Since we started the Swirl Girls in April 2009, we’ve occasionally written about our women’s wine tasting group, the Winettes. This is a group of girlfriends that get together once a month to gab about wine and whatever else comes up. It’s a fun and affordable way to try a variety of wine, expand our knowledge, and educate our palates.

Many of our readers have asked how they can join the Winettes. In response to that request, we’ve started our own SG-hosted “SwirlUps”. Our first SwirlUp was held at The Capital Grille on February 24. We sat down with about 20 guests to taste through 8 wines with accompanied food pairings. The event was a smashing success that far exceeded any of our expectations. We hope to host the next SwirlUp later this spring.

In the meantime, we encourage all of you wine lovers to start your own version of the Winettes (or wine hunks as it may be!). Since we’ve had a year’s head start organizing informal tastings, here are a few suggestions to get you going: Read the full story

Come get your food and wine on!

Calling all food and wine lovers in the county! Come to the PGA Commons in Palm Beach Gardens Wednesday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. to enjoy fine wine and amazing food, all for a good cause.

The Taste of the Palm Beaches benefits Big Heart Brigade of the Palm Beaches, which provides a Thanksgiving meal to those in need. So basically, you’re eating (and drinking) so that others may enjoy a great holiday meal as well. That’s hard to argue with!

The 6th annual Taste of the Palm Beaches promises great food provided by such restaurants as Café Chardonnay, III Forks, Capital Grill, Ouzo Blue, Rocco’s Tacos, Sushi Jo, Vic & Angelo’s and a whole lot more. The wine is provided by Southern Wine and Spirits and will take you from California to Spain and cover a lot of ground in-between. The Swirl Girls will be pouring at a table with yet to be decided wines (we’re trying and choosing tonight!)

Plus, there’s an after party at the Gilded Spa Bubble Lounge.

Tickets are available online at www.TasteOfThePalmBeaches.com ,at Store Wine Storage or you may call 877-207-3779. They are $35 bought in advance or $40 at the door. And for veterans, it’s only $25 but you must show your military ID.

I used to be intimidated by wine tastings. I perceived them as old, busy, snobby, know-it-all types lecturing each other about wine. Which is embarrassing to admit and really goes to show how little I knew before I got serious about wine.

That’s changed now. Whether I’ve attended enough tastings or I feel comfortable with the format or that I’ve read enough that I actually adore those “lecturing” wine discussions, I’m not sure. So when my friends who were supposed to go to a wine tasting with me Saturday night backed out, I had no qualms about going by myself.

I knew the wine would be stellar and the company friendly and I was right. People who choose to spend $15 and prime Saturday night hours milling around a liquor store are passionate about wine and friendly about talking about it. A simple: “what did you like” opens anyone up for a great discussion and there’s nothing I love more than hearing about what people love to drink. Read the full story

There’s no quicker way to get to my heart than with a bunch of big, dry powerful red wines. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about Total Wine’s “Evening in Italy” on August 21. Amarone, Barolo, Barbaresco. OH MY! Just thinking about the possibilities made my heart melt with amoré.

The free event drew a huge crowd to the Palm Beach Gardens store. Sweet and I both decided to attend and brought along two of our fellow Winettes, Allison and Staci. We were all pretty impressed by the offerings, which included more than 20 different wines and a great buffet from Brio Tuscan Grille. After a quick loop around the store, we dove in. Here’s what we liked:

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I’m sure many of us have been to the free in-store wine tastings at Total Wine. There are usually about 6-8 wines open at the center counter to sample while getting your shopping done.

This Friday, August 21, Total Wine is taking the free tasting to the next level, presenting an “Evening in Italy” at the Palm Beach Gardens store from 6-8 pm. The tasting will feature twenty different Italian and Sicilian wines that retail between $10 – $40. The store will also give out coupons for discounts on all of the wines poured that evening.

If you love Pinot Grigio from Trentino, Valpolicella, Primitivo or Chianti Classico, this is definitely the tasting for you! And don’t miss the 2003 Vasco Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino.

Food will also be provided, compliments of Brio Tuscan Grille. Some of food highlights include small plates of pasta brio and meatballs marsala.

The Palm Beach Gardens store will also teach a wine education class on Tuscan wines on September 9 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Participants will learn about and taste 10 wines and sample food from Capital Grille. The class costs $25. Call the store to reserve your space: 561-622-7340.

~ Dry (gwen)

We had such a great time pouring wines last night at CityPlace Uncorked. Thanks to everyone who helped make the experience memorable. A huge thanks to Republic National Fine Wine Manager, Craig Diamond, for filling our table with some truly excellent wines. It was an honor to pour them!

We loved our wines, and so did the crowd. The 2006 ZD Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa was an early favorite that kept many people coming back for more.
It was also rewarding to introduce some excellent lesser-known wines, like the 2006 Antu Ninquén Syrah/Cabernet (a powerhouse wine, but surprisingly smooth!) and the 2006 King Estate Vin Glacé Pinot Gris (Sweet’s personal favorite).

But the highlight was definitely the 2006 Masi Costasera Amarone Classico. What a smooth and elegant wine!

And to all the wonderful, amazing people who stopped by and talked wine with us, you made our night!

Please, don’t be a stranger! Follow, comment, and find us at future events! We love you all!

Were you at the event? See the photos here

~ Sweet, Dry, Bold & Earthy

What do you get when you take one sweet-loving, wine sniffin’ Swirl Girl, drop her in the middle of Napa Valley and give her free reign to seek out her favorite wine? How about when you throw in a marathon and perfect weather and you’ve got a recipe for a dream vacation. Read the full story

We are so excited to be pouring wine at CityPlace Uncorked this year on August 6, at the Harriet Himmel Theater. The event, now in its ninth year, features wines and menu samplings from some of CityPlace’s best restaurants. You can bid on all kinds of prizes during a silent auction benefiting The West Palm 100, and listen to music from B.B. King Pure Blues Band.

There will also be a great after-party sponsored by City Cellar, a CityPlace must for any oenophile. “We’re very, very big fans of wine,” says Jeremiah Bennett, manager of City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill, which has a large and varied regular wine list. “We’ve been involved with Uncorked since the beginning.”

The wines for Uncorked will be supplied by Republic National Distributing Company, which is providing a good variety for all sorts of tastes. The Swirl Girls got together with South Florida wine manager, Craig Diamond, last week at City Cellar to taste the wines we’ll be pouring at our table. Boy, did Craig impress us with his selection!

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I’ve been hearing for a while how great Crown Wine & Spirits tastings are. Crown has more than 30 locations in South Florida. They host a wine tasting at a different store every Friday and Saturday evening. On Friday, July 24, I finally made it to one in North Palm Beach.

This was by far the biggest and busiest local tasting I’ve attended. I paid my $15 entry fee and was presented with a list of more than 50 wines, all available for sale that evening at up to 20 percent off their normal cost. It was the perfect excuse to add to my growing collection. Here were some of my favorites:

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Those who believe that nothing good in life comes free should check out III Forks monthly wine tastings in Boca Raton and Palm Beach Gardens. The restaurant hosts a complimentary happy hour at both locations on the first Tuesday of each month from 5-7 p.m. with free wine and passed hors d’ oeuvres.

I checked out the tasting in Palm Beach Gardens yesterday with my friend and fellow Winette, Meghan. We arrived an hour into the tasting and were pleasantly surprised to find a crowd of young professionals mingling in the large bar area. The bar was cool and dimly lit, with Frank Sinatra playing softly. It was the perfect place to escape the Florida heat. Read the full story