Chicago Wine Report on WCGO | November 6, 2022
Liz Ahearn from Picnic Wine & Provisions | Wine Reviews | Shop & Wine Bar Reports
THIS WEEK
Tune in to WCGO Radio at 10:00 am Central (don’t forget the time change!) tomorrow, November 6th, 2022, for this week’s Chicago Wine Report. Chip, Tom, and Lainie will all be in the studio along with Liz Ahearn of Picnic Wine & Provisions (Rogers Park).
Trying to find us? WCGO is 1590 AM and 95.9 FM on your radio dial. Reception depends on where you are in the Chicagoland area: 95.9 FM is better in the North Shore and North Side neighborhoods. 1590 AM can be heard throughout the metro area, including some parts of Wisconsin and Indiana.
You can also stream our show directly from the WCGO website, the Tune-In app, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel. More details on all these options are available here.
7301 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago IL 60626
Phone: 773-856-0000
Closed Mondays & Tuesdays
Wednesday 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Thursday 3:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday 3:00pm - 8:00pm
Saturday 1:00pm - 8:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm - 7:00pm
FIELD REPORTS
Chip & Lainie visited Joe’s Imports for dinner and a tasting of their wines. We had an amazing experience, some of which Chip has chronicled on Instagram. We’ll also be talking about our experience on today’s show. (Fulton Market)
Lainie attended one of Red & White Wines’ fantastic Saturday tastings (the first in a long while). The wines, imported by Vom Boden, are from Joiseph, a newish winery in Austria. All the wines were very good, particularly the Piroska '21, a light red blend (best served chilled) made from Zweigelt, Pinot, and Gemischter Satz. A trip to Noisette, Red & White’s wine bar, was also in order: I was thrilled to see that they had a steady stream of customers on a cloudy, gloomy day.
CHICAGO WINE NEWS
Crazy winds led to some venues, including Andersonville’s esteemed wine shop “In Fine Spirits,” having to close down due to power outages! We hope that everyone is safe and remind business owners and consumers to be prepared for such occurrences.
The good folks at Metropolitan Brewery are having a FREE “Skill Skool” class this Monday night (November 7th) at 7pm to teach you how to put together a “Go Bag” that can keep you safe and comfortable in an emergency.
Address: Metropolitan Brewery, 3057 N Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 773-754-0494
Cheese, please! The cheese case at Augusta Food & Wine is bursting with amazing cheeses and meats. We are already huge fans of the provisions at Augusta, but the selection right now pretty much takes the cake. Get over to Lincoln Square to see what they have!
WINE(S) OF THE WEEK
This is Ingrid Groiss’s reserve Grüner Veltliner, which was simply incredible (we’ll talk about it on the show). Sadly, this was the last bottle at Independent Spirits but they do have her other Grüner available. Lainie has had it, and it is really delicious.
Grüner Veltliner Weinviertel (DAC) Reserve 2018
Purchased at Independent Spirits (Edgewater)
CHICAGO WINE EVENTS
November 6th: All Together Now in Ukrainian Village is hosting a Lindsay Lewis Jewelry pop-up this afternoon between 2pm-5pm. This coincides with All Together Now’s great happy hour specials that include $5 beer and wine plus special discounts on snacks.
November 9th: Joe’s Imports in Fulton Market is holding a special happy hour from 4pm-6pm to launch its Wine x Web3 NFT wine club. Attendees will have a chance to win a Bronze Level membership.
November 12th: The Wine Goddess in Evanston is holding its Thanksgiving Mega-Tasting from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online.
November 16th: WineStyles in Norwood Park hosts a Back in the USA wine class from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online.
November 16th: Le Midi in Wicker Park hosts Wines to Pair for Thanksgiving from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. RSVP and prepayment of $65 are required. Email seth@lemidiwine.com to reserve. Tickets are limited and there is a strict 48-hour cancellation policy.
November 19th: Beautiful Rind in Logan Square hosts a producer pairing tasting with Vom Boden. Cheese and wine pairings will be available for sampling from 3:00-5:00 pm. The tasting is free and does not require a reservation. You can, however, reserve a larger sampling of cheese and paired wine at additional cost via the Beautiful Rind’s website.
November 27th: All Together Now hosts The Great Wine Down with Alexander Great between 2pm-5pm. Alexander Great spins tunes while you get to enjoy their happy hour specials.
December 6th: Uvae Wine Bar & Kitchen is hosting a South African wine dinner, featuring Babylonstoren wines and its cellar master, Charl Coetzee. The six course meal includes wine pairings and is $125. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
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 I 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 be sure to 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 free 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)
In Fine Spirits advertises 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)
Konbini & Kanpai holds regular wine tastings (often on Wednesdays and usually free), plus additional tastings of beer, sake, and spirits 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 Thursdays. Tastings are free and information about the tastings appears on social media. Tastings are free and there is no charge. (Edgewater)
Picnic Wine & Provisions holds wine tastings from 5-8 pm on Thursdays. $5, 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)