Opportunities abound in November to fine-tune your wine-tasting chops while choosing wines to entertain your guests at parties and to serve with holiday meals.
Meander among close-to-home wineries to the east for the annual Turkey Trot or head south to Moreland Hills to pursue the refinement of your palate.
Buy your Turkey Trot tickets by Nov. 1 to save $10 over the per-winery price. Participating wineries — Debonné Vineyards, Ferrante Winery and Ristorante, Grand River Cellars Winery and Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards and Cask 307 Winery — will each serve an appetizer-sized portion of a course from a Thanksgiving feast along with two wine tastes. The wineries are just a few minutes’ drive from one another, so it’s easy to return again and again.
Go to the Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley’s website, wggrv.com, to buy a $37 advance sale ticket or pay $9 at each of the five participating wineries. Tastings take place from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 1 through 26.
Here’s what you’ll find at each of the wineries:
Cask 307 Winery (7259 Warner Road, Madison) — Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Cups
Debonne Vineyard (7840 Doty Road, Madison) — Sweet Potato Casserole
Ferrante Winery & Ristorante (5585 N. River Road W., Harpersfield Township) — Momma Joe’s Stuffing
Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant (5750 S. Madison Road, Madison) — Turkey Pot Pie over Biscuits
Laurello Vineyards (4573 Route 307, Geneva Township) — Turkey Rolls
For more information about the Turkey Trot, call 440-466-3485.
Cru Uncorked
The wine corridor at Cru Uncorked in Moreland Hills is seen. (Christian James(
Wine experiences will dominate middle-of-the-week evenings beginning Nov. 1 when Cru Uncorked, a fine-dining restaurant in Moreland Hills, launches its half-price wine nights on Wednesdays at 34300 Chagrin Blvd.
Some believe Cru Uncorked, with more than 2,400 wines on its shelves, boasts the best wine list in Northeast Ohio. Many agree that it’s also the region’s finest restaurant.
Curated tastings of five wines, guided by one of the restaurant’s sommeliers, can be added before a dining reservation. Coming up are a Tuscany Tasting on Nov. 11 and the Fall Grand Tasting Event on Nov 18. The restaurant is at 34300 Chagrin Blvd. in Moreland Hills at the corner of SOM Center Road.
Details: 440-903-1171.
Lake Metroparks
Lastly, on Nov. 15, a pairing dinner framed around wines from M Cellars in Harpersfield Township takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lake Metroparks’ Painesville Township Park, 1025 Hardy Road.
The four-course Lake Erie Gales Pairing Dinner, set for 6 to 9 p.m., is priced at $65 per person.
The entree choices are Chicken Le Tosca, Baked Salmon or vegan Eggplant Cutlets.
Between courses, guests will learn about legends and lore from Lake Erie and other Great Lakes. Following dessert, guests may wish to take a stroll to the pier or along the well-lit lakefront trail.
The required reservations may be made at 440-358-7275 or goto.lakemetroparks.com/gales-pairing-dinner.
Dining and Cooking