News
Wine and food event at Carillon Park raises funds for charity
By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer Sunday, May 22, 2011Dayton Daily News
Click here for DDN Photo Gallery from Fleurs 2011
DAYTON — An estimated 1,200 patrons picked up plates and wine glasses Sunday afternoon
on their way into Fleurs et Vin, Dayton’s largest wine and food event.
The three-hour party, which featured 23 restaurants and more than 300 wines from around the world, was held at Carillon Historical Park and raised funds for Culture Works and the AIDS Resource Center of Ohio. Thousands of bottles of wine were on display.
Donning sundresses and shorts for the sunny day, attendees paid $60 each to make their way from station to station, sipping pinot noirs and moscatos, and sampling cuisine ranging from barbecue brisket and grilled salmon to tomato bread pudding and paella. Continuing entertainment was provided by JT Fedrick/Sax Groove, a jazz, pop and Motown band.
“It’s a great social event, you get to taste some of the best wines out there, and it acquaints you with some of the new restaurants in town,” said Carolyn Jacob of Springboro, who labels herself, “a red person who also likes bubbly.” She said she took notes at last year’s event, then sought out wines she’d liked at local wine stores.
Jennny and Zach Otto of Kettering were toasting their fifth anniversary at a quiet table away from the crowds. The Fleurs et Vin, they said, was an anniversary gift to one another and a few hours away from the kids. They already had vowed to return next year.
Lisa Grigsby, special events director for AIDS Resources, said the original idea was to “get wine out of the snobby world and just throw a party.” She estimated about 70 percent of those who attend have come in the past.
That was the case for Mary Wilson and Bob Salerno of Miamisburg who said they usually were the first in line.
“It starts summer for us,” said Salerno, who has been interested in wine for more than 30 years and likes “the flavor, the smell and the experience of drinking with friends.” While waiting for the event to begin, Salerno was happy to share advice with first-timers Brian and Donna Williams of Cincinnati.
“The wine will be there all day, so eat first!” he advised.
The festive event was started 21 years ago by Vail Miller, president of Heidelberg Distributing Co., and Mif Frank, owner of Arrow Wine. Frank said he has watched both the tents and the crowds “grow tremendously” over the past two decades.
“In the first years none of the restaurants wanted to participate, so we had to run out and buy finger sandwiches,” he recalled. “Now they clamor to be included.”
Lots of tasty foods, wine samples at Fleurs et Vin
By Mark Fisher, Staff Writer, Dayton Daily News 6:15 PM Thursday, May 26, 2011
A tasty collection of wine tapas:
• The sun, the wines and the people were shining brightly at the May 22 Fleurs et Vin. The live music and the venue were spot-on. There was enough variety in wine selections to please every palate. And the restaurants stepped up once again this year.
One new restaurant that was among the new crop of first-timers at the event — De’Lish Cafe at 139 N. Main St. in downtown Dayton — captured the essence of what the Fleurs et Vin is all about, putting its best foot forward (in the form of spicy skewered shrimp, among other offerings) to let hundreds of people know first that they exist, and second that they can serve up some great food.
Wine highlights included a full and impressive lineup of Ridge zinfandels, a delicious Fire Block Old Vine Grenache ($16.99) and an overlooked (I was the first person to ask for a sample, and the event was nearly an hour old) Sicilian white wine called Anthilia from Donnafugata ($14.99 on sale). Read more
Fleurs et Vin hits another one out of the (Carillon) Park
By Mark Fisher | Sunday, May 23, 2010, 05:04 PM
(For a photo gallery of shots taken at the Fleurs et Vin by Dayton Daily News photographer Teesha McClam, click here. There’s some good stuff here!)
Basking in the glow of some lovely spring weather — or was it early summer? — the Fleurs et Vin served up another fine Sunday afternoon of wine tasting and food sampling on Sunday, May 23.
The weather helped attract a strong crowd of 1,270 people — that’s a preliminary estimate that may go up — who chose from among 300-plus wines to taste and from the food samples of more than 20 Dayton-area restaurants and caterers. click to read the rest of the article