Wines from Spain in the Spotlight

Latin flavors are in the air this week, from walk-around free tastings to sit-down wine dinners to free salsa lessons and 50-cent tapas.

Here's the what-where-when. All you have to do is be the who.


WHAT: Grapes of Spain tasting
WHERE: Wine Not Boutique, 170 Main Street, Nashua, NH
WHEN: Tonight from 5 to 7 p.m.
COST: $0

WHAT: Salsa Thursdays, with free salsa lesson and 50-cent tapas at the bar
WHERE: Masa Southwest Bar & Grill, 350 Cambridge Road, Woburn
WHEN: Thursdays starting at 8 p.m.
MORE INFO: Call 781.938.8886

WHAT: Spanish Wine Dinner to Benefit Habitat for Humanity
WHERE: Bocado Tapas Wine Bar, 82 Winter Street, Worcester
WHEN: Monday, April 5 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
COST & RSVP: $75, rsvp@nichehospitality.com

WHAT: Prickly Pear White Sangria
WHERE: Masa, 439 Tremont Street, Boston
WHEN: Now!
WHAT IT IS: White wine marinated with strawberries, honeydew melon, fresh limes, lemons and oranges. Spiked with bourbon and brandy.

DAILY TIDBIT:

"Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after."

--- Anne Morrow

Classic Cocktails TONIGHT at Estragon

No promises that Damn the Weather cocktail will be on the menu tonight at Estragon's Classic Cocktail Challenge.

Bar man Eric Cross is making his way, after all, through 100 or so old school beverages, weather-inspired and otherwise.

That covers a lot of real estate, from turn-of-the-century to Prohibition and beyond.

Tonight's Cocktail Challenge, plus the resurgence of organizations like LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails), are proof positive that classic cocktails will never go out of style.

It isn't just that the cocktails themselves are eternally appealing.

It's also that the style is throw-back. Retro. Mad Men-ish.

It's that beverages of choice go in phases, and the tide of cocktails is on the rise.

And Estragon has a hundred or so ways to prove it.


WHAT: Classic Cocktail Challenge
WHERE: Estragon, 700 Harrison Avenue, Boston
WHEN: Tonight and every Tuesday until the 100 cocktails are up
MORE INFO: Call 617.266.0443


DAILY TIDBIT:

Damn the Weather cocktail:

2 ounces gin

1/2 ounce orange juice
1/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce orange curacao

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass.

Single Malts + Belgian Beer, Two Nights This Week at Morton's

Single-malt Scotch from Scotland. Traditional craft beers from Belgium.

It's practically National Drink Week at Morton's The Steakhouse.

No one's calling it that, but look at their calendar and you'll see why.

Wednesday, March 31: Tasting of The Glenlivet 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 16 Year Old and 18 Year Old Scotches.

Thursday, April 1: Tasting of Chimay Premier, Chimay Grand Cru, Chimay Cinq Cents, Chouffe Houblon IPA, Duvel and Duvel Green.

Each night Morton's will be putting up all kinds of hors d'oeuvres to pair with the beverages.

Each night a very helpful expert on the drink will be on hand to lead you through the tasting.

And each night's tasting runs from 6 to 7:30, which is that sweet spot of the evening after work but before you settle in for dinner.

Spend it with the Scots, or the Belgians, and walk away knowing a whole lot more about their National Drinks.


WHAT: The Glenlivet tasting this Wednesday, Belgian beer tasting this Thursday
WHERE: Morton's The Steakhouse, 2 Seaport Lane, Boston
COST: $49 for Scotch, $30 for beer
RSVP: Required. Call 617.526.0410


DAILY TIDBIT:

The Glenlivet distillery is known in some circles as "The single malt that started it all." And in addition to the beers listed above, Thursday's tasting will also include a Trappist beer, one of only seven in the world brewed by monks in an abbey or church.

Eat Drink Man Woman, Tonight in Cambridge

Fifteen years ago, Ang Lee wrote and directed an Oscar-nominated film called Eat Drink Man Woman.

The story, set in Taipei, revolves around elaborate Sunday dinners put on by a master chef and his three daughters.

(Okay, really it revolves around their love lives but what's a good food story without a little love?)

It isn't a film you see around all that much but it's being screened tonight in Cambridge and you are invited. You are also invited to munch on dumplings throughout the movie (which is another activity you don't see around all that much.)

Drinks afterward -- beer? Gewurztraminer? baijiu?? -- are completely up to you.


WHAT: Screening of Eat Drink Man Woman, hosted by foodat24framespersecond
WHEN: Tonight at 7 p.m.
WHERE: 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge
COST: $0 though donations are welcome and appreciated


DAILY TIDBIT:

The film tonight will be introduced by Jen Lin-Liu, founder of the Black Sesame Kitchencooking school in Beijing and author of Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China.

Sauvignon Blanc Three Ways, at Tastings

Sauvignon Blanc looks innocent enough, with its pale yellow color and maybe a tinge of green here and there.

But then you put your nose in the glass. One sniff, and you know you're dealing with no rookie.

It's Sauvignon Blanc's aromas, maybe even more than its flavors, that are destined to express themselves come hell or high water.

Or, for that matter, a difference in terroir.

It isn't often that someone lines up three Sauvignon Blancs for you from three vastly different places, giving you the opportunity to smell (and see, and taste) the various personalities of this potent grape from around the world.

Tonight Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro in Foxborough is doing that for you.

They call it their Tuesday Tasting. It'll cost you $15 up front, but you'll get it right back when you stay for dinner.

Which you will definitely want to do.

Because the other thing Sauvignon Blanc is, is friendly to many of the foods on Tasting's exceptionally creative (and exceptionally local) menu.


WHAT: Tuesday Tasting: Sauvignon Blanc from California, New Zealand, and France
WHERE: Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, 201 Patriot Place, Foxborough
WHEN: Tuesday, March 23 from 6 to 8 p.m.
COST: $15, which is credited toward your dinner

DAILY SIP:

The most salient characteristic of sauvignon blanc is its distinctive, penetrating aroma, which can evoke scents of grapefruit, lime, green melon, gooseberry, passion fruit, freshly mown grass, and bell pepper. Grown in cooler climates and in fertile soils promoting excessive vine growth, herbaceous smells and flavors can dominate the character of the wine, while in warmer regions, the melon, citrus and passion fruit aromas and flavors emerge. (Source: DrinkWine.com)

Spring Fling in Salem: Wine Food Beer Music, This Saturday

Check out the list of folks involved in Saturday's Spring Fling in Salem, and you start to get a sense of what the event will be like.

Pamplemousse, whose owner used to produce big-ticket music events. She also carries a very thoughtful selection of boutique wines and local and European craft beers.

Magic Hat Brewing Company, based in South Burlington, Vermont, who post info on their website (and to their 32,000+ Facebook fans) about things like creating your own beer dinner at home and inspiring democracy through the power of music.

A&J King Artisan Bakers, who think making bread is more about technique and tradition than any ole recipe. (Check out the Daily Sip, below.)

The Upper Crust Pizzeria. We know you know who they are, but for the moment just remember their beer and wine list they developed to pair with their specific pizzas.

Start to notice a pattern? Or a few?

Top products.

Created with intention.

And all on display -- meaning, for consumption -- at the Spring Fling happening in Salem this Saturday.

Get ready to dig in.


WHAT: Spring Fling: A Celebration of Art, Food, Wine, Beer & Music
WHERE: Old Town Hall, Derby Square, Salem
WHEN: Saturday, March 27 from 6 to 9 p.m.

COST: $25. Click here to purchase.


DAILY SIP:

There's nothing like the smell of freshly baked Italian ciabatta. There's nothing like the crackle of the crust of a French baguette. There's nothing like pulling apart the layers of a hand-make croissant. There's nothing like a real sourdough flecked with roasted garlic, or the sheer joy of biting into a caramelized morning bun, still warm from the oven. And there's nothing like a small, artisan bakery to pull that off. -- A&J King Artisan Bakers, Salem

Events This Week-End at Venues We've Never Mentioned Before

Call it the Red White Boston version of spring cleaning.

It's what happened this week, right around the time the sun started shining again, as we looked ahead in our calendar of bookings.

Suddenly there were events, and venues, and parties, and openings, and all sorts of fun beverage-related things sprouting up around town.

There's nothing new there exactly. But here's the thing: most of them were happening at places we've never been to before, or have (almost) never mentioned in these emails.

Which is why we're including them here today. And if you've got another something to add while we're at it? Just let us know.

Out with the old. In with the new.

Indeed.


WHAT: Weekly beer and wine & cheese tastings
WHERE: Menotomy Beer & Wine, 80 Broadway, Arlington
WHEN: Friday, March 19 (beer) and Saturday, March 20 (wine), both from 4 to 7 p.m.
COST: $0

WHAT: Weekly craft beer tasting: Coastal Extreme Brewing Company
WHERE: Bermans Fine Wines and Spirits, 55 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington
WHEN: Friday, March 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.
COST: $0

WHAT: Post-Diluvian Grand Tasting, featuring wines from Oz Pacific and Charles River
WHERE: Andover Liquors, 209 North Main Street, Andover
WHEN: Saturday, March 20 from 2 to 6 p.m.
COST: $0

WHAT: Tasting of 2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia
WHERE: Lower Falls Wine Co., 2366 Washington Street, Newton Lower Falls
WHEN: Saturday, March 20 from noon to 4 p.m.
COST: $0 or $25 contribution to Haitian Relief / Partners in Health in order to additionally taste Insignia from 1994, 2002, 2005

WHAT: Monday Night Wine Club: Charles Smith's Modernist Project
WHERE: Ashmont Grill, 555 Talbot Avenue, Dorchester
WHEN: Monday, March 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
COST: $30 for four courses and four wines

Our Friends in Beer: Harpoon Beer Dinner at Finz, Salem

There's a theory floating around that it's actually beer that pairs better with cheese than wine does.

The folks floating that theory know a lot about beer's nuances, like what adds to a beer's aroma or how to set off a beer's meaty, nut-like flavors or how malt impacts the decibel level of a beer's character.

They'd be the same folks who put together beer dinners, like the one happening next week at Finz on Pickering Wharf in Salem.

In this case, it's our friends from Harpoon.

And the menu for their beer dinner reads like a how-to of beer and food pairing.

Belgian Pale Ale with lobster potato skins.

IPA with beer brat corn dog.

Island Creek Oyster Stout with (naturally) oysters.

Imperial Red with Korean BBQ ribs.

UFO Raspberry with chocolate waffles and -- get this -- UFO raspberry-flavored ice cream.

By the end of this dinner, you'll be thinking there's a lot more than beer that pairs well with cheese.


WHAT: Harpoon Beer Dinner
WHERE: Finz Seafood & Grill, 76 Wharf Street, Pickering Wharf, Salem
WHEN: Tuesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m.

COST: $34.99 plus tax + tip

DAILY TIDBIT:

"A wine landscape is an urban landscape." That's what they say about wine in Germany, because historically vines were an integral part of every German town, for reasons of both commerce and culture.

Irish Moonshine: A Stellar Reason to Raise Your Glass Today

The Irish call their moonshine poitín.

And here's how they've been making it for centuries:

In remote rural areas away from the reach, or at least the vision, of the law. (Because distilling poitín has been illegal since 1661.)

On land boundaries, lying between one owner's property and another, so that the issue of ownership could be disputed. (Just in case some local garda came wandering past.)

On windy days so that the smoke from burning fuel would be dispersed and not draw attention.

And by widows, to give them a source of income.

There are lots of other media outlets where you'll find listings of ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day all over Boston.

We'd rather give you a story and a reason wherever you are to raise your glass -- of Guinness, whiskey or, if you're really lucky, poitín -- to the perseverance and ingenuity of the Irish.

Sláinte.

DAILY TIDBIT:

Click here to hear a segment of Red White Boston's own Cathy Huyghe talking about the food and drink of Ireland with Brian O'Donovan, host of WGBH's Celtic Sojourn radio program.

Noodle Bar to Open at Blue Ginger

Here are three things we love about Ming Tsai:

1. He comes out of the kitchen (sometimes) at Blue Ginger in Wellesley and sits at his own bar for a drink.

2. He learned to cook in a whole new way when his own children developed food allergies.

3. He talks to people -- regular people, famous people -- but keeps coming back to us regular folks.

Which is why, perhaps, he's decided to open a noodle bar for lunchtime service in the lounge of Blue Ginger, effective March 30. He'll do his own spin on regular-folks food like classic Ramen and stir-fried noodles but they'll be that much better.

Think Spicy Pork Miso Ramen.

And Garlic Miso Ramen.

And Yakisoba Stir Fried Noodles.

Mmmhm.

As for what to drink?

Check out Ming's own suggestions for wine, beer and cocktails to pair with his food.

Whether you have something with your noodle lunch (and why wouldn't you?), or if you come back for dinner and have it then, you will never be at a loss for just the right drink.


WHAT: Noodle Bar opens at Blue Ginger
WHEN: March 30
WHERE: Blue Ginger, 583 Washington Street (Route 16), Wellesley
WHAT TIME: Noodle Bar will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

DAILY TIDBIT:

If you're at a tasting of red and white wines, and you know you're going to be tasting a lot of high-acid Rieslings (like those from Germany or New Zealand), drink the reds first. Otherwise the acidity from the Rieslings, if you drink those first, will send the tartness of the red wines through the roof.

Women's History Month, with Drinks, Around Boston

The first things to know are that March is Women's History Month and March 2010 is the thirtieth year there's been nationwide recognition of it.

The next thing to know, of course, is how exactly to participate, celebrate, and raise a glass. Or two. Or twelve. (We're talking the whole month, after all.)

Here are a few of our favorite ideas.

Cin-cin.


WHAT: Mix up a Ladies' Cocktail, courtesy of LUPEC Boston and The Savoy Cocktail Book
HOW: Stir the following in a mixing glass with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail shaker.
1.75 oz bourbon
0.25 oz anisette
0.5 oz pastis
2 dashes angostura bitters
1 pineapple spear

WHAT: Incorporating Patterns: New Work by Lola Baltzell, Karen Kemp & Maureen O'Connor
WHERE: Atlantic Works Gallery, 80 Border Street, Top Floor, East Boston
WHEN: Third Thursday Reception this Thursday, March 18 from 6 to 9 p.m.

WHAT: Tour the Boston Women's Heritage Trail
WHERE: Take your pick of neighborhood walks: North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Chinatown, South End, Downtown

WHAT: Ladies Who Launch series resumes with guest speaker Swanee Hunt
WHERE: No. 9 Park, 9 Park Street, Boston
WHEN: Thursday, April 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.COST: $75. Call 617.742.9991 to RSVP.

DAILY TIDBIT:

According to the Adams Wine Handbook, women make up 52% of the adult population and purchase 57% of the wine consumed in the United States. They represent a huge market with great purchasing power that until recently has been overlooked. Women tend to be less influenced by wine ratings, as they tend to judge the entire product. Although wine quality is important to women, so are the label design, the bottle shape and the philosophy of the winery.

Boston Bartenders on the Rise, This Sunday at Green Street

Maybe it's the name of their drinks.

Loose Translation.

Saving Daylight.

William of Orange.

Peralta.

Or maybe it's the chemistry of mixing things like homemade "golden" vermouth with Plymouth Gin, or Scorpion Mezcal with Allspice Dram, or Punt E Mes with Aperol.

Or maybe it's the showmanship (and showwomanship) of it all, these bartenders and their cocktails.

Whatever it is, it is sexy. And this Sunday, it's on display at Green Street in Central Square.

Boston Bartenders on the Rise and DrinkBoston are bringing together four of the city's most talented emerging bartenders to mix their specialty cocktails and mingle with the crowd.

Four bartenders. Four cocktails. Passed apps. And a whole lot of things sexy.

Grab your front-row seat. Reservations strongly recommended.


WHAT: Boston Bartenders on the Rise, featuring Emily Stanley of Green Street, Bob McCoy ofEastern Standard, Evan Harrison of Deep Ellum, and Carrie Cole of Craigie on Main
WHEN: Sunday, March 14 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Green Street Grill, 280 Green Street, Cambridge
COST: $40
RSVP: Call 617.876.1655

DAILY TIDBIT:

"One revolution is like one cocktail. It just gets you organized for the next." -- Will Rogers

RWB Discount to New World-Old World Showdown at WGBH

The only way to really GET the difference between an Old World wine and a New World wine is to taste them side by side, one after the other. Twodifferent wines, two different continents, but the same grape.

The problem is that, enjoyable and helpful as those opportunities are, they simply don't come along too often.

The brand new WGBH Foodie community is setting out to change all that.

Next Friday evening, March 19, they're setting up the Atrium of their beautiful studios in Brighton for a bit of a New World-Old World showdown. And you are invited to join in on a little friendly competition.

At a discount, no less. (Tickets normally cost $25 but they're $20 for RWB readers.)

First you'll taste Sauvignon Blanc from the Old World. Fifteen minuteslater you'll taste Sauvignon Blanc from the New World. Then you'll vote for your favorite.

Next you'll taste Riesling from the Old World. Fifteen minutes later you'll taste Riesling from the New World. Then you'll vote for yourfavorite.

They'll repeat the process with red wines too (Pinot Noir and Syrah). Theypour. You taste. We debate. You vote. Everyone wins.

It will be lively and fun and by the end of it you will -- finally! --recognize the difference between New World and Old World wines.

It's the perfect way to end your workweek.

WHAT: New World-Old World Showdown Wine Tasting
WHERE: In the Atrium of the WGBH Studios, 1 Guest Street, Brighton
WHEN: Friday, March 19 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
COST: Normally $25 but $20 for RWB readers.
PURCHASE TICKETS: Click here.

DAILY TIDBIT:

The "warm-up" to this New World-Old World showdown will be a sparkling wine reception from 6 to 6:30 p.m. The "cool down" is a jazz performance starting at 9 p.m.

Corks & Forks at Shubie's: Focus on Greece

Maybe you've have had dolmas and fatoush salad.

But what about Asirtiko Athiri?

Or Boutari Nemea?

Or Naussa Grande Reserva?

They would be the three Greek wines being poured tomorrow night at Shubie's in Marblehead.

And this would be the menu to go along with them:

Humus with pistachio oil
Dolmas with beef, pine nuts and currants, drizzled with fig syrup
Lavash with tuna tartare, olives, capers, pistachios and yogurt sauce
Falafel fried chicken with humus sauce
Fatoush salad with chopped vegetables and feta
Candied pecans

Unusual?

You bet.

That's why it's worth it.


WHAT: Corks & Forks Series, Focus on Greece
WHERE: Shubie's Marketplace, 16 Atlantic Avenue, Marblehead
WHEN: Thursday, March 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
COST: $35. No RSVP required.

DAILY TIDBIT:

The average age of a French oak tree harvested for use in wine barrels is 170 years.

Spring Wine Fest 2010, Two-for-One Special This Week Only

So, yes, May 22 is a ways away.

But here's a very good reason to think about it now: saving 50% off your ticket to the Boston Event Guide's Spring Wine Fest that's happening that day.

The Wine Fest happens in two parts: an afternoon tasting from 1 to 5 p.m., and an evening tasting from 6 to 10 p.m.

Either way, that's four hours of festivity -- including wines, foods, and a whole lot of socializing -- for you and another very good friend for $39 (afternoon tasting) or $49 (evening tasting) all in.

Chances are pretty good that, even two months from now, you will still think that's one heck of a deal.

Except this offer won't be available two months from now.

It ends this Friday, March 12.

Get on it. Then take your good sweet time choosing your lucky buddy.

WHAT: Spring Wine Fest 2010, sponsored by the Boston Event Guide
WHEN: Saturday, May 22 from 1 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston
COST: $39 for two tickets to afternoon session, $49 for two tickets to evening session
SPECIAL NOTE: Offer ends this Friday, March 12.

DAILY TIDBIT:

A substance called Mother of Vinegar helps turn wine to vinegar the same way a sourdough starter helps turn flour and water into bread.

Taste of the South End TOMORROW

To know the South End is to love the South End.

(Especially if you're a food-and-wine kind of person. Or a design kind of person. Or a fashion kind of person. Or or or.)

Tomorrow night, for a mere two and a half hours, the who's who of the food-and-wine South End comes to you.

On a plate, as it were.

Taste of the South End kicks off at 7 p.m. By 7:01 p.m. you, your appetite, and some 40+ restaurants -- not to mention a whole lot of other hungry folks -- will be jockeying for position at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts.

Not that this is a bad thing by any stretch. Not with restaurants like Hamersley's, Toro, and Tremont 647 offering up their fare to all comers.

It's just that it will be a lot of ground to cover in two and a half hours.

Best to keep it simple.

Know. Love. Eat.

Then love some more.


WHAT: Taste of the South End, a Benefit for AIDS Action Committee
WHEN: Tuesday, March 9. VIP admission from 6 to 7 p.m. General admission from 7 to 9:30.
WHERE: Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston
COST: VIP admission $150, General admission $95
MORE INFO: Click here.

DAILY TIDBIT:

"Here's looking at you, kid."

-- Humphrey Bogart, with a glass of Champagne, toasting Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca.

Minds Matter Soiree + Berkshire Mountain Distillers = RWB Discount

Fun fact of the day: Berkshire Mountain Distillers is the first legal distillery in the Berkshires since Prohibition.

More fun fact of the day: they're the liquor sponsor for the second annual Minds Matter Soireehappening this week-end, which means they'll be serving up their hand-crafted vodka, gin and rum cocktails at their open bar, alongside beer from Sam Adams and Narragansett.

Most fun fact of the day: they're offering a $20 discount to the Soiree for Red White Boston readers, who will still be contributing to Mind Matters' goal of pairing volunteer adults with inner-city Boston public high school students to help them prepare for and apply to college.

That's the deal.

Buy a ticket (at a discount).

Drink vodka etc (made with Berkshire spring water).

Help a kid get to college.

All while you Soiree the night away.

WHAT: Second Annual Minds Matter Soiree, co-sponsored by Berkshire Mountain Distillers
WHAT ELSE: Open bar, food, live music, dancing, silent auction
WHERE: Artists for the Humanities Center, 100 W 2nd St., Boston
WHEN: Saturday, March 6 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
COST: $115 minus $20 for Red White Boston readers
MORE INFO: Click here.

DAILY TIDBIT:

Check out the How2Heroes video about Berkshire Mountain Distillers, their distillery, and the manufacture of their products.