It's here! The new Wildfire Wine, Martini and Beer Lists are finally in place at all five of the Illinois Wildfire locations (and coming very soon to our out-of-state locations!) It has been a labor of love and I'm excited for our guests to try some of the new items we are offering. I'd like to share a few of my personal favorites with all of you.

I'll start with the Two Brothers Domaine DuPage which is a delicious craft, micro brew beer from Warrenville, IL.  This French Country Ale is well balanced and has caramel, toasty, and fruity characters and goes well with our Barbecue Chicken or Ribs. The new Wild Berry Martini reminds me of a mixed berry popsicle while the Red Passion Martini reminds me of a grown-up and better version of Hawaiian Punch. The Cucumber Chill features a new liqueur to Wildfire, "VeeV Acai Spirit". This unique and refreshing spirit comes from the Brazilian Rainforest and is made from the Acai berry, which boasts more antioxidants than blueberries or pomegranates.  This new cocktail is refreshing, fragrant, crisp and if you already miss what little summer we had here in the Chicago area, try the new Cucumber Chill! For those of you who love cherry flavored anything (like myself) you will really enjoy the Berry Cherry Mojito. This new mojito is made with another "new to Wildfire" liqueur, Cruzan Black Cherry Rum, and has a nice balance of black cherry, mint and lime flavors.

Since I have several new wines on the wine list, I will try and keep it brief and only write about three of my new favorites. The first wine that I'm excited about is the Craggy Range Te Muna Road Sauvignon Blanc '08 from Martinborough, New Zealand. This Sauvignon Blanc is complex, balanced and has layers of nectarine, passion fruit and grapefruit. Try this new wine with either our Wildfire crab cakes or our whole wheat pizzas - you won't be disappointed.  The next wine that the waitstaff and I are impressed with is the Murphy-Goode "Liar's Dice" Zinfandel '07. I did a tasting of this wine for our servers at all of the Illinois Wildfire locations and it was an overwhelming "thumbs up". It has a soft, elegant texture and juicy, jammy black cherry and blackberry flavors. Try this wine with either the Wildfire Cedar Planked Salmon or the Blue Cheese Filet Mignon and taste for yourself why this wine is such a hit with our waitstaff! The third and final wine I'd like to brag, I mean "blog" about is the Kim Crawford Anderson Vineyard Bone Dry Riesling '05 from Marlborough, New Zealand. To say the least, Wildfire is honored to be the only restaurant in Chicago that is pouring this rare, single vineyard Riesling by the glass. If you love the taste of lemon marmalade or lemon meringue pie filling you will be an instant fan of this wine. Enjoy this wine with our Crispy Fried Calamari or our signature Spit Roasted Herb Chicken, but keep in mind that you can only get this wine at Wildfire.

In addition to launching our new wine lists later this month at our Eden Prairie, MN, Perimeter Atlanta, GA and Tysons Galleria, McLean, VA locations, we will be simultaneously hosting Benziger Family Winery wine dinners at several locations, including Wildfire Chicago on Monday, October 19^th, 2009. For more information about all of our upcoming wine and spirit events, click here.

Cheers to you!