Professional Wine Consultants - Milwaukee Wine - Sommeliers

Tonight I get on a plane and travel to Verona to attend Vin Italy! I have never been and was told by a respected colleauge that I had better wear comfortable shoes and get ready to run. I can’t wait!

I arrive on Friday and will be driven to Verona and then attend the event on Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday i am not scheduled for anything so I am going to take a train to Venice, just to take pictures and see it!

Then we travel to Tuscany to visit the wineries that the company represents and will be there for three days. I hope to get to Montalcino!

I am taking my laptop so hopefully I can update every day, plus post pictures as I go.

Ciao!!

Title: Palms Bistro and Wine Bar presents…Spring Vacation Wine Dinner with Master Sommelier candidate Toni Johnson
Location: Palms Bistro Bar 221 N. Broadway Milwaukee Wi 53202
Link out: Click here
Description: Travel with us to old world Europe for an unforgettable experience. Cuisine and wine featured will be inspired by classic European expertise with a few modern surprises.

Your local tour guide will be Master Sommelier Candidate Toni Johnson.

If you can\’t get away this spring, let us take you!

$55.00 per person plus tax and gratuity

Contact Sam or Sarah 414-298-3000
Start Time: 7:00
Date: 2009-04-22

Title: German Wine Tasting and Class
Location: Three Cellars (7133 S. 76th St. Franklin WI 53132)
Link out: Click here
Description: Come and take a trip to one of the hottest regions for wine…Germany. Learn the great history of winemaking in Germany and sample a wide array of German wines. The Cellar Wine School is taught by certified Sommelier Nate Norfolk and held in our Cellar Lounge from 7-8:30pm. The cost is only $15, which includes the program, materials, and of course, delicious wines. Seating will be limited so advanced registration is required! To register, please stop in or call Three Cellars at 414-235-3336.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-03-25
End Time: 20:30

Title: German Wine Tasting and Class
Location: : Blatz Market and Liquor (1121 N Broadway,Milwaukee, WI)
Link out: Click here
Description: Milwaukeeans should be proud of their German heritage, especially when it comes to wine. Despite its reputation for producing mostly sweet inexpensive wines, Germany offers an amazing array of reds and whites. From incredibly racy dry wines from the Saar, to Pinot Noir from the Pfalz, Certified Sommelier Nate Norfolk will demystify the amazing wines Germany for everyone in attendance, before you know it you’ll be saying trockenbeerenauslese like a pro.
Of course there will be a discount on the wines featured.

Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2009-03-18
End Time: 20:30

Title: Going Green on Saint Patrick’s Day
Location: Wine Styles of Brookfield
Link out: Click here
Description: In honor of St Patrick’s Day…………

We’re GOING GREEN!
Join Toni Johnson,
Master Sommelier Candidate,
as we taste delicious wines from a variety of GREEN WINERIES.

6-7:30 PM

$20 per person/$10 Wine Club members

RSVP Please/Limit 20
Start Time: 6:00
Date: 2009-03-17
End Time: 7:30

17000 West Bluemound Road Ste:E

In the Fashion Plaza on the corner of Bluemound and Calhoun

(262)792-9463 (WINE)

Title: Syrah and Shiraz, same grape from all over the place
Location: Three Cellars (7133 S. 76th St. Franklin WI 53132)
Link out: Click here
Description: One of the worlds most popular red grapes, Syrah is also known as Shiraz. We will taste and compare six wines from France, the United States, and Australia. Certified Sommelier Nate Norfolk will discuss the origin and history of this fascinating grape.

Wines tasted will include:
* Robert Hall Syrah Paso Robles, California
* K Vintners “Milbrandt” Syrah Wahluke Slope, Washington
* Albert Belle Crozes-Hermitage Rhone Valley, France
* Yalumba Y Shiraz-Viognier, South Australia
* Thorne Clark Terra Barossa Shiraz
* John Duval Entity Shiraz, Barossa

Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-02-25
End Time: 20:30

I can’t stop praising this grape. I sound like a zealot. Riesling isn’t the most consistent wine on the planet, admittedly there is an ocean of Riesling based booze infused sticky icky grape juice that many an unsuspecting burgeoning wine lover has had forced upon them, only to gag at the sheer lack of balance and gooey flab of this innocuous beverage that a friend or family member kindly was trying to pass off as wine. That said, few wines reach such dazzling heights of complexity or are so painfully cultivated in harsh conditions for miniscule yields. The lesson is that you can’t write off an entire style of wine because you’ve had a few wretched examples… or possibly many wretched examples. There are great Rieslings out there! They are relatively easy to find. Read the rest of this entry »

Title: Spanish wine dinner featuring the wines of Telmo Rodriguez
Location: La Merenda 125 E. National Ave Milwaukee, WI
Link out: Click here
Description: Chef Peter Sandrone will create a five course dinner paired with dynamic wines from various regions of Spain made by Telmo Rodriguez

Cost is $55 with tax a gratuity included

call 414.389.0125 to make a reservation.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-02-26
End Time: 22:00

Oh the red wines of Burgundy. When I was the Wine Director for a local restaurant, my favorite area to navigate with our guests on our list was the two pages devoted to Pinot Noir. Granted there are plenty of wines that have dizzyingly steep prices on those pages. Like all wine making areas of the world, certain wines and winemakers command exorbitant prices. Sometimes I get criticized for having some of these wines on the list. But I often say, (mostly to myself) “If you are going to have a French wine list, there are things that must be on it.” And those things are usually the most expensive. But there are some wonderful selections in Burgundy that are under $100.00 and some that are just a touch over that are well worth seeking out in a retail outlet.

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My love affair with Pinot Noir began in the late eighties when I was a retail wine buyer for a group of wine stores in Portland Oregon. (Pronounced OAR-eh-gn, not Oar–eh-GOHNE.). Of course the Willamette Valley has become to be known as a mecca for domestic Pinot along with the Russian River AVA in Sonoma County and the Santa Ynez Valley AVA in Santa Barbara County, California. Even though the world may not have known how fabulous they were back then, all of us Oregonians knew it.

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