Another Wine "X"

This week was a big wine week, with some of the most highly regarded wine makers in the world whirling through Chicago. On Monday, at Blue Water Grill, a few dozen Spanish and Argentine wines were showcased...some of the highlights and MUST tries include: fresh and crisp Bodegas Naia Las Brisas from the Rueda region of Spain (white summer wine that's only about 10 bucks) and from the Valley de Uco in Mendoza Argentina was the Bodegas y Vinedos O. Fournier Alfa Crux Blend (a bit pricier but a great splurge at about 40-ish bucks). But the creme-de-la-creme event was last night at the Hyatt Regency where the Wine Spectator's Grand Tour 2007 took place. Weak venue but amazing event. After hitting Atlantic City for New Yorkers then Las Vegas--I guess for gamblers or perhaps all the 4-star restaurants--, the tour brought top Bordeaux wines like Chateaux Lafite Rothschild, Chateaux Latour and Lynch-Bages, in addition to the wines of the Terlato Family ( formerly Paterno Wines), Joseph Phelps Insignia, Caymus Vineyards and Italian superstar Ornellaia. This event is one worth checking out each year since it only features wines that received a 90 or above by the magazine (not that there aren't thousands of great wines outside of their rating scale). It's a fabulous way to taste through hundreds of top scoring wines in succession-- not necessarily to imbibe large quantities of wine, but rather to have that base of comparison by tasting wines side-by-side. Most of these wines you can't afford to order in a restaurant, unless of course there's an expense account involved, so a tasting like this is fantastic. So, that's the Wine "X" for this week. Pictures coming shortly.

The Wine "X"

The Wine "X"-
There's always a great reason to swirl, sniff and taste through a room full of wine, in my opinion. Learn a little, challenge what you think you know, meet great people and generally, have fun. But to taste up to 700 wines paired to tasty small plates whirled up by 35 of Chicago's hottest chefs is more than a reason-- it's a celebration. That's what I did on Thursday, May 3rd at Wine Enthusiast Magazine's (www.wineenthusiast.com) Toast of the Town, held in the gorgeous atrium of the Field Museum. This year was a sell-out with wineries pouring tastes---like MacMurray Ranch, Hess Collection, Charles Krug -- and chef's doing their thing, including Bill Kim at Le Lan, Michael Maddox of Le Titi de Paris and tons more. Having the tasting experience under the ginormous Sue and the bronze elephants, with music and thousands of people was a total rush.