THIS WEEK’S SHOW

Warner DeJulio of Vin 312 Winery was in the studio with us. We had a lively and informative discussion about winemaking and wine itself! Be sure to follow Vin 312 on Instagram for some great content!

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COMING UP ON THE CHICAGO WINE REPORT

Our next two shows are on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, respectively, so we are going to mix it up a bit:

Christmas Day, as the last show of the year, will include a review of this past year (including some of our favorite wines), an original essay by Tom on Loire Valley Wines, Champagne education by Chip, and, of course, the latest news from the Chicago wine community.

New Year’s Day will feature an on-air tasting of non-alcoholic beverages (in honor of Dry January), some consumer-friendly wine-buying tips from Lainie, a book review by Tom, and New Year’s wine-related resolutions.

GIVING BACK

This week’s show includes a promo spot from Chicago Corner: They are sponsoring a toy and canned food drive at the Patio Theater in Portage Park. Admission to a double feature, Solstice (the very first Lifetime Channel Christmas special) and Home Alone, is FREE if you bring a new, unwrapped toy or canned food (please check those expiration dates) to the theater.

P.S. If Solstice sounds familiar, it’s because its producer and director, Jerry Vasilatos, has been a guest on our show!

CHICAGO WINE NEWS & EVENTS

Are you in the wine business and hosting an event? Have some news for the Chicago wine community? Send it to us at ChicagoWineReport (@) gmail.com for possible inclusion in our newsletter and radio show/podcast. Our deadline for consideration for the Sunday morning show on WCGO is 11 am CT on Fridays.

Le Midi in Wicker Park has opened its online store, allowing you to purchase bottles online for pickup inside their combined wine bar and bottle shop. They’ve also taken a shipment of Weingut Keller 2021 Rieslings, which are not to be missed. (Pssst. . .if the bottles are too much for your budget right now, they are pouring the RR Trocken by the glass!)

Several restaurants in the Scott Harris Hospitality group (Francesca’s, Mio Modo, Davanti Enoteca, and Disotto) are open on Christmas and New Year’s Day with special menus. (Check out our interview with Davanti Enoteca’s Chris Bernal. . .he was a fantastic guest and we all learned so much!)

December 22nd: Robert et Fils hosts a Champagne and Caviar Tasting with snacks served throughout the event. Tickets are $50 and are available online.

December 28th: Beautiful Rind hosts the 2022 Wine Down, a tasting of the staff’s favorite wines this year. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased online.

January 14th: I|O Godfrey Hotel hosts the Godfrey Wine Fest - Wine Tasting at I|O Godfrey Rooftop from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Ticket price runs from $25 to $35 per person depending on your reservation date. Purchase your tickets on Eventbrite.

January 22nd: Beautiful Rind hosts Rhone Around the World: A tasting of Global Red Wines inspired by the Rhone from 7:00 - 8:30 pm. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online.

January 25th: Binny’s is hosting the UGC 2020 vintage Bordeaux tasting at the Drake Hotel on Wednesday, January 25th, 6-8 pm. Over 90 estates are represented. Tickets are $100 each, and can be purchased online at Binnys.com.

February 27th: Wine Goddess Academy focuses on The Wine Regions. Five-class series. Sign up online on Eventbrite. The cost is $395 per person and a certificate of completion is provided.

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 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)

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.

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 & WhiteWines 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. They are also hosting vendor-led tastings on Friday nights, 5 to 7 pm, through the holiday season. (Evanston)

Where to Find Us

As always, the Chicago Wine Report is broadcast on WCGO radio at 10:06 am CT on Sunday mornings. (Top-of-the-hour news and weather begins at 10:00 am.)

Trying to find us? WCGO is 1590 AM and 95.9 FM on your radio dial. 1590 AM can be heard throughout the metro area, including some parts of Wisconsin and Indiana. The FM signal is best on the North Side/North Shore.

You can also stream our show directly from the WCGO website, the Tune-In app, our Facebook page, or our YouTube channel. If you have an Amazon Echo or other Alexa device, ask Alexa to: “Play WCGO on Tunein!”

More details on these options are available here.

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