MORSELS

Ex-Toledoans' wine blog gets noticed

7/3/2011

File this one under Local Folks Make Good.

Former Toledoans Joe Power and Amy Corron Power -- their last names are not a coincidence, they are married -- have been nominated for a 2011 Wine Blogger Award in the category of Best Writing on a Wine Blog.

The name of their wine blog? Another Wine Blog. You can find it, not surprisingly, at anotherwineblog.com.

Despite its name, Another Wine Blog is not just about wine, which may be why it was nominated for an award. The Powers, who now live near Houston, write about anything from the NFL draft to Jerry Falwell, from labor unions to Miles Davis. The most recent entry, as of this writing, is at least as much about cats as it is about sauvignon blanc. They recommend Stoneleigh Marborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010, which they received from a marketing firm.

The blog was one of five in the category, going up against some fairly stiff competition: Been Doon So Long, Good Grape, RJ on Wine, and Vinography. Voting was done online, but the period to cast votes is over. The awards will be announced on July 23.

Meanwhile, another Toledoan has also made good in the world of food.

Patrick Neal of Perrysburg has been accepted into the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, campus, which is widely regarded as the best culinary school in the country. Not only will he be the only student from the Toledo area at the school, he is also apparently the only student from the entire state of Ohio in his class.

The son of Terence and Deborah Neal, he is a 2010 graduate of Central Catholic High School.

The usual suspects

This month's Fresh Flavors Cooking Demonstration at the Fresh Market will be 1-4 p.m. Saturday, when Chef Roberta Acosta will demonstrate how to make tropical grilled shrimp with curried yogurt sauce, and a lemon, fennel, and feta salad. As always, the demonstrations will be ongoing, so you can drop in at any time and see how to make the dishes.

In the meantime, the Walt Churchill Market in Maumee has announced its schedule of wine tastings for the month of July. On Saturday, the store will offer summer blockbuster wines from Central and Western Europe, such old-world wine-making countries as France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Austria.

The tastings on July 16 should be special: Chester's Anvil wines from the Lagier Meredith vineyard. These small-production wines are already sold out at the Napa Valley vineyard, but the market has acquired some and is willing to share. Both red and white wines will be offered.

On July 23, the wine selection will run in the face of popular opinion with a sample of roses, which are not all as cloyingly sweet as you may remember from the 1970s. Some are widely respected by wine snobs.

And on July 30, wine blogger Adam Mahler (his blog is at ampleography.blogspot.com) will serve up some of his favorite bottles.

The wine tastings are from noon to 5 p.m., and generally cost $10-$20 per flight, but you can also pay per sample. Premium tastings -- the Chester's Anvil wines -- cost more.

For more information, call 419-794-4000.

New stuff

We at Morsels find it our occasional duty to introduce readers to new products they might not otherwise know.

This week, we have two.

One is Flaxmilk, a nondairy milk substitute made from cold-pressed flax oil. Also known as linseed oil, flax oil comes from the seeds of the plant that has long been used to make fabric, dyes, paper, and even hair gel. The nonmilk is low in calories (50 for an 8-ounce serving) and is full of healthful omega-3 fatty acids. It comes in original flavor and vanilla, and sells for $2.98 a half-gallon at Wal-Mart.

The other new product is a vinaigrette salad dressing. It's made from sorghum, but that isn't what caught our eye. What caught our eye is that it is also made with bourbon -- and Woodford Reserve bourbon, at that.

Other ingredients include apple cider, vinegar, onion powder, paprika, and hot sauce. But, people, Woodford Reserve Sorghum Vinaigrette Dressing is made from Woodford Reserve bourbon and sorghum. What more do you need to know than that?

Unfortunately, it is only available at the distillery's gift shop in Versailles, Ky. But you can also order it by phone: 859-879-1940. It's $5.99 for 8.4 fluid ounces.

Items may be submitted to Morsels up to two weeks before an event at food@theblade.com.