Winemakers Randall Grahm and Elizabeth Clark Set To Visit Toledo Area

Mark your calendars. The Toledo area will be hosting a pair of top-flight winemakers in August including a stellar California wine personality and a maker of premium wines from Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Randall Grahm of Boony Doon Vineyards
On Sunday, August 5, from 12:00 noon until 3:00 PM, Walt Churchill’s Market, 3320 Briarfield. Maumee, (419) 794-4000, will host an Afternoon with Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards. This will be a wine tasting on the patio and no reservation is needed.
“Randall Grahm is the most important California wine personality to ever visit Northwest Ohio,” said WCM Wine Manager Austin Beeman. He urges wine lovers not to miss the opportunity to meet this iconic winemaker.
Bonny Doon is a winery based in the city of Santa Cruz in the central coast of California. It was started by Grahm in 1983. Bonny Doon was among the first Californian wineries to embrace Rhone varietals, giving Randall Grahm the nickname "The Rhone Ranger.”
Grahm has an impressive array of awards including the James Beard Award as wine professional of the year and Cooks Magazine lifetime achievement award. He is a leader in biodynamic winemaking and in the screw cap movement to use twist closures to ensure quality wine.
Elizabeth Clark of Airlie Winery
On Wednesday August 8, 6:00 – 8:00 PM, winemaker Elizabeth Clark of Airlie Winery, Monmouth, Oregon, will be presenting a selection of her wines at The Oliver House Market, 27 Broadway in Toledo. Airlie Winery, established in 1986, is dedicated to vintage dated Oregon premium wines. The winery overlooks Dunn Forest Vineyard and produces estate varieties well suited to the coastal edge of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Thirty-two acres of estate vineyards consist of eight varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Müller Thurgau, Gewürztraminer, Maréchal Foch, and Muscat Ottonel.Their wines also benefit from grapes selected from top Willamette Valley vineyards.
The cost is $15 per person and will include elegant appetizers, great wines, and a chance to purchase autographed bottles of your favorite selections. For further information, call Matt Snyder at (419) 351-3335.

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Pedalling for Pinot: Fête d’Eté Dinner Blends Wine and Biking

Photo by Sarah Murray

Anne Amie Vineyards, a small, family owned winery in Willamette Valley, Oregon, will be visiting our region for their annual sales call.

This year, they will offer a twist on the traditional winemaker dinners. Instead of five courses in one restaurant, they will host a series of progressive bicycle winemaker dinners. In each city, Anne Amie will travel between four or five restaurants in general proximity, atop bicycles, with the entire group in tow. This should offer not only a unique and incredibly joyful experience but a fresh look at the fabric of each city. Kimberley McLeod (National Sales Manager) and Thomas Houseman (Winemaker) wanted to bring an element of Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.

The dinner is scheduled on Tuesday, May 15, in Toledo. Stops include: Toledo Museum of Art, Mancy’s Steakouse, Real Seafood Company, Rockwell’s at the Oliver House and Registry Bistro. This is a ride through the largest contiguous Victorian Neighborhood and over the Maumee River.

The event has been embraced by each of the restaurant communities, and everyone has worked together to bring youth and energy to a format that can often seem stuffy or intimidating. Each dinner is $75 all inclusive and comes with a t-shirt with the Fête d’Été logo for the event and the “tour dates”. Ticket information for the Toledo event is available here.

Fête d’Été means summer party and there is a sort of magic in the air this time of year and a hunger to be outside. The ride, very casual in nature, will encompass no more than seven total miles round trip. Guests are expected to provide their own bicycle.

 The full schedule is:

• May 14, Ann Arbor: Vinology, Sava’s, The Earle, Palio.
• May 15, Toledo: The Toledo Museum of Art, Mancy’s Steak House, Real Seafood Co., Rockwell’s at the Oliver House, Registry Bistro.
• May 16, Cleveland: Flying Fig, Fat Cats, Ginko, Noodlecat, SOHO Kitchen & Bar.
• May 17, Columbus: Barrel & Bottle, Alana’s, Till, Rigsby’s Kitchen.

Tickets can be purchased at www.anneamie.com/biketour. Tours are limited to 30 cyclists, so early reservations are encouraged.