Around The World Wine Dinner. As a reminder, we will kick off our first wine dinner of 2007 with Trattoria del Corso on Monday, February 5th at 7 pm. During the "Around the World" Wine Dinner, you will experience wines, and paired cuisine, from France, Italy, New Zealand and the U.S. Please visit the News and Events page of our website for the full menu and wine selections. Cost for the four-course wine dinner, held at Trattoria at 223 Main Street in EG, is $75 per person, which includes tax and tip. Space is limited so please make your reservation early by contacting The Savory Grape at 886-9463 or via email at jessica@thesavorygrape.com. We look forward to enjoying this dinner with you.

How Sweet It Is Wine Class. Our next wine class with Grape Ideas Wine Education and Trattoria del Corso Restaurant will be held on Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 pm. During the class, Grape Ideas Wine Education's Jennifer Pereira, AIWS, also an instructor at Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts, will teach the class on the lovely types and styles of dessert wines, including port, and how facets of these wines help give clues to their preferred dessert partners. During the class, you will explore and taste an array of desserts, and analyze them to understand how they work well with particular dessert wines, which you will also taste. This class is a great precursor to the upcoming Valentine's Day. To ensure personal attention, space is limited to 20 seats, and as a preferred client of The Savory Grape, we always notify you first of our ongoing classes. The cost is $45 per person, which includes instruction, tasting of 5 wines and dessert samples and instruction handouts. Reservations and prepayment must be made by calling or visiting The Savory Grape at 886-9463 or jessica@thesavorygrape.com. (Refunds will not be given, but you may apply a cancelled reservation toward a future class.) This private class will be held at Trattoria del Corso Restaurant at 223 Main Street in East Greenwich. Stop in early for dinner or an appetizer and fuel up for the excitement.

Fish bladders, egg whites, and clay – can you imagine if these items were in your wine? Well, they could have been at some point in time. To some winemaking is an art, but there’s a science involved in its processes. Many substances, including allergens such as milk, eggs and fish, are used during winemaking, and these three examples are part of a class of substances called fining agents, just one class of agents added during winemaking to often give clarity to the juice. Many winemakers think that fining, as well as filtering, wine takes away from the wine's character and complexity. Hence often you will see on a label "Unfined or Unfiltered." But our hope is that those substances used to fine wines are truly out of the juice before being bottled. Do we truly know? Not really.

Perhaps the most famous, or should we say infamous, wine additives are sulfites whose presence is indicated on wine labels. Sulfites, which are a naturally occurring part of the fermentation process, are necessary to prevent wine from spoiling and have been used in some form for years. Without sulfites many wines would spoil before ever reaching your local wine shop. Many often think sulfites are the cause of headaches, but recent research seems to deny sulfites as the cause for the “Red Wine Headache” notion. A more likely cause is thought to be histamines, naturally occurring compounds found in plants, combined with a wine's alcohol. However some people with asthma may react to a wine's sulfites. Like most foods, wine can be made without preservatives, but this could be a problem for a product that many store for long periods of time before consuming.

Friday, January 19 (5 pm to 8 pm) Is it Syrah, Shiraz or Petite Sirah?

• 2004 Red Knot Shiraz: The Red Knot family of wines is primarily sourced from the heart of McLaren Vale. It is a family-owned winery handcrafting rich, fruit-forward Shiraz, as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. This wine, which received a "Best Buy" accolade from Robert Parker, has a rich, magenta color and fragrant ripe strawberry and blueberry aromas that are further enhanced by subtle spice notes and vanilla. A great pairing with chocolate or roasted duck paired with vegetables and dumplings. ($12.99)

• 2003 Michael and David Vineyards Incognito Rouge: Incognito Rouge is a unique blend of seven Rhone grape varietals - Petite Sirah, Syrah, Carignane, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, and lastly Tannat. A deep red that smells of plumb, oak and black raspberry, it displays bright flavors of raisin, chocolate, and strawberry that explode onto the palate with subtle waves of vanilla. Incognito finishes with an intensity that lasts for several minutes. Luscious, lovely and nice for our cold, winter nights! ($18.99)

• 2002 Guenoc Petite Sirah: Created from 100% Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards in the Lake County growing region, this full-bodied wine has abundant fruit focusing on ripe blueberries, plum and spice with hints of toasty oak on the finish, a result of spending more than 24 months in oak barrels. Petite Sirah is the leading grape varietal grown in this vineyard, and once you taste it you will clearly realize its prominence. ($19.99)

Saturday, January 20 (3 pm to 7 pm) Wines of Unique Nature

• 2004 Gisselbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris: This is an excellent example of the medium-dry style of Alsatian Pinot Gris. Aromas suggest pear, white peach and a touch of minerality, and it is round and ripe with sufficient acid to give it a good balance. Medium-bodied with a medium long finish, enjoy this wine with smoked fish, muenster cheese or grilled chicken breast. It is truly refreshing. ($15.99)

• 2001 Remy Pannier Saumur Rouge: Grown in France's cooler Loire Valley, this wine is 100% Cabernet Franc! Its medium bodied nature gives you a refined red with hints of cherry and strawberry that are intermingled with some black fruit flavors. Because of its elegance it should not be paired with overpowering or strongly flavored foods. It would work well with Baked Salmon in a Ginger Glaze or Sauteed Pork Chops with Red Potatoes. ($15.49)

email: jessica@thesavorygrape.com

phone: 401.886.9463

web: http://www.thesavorygrape.com