Locally Produced Sparkling Wine and A Seafood Festival

Yesterday, I was able to visit Wolf Mountain Vineyards to check out their new sparkling wine. This is the first local sparkling wine produced in the traditional methode champenoise. They don't have a final product yet (still going through dosage trials), but they have finalized the bottle design and capping. It is beautiful, and I can't wait to do a taste test!

Do these photos make you want to visit Wolf Mountain for yourself? This is the weekend! This Sunday, May 18 (and next Sunday, May 25) Wolf Mountain Vineyards is hosting a White Wine and Seafood Festival. For $30 per person (wines available separately by the glass or bottle) you can enjoy a sampling of fresh seafood dishes from the Wolf Mountain kitchen. Paired with their uniquely blended white wines (Plenitude won the 2007 silver medal at the San Fransisco Chronicle wine competition) this festival will make for a delicious weekend!

Cheers.

Tasting the Great Wines of Argentina

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend an exclusive wine tasting event at Fogo de Chao that featured 14 top Argentinean boutique wineries from six different regions. The restaurant, along with QW Wine Experts, is working with the government of Argentina to bring in wines that are not yet available in the United States and hosted this tasting for 20 local wine distributors who were able to enjoy the magnificent display of wines and Fogo’s lovely food spread throughout the day.

Last year, Argentina became the sixth largest wine producer in the world. These 14 wineries represent the new wave of the wine industry in Argentina and, aside from a few exceptions, have never exported to the U.S. Naturally, the response from everyone in attendance was highly enthusiastic! One of my favorites from the tasting was Bodegas San Huberto's “Nina” Cabernet Malbec blend (2004) from La Rioja – full bodied with hints of cherry, it would make a great match for Fogo’s grilled meats!

We also got to speak with Juliana Arive Oroz (pictured in the photo on the right) of Vulliez-Sermet, whose award-winning Malbec I enjoyed very much as well. This is the only winery from Argentina's East Coast wine region, Entre Rios, so I was very excited to try their offerings!

Get Your Food Fix on MySpace

We all turn to myspace to see what’s going on where and who’s saying what. It’s become the present day party line, and hip Atlanta restaurants and gathering places such as Ecco, Trilogy, Marlow’s Tavern, Food Studio and The GLOBE are right in there with their own pages. Be a BFF and visit these pages before and after you go! It's a great way to spot upcoming events, new menus and photos of the eateries. Here are a few of our favorite myspace links:

Marlow’s Tavern
Off the web - Kennesaw: 745 Chastain Road, NW; 770-425-8777. Alpharetta: 3719 Old Alabama Road; 770-475-1800. Vinings: 2355 Cumberland Parkway; 770-432-2526. Midtown: 950 West Peachtree Street; 404-815-0323.

Trilogy
Off the web - 4930 Davidson Road off Johnson Ferry behind the Parkaire shopping center in East Cobb; 770-971-4770.

The Globe
Off the web - 75 Fifth Street, NW; 404-541-1487.

Fifth Group Restaurants®
Off the web – Ecco: 40 7th Street; 404-347-9555. Food Studio: 887 W. Marietta Street in the King Plow Arts Center; 404-815-6677. La Tavola Trattoria: 992 Virginia Avenue, NE in Virginia-Highland; 404-873-5430. South City Kitchen Midtown: 1144 Crescent Avenue; 404-873-7358. South City Kitchen Vinings: 1675 Cumberland Parkway; 770-435-0700. Bold American Catering: 887 W. Marietta Street in the King Plow Arts Center; 678-302-3251.

Taste of Brookhaven Launch Party Recap

Last night, I was able to stop by the Taste of Brookhaven launch party at Village Place at Brookhaven. The evening's event was to kick off ticket sales for the Taste of Brookhaven (Saturday, June 14), and it was a great event!

Held in an empty, soon-to-be-retail space in the new live, work, play development, the space was filled with local art work, a live jazz band and 100 or so of Brookhaven's residents. Tasty treats were provided by a coming soon restaurant - Terra Terroir, and Wolf Mountain Vineyards, a local winery, served their award winning wines - Plenitude (white) and Instinct (red). They also showed off a beautiful display bottle of their upcoming release - Georgia's first locally produced sparkling wine! Stay tuned for more details and a release date soon!!

In the meantime, consider checking out this year's Taste of Brookhaven event. One of the smaller Taste Of events in the city, it is always a fun time!

Tuesday Tastings at VITA

Last night I went to VITA's Tuesday Tastings. These weekly wine tastings take place in the bar area every week from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. It's a good thing I arrived on time, the place was packed! And for a good reason -- $15 per person includes a sampling of 5-6 wines and complimentary appetizers. Great wine, great food and great company -- I'll definitely go back soon! Not to mention, it's a great way to avoid the rush hour traffic!

Vote in Jezebel Magazine's "Election" For Atlanta's Top 100 Restaurants

I like to exercise my right to vote, so much so that I cannot wait for the election in November to do so. Thanks to Jezebel I don't have to. The magazine is taking votes for the top 100 restaurants in Atlanta. Visit the site to cast your votes in the multi-category ballot including your top five restaurants followed by your favorite 10. Then move on to a category buffet where you can vote in traditional "best" categories such as Italian, vegetarian, sushi, happy hour, takeout and breakfast.

Hurry because May 20 is the last day to vote! After all the results are tallied you may find you're the winner of an Ultimate Getaway for Two. Your votes enter you into a drawing to win a two-night, three-day trip to the Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, plus $200 in resort credit. Plane tickets for two included. If that isn't an incentive to visit Jezebel online then I don't know what is.

I'll give you a look at my ballot:
Best Italian - La Tavola Trattoria

Best Seafood - Bonefish Grill

Best Mexican – Chipotle

Best Sushi - Aqua Blue

Best Dessert – Aria

Best Wine Bar - SIP The Experience

Best Tapas - Woodfire Grill

Best Steak - Morton’s The Steakhouse Downtown and Buckhead

Best Take Out - Whole Foods Market

Best New Restaurant – VITA

Best Power Lunch - Fogo de Chão

Best Romantic Dinner - Food Studio®

Best Neighborhood Pub - Marlow’s Tavern

Best Singles Scene – Trilogy

Best Celebrity Spotting - South City Kitchen ® Midtown & Vinings

Best Outside Patio – Ecco

Best Vibe – The Globe

Best View - Wolf Mountain Vineyards & Winery

Best Brunch – Canoe

Daily Reasons to Go to the Globe

I remember the day the Globe opened. All types of people were there, enjoying the vibe, the food, the drinks, and each other. This hasn't changed. It remains one of the coolest spots in the city. And this time of year their patio beats all others. Check out their May Sundown Sessions with enticing art and live jazz events scheduled throughout the week. Here's the breakdown:

Mondays, head on over for “Midtown Mondays” -- mojitos, margaritas and martinis are merely $5.

Wednesdays, Palette brings an evening of art and wine to the patio “gallery” with paintings by local artist Shana Robbins from 6-9 p.m. No cover. Four-by-four wine tasting (four wines, four bites) is just $15 from 5 – 7 p.m. Jazz artist Kirstin Mitchell performs with visuals provided by film-maker Robbie Land.

Thursdays, The Jacob Deaton Trio performs jazz standards and more from 7:30-11:30 p.m. No cover. Chill with $3 Peroni draft beer and $5 mint juleps and martinis after 5 p.m.

Fridays, get down for the weekend as members of Noot D’Noot and a DJ fill the night with electronic soul, funk and jazz from 8 p.m. until midnight. No cover. $3 Imperial beer after 5 p.m.

Saturdays feature The Spencer Garn Quartet “SG4” with their own style of soul, jazz, funk, boogaloo and heavy organ grooves. What will be the surprise drink special by mixologist Russell? Come find out! 8 p.m. until midnight. No cover.

No plans for this weekend yet? Here ya go: Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17, the Tenacity Trio stirs up its own blend of soulful, “make-you-feel-good” jazz and funk. 8 p.m. – midnight. No cover.

The GLOBE: 75 Fifth Street, NW; 404-541-1487.

BAG YOUR GROCERIES AND FEED 100 RWANDAN SCHOOL CHILDREN!

Whole Foods Markets and its customers kissed plastic bags goodbye on Earth Day. Enter Lauren Bush and the reusable "FEED 100 Bag" that holds plenty of food while providing funds to cover 100 nutritious meals for hungry school children in Rwanda through the United Nation World Food Program's (WFP) School Feeding Program. Bush, co-founder and CEO of FEED Projects, former model and niece of President George Bush, will be at Whole Foods Market - Buckhead on Monday, May 12 at 6 p.m. to sip and sup with guests at a free reception and to show a video about FEED Project. Purchase a FEED 100 bag while you're there and have it signed by Lauren Bush!

Exclusive to Whole Foods Markets, each $29.99 bag is constructed of organic cotton and natural burlap by workers who are treated fairly in safe, clean working environments and paid livable wages and overtime. The eco-friendly bags make a fashion statement and are ideal for shopping and travel as each one folds into its own small pouch. Whenever you use the bag you'll be reminded of what you can do to help children in need of nourishment. For each bag purchased, $10 will be donated to the World Food Program's Rwanda School Feeding operation with the remainder going to cover the costs of producing the bag and program oversight by the FEED foundation. Whole Foods Market does not make a profit from the sale of these bags.
You'll find the FEED 100 reusable shopping bags at the checkout counters at all Whole Foods Market stores. For more details on the bag, visit http://www.feedprojects.org/.