John Brown has been a wine and food columnist in West Virginia since the 1980’s. His regular columns appear in the Charleston (WV) Gazette-Mail under the title Vines & Vittles.
Good wine and food: a cure for seasonal affective disorder
Looking for way to pull yourself out of the post-holiday blues? How about some reds…or whites… or some top-notch victuals. Well, listen-up buckaroos because there are some nice wine-related events on the radar screen for the greater Charleston area that should help you beat those winter blues.
Good food and wine always seem to lift my spirits and shine some much needed light on my seasonal affective disorder. The following event lineup is sure to brighten your smile this winter too.
Bluegrass Kitchen
I’ve really been impressed with Chef Gary Needham who has expanded the offerings at this neat East End establishment. Bluegrass owner Keeley Steele, along with local wine enthusiast Gary Thompson, are taking things a step further by offering wine flights each Tuesday (beginning Jan. 13th). Flights, for those unfamiliar with the term, refer to a series of wines from a particular region or from a specific varietal grape. This coming week will feature the wines of Spain.
Five wines will be offered, including an Albarino, an old vines grenache and a tempranillo. For an additional price, guests can sample Chef Needham’s tapas specially prepared to accompany the wine. These include chorizo stuffed mussels, paella cake with mole and Spanish cheese toast with olives. Price of the tasting flight is $12 and they begin at 4:30 p.m.
Cast Iron Cookoff
I have participated in this event in past years and will do so again when it convenes in Charleston (Jan. 23-25) at the Charleston Marriott Hotel. This is a great opportunity for wine and food lovers to mingle, sample, taste and otherwise enjoy an eclectic array of wines from around the world (including WV) along with some excellent cuisine.
The festivities begin on Friday Jan. 23rd with “Tastes from the Mountains,” a wine and food sampling that takes guests on a culinary tour of our state. Foods from around West Virginia will be featured in a tapas or “small bites” format providing guests the opportunity to visit both dine and wine stations for the goodies.
I love these type events (kind of like biped grazing) because it affords me the opportunity to sample a wide variety of foods that I can then attempt to match with various wines. Cost of this event, which is open to the public, is $50 per person and tickets may be purchased at the door.
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., guest chefs from the state’s most prestigious restaurants will lead teams composed of non-professional foodies in a competition which requires participants to use cast iron cookware. That evening, a five-course gourmet food and wine dinner will conclude the event with presentation of awards to winners of the Cast Iron Cookoff. Cost of this gala dinner is $75 a person and requires a reservation. Check out the website at www.castironcookoff.org to make reservations.
Bridge Road Bistro
Mark your calendars for a couple of upcoming wine and food special events at Bridge Road Bistro. Chef Paco Aceves and crew will be putting together a dinner featuring the food and wine of Burgundy on February 26th. On March 21st, the Bistro will feature a gourmet meal built around the wines of Vineyard Brands – an excellent world wide importer.
Details of both events are still being worked out, but you may contact the restaurant for more information and to make reservations by calling 304-720-3500.
Other Venues for Vino
For those of you who may not know, there are at least three other venues where you can sample wine or attend full wine tastings. The granddaddy of them all is the Wine Shop at Capitol Market where tastings are held at least monthly. Call them at (343-9463) for tasting event information.
In addition, Drug Emporium on Patrick St. in Charleston (345-5921) as well as the South Hills Kroger at Ashton Place (342-8807) also have tastings on a regular basis. Give them a call to check times and dates.
