Last night I went to this upscale wine bar to enjoy a glass of wine with a friend. The environment was cozy, the staff friendly, and the wine menu extensive. It was so extensive in fact that I really wasn’t sure what to order! However, looking back I would have loved a little cheat sheet to take with me when I travel and go out, one that I could indiscriminately peek at before dinner to help me choose the best food and wine pairing. Have you ever felt that way? If so, please feel free to steal this cheat sheet from me:

My roommate told me this insider tip: a fine wine ages twice as fast when the bottle is half the size. So a four year Cabernet Sauvignon in a half bottle will taste the same as an eight year Cabernet in a full bottle!

If you’re looking for some places to test out your cheat sheet, there are lots of upcoming food and wine events now that summer is starting to peek through. Just take a look at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen June 17-19 where they’ll have cooking demos and wine seminars. The schedule is jam packed with sessions like “Wine Jeopardy” and “Grilled Cheese, Please” which shows the entire event will be both entertaining and informative.

Another event includes the Taste of Chicago June 24-July 3, Chicago’s premier outdoor food festival. The festival focuses on showing the wide variety of the different restaurants within Chicago and showcases 59 restaurants. The festival also attracts non-foodies with tons of family activities and even musical acts.

On June 10th and June 11th there will be the 35th Annual Monterey Wine Festival where you can taste a whopping 600 different wines from all over the world. There will also be a “Champagne Shuttle” to take attendees to other venues of the event.

If you can’t get away to a wine festival, then the fun doesn’t have to stop there! You don’t have to be a professional sommelier to host your own wine tasting soiree. What’s great is that you can decide if you’d like to have a ‘vertical’ tasting as in one type of wine from several different wineries, or a ‘horizontal’ tasting which involves tasting a wide variety of wines; from white to red, or dry to sweet. It’s a good way to try something different and learn about wine!

Wine, great friends, and warm weather make a recipe for great times. Our very own Travelocity Roaming Gnome, also enjoys a nice fine wine as a couple weeks ago he joined other top chefs at the ultimate wine event- Uncork’d in Las Vegas. (Check him out here!)

Cheers!

Photo Credit: Wine Glasses by Flickr Mhaithaca

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