Wine not?

Posted Aug 26, 2005 by Alex Vila

Updated Aug 26, 2005 at 09:44 AM

My beau and I attended a wine tasting event last night, hosted by Cork & Olive at its Wesley Chapel location.  I enjoy wine tasting events but haven’t been to one for a long time, though I recently attended a Dewar’s Scotch tasting at Jackson’s Bistro in Harbour Island.  However, it’s my opinion that wine tastes much better than any type of whiskey, so I was much more excited about this event than the previous one.

Cork & Olive hosts free wine tastings whenever it is open.  A staff member will offer you a glass and let you try some of the wines selected for that day.  You can also sample different olive oils and match spices to your taste. 

If that’s not enough of a reason to go in the store at least once, some locations hold wine tasting parties from 6 to 8 p.m. on the last Thursday of the month.  With hors d’oeuvres, live music, art and plenty of wine, it’s tough to resist.  Last night was one of such parties.

We got there around 6:30 p.m.  By then, there were already so many people crowded into the place that it was tough to get to the hors d’oeuvres table.  We managed to grab some snacks before we picked up our wine glasses and meandered from each station to the next, enjoying our fares along the way. 

After a half-dozen samples, I decided that I favored a 2003 Columbia Valley Riesling from Avery Lane, and we decided to get a bottle.  From there, we headed over to Beef’O'Brady’s (or Beef’s, as we fondly refer to it) in Wesley Chapel for some good ol’ American draft beer, chicken wings and football.