In Vino Felicitas

I was a little bit surprised when I walked through the rain--so long freshly straightened hair--a few blocks from the Merch Mart and into the welcoming arms of Swirl Wine Bar.

I was expecting--well, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Most of the wine bars I've been to have a very obvious theme. D.O.C. is lush and richly colored with a speakeasy kind of vibe. Bin 36--clean, minimalist, all about the wine.

But Swirl. I mentioned to my girlfriend (who went with me to Wine and She's Wednesday) that I couldn't pinpoint the theme and wasn't quite sure what they were trying to do ... but our consensus: whatever it is, it's working. Loved it. Here's a couple of (not so great, sorry) photos of the interior.

The ambiance has a totally relaxing lounge feel that was just different.

Picking up the menu, I have to admit, I was a little disappointed at first. The wine list was not at all extensive (the back side of the food menu), but after browsing, I realized that it was a fabulous selection, definitely influenced by some Latin flavor, which I LOVE. There were some great bottles from Spain, Portugal, Argentina. The food menu matched, with appetizers of empanadas and quesadillas made with chorizo. (They also offer a large variety of small, thin-crust pizzas.)

We went there originally for their special of the night (Ladies buy a bottle of wine and get a free cheese plate), but the bottles were a bit pricey ($40-$60 average) and we wanted to taste, so we opted for flights at $17 each.

Their sparkling flight was the highlight of my night. Cue wannabe artistic shot of champagne flutes:

From left:
Marquis De La Tour Rose NV (France, Loire valley): grab a bottle of your own for about $10 (cabernet franc)
'07 Reginato 'Blanc e Blanc' Mendoza: nice, light sparkling from Argentina (chenin blanc/chardonnay)
Adriano Adami Prosecco NV: Very good prosecco, about $15/bottle

Yum and yum.

The red wine flight continued a Latino/Italian flair with a Garnacha, Sangiovese/Merlot and Malbec. Pair it with pomme frites with truffle creme, and I'm in heaven.

All of it was delicious (including my friend's caprese and calamari), but I lose my tastebuds as I near the end of a good wine tasting night, alas.

I recommend Swirl, but expect to spend a bit. It makes for a great, low-key date night or a glass of wine before or after a night out.

Go from 5-7 p.m. during the week and get a $5 appetizer list. (Also has a full bar.) 111 W. Hubbard, Merchandise Mart stop.

See my previous post for their other weekly specials.

Cheers!

Midweek Happy Hour doesn't have to mean overpriced martinis or cheap, watered-down beer. Drink your antioxidants, and this week, drag your co-workers to the local wine bar.

Here are some ideas to tempt your palate:

Tuesday (8/12)

1. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba, 2024 N. Halsted, Bodega Ba Ba Reeba: Taste more than 30 Spanish wines and cavas, tapas and paella. Starts at 6 p.m. and costs $35. Register online.
2. Swirl Wine Bar, 111 W. Hubbard, Every Tuesday: $3 tasting portions, $10 custom wine flights

Wednesday (8/13)

1. Chocolate Grape, 2113 W. Division, goes to the dogs with Canine and Wine. Bring your dog and sip wine alfresco on the patio. From 7-9 p.m., select wines are only $5, and they're offering specials on Wicker Park baskets, sandwiches and salads.
2. Swirl Wine Bar, 111 W. Hubbard, Every Wednesday: Wine and She's Wednesdays. Grab your girlfriends and get a free cheese plate when you buy a bottle of wine. (And catch me there Wednesday checking it out.)

Thursday (8/14)

1. Swirl Wine Bar, 111 W. Hubbard, Every Thursday: House-made sangria, $5 glasses, $15 pitchers
2. Enoteca Piattini, 934 W. Webster Ave., Every Thursday, 1/2 price bottles of sparkling wine

I'll add to the list as I hear more. Know about other events going on? Post 'em in the comments.

My husband and I toured Napa for our honeymoon, and we try to do little mini-trips to taste the local vines wherever we are. We've done Missouri (pretty good sweet/dessert wines), Texas (definitely up-and-coming) and even Arkansas (not much to say there).

Recently, we received a tip from a friend to drive no more than two hours and see what Michigan has to offer. So, off we went. Like the other three I listed, we weren't really expecting much. We really just enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of a day of tastings and walking through pretty vineyards. But we were happily surprised to find very tasty dry and semi-dry Rieslings and even some sturdy reds (great for a wine and pizza night) in our neighboring state.

Here was our itinerary if you're interested. I hear the wineries futher north near Traverse City are also great, but that will have to wait for a long weekend.

1) Hickory Creek Winery

It was probably the smallest winery we visited with a one-counter tasting bar. The man pouring the wine has been studying to open his own winery and has already purchased land to put down vines in Michigan. Great, quaint little winery with pretty vineyards. We bought a bottle of their (really good) Dry Riesling.

2) Tabor Hill Winery

This is one of the largest and most popular wineries we visited. It also boasts a nice restaurant and bar with patio seating overlooking a beautiful vineyard. At least three servers were staffing the tasting bar, and the winery also had a nice gift shop stocked with wine gear. Tabor Hill had plenty of wines to choose from on the tasting menu (pick 5-6 to taste), all of which were pretty good. I really appreciated their 2007 Lake Michigan Shore Kerner (semi-dry white) and, of course, their Blanc de Blanc--can't pass up the sparkling!

3) Round Barn Winery and Distillery

Round Barn was definitely a favorite. They do it all: make great wines, brew their own beer and distill their own vodka from grapes (DiVine Vodka -- available at Sam's and Binny's). And the staff was super-friendly.

This was the only winery that charged for tastings, but it is no more than $5-$6, and it gets you four wine tastes, a taste of one of their fruit wines, beer tasting and vodka tasting (straight or martini-style mixed with one of their fruit wines).

The grounds are beautiful, and their round barn (tasting room is in a different building) hosts receptions. Another plus is the outdoor cafe overlooking the vineyards. Great pizzas and cheese and charcuterie plates (with by-the-glass wines) are pretty reasonably priced.

And another plus is your tasting ticket also gets you tastings at Round Barn's sister winery, Free Run Cellars.

4) Free Run Cellars

One of the newer wineries, Free Run Cellars has some pretty good wines, but not the largest selection quite yet. We purchased one of their fruit wines, Balaton Cherry.

They also have an outdoor patio behind the tasting room and pretty grounds with a pond out back.

5) Domain Berrien Cellars

This winery had some great varietals, including one of my favorites, a Viognier. The staff was very friendly, and they also have pretty grounds with deck seating in the back overlooking the vineyards and a pond.

We got a bottle of their Wolf's Prairie Red (a red table wine) that made for a great pizza wine.

6) (yes six in one day) Lemon Creek Winery

The great thing about Lemon Creek is that it's also an orchard. For a set amount for each fruit, you can pick your own and take them home. Coming up: red raspberries.

It was one of the more popular wineries of the day, and I enjoyed a few of the tastings, especially their Peach Spumante.

 St. Joe's

So we ran out of time to get to some of the other wineries, but after 5 p.m., St. Joseph is a great place to stopoff for some dinner and lounging on the beach across the lake from us. There are plenty of restaurants along the boardwalk that serve Michigan wines.

Silver Beach is beautiful and a great place to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. And if you're tuckered out after a long day of awesomeness and don't want to make the 2-hour drive, there are plenty of hotels to drop in without reservations.

Enjoy!

You might know Geja's Cafe (on Armitage just east of Clark) for being voted one of Chicago's most romantic restaurants, and it certainly fits that bill.

But another important attribute is its extensive and well-chosen wine list, as well as its wine-themed decor. Note the bottles that line the partitions between booths. (Please excuse the color ... it was the red "mood lighting." See? Romantic.)

Since we split one of the Premier Dinners (cheese fondue appetizer, main course with a variety of meats to cook and a chocolate dessert course), we opted for a flight. (Well, they call it flight; I call it pairing, since it was three full pours, one to accompany each course.) One downside is that they offered only four pairings to choose from despite the extensive list, but you could remedy that by simply choosing three different by-the-glass pours.

Click here for a sample of the wine list. I seem to remember more on the actual menu, but these things change often. Another complaint would be that the restaurant seems to be lacking in choices of sparkling wines. Since it's billed as a romantic restaurant, the bubbly should certainly be a priority.

I still would highly recommend Geja's for a nice night out. It's fairly pricey, but it makes for a good celebration night. The service is very attentive, and who doesn't like fondue?

Oh, and go for your anniversary and get some complimentary bubbly. :)

Here are a couple more pictures.

Interior:

Fondue!: