City Winery Chicago
My husband and I were long overdue for a date night! We usually go out quite a bit separately for work functions or together with our friends. But we hadn’t had good QT in a while! I wanted to make sure it was special and loved the idea of doing something more than just going out to dinner. I was invited to experience City Winery Chicago for their “Behind The Scenes” wine tour. And I knew this would be the perfect activity to get away a bit!
City Winery has two locations in Chicago one at the West Loop (where the tour was and their winery) and one at the Riverwalk, which I can’t wait to visit in the summer. I was surprised and a bit embarrassed to find out that they have music shows EVERY single night, 365 days/year with concert dining. As a performing artist, and a lover of live music, I was mortified that I had no idea because I’ve been missing out!
The other really fascinating aspect was that they make their own wines. The tour allows you access to see the cellars and machinery. I can’t believe they have this right smack in the middle of Chicago’s West Loop! If you have a wine you really love, grape or region, it’s also likely they have it because they carry SO many labels apart from their own. It’s a great place to try new wines and gather with friends.
The actual tour starts at 3:30 and it’s $50/pp.
There were about 8 other people with us and that made it fun without feeling like we had to socialize. But we did, because we had a great group! The tour starts up with a big ole glass of West Loop Red, a wonderful red blend that nursed us as we walked and explored the huge venue. We got to see a live sound check/rehearsal of the band “Andrew Ripp and Friends” that night. It was so fun to watch, we are definitely going back.
During the sound check, I spotted a dancer warming up for the show in a warm-up that I’m all too familiar with. I wanted to go up to her and cheer her on. It’s tough performing in venues that aren’t a straight-forward dance stage but I applaud the band for including a gorgeous ballerina to enhance the show. But I digress….. I love that the tour started mid-afternoon because by the time we were done, it was time for dinner and we had just had plenty of great wines so we were more than ready to eat! With so many great options at the West Loop, including City Winery’s own restaurant, we were in a great spot.
We were trying to go to Monte Verde for dinner because that’s the only place that I binge on pasta but it was too packed so we went to Madison! Madison is super cute with a wonderful East Coast chic vibe but they fry EVERYTHING, so just know that. š
Some of the wines we tried were:
2014 Sauvignon Blanc āMorgan Stationā Lake County, CA,Ā 2013 Pinot Noir Hyland Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon,Ā 2013 Syrah Thompson Vineyard, Santa Barbara andĀ 2014 Chardonnay Russian River Valley, Sonoma!
Here are some of my favorite moments from the tour:
Our new friends!
