Wine

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California chardonnays can be oaky or over the top. This $4 wine is surprisingly subtle, with hints of pear, butterscotch, peach, honeydew melon and caramel. Honestly, this chardonnay can easily hold its own with many other California white wines that cost more than $20 a bottle. And that’s a good thing, as Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Martha Stewart likes to say.

The winery calls this wine white zinfandel. I think of it as a rose given its light pink color. Whatever you want to call this wine, it’s another delightful, affordable California wine per-

Menu

CONTINUES FROM PAGE E10 half-priced appetizers during the tasting event. The tasting is being co-sponsored by the Italian winery label Gruppo Mezzacorona. Tickets can be purchased at Eventbrite. com, where they will cost $20 plus a “convenience fee.” Uno Pizzeria & Grill answers at 413-543-6600.

• A special Father’s Day celebration that’s always a sell-out, the Lobster Surf & Turf Father’s Day Feast presented by Max Hospitality is scheduled for June 18 starting at 12:30 p.m. Part of the Max Hospitality Groups “Chef to Farm” event series, the Feast will be held at Rosedale Farms & Vineyard in Simsbury, Connecticut. The menu features baked stuffed lobster, grilled steak, clam chowder, and more; hamburgers and hot dogs are available for the youngsters Beer, wine, and specialty cocktails will also be available. Tickets, which are $89, can be ordered online at maxhospitality.myshopify. com.

• On June 16 starting at 6:30 p.m., the Hardwick Vineyard & Winery, in conjunction with Wine Down Events, will be hosting a fect for the summer months. Here, the flavors are slightly sweeter than the J.W. Morris chardonnay. Specifically, this wine has hints of strawberry, tart green apple and watermelon. But again, such flavors are not over the top and not too sweet. fortune — easily in the $150 a bottle or more range.

“Brunch in the Evening” wine pairing event. Wine educator Missa Capozzo will guide participants through wine and brunch pairing that include Hardwick Vineyard wines served alongside morning food favorites such as lemon poppy seed muffins, mini quiche, and bagels with strawberry cream cheese. The program is designed to illustrate some fundamental principles of wine-food pairings.

Tickets for the event are available at eveningbrunch hardwick.eventbrite.com and are priced at $49 plus a “convenience” fee. Hardwick Vineyard & Winery can be reached at 413-967-7763.

• The Farmers Market at Forest Park has returned for its summer 2023 season.

Held every Tuesday, rain or shine, from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., May through October, the market sponsors free entry into the park for shoppers.

For more details, contact the market’s organizers at famersmarketforestpark@ gmail.com.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.

This $4 wine definitely doesn’t reach those stratospheric heights in terms of depth or taste.

But it’s definitely a decent wine. Straight out of the bottle, this red wine has hints of pepper and bright cherry notes. A few minutes later, those flavors become more plum-like with hints of cherry and hard candy.

• J.W. Morris Pinot Noir ($3.99 at Ocean State Job Lots) ourselves, let me state for the record that this pinot noir does not have the same power or finesse of those world-class pinot noirs.

But at $4 a bottle — or frankly for even anything less than $20 a bottle — this pinot noir’s absolutely outstanding.

Initially, its flavors are spicy, intense and peppery. A few minutes later, its flinty and dry with hints of cherry and raspberry.

California’s famous for its cabernet sauvignons produced by small winemakers with a cult-like following. Many of those wines are outstanding but they can cost a small

Dance

CONTINUES FROM PAGE E13 has been thrilling audiences around the world with its intense, high-energy performances designed to bring “unity to the world one dance at a time.” For its Pillow debut, the dance company will perform “STAR DUST,” a one-act tribute to the iconic rock star David Bowie, featuring many of his best-known songs. Additional works are also scheduled to be part of the program.

• Decidedly Jazz Danceworks Aug. 9 – 13, Henry J. Leir Stage

Making their Jacob’s Pillow debut this summer, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks (DJD) is a 38-year-old jazz company from Calgary, Canada, dedicated to the rich traditions and boundless future of jazz dance. DJD is known for its crowd-pleasing works, exceptional musicality and rhythmic, percussive aesthetic, often featuring live music.

• Martha Graham Dance Company

Aug. 16 – 20, Ted Shawn Theatre

The Martha Graham Dance Company was founded in 1926 by Graham, who remains one of the greatest modern dance choreogra-

Pinot noir can be a notoriously difficult grape to grow. But when it’s done right, pinot noir can produce some of the most magical wines in the world. That’s why many people make pilgrimages to France’s Burgundy region, which grows the best pinot noir wines in the world.

Before we get ahead of phers in history. There’s no mistaking a piece created by the late, great Graham –sharp, angular movements often punctuated by electrifying or sensuous passages that suggest a sea of emotions simmering just below the surface. Nearly a century later, the acclaimed dance company continues to thrill audiences around the world. The company has performed many times at the Pillow, including in 2015. This summer’s Pillow program includes “Cave of the Heart,” a one-act ballet choreographed by Graham in 1946 to music by Samuel Barber, featuring sets by Isamu Noguchi. The company will also perform a “CAVE,” a 2022 work created by Hofesh Shechter which was inspired by communal nightlife dancing and the Rave scene. Additional works to be announced.

• Tulsa Ballet

Aug. 23 – 27, Henry J. Leir Stage

Tulsa Ballet will make its Pillow debut this summer as the first company from Oklahoma to perform at the festival. Tulsa Ballet was founded in 1956 by Moscelyne Larkin, one of five Native American ballet dancers termed the American Indian ballerinas of Oklahoma (all of whom have Pillow connections), who performed in and helped organize the Oklahoma Indian Ballerina Festival in 1957 and 1967. This summer at The Pillow, Tulsa Ballet will perform Nicolo Fonte’s “Divenire,” Andrew McNicol’s “Celestial Bodies” and the pas de deux from Katarzyna Kozielska’s “Ode.”

Never in my wildest dreams could I ever have imagined I could find a wine this good this cheap at Ocean State Job Lot. Then again, they do sell practically everything there.

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

• Compagnie Kafig

Aug. 23 – 27, Ted Shawn Theatre

Founded in 1996 by French hip hop artist Mourad Merzouki, the Lyon, Francebased Compagnie Kafig enthusiastically blurs the lines between dance genres. An electrifying mixture of modern dance, hip-hop, performance art and acrobatics, this dance company does it all, often at the same time on the same stage. Pillow regulars will vividly remember this company’s dazzling 2012 Pillow performance, which they performed again at The Pillow in 2013. This summer, the company will perform “Pixel,” one of their best-known works created by Merzouki in collaboration with Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne.

Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road in Becket. To purchase tickets or for more information, go online to jacobspillow.org or call 413-243-0745.