+- WineBoard (https://www.wines.com/wineboard)
+-- Forum: RESOURCES AND OTHER STUFF (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-300.html)
+--- Forum: Wine Events & Festivals (https://www.wines.com/wineboard/forum-6.html)
+--- Thread: Ronnie's Annual Wine Expo - Belair, Maryland (/thread-2356.html)
- Drew - 01-31-2004
Our biggest wine event of the year is on the horizon and heading toward us at warp speed. The annual Wine Expo to benefit the Alumni/ae and friends Association of Harford Community College will be held on February 29th from 3 until 6pm. The event has gotten to be so big that it now encompasses both the gymnasium and the Chesapeake Dining rooms. On hand will be 53 suppliers/wine reps available to discuss their wines and answer any questions you may have. There will be in excess of 325 wines open and available to taste. In addition, this year we will have a Riedel glass demonstration so that you may see how the proper glass can actually improve the taste of the wine. Hors d Oeuvres and delectable desserts will be served for the duration and a fantastic Silent Auction (50+ wine or wine related items) will take place until 5pm. This is a great way to spend a February Sunday afternoon (there’s no football and the Terps play on Saturday)! Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door (if available) and designated driver tickets are available at $15. They can be purchased at the HCC Ticket Office (410-836-4211) or here at the store (410-838-4566). If you have any interest in wine this is a do not miss event! Get your tickets early! This event has sold out the last 2 years!
This is a great wine tasting that I highly recommend!
Drew
- Drew - 02-29-2004
I'm off to the wine expo this afternoon and will report on my picks of the show asap. Sure hope Eileen and her girl friend don't miss the spit bucket! [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/eek.gif[/img]
Drew
- Drew - 03-01-2004
Well, I survived another Ronnie’s expo tasting event and my tongue is still intact. 53 vendors graced the gymnasium of Harford Community College with finger foods galore and a vast auction table from which I walked away with 1 magnum of a 2002 “Les Roches Sauvages†Morgon Cote du Py Grand Cru de Beaujolais and 2 magnums of 1998 Wirra Wirra Church Block Cab/Shiraz/Merlot….Sweet!
Here’s some impressions of some of the wines I sampled.
01 Beringer Cellar 8 Zin, nice zin for $9 full with some complexity
00 Chateau St Jean Sonoma Cabernet, very good
00 “ “ Cing Cepages rather muddled and one dimensional, offered at $55
00 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot, thin
00 “ Willamette Vly Pinot very nice at $14
99 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Bosche very good, $51
00 MacMurray Ranch RR pinot, very nice $21
98 Marcelina Cab Sauvignon was deep and complex for $21
01 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 128 was very elegant and smooth, $16
01 Bodegas Salentein Malbec was extreme tanic beast
01 “ “ Shiraz was very nice with deep bitter chocolate notes, $14
03 Excelsior, S. Africa, different than the ‘02 with briter fruit and slightly more complex $7 :> )
00 Renwood Amador Old Vines Zin was complex and big $16
01 “ Sierra Select Barbera very nice, $9
00 Foley Santa Barbara Pinot, my stand out Pinot of the event, $21 compared to next to a
01 Louis Jadot Gevrey Chambertin, $26, the Foley blew it away.
00 Sequoia Grove Cabernet, very good and a buy at $19, conversely the
00 Kenwood Jack London Cab was thin and one dimensional for $23
00 Elyse Napa Cab very elegant, $28
00 “ Napa Syrah was very good but too expensive at $26 IMHO
99 Robert Mondavi Oakville Cab was verrry good $31 but the
00 “ “ Stags Leap Cab was thin and yuck for $31
01 Edmeades Piffero Zin very good and complex zin $20
00 La Crema Syrah very good and earthy syrah for $13
02 Cline Ancient Vine Mourvedre was a pure fruit driven delight for $12 and the
02 “ “ “ Zinfandel was very good for $12 both very good values…as always. I then went to
South Africa table highlighting Fairview wines, (Goats du Roam) Red, White, Pinotage and
Gote-Roti. All were 02’s and the winner was
02 Fairview Gote-Roti, very good and complex for $14...the rest were unexciting
02 Red Bank, AU, Cab/Shiraz was very nice for $8 and the
01 Yalumba Barossa Shiraz, $13, and the
00 “ “ Bush Vine Grenache, $13 were great values
01 Frogs Leap Zinfandel, hop away from this one, single dimension, $21
01 Murphy-Goode Snake Eyes Zin is very good, top notch zin for $28 also tried the
01 “ Cab, Pass for $16
01 “ Liars Dice, ok but a pass for $16
And my value buy for the event was….is…..
01 Avalon Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a delicious and somewhat complex cab for $9, I was
told that the owner of Blackstone Winery sold the business and started the Avalon line. This Napa
offering is a very good value, imho.
Many of the California Wines that were offered were from the 2000 vintage which most showed thin, muddled flavors, rather disappointing and I suspect that there will be a glut of 2000 similar to the 1998 vintage.
Drew
- hotwine - 03-01-2004
Nice notes, Drew, thanks.
Hadn't heard that intel on Avalon..... will look for it, since I really enjoyed the Blackstones of the late '90's. And the Cline..... haven't even seen the A.V. Mourvedre around here since '99. Still have a few of the '97's.
- Innkeeper - 03-01-2004
Great report. Making me thirsty at 10 AM. Well, coffee will have to do. Also interested in the Avalon.
- newsguy - 03-10-2004
thanks for the notes, drew. i'm looking for the avalon as well, but so far no luck. i bet it's not being shipped to florida.
and enjoy the 1998 wirra wirra church block. bought a bottle of that 3 years ago when i was up in D.C. and popped it last year. nice, elegant blend.