Free Wine Tasting @ the Wine School
Filed Under The Wine World
Sunday August 21st
Time: 4-8pm
I’ll be hosting a free wine tasting event at the Wine School from 4-8pm on Sunday, August 21st at the Wine School. I’ll be uncorking a wide selection of my favorite luxury wines. We are talking DOZENS of wines from Bordeaux to Napa to Barossa.
The Rub? You must have proof of purchase (a printed receipt) from Amazon of my upcoming wine & food pairing book, Corked & Forked. Amazon is offering a pre-release price of $16, which is an amazing price, for both the book and the event. After all, this is the kind of event we usually charge $55-$75 for.
Links:
The book: http://www.amazon.com/Corked-Forked-Four-Seasons-Drinks/dp/0762439823
The class: http://www.vinology.com/proddetail.php?prod=11-08-21
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The PLCB Smackdown
Filed Under The Wine World
A big shout out to all the local journalists and bloggers who covered today’s major presser on the movement to abolish the PLCB.
The Wine School Hosts a ‘Historic Moment’ In the Battle to Abolish the PLCB (Grubstreet)
Former PLCB Chair, PA House Majority Leader About To Lay A Smackdown On The PLCB Any Minute Now? (Philebrity)
PLCB Never Fails to Fail (Commonwealth Foundation)
Ex-PLCB head says the time has come (Liquid Diet)
Former LCB chief comes out in favor of privatization (Post Gazette)
The (ex)-chairman’s selection… (Philly.com)
We are really happy to be able to be able to contribute to this significant and hopefully historic moment in PA politics. The story should hit CNN and the local news stations tonight….
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Take a Stand against the PLCB TODAY
Filed Under The Wine World
EVERYONE in Philly is invited to the Wine School tomorrow (10am, Tuesday, August 2nd) to witness a historic moment in the fight for the abolition of the PLCB.
Join former PLCB chairman Jonathan Newman, House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, and myself at this major press conference. If you support abolishing the PLCB, you should be there!
Where: The Wine School 127 S. 22nd Street
When: 10am
Why: Be apart of a historic moment in local vino history!
I am asking each and everyone of you to come. The more people who attend, the stronger the message.
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Wine Schoolers Getting Dirty
Filed Under The Wine World
Work continues renovating the new Wine School in Rittenhouse! Our sommelier-instructors have morphed into construction workers! And you though they were just pretty faces…
The new Bacchus Classroom is all prepped and ready to go!
Collin Flatt, The Beer Meister, prepping the office.
Zach Morris, our French Wine Master, starting to paint the huge double doors.
Frank Cipparone, our Italian Wine Master, starting to paint.
The Front Hallway’s tin wainscotting is getting it’s due.
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Last Days in Fairmount for the Beer School
Filed Under The Wine World
The Last Night of the Beer School on Fairmount
Jason Wilson is hosting a Sauced Education class on Whiskey
Packed house in the Beer School (Whiskey School for our Last Night in Fairmount)
Next Door at the Wine School, Zach Morris is teaching a Wine and Cheese Class.
The Morning After, before moving the Franklin Classroom to Rittenhouse
A Last Goodbye to Fairmount’s Beer School (Soon to be Rittenhouse’s Beer School!)
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Renovations Begin at the New School
Filed Under The Wine World
The bones
When I first stepped into what will become our new home, I was awestruck at how beautiful the mansion used to be. The last few decades had not been generous to it’s outward appearance, though. It suffered from a special type of banality that only industrial carpeting, gray paint and fluorescent lighting can offer.
Bacchus Classroom – Before Renovations
Franklin Classroom -Before Renovations
The design
My dream for the building was to strip away the years, back to the year it was built, 1901. I didn’t want to recreate Victorian age, exactly, but to give the impression that very little had changed since then. That was the jumping off ground for the design.
The construction
We are deep into construction this week. The awful lighting has been replaced with vintage chandeliers. New plumbing had been installed. The carpet and three other drab floors have been demolished, to expose the original floor. About fifteen coats of paint have been stripped off the fireplaces.
Stripping the Bacchus Classroom Fireplace
Stripping the Franklin Classroom Fireplace
Our Classic Victorian Hallway during construction
The Bacchus Classroom during construction
Next up, painting & wallpaper!
This is where most of the wine school crew is going to be helping out. Up until now, it’s been Zach, contractors, and myself. Now, Frank, Collin, and Rebecca get to join the fray. Lucky them!
The big move
In about three weeks, the entire school will be bidding Fairmount adieu, and our new classrooms and offices will be finally in the new location. First class in Rittenhouse will be on March 31st!
For more information on our new neighborhood and amenities, click here.
To register for classes in our new Rittenhouse location, click here.
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A PW feature on the Wine School
Filed Under The Wine World
Our fearless leader is featured in this week’s Philly Weekly http://goo.gl/wmNvs
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Corked and Forked: Sweet Freedom Bakery
Filed Under Food & Wine
When we hear the words sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan used in conjunction with baked goods, faces don’t usually light up. Visions of cardboard cookies and styrofoam cupcakes are far too often a reality in the realm of the eggless wonders that perpetrate too many “bakeries.”
When news trickled forth about Sweet Freedom Bakery, another sugar factory ready to fly the Vegan Flag, I rolled my eyes at the thought of yet another healthy place to eat sweets. Why mess with way too much butter, way too much sugar, and lots of gluten? It’s delicious.
“There were plenty of places that did vegan, but to be gluten-free and allergen-free was a new concept here in Philly,” said Allison Lubert, one of the founders of Sweet Freedom Bakery. “We also understand this town knows flavor, so there was no way to skimp on giving the public what they want. We had something to prove.”
Lubert and her business partner Heather Esposito made a huge splash in the culinary scene when they opened their doors, garnering immediate media attention, and critical acclaim. Being mentioned everywhere from ABC News to Philly Mag, the lovely ladies of Sweet Freedom hit the big time with their recent appearance on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. While they didn’t come home with the win, they did show America that being sensitive to the needs of the allergy prone, and those who are affected by gluten, doesn’t mean they’re restricted creatively.
While they make tons of different flavored cupcakes to satiate the public’s current obsession with the mini-munchies, my real favorite goodies are the luscious and gooey Blueberry Crumble, the Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Doughnuts, and the Macaroons. And if you have a gaggle of folks in your house, we suggest the ridiculously great Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake.
For those people who don’t live in the downtown area, Sweet Freedom now delivers all across the U.S. via UPS, so all the deliciousness can be brought directly to your door. So, before you decide to deep-fry some Oreos at home, check out Sweet Freedom Bakery for some healthier sweet tooth options.
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The Wine School Blog
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We use our blog as an entry-point for all aspects of the school: from our wine reviews to our wine columns in various magazines, to the day-to-day happenings, to restaurant reviews, to tasting sheets for every wine class and event we host.
This blog is maintained by Keith Wallace and Brian Freedman. They can be reached at keith [at] vinology [dot] com and brian [at] vinology [dot] com respectively.
At The Wine School of Philadelphia, we believe that information is necessary to appreciate wine and should be available to everyone. The school provides a dynamic, enjoyable experience based on a sensory and academic understanding of wine. Our mission is to raise the standard for wine education, fostering a community of passionate, knowledgeable wine enthusiasts.
In other words, drink wine & get smart!
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Philly Links
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Clean Your Plate. Chef Christina Dimacali’s personal chef service and cooking instruction.
Fairmount Arts Crawl. The neighborhood’s largest Arts Crawl to date with 38 venues for displaying artists’ work.
Fermental. Fermentation is the mother of all Dean Browne’s favorite things and that’s what he explores. Cheers!
foobooz. Food, drink, gossip and deals in Philadelphia.
1 Wine Dude. Serious wine talk for the not-so-serious drinker!
PhilaFoodie. Adventures in food and wine in Philadelphia.
Phoodie.info. Food, drink, and restaurant chatter in Philadelphia.
This Week in Philly.  Hot events in Philly!
uwishunu. Philly from the inside out.
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