A wine night in Charlotte

ChrisW · February 19, 2020, 9:37pm

Thanks Roger. 131 has been on my list. This only prioritizes it!

ChrisW · February 19, 2020, 9:38pm

Btw - has that corkage guide been updated recently??

Roger_Ouellette · February 19, 2020, 10:11pm

The 2016 article is the latest I found for Charlotte corkage.

James, have to agree with you regarding the Charlotte Food and Wine event, their website is totally devoid of any details of what will be offered. I used to really looked forward to attending that event. I had some great experiences taking some of the classes especially the ones taught by Catherine Rabb. The big tasting events used to be excellent with a lot of winemakers/owners pouring and fairly manageable crowds. I even volunteered and worked two separate years. Now it feels to me to be more geared toward the high dollar dinners. I also got the impression that the people pouring at the big walk around tasting were more and more from the distributor side of the house.

Leonard_Taylor · February 19, 2020, 10:20pm

I quit going to the CF&W events several years ago after it was taken over by some big egos. It used to be great and the big walk around tastings were events that you did not want to miss.

ChrisW · February 25, 2020, 8:14pm

131 Main didn’t disappoint. Ribs were delicious and the filet cooked perfectly. Well-made old fashioned… and of course no corkage. Will be returning soon for sure.

Don_C1 · February 25, 2020, 9:33pm

Kelly, interesting thoughts regarding the Charlotte wine scene. I was unaware of the groups and I was unable to find any information online. They appear to be secretive which is fine, but only reinforces my thoughts of Charlotte as a wine city.

As for Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend, I attended a few events 8 - 10 years ago. We had a wonderful time at a wine dinner and I attended the general Saturday tasting. Is it still biennial or is it annual? I’m not sure that anyone knows. The weekend is never promoted or marketed in my circles. If you visit the website for 2020, it says that the tickets will be available in late February. There is not even a listing of events and it’s mid February. Why? I’m appreciative of their efforts in the community and I’m very familiar with one of the children’s organizations that they support, but everything seems to lag behind other wine weekends. FYI, it appears that Sokol Blosser will be one of the wine dinners at the new Foxcroft in Waverly or it’s a coincidence and on the same night as the other dinners in April.

Yes, I agree. Charlotte is very corkage friendly. Not zero corkage friendly, but very friendly. Most restaurants in the South that I have visited offer a reasonable corkage policy. I just returned from Charleston and most places were $20-25.

Charlotte, like any other metro area, has a huge craft beer scene. Micro breweries and beer gardens are all the rage and folks want to profit from the interest. We are fortunate to have Heist and Resident Culture in Charlotte. Both make world class beers and typically have canned products available.

Matt Hartley and any other locals, the Cork Vault is supposed to be posting a schedule of the bottle share dinners in the near future. I’ll be glad to keep everyone in the loop. We have been encouraged to bring a friend, SO/spouse, etc. so surely a few of the Cork Vault members can bring a wineberserker buddy.

James

Charlotte Wine & Food Tickets go on sale tomorrow. FYI. If you buy tickets, please mention in the notes that GenOne sent you. GenOne is one of the local charities that benefits from these events. In general, there are restaurant/wine events on 4/23, a larger tasting with multiple food and wine vendors on 4/24, and a high end 100 point tasting on 4/25. Enjoy!