It's great to see something this cool coming out of Milwaukee!

Wine Blast is kind of like a "wine users group" for people in the 21-to-40 age bracket. Membership is free, but the tastings come with a fee.

Events with a particular educational focus are dubbed Wine Blast 101. These sit-down tastings might tackle topics such as wine etiquette or food and wine pairing. Local wine experts will be tapped, as well as the occasional out-of-town winemaker.

There is also a "wine happy hour," where people congregate after work and sample different wines. An upcoming happy hour is being planned for mid-May at Lava Java Espresso Bar, 1100 S. 1st St. About eight or nine different wines will be available for a modest fee. For details on this and other Wine Blast events, check www.wineblast.com.

[via Anne Schamberg @ The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

I always bring wine as my gift for pretty much any friendly social gathering. I love wine, and love finding new wines. What bugs me though is that wine.com doesn't have any Easter recommendations on their site. A missed opportunity if you ask me!

This article from Cleveland.com about choosing wine to go with a traditional Easter ham or lamb caught my eye today. Here are some of their thoughts. I concur. I especially recommend the Pinot Grigio from Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg, WI.

Washington Post: A New Vintage of Wine Lovers
Wine industry players are buzzing about the thousands of members of the "millennial generation" -- the 21-to-26-year-old set -- that are trading in their pints of beer and shots of liquor for glasses of zinfandel and pinot noir at startling rates when they hit the town -- or the living room couch.

I love wine. I mean, I really_love_wine! Understanding all that there is to know about selecting and enjoying good wine remains a simple exercise best approached with confidence and a humble appreciation of wine's complexities. CBS Marketwatch published a great interview with one of the wine industry's leading experts, John Thoreen, wine tutor at Meadowood Country Club in the Napa Valley, on the subject of selecting a wine that's right for you, whether at dinner or in the supermarket. Some of John's basic principles:

- Have a basic house white and a basic house red wine, things that you really like that aren't too expensive - drink these as often as you like
- Build your cellar starting with six favorite whites -- not something a writer told you to like -- and six favorite reds
- Start at the basic level, $10 a bottle or under for your basic wine and then upgrade
- When in a diner and unfamiliar with the wine on the list, tell a waiter that you don't see any wines you recognize but you really like X or Y or Z, what on your list fits that style?