Review: The Cleveland Wine Festival

As a novice to grown-up drinking (I turned 21 this June) I was pleasantly surprised by the Cleveland Wine Festival held this past weekend. We wined and dined at the very scenic Voinovich Bicentennial Park on the end of E. 9th, sandwiched between the lake and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The miserable weather (on and off drizzling, gray skies) was offset by the festive atmosphere of wine and beer sippers alike. Unfortunately for us, the festival ended abruptly as the weather turned more menacing. Before the storm clouds got too dark, however, I managed to sample some Riesling from Chateau Ste Michelle, some sweet summer wines from Barefoot, and a little Hoegaarden Belgian beer from the beer tent. I also tried some adult chocolate milk, which is vodka and milk. It tastes as bad as it sounds. I enjoyed all the wine, and it was fun sampling all the different types and pulling my best “Why yes, what a fine vintage” face. Despite a few unsavory folks (a sample-happy woman almost vomited on my mom) the majority of people were pleasant, and quite interested in where I got the slice of pizza I was carrying around (Angelo’s!). My only regret is that it got canceled so soon; the demonstration at the beer tent looked like a lot of fun, and I would have loved to try some more wine. I guess that just means I’ll have to go next year!