Our winter and spring lineup

The holidays are behind us, the nearby mountains are covered in snow and skiing is great, winemakers are eager to kick off another year as are we here at the dinner party.

Together with our friends Laurent and Patricia Zirotti at Fleur de Sel, we have scheduled a great lineup of wine dinners from now all the way to the beginning of Summer. It seems a long way off with the aforementioned ski season in full swing.

We schedule our winemaker dinners on Thursdays and our tastings on Friday, so all can make it up to the mountains to enjoy the snow.

Our wonderful collaboration with Fleur de Sel has produced some epic evenings of food and wine, and no doubt the trend will continue. Chef Laurent Zirotti and front of the house manager Patricia Zirotti are at the top of the heap for area restaurateurs. The food is stunning and the service, flawless so if you have a chance to join us at some of these events, it will be well worth it. Here is a rundown of what we have planned.

Sean Minor Winery out of California offers a diverse portfolio of wines that spans varietals and all are compellingly priced. The winery will be in town for a dinner on February 11 at Fleur de Sel, and a tasting here at the shop on Friday, February 12. We have been working with the wines from Sean Minor for a couple of years now and have been trying to get the winery in town for most all of that time. The wines are flat out delicious and represent some of the best we have tasted for the money. It will no doubt be a great pair of events.

On February 25th from 4:30 until 6:30 we will be holding a tasting here at the shop that will certainly win the award for the winemaker traveling the furthest for one of our tastings! Loredana Addari and Nicola Argamante, owners and winemakers from Podere Ruggheri Corsini Winery in Piedmont will join us for a tasting. Piedmont is located in Northern Italy, and is known for Barolo, Barbaresco both produced from Nebbiolo as well as Barbera, and the folks at Ruggheri Corsini have produced some of the best I have tasted. We are excited the winemakers are making the trip and the tasting should not be missed.

On March 10th Victor Palencia will be joining us for dinner at Fleur de Sel and then will be here at the shop on Friday March 11th.

Just recently Victor started producing wine under his own labels Palencia and Monarcha, but in addition to making wine for his own winery, Victor was (and is) the undisclosed winemaker for a staggering amount of wine from Washington state. Nearly 20 percent of the wine made in the appellations of Washington is produced under Victor’s guidance.

This humble and extraordinarily talented winemaker is a joy to be around and provides a wealth of wine knowledge that he shares willingly.

In April, nearly local Merry Cellars from Pullman will join us for dinner at Fleur de Sel on the 7th and then for a tasting here at the shop on the 8th. Winemaker Patrick Merry does magnificent work with a traditional palette of varietals that grow in Washington, including the red blend Crimson that is adorned with a vintage photo of the WSU football team, an ode to their neighbors in Pullman, and some really great wine. Despite their nearby location, we don’t see much of the Merry Cellars wines in our market, so it is a great opportunity for wine consumers to get to know these tasty wines.

We just recently heard that California superstar winemaker (and sommelier at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco) John Lancaster will be returning to Coeur d’Alene for a dinner and tasting. It has been two years since we have had John in town, and we always look forward to his stellar lineup. We have yet to schedule the events with John and his Skylark Wine Company, but May or June will be the target, just in time for his release of the latest vintage of Pink Belly. This dry rosè made from 100 percent Grenache is our most popular dry rosè release each year so featuring it at both a dinner and tasting will be a treat for all.

With the way our schedule is lining up we will likely be adding tastings in some months so check our website www.thedinnerpartyshop.com for updates. If you would like to be added to our email list for event invites you can email us at info@thedinnerpartyshop.com . Our wine dinners at Fleur de Sel and our tastings typically sell out very quickly so contact us here at the shop to reserve spots.

If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party a wine and table top décor shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com . You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.