Food, Wine, Culture and Baltimore Living

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Today the wine world lost one of it’s most loved and influential members. Robert Mondavi died at the age of 94 in his Napa Valley home. Mondavi launched his own wine label at the age of 52 back in 1966. He aimed to produce high quality wines at a time when the US was just beginning to open up to the idea of fine wine. Into his late eighties and even early nineties, Mondavi spent his days traveling the world promoting American wines. Further, in more recent years, Mondavi was well known for his philanthropy and contributions to American wine education.

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Today the American wine industry has lost one of the one of it’s grandfathers, pioneers, and good friends as Robert Mondavi died this morning at 3:00 AM PST. Perhaps the most influential man in American wine history, Robert Mondavi was well known around the world for producing some of the best wines in the United States over the last 50 years. He was regarded as “a visionary winemaker and brilliant marketer” by Wine Spectator’s James Laube. Laube went on to note that “[Mondavi was] Outspoken, energetic and charismatic.” For more reading on Mondavi’s life, see the Wikipedia Entry, or if you have a subscription, read the outstanding piece by James Laube in the Wine Spectator.

Funeral services are currently being arranged.

Baltimore Happenings

“Wine in the Woods” - May 17 & 18, 2008 from Noon-6pm

Located in Columbia, Maryland at Symphony Woods.
On-line ticket sales begin March 6, 2008. On-line ticket sales end Wed., May 7th to ensure that tickets are received before the event.
Advance (walk-in) ticket sales begin March 6, 2008 at these locations, and end Friday, May 16th.
General Admission Gate Price is $25.
Advance tickets & Designated Drivers $20.
My WWXVI Space! Is that you?

We will be posting event photos on this site. If you see yourself, write and tell us your stories. Or, send us your photos and your stories!
To submit your Wine in the Woods story and photos for consideration, madamz@howardcountymd.gov.

Chesapeake Wine Company:

Call 410.522.4556 or email map@chesapeakewine.com for more information

• Saturday, 5/17
  Tasting: Bordeaux (we can afford)
  (2pm, $35 per person, reservations only!)

• Tuesday, 5/20
  Tasting: Sparkling Wine/Champagne
  (7pm, $25 per person)

• Thursday, 5/22
  Wine Tasting at Sunset
  in the Park!
  (6-9pm, $50 per person, proceeds to benefit Friends of Patterson Park)

Calvert Wine:

Complimentary Tastings

• Saturday, May 17th 2:00 - 5:00PM - Wines TBA
• Saturday, May 17th 2:00 - 5:00PM - Clipper City Beer
• Friday, May 23rd 5:00 - 8:00PM - Wines from Baileyana Winery and Tangent Winery

Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival
May 31-June 1, 2008
Stevensville, Queen Anne’s County
www.chesapeakebaywinefestival.org

Can you think of anything more fun and enjoyable than spending a beautiful sunny day
on the sandy shores of the Chesapeake Bay sipping wine? We can’t either, so plan to join us at the Inaugural
Chesapeake Bay Wine Festival which will be held at Terrapin Nature Park in Stevensville.

Baltimore’s Best Chefs and Restaurants Cook to End Childhood Hunger
Baltimore’s Taste of the Nation Presented by American Express ^®, to Take Place on June 2

[Baltimore, May 12] — With flavorful food and a passion for helping hungry children, Baltimore’s best chefs and restaurants will gather for Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation presented by American Express. Baltimore’s Taste of the Nation will raise critical funds needed to support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Baltimore and across America. This year’s event will take place on June 2 at the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill, from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, with a VIP reception beginning at 6 pm.

More than 20 of the city’s finest restaurants will participate in the gastronomic event including Vin, Indigma, Pierpoint and Ixia. Guests will enjoy the city’s finest foods paired with beverages by Finlandia Vodka, Herradura Tequila, Woodford Reserve Bourbon and Southern Comfort. This year’s event also offers something special for VIPs, including coveted seating, champagne, and surprise perks.

The area charities that will benefit from this year’s event include Baltimore’s Garden Harvest, Maryland Committee for Children, and Advocates for Children and Youth. Since its inception 20 years ago, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million for organizations in the United States and abroad, including more than a quarter of million dollars in Baltimore alone.

Generous support from presenting sponsor American Express, national sponsors SYSCO Corporation and Food Network, Brown-Forman, S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, the National Pork Board and OpenTable ensure that 100 percent of ticket proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in Baltimore.

With more than 12 million children facing hunger in America, and nearly 185,000 in the state of Maryland, Taste of the Nation events promote awareness of Share Our Strength’s efforts across the nation. The funds raised through Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation support the most effective organizations that feed hungry children, as well as advocates that are pursuing long-term solutions to the challenge of hunger, both locally and nationally.

Tickets for Taste of the Nation Baltimore are $75 for general admission and $125 for VIP admission, and can be purchased by calling 1-877-26-Taste or visiting www.tasteofthenation.org. Tables and event sponsorship opportunities are available.

About Share Our Strength^®

Share Our Strength is a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry. We weave together a net of community groups, activists and food programs to catch children at risk of hunger, and surround them with nutritious food where they live, learn and play. We work with the culinary industry to create engaging, pioneering programs like Taste of the Nation, Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale^®, Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline^® and Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit^®. For more information, please visit www.strength.org.

Wine Guide

Part II of my Spring Wine Guide (Read Part I here): The chill of winter is ready to be packed away with your snow pants and wool sweaters in exchange for bathing suits and tank tops. If you’re like me, this time of year you’ll also transition from drinking big red wines every night to more Champagne, crisp whites, and Rose. Sure you’ll still have a big Cabernet or Barolo with a nice dinner indoors, but on a warm spring or summer night its best to kick things off with one (or two, or three!) bottles of a light, slightly chilled wine.

Here are my recommended wines for this Spring organized by Country and Price, with truncated tasting notes (Pink text = Rose wine, Green text = white or sparkling wine, Red text = red wine):

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The spring season is upon us and with it is a transition from dining indoors and keeping warm to backyard barbeques and trying to cool off. Sure, winter was quite mild here in Baltimore, but it was still cold enough to keep most of us in a warm kitchen or dining room. Just as there is something great about drinking a luscious, big red wine on a cold night, there is something equally as satisfying in starting off a warm summer night with a chilled white or rosé wine. But just because our days and nights are heating up, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to enjoy a red wine on a warm night. Here I recommend a few types of white and red wines to try this spring and summer, and offer some advice on how to make the most out of the beautiful weather that is upon us. Specific recommendations for wines will follow in Part II of Spring wines!
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