Taste sake at Red, Wine & Brew, cask wine at wineries

A pair of unusual September wine tastings will help prepare palates for the more robust foods of autumn.

Five sakes, accompanied by Japanese-style appetizers, will be presented on Sept. 12 at Red, Wine & Brew in Mentor, and a cask tasting of five red wine blends aged in casks made of different woods is set for Sept. 9 at five Grand River Valley wineries in Lake and Ashtabula counties.

Although considered by many to be a rice wine, sake is brewed from fermented rice, so its processing is closer to that of beer.

“But its taste may appeal (more) to those who prefer spirits and mixed drinks than to typical wine drinkers,” said Nicoletta Stavole, sommelier at Red, Wine & Brew.

The tasting she’s overseeing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Loft, with Momokawa Pearl Nigori, g Fifty, Murai, Junmai Gingjo, Mio Sparkling and Awa Yuki Sparkling sakes from Japan and Oregon. A conversation-style interpretation of the delicate sakes will be the backdrop, with Stavole discussing how they’re made by polishing the rice and how they’re served.

“These are more delicate, fruity and floral styles of sake and served chilled,” she said. “Richer styles, such as kimoto and yamahai, can be heated in order to bring out umami and earthy tones.”

Polishing of the rice kernels determines the different grades of sake, she said.

“Trimming removes the outer layers of rice to expose the starch-rich core,” she said. “The closer it is trimmed to the core, the more delicate the aromas and flavors.”

The recent popularity of sake making in Oregon perhaps can be explained because it is brewed, much like beer.

“And Oregon has a big brewing culture,” she said.

As the sakes are poured, Japanese-style appetizers prepared by the restaurant’s catering chef, Darrell Brooks, will be served. The appetizer plate will include Chicken Ginger Meatballs, Miso Hard-boiled Eggs, white rice and Edamame.

The deadline to purchase tickets, which are $50, is Sept. 7.

The 12th annual Casks, Corks & Forks tasting by the Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley presents wine enthusiasts with a rare opportunity to taste red wines from five wineries that have been blended and aged in casks made from French and Hungarian oak. It’s from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 9 as a progressive tasting among Debonné Vineyards, Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards and Cask 307.

The 500-gallon casks were purchased by each winery in 2010. Each subsequent year the wineries add 120 gallons of the best of that year’s red wine to age in the cask, and the following year they bottle 100 gallons of the resulting wine. The rest of the wine remains in the barrel to become part of the blend from each subsequent year. Each cask is different, and the resulting bottles of wine are sold each year at the cask tasting.

“They’re really phenomenal wines,” said Loretta Todd, tasting manager at Debonne. “The French oak gives a vanilla overtone to the wine aged in the cask, while the Hungarian oak casks give a peppery note.”

The wine names change each year. This year’s blend was bottled in 2023 so its name is 1023 — combining the year the project began with the current bottling.

“Some wine aficionados buy a case of the cask bottling each year,” she said. ”The 75 cases made by each winery don’t usually last past December. Collectors like to compare them.”

Bottles from the cask are priced at $29 the day of the cask tasting event and $34.99 after that, she said.

Event participants get a sample of the 1023 cask and another wine at each winery along with a paired appetizer. Wineries can be visited in any order, and folks who visit all five get an 18-ounce commemorative cask-tasting glass. Tickets are $12 at each winery, and the wineries are roughly 10 minutes apart by car.

Here’s what the wineries are serving: Debonne Vineyards, Coq au Vin Chicken Skewers; Ferrante Winery & Ristorante Ravioli in roasted wild mushroom truffle cream sauce; Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Penne Pasta with a puttanesca Bolognese sauce; Laurello Vineyards, Housemade Meatball in sauce with a crostini; and Cask 307, Chocolate Truffle Wine Cupcake.

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 12.

Where: Red Wine & Brew, 9620 Old Johnnycake Ridge Road, Mentor.

Reservations: Due by noon Sept. 7 at 661-488-7084 or bit.ly/rwb-sake-2023.

Presenter: Wine Growers of the Grand River Valley.

When: Noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 9.

Where: Debonné Vineyards, 7840 Doty Road, Madison; Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, 5585 N. River Road W. (Route 307), Harpersfield Township; Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, 5750 S. Madison Road, Madison; Laurello Vineyards, 4573 Route 307, Geneva Township; Cask 307, 7259 Warner Road (Route 307), Harpersfield.

Info: wggrv.com.

Sign up for email newsletters