Going to the WVU-Louisville game next week? Go a day early and join the fine folks at the “Slight Indulgence” wine shop in Morgantown for a special tasting and dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7.  Joe Elchik from Francis Ford Coppola Vineyards will lead the tasting and guest chef Jason Blosser will prepare special dishes to match each of six wines from Coppola. Cost for the event is $65 per person. Seating is limited, so call (304) 599-3402 for reservations. Slight Indulgence is located at 3200 Collins Ferry Road in Morgantown.

Join host John Brown as WineBoy, Episode 13, visits Wilson Ward’s Fisher Ridge Winery in Putnam County to explore the art of making wine in West Virginia. You’ll get the inside scoop on how wine is created — from the vineyard to the fermenting vats to the press and into the barrel. And you won’t want to miss WineBoy’s unique brand of trick-or-treating in version 13 of the batty, weekly Webcast on wine appreciation.

With Halloween just a week away, I thought it would be good to share some ghoulishly delicious information with you on things related to blood and wine. Over the years, I have reported on the French Paradox — a research study that demonstrated a link between wine consumption (particularly red wine) and a reduced risk of coronary artery disease. The subjects of the study (French men and women who consumed large amounts of fatty foods such as butter and cheese), had a low incidence of cardiac disease which was attributed to their daily consumption of red wine.

Another study of red wine consumption back then added an interesting culinary twist to the equation. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison released findings of a study demonstrating that red wine, in conjunction with the consumption of garlic, is even more effective in helping reduce the risk of heart disease.

Now we’ve all read reports of garlic’s healing powers. (more…)

Watch WineBoy, Episode 12, John Brown’s weekly off-the-wall four-minute webcast at thegazz.com/gazzTV, and learn some traditional — and not so traditional — food and wine pairings. He’ll also recommend a really nice cabernet sauvignon. This week’s special guest from Brown’s Land of Id is cowboy oenophile Spud Dumplin, who shares “chuck wagon picks” for desert dining (does Shiraz go with fire-roasted Gila monster?).

Fall is upon us and with the cooler weather the number of indoor activities naturally increases. Consequently, there are a greater number of wine tastings, gourmet-wine dinners and other gastronomic events around our beautiful state. Whether you decide to stay close to home or travel, there are some nice events on the horizon for wine and food lovers in West Virginia. Check these out.

Bridgeport

Oct. 22: Provence Market’s October Wine Tasting
If you’re in the north-central WV area next week, you might stop by Provence Market Cafe for a tasting of some good Mountain State wine as Elaine and Alan Wolfe present their Jones Cabin Run Vineyards “Award Winning” selections on Monday, October 22. The tasting begins at 6 p.m.and costs $20 per person.

In case you didn’t know, Provence Market Café is an excellent restaurant with a Wine Spectator award winning wine list. You also might want to check out their annual Holiday Tasting which is scheduled for Monday, December 3rd. For further information on tastings or for dinner reservations call 304-848- 0911

Charleston

OCT. 22: Chefs with Golden Spoons Dinner
If you want to experience the best West Virginia’s culinary wizards have to offer, then consider attending the annual March of Dimes dinner and auction at Berry Hills Country Club on Monday Oct. 22, at 6:30 p.m. The dinner event will feature dishes donated by chefs from around the state, including those from Canaan Valley Resort, The Chop House, Edgewood and Berry Hills Country Clubs, Olgebay Resort, The Blossom, Snowshoe and several others. Attendees may bid for dinner packages in the chef’s restaurants, jewelry and weekend getaways. Tickets are $75 in advance and $100 at the door. Call 720-2229 for reservations. All proceeds from the event go to the March of Dimes.

NOV. 1: Science of Wine & Art of Food fundraiser (more…)

Maturity is certainly not one of WineBoy’s personal attributes. But in episode 11 of John Brown’s weekly wine webshow with attitude — click here to watch — he’ll demonstrate the proper manner to evaluate and serve mature wines. Be sure to catch this latest webcast of Brown’s part educational, part zany weekly four-minute show featuring his unique approach to all things wine. You’ll want to pay particular attention to the advice of special guest and Wine Astrologist, the Marchrazi Umberto Lupini.