The Central Coast of California stretches some 250 miles from south of the San Francisco Bay down to Santa Barbara County. Cool breezes from the Pacific combined with gravely fertile soil renders an extended growing season that yields concentrated wines with good acidity. Thus, these regions tend to produce outstanding Chardonnay with citrus flavors and crisp acidity while also giving deep rich red wines from Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the latter, our beloved Cabernet, that we are tasting this month. Join us as we travel down the coast of California, Cabernet glasses in hand!

Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
Saturday, October 1, 7:00 pm (*Note: First Saturday of October)
Hosted by Michelle Sauer and Adam Bures
3730 Norman Ct S, Fargo, 58104

$25 members, $35 guests

Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre! These are three important grapes that characterize the red wine blends of the Rhone Valley of France. Grenach is boisterous and fruity whereas Syrah and Mourvèdre tend to be dark and peppery. Blended together, they make for incredibly complex wines. Today, these blends are being produced all over the world and are prized for their bold flavors and age worthiness. This combination can present with primary flavors of raspberry, blackberry and spice with herbal notes of lavender and rosemary. They are dry, medium-full bodied wines that have balanced acidity and a good solid tannin structure. Join us on Saturday, September 10 for a world tour of GSM. You won’t want to miss it!

World GSM
Saturday, September 10 at 7:00 pm
hosted by Bob and Connie Jones
3306 26th Ave S, Fargo

$25 members, $35 guests

Rioja is a designated wine region in north central Spain that includes the communities of La Rioja, Navarra and the Basque province of Álava. The typical red grape varieties of the region include Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Manzuelo and Graciano. More recently an indigenous variety called Maturana Tinta has been authorized to be used in Rioja wines. While there are a few white varieties grown there (Viura, Malvasía and Garnacha Blanca), red grapes comprise more than 90% of the production. This month, we will be exploring the wines of Rioja and enjoying the wonderful traditional Spanish tastes we have all come to love and know as Paella de Carlos™. Make sure you join us for this exquisite Spanish wine tasting.

RIOJA
Saturday, August 13 at 7:00 pm
Hosted by Carlos and Lourdes Hawley
1102 10th St S, Fargo

$25 members, $35 non-members

Made famous by the movie Sideways about the Santa Barbara wine region, the delicate and versatile Pinot Noir grape calls Burgundy, France home. But now it’s grown across the world and boy does it express terroir and regional differences. Over the years we have tried Pinot’s from Oregon, Carneros, Russian River Valley, New Zealand and South Africa, to name a few. But this month we are going right to the heart of Santa Barbara County to sample what made Sideways so famous. Join us on Saturday for a Pinot Noir tasting you won’t forget.

Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
Saturday, July 9, 7:00 pm
Hosted by Jane and Troy Schuh
812 Park Dr S, Fargo

$25 members, $35 non-members

The McLaren Vale wine region is located in South Australia south of Adelaide. By far, Shiraz is the most widely grown grape in this region. We have enjoyed Syrah/shiraz from all over the world, but they have made it something special in McLaren Vale. So, we decided to focus solely on this region for our June tasting. The grapes enjoy a Mediterranean climate with fresh sea breezes that help moderate the temperatures. Join us as we explore these wonderful red wines from down under.

McLaren Vale Shiraz
Saturday, June 11 – 7:00 pm
Hosted by Eric and Emily DeBilt
8232 70th Ave S., Sabin, MN, 56580

$25 members, $35 non-members

Note from Emily about road construction:  For AWS for June at our place, a little road construction has thrown a wrench in normal travel to our place. We recommend taking I94 East to Co Rd 11 (Moorhead airport/Sabin, just past the weigh station) and South to Co Rd 12 then East. There will be resurfacing on Co Rd 52 and they are just finishing up resurfacing on Co Rd 12.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, we just can’t get enough of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. There simply is no getting tired of it. Cabernet Sauvignon, the offspring of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, is a classic Bordeaux grape. But, arguably, Napa Valley has become the king of cabernet sauvignon wines. Recent years have produced some truly outstanding vintages in the Napa Valley and we haven’t run out of wines to taste yet. Join us on Saturday, May 14 for round five of our tour of Napa cabernets. It will be just as delicious and informative as always.

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Hosted by Rupak and Britney Gandhi and James and Tessa Hand @ The Title Company building
35 4th St. N, Fargo, ND 5810

You may park in the lot south of the building.
The event space is on the second level.

$25 members, $30 non-members

Once again, we are going to be revisiting red blends and I couldn’t be happier. Blending is done to bring qualities of different varieties together in a marriage of textures and flavors. If a particular grape is thin skinned and lacks tannin structure, blending in some wine made from a more tannic grape variety will round it out. Have a flabby grape? Mix in some grapes with more vibrant acidity to lift it up. We know that Bordeaux is famous for blending red grapes to make great wine. But this process of bringing the best of the best qualities together is not limited to France. Join us for a tasting of some of the best robust red blends we can find.

*This tasting will start at 6:00 pm.

RED BLENDS
Saturday, April 9, 2022 – 6:00 pm
Hosted by Tom and Barb Gravel
1242 Cimarron Blvd., West Fargo

$25 members, $35 non-members

To say that Syrah is a success story in Washington State is an understatement. The grape was planted for the first time only as early as 1986 in the foothills of Mount Adams. It has spread across the state’s wine growing regions and in 2017, they produced over 20,000 tons of Syrah grapes. Needless to say, the quality of the wines made from Washington Syrah are world class. Join us as we traverse the pacific NW and taste our way through the world of Washington Syrahs.

Washington Syrah
Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021 – 7:00 pm
Hosted by Greg and Lisa Cook
1338 10th St S, Fargo, ND 58103

$25 members, $35 non-members

Nestled in an industrial park along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail in Paso Robles, California, lies a wine tasters paradise. With a local farm to table type of vibe, Tin City serves up an eclectic array of craft beverages and local foods. It is certainly a place to put on your destination cards if you haven’t been there already. Twenty one wine producers in Tin City have been gathering accolades for their fantastic Paso Robles wines. And we will get to taste some! Join us on Saturday, October 9 as we focus our wine tasting on wines from Tin City. And, since Bev is hosting and this is October, you may just want to show up in your most outlandish Halloween costume! See you in Tin City!

Tin City Wines
Saturday, Oct. 9, 7:00 pm
Hosted by Bev Ellenbecker
438 4th Ave E, West Fargo

$25 members, $35 non-members

Bordeaux is famous for their quality blends of classic grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and a few others. But they are not the only place in the world that makes astonishingly good blends in the style of Bordeaux.  Join us for a tour of Bordeaux style blends that starts in France, wanders around the US and ends up in South America. You will not want to miss this incredible tasting of classic grapes in a new world style.

Bordeaux Style Blends
Saturday, September 11, 7:00 pm
Hosted by Greg and Lisa Cook @4e Winery
3766 156th Ave SE, Mapleton, ND

$25 members, $35 non-members