Wine Wednesday: Weekend Wine Picks

By Caitlin Klein in Food on May 11, 2011 4:40PM

Winos of Chicagoland, wake up from underneath those park benches and check out our excellent picks for wine events this weekend. As the weather warms and festival season gets underway, there'll be a lot of hoopla about beer, but there are plenty of opportunities for good wine drinking too.

If you...

Love wine enough to spend some serious dough: For $200, you can score tickets to Wine Spectator's Grand Tour at Navy Pier. The event runs from 7:00-10:00pm on Thursday, May 12. There will be light snacks, and guests walk away with their own Riedel glass. Here's the kicker: they are serving at least 200 wines. So if you and/or your liver can handle it, that's $1 a taste. What a steal. Tickets are still available for purchase online.

Care about history, non-profits, and/or chocolate: Hop on the Metra on Friday after work and take a ride out to Clarendon Hills. The Clarendon Hills Historical Society is throwing a fundraiser that includes wine tasting, chocolates, and hors d'oeuvres while you are entertained by live music and a silent auction. Wine tastings are provided by the All Wined Up Wine Shop & Tasting Bar. Tickets are $50 and still available. They can be purchased on the Historical Society's website. The event will run from 6:00-9:00pm and will be at the Park District Community Room, 315 Chicago Avenue. Just think of how good you will feel about yourself on the train ride home.

Like pinot noir and long for the cool breezes of the Pacific Northwest: Lincoln Park's Bodega Ramos is hosting a Pacific Northwest wine tasting from 7:00-9:00pm on Saturday. They promise "outstanding" wines from Oregon and Washington state. There will be 12 wines and light snacks provided. Cost is $20 at the door or $15 in advance (you can pay in advance by stopping into the store or calling (773) 281-0067).

Get out there and get your grape on!