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Downtown

Winerave dresses in margarita panache

Wine isn't just for folks with their AARP card. A hip wine tasting at Club Underground is out to prove it.

By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published August 12, 2005

In an attempt to snuff the stuffiness associated with wine, the local wine-loving group Tampa Bay Uncorked has teamed up with Wine X magazine for Winerave 2005 tonight at downtown's Club Underground.

Tampa Bay Uncorked is a nonprofit group of wine fans who host tastings, dinners and happy hours in a relaxed atmosphere designed to introduce young professionals to the world of wine.

It's the same mission as Wine X, a magazine that mixes music and cool trends with wine articles and reviews that are refreshingly cheeky and aimed at a younger audience.

One recent review of a California Gewurztraminer said it tasted "like a good blind date with a hair stylist - floral, spicy, not overly deep but extremely enjoyable (even though when you're close you pick up a slight hint of perm and nail polish remover)."

Though the 8-year-old magazine struggled at first, its base of young wine lovers continues to grow. In the past six years, 21- to 27-year-olds have added 25 percent to the core wine consumer group in the United States, according to industry leaders. But the under-40 age group still makes up only a small portion of wine consumers.

Organizers promise the Winerave will not be your typical wine tasting.

"What's different about this event is while we always try to make them more fun and hip, this we will actually be having in a nightclub, and we'll have our DJs and there will be a fire performance," said Katy Alderman, 29, a South Tampa property manager who is planning the event for Tampa Bay Uncorked.

In addition to Knowmatic Tribe Soundsystem spinning upbeat grooves, the Fire Monkeys will perform various methods of fire manipulation.

The Winerave will have tastings of more than 30 wines from 10 wineries. Each guest will receive a 16-ounce lead-free crystal "Winerave 2005" glass and munchies catered by Mise en Place.

The Jelly Belly Wine Bar will allow guests to experiment with various jelly bean combinations to sample flavors associated with specific wine varietals.

The idea is to taste the individual jelly beans first to understand the different flavors associated with certain wine varietals. Then you put all of the flavors in your mouth at the same time, chew, and voila, you taste the wine varietal.

Tickets cost $35 in advance online at www.tampabayuncorked.org or $45 cash at the door if available. The party runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at Club Underground, 802 E Whiting St.

Part of the night's proceeds will benefit Metropolitan Ministries.

[Last modified August 11, 2005, 09:00:07]