, half-price corkage, and invitations to special events, such as the wine club pickup party that our team attended last night. We enjoyed live music, snacks, and got to see interviews with the winemakers streamed in the back room. Learn more about Picnic’s wine club here.
(Liz Ahearn, owner of Picnic Wine & Provisions, was a guest on our show last year. You can listen to the podcast here.)
Just a short newsletter this week: Check out some great upcoming events in the list below (wine and cheese cruise, anyone?). As always, we encourage you to follow us on Instagram, where we are active. Do check out our stories: We share wine news and events from spots around the city regularly!
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
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Contact Velocity Courier at (312) 944-0754 for your business delivery needs. Yes, they do deliver wine!
(Interested in sponsoring the show? Drop us an e-mail at ChicagoWineReport@gmail.com.)
CHICAGO WINE NEWS & EVENTS
Picnic Wine & Provisions will partner with Wendella for several wine & cheese cruises this summer, starting in July. Click here to learn more and purchase tickets!
April 15th: Beautiful Rind hosts Saturday Night Flight: Beer vs Wine at 6:00 pm. Class is $50 and tickets can be purchased online. (Logan Square)
April 20th: The Cuvee Concierge presents Wines That Make Your Soul Sing!, a pairing of six wines with music, wine education and charcuterie at 7 pm. Tickets are $90 and can be purchased online. (Lincoln Park)
April 26th: Le Midi hosts Idlewild Tasting with Sam Bilbro from 7 to 9 pm. The cost is $65, and tickets can be purchased online. (Wicker Park)
April 30th: All Together Now hosts The Great Wine Down with Alexander Great. 2 to 5 pm. Music, drinks, and snacks. (Ukrainian Village)
May 1st: All Together Now hosts Natural Wine & Natural Dye with Laila Textiles: Learn how to dye a silk scarf using plant dyes. You’ll also get to sip low-intervention wines while you learn and work. Tickets are $115 and can be purchased online. (Ukrainian Village)
May 3rd: Taste Food & Wine’s monthly wine class focuses on rosé wine. The class is $45 and starts at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased online. (Rogers Park)
May 13th: Picnic Wine & Provisions hosts a show by Singer-Songwriter Leah Shoshanah from 7 to 8 pm. The event is free but please do tip the artist! (Rogers Park)
May 21st: Beautiful Rind presents Orange Rinds & Orange Wines Spring 2023, a pairing of skin contact aka “orange wines” and orange-rind cheeses. The class starts at 6 pm and costs $50. Tickets can be purchased online. (Logan Square)
REGULAR WINE TASTINGS IN THE CHICAGO AREA
Below is a list of regularly scheduled tastings at Chicago area wine bars and shops. Many are free or low-cost, but it is always a good idea to contact the shop/wine bar ahead of time to be sure.
This list is hardly comprehensive, though we hope it will eventually become so. Please let me know if you’d like to recommend a spot or need to correct any information:
57th Street Wines holds tastings on Thursdays from 5-7 pm and Saturdays from 3-5 pm. Tastings are usually themed, and occasionally the schedule switches up a bit, so check out their website and call ahead to avoid disappointment. (Hyde Park)
Augusta Food & Wine offers free tastings on Thursdays between 6-8 pm. No sign-up is required. (Lincoln Square)
BottlesUp! First Friday tastings take place the first Friday of every month and include complimentary wine tastings plus new, in-store art. (Lakeview)
Door 24 holds regular tastings every Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. These are free, and no sign-up is required. Get on their social media pages for updates on their Friday night lineup! (Bucktown)
Ella Elli holds a monthly “20 for 20” tasting (20 wines for sampling, tickets are $20). Their kitchen is open during the tasting for snacks. Reservations are required, and space is limited. (Southport)
Galleria Liquors holds free wine tastings at both its locations on Fridays from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm and Saturdays from 3 pm to 6 pm. (Southport & Old Town)
In Fine Spirits offers regular free wine tastings Wednesdays from 5-7 pm and Saturdays from 3 to 6 pm with an occasional Thursday tasting (which will be announced on their social media and in their newsletter). (Andersonville)
Juice@1340 holds free community tastings from 5-7 pm on Thursday nights.
Konbini & Kanpai holds regular wine tastings (often on Wednesdays and usually free) and additional beer, sake, and spirits tastings throughout the month. I strongly recommend checking out their online calendar and getting on their mailing list so that you can stay informed. (Lakeview)
Independent Spirits is holding wine tastings from 5-7 pm on Fridays. Tastings are free, and information about the tastings appears on social media. Tastings are free. (Edgewater)
Perman Wine Selections offers an informal Saturday tasting: Come to the shop, ask what is open, and Craig Perman pours you a taste. The store is open from 11 am to 7 pm. (Near North)
Picnic Wine & Provisions holds wine tastings from 5-8 pm on Thursdays. $5 charge; reservations are appreciated but not required. (Rogers Park)
Red & White Wines continues to offer tastings each Saturday from 2-5 pm. The Cost is $10, and their wine club members get to participate at no added cost. The Red & White Wines newsletter usually releases information about the tastings the day before. I recommend getting on the mailing list so that you’ll know what to expect. (Bucktown)
Taste Food & Wine hosts $5 tastings on Tuesdays and Fridays from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. 10% off the featured tasting bottles if you take one home that evening. Snacks are available at an additional charge. (Rogers Park)
Table, Donkey and Stick holds its “Terrior Tuesdays” every, you guessed it, Tuesday, selling a wine or wines by a featured producer by the glass at wholesale cost. Events sometimes include wine producers as special guests. (Logan Square)
Uvae Fromagerie & Tasting Room offers free hosted tastings from 6-8 pm on Tuesdays. Cork Dork Thursdays and Somm Pick Saturdays offer more extensive wine knowledge. Sign up and pay for your tickets online.
Uvae Fromagerie also offers pre-set wine flights of four one-ounce pours for $10 whenever the tasting room is open. (Andersonville)
Vin Chicago: Tastings on Saturdays from 12-4 at all three stores (Chicago, Barrington, and Highland Park). Free. No RSVP is necessary. Check out Vin’s Instagram for more details.
The Wine Goddess: $5 tastings every Saturday from 3-5 pm. Tastings feature four different wines. (Evanston)