Palate Partners School of Wine and Spirits

Palate Partners has become one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. Located in the Strip District right across the street from Penn Mac, Palate Partners has a wide range of wine and wine merchandise for sale. Note, due to the archaic PA liquor control laws, you can't buy wine and take it with you the day you buy it. Instead, you have to wait two days to pick it up.However, they have wines that are not available at the PCLB stores and the wine merchandise makes for great and reasonably priced gifts.Most importantly, Palate Partners holds wine tastings every 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. For $12, tasters get to sample three whites and three reds selected by the store owner. These wine tastings are a great way to try new wines as well as a way to decompress and socialize on a Friday after work.

This is a great find for wine enthusiasts. Located in the Strip district this place is a great excuse to stay after work or to head downtown for an early evening event. The store itself is filled with wine related items available for purchase. I highly recommend the holiday themed wine glass koosies they make for a great conversation starter at a party. The only downfall and it is not their fault but PA laws will not allow them to sell you wine to leave with that day. You have to come back in a few days.Palate Partners also host wine tasting events a couple of times a month and I highly recommend them. The host wine tasting classes the first and third Fridays of every month. They usually pick wines that people would not normally choose themselves when at the W&S store. They sample three reds and three whites. It is relatively inexpensive but a great introduction to wine tasting. If you are looking for a gift for a friend/family member who enjoys wine this is a great stop.

I recently took two cooking classes on line and enjoyed them both a lot! Deb is fun, funny and shared inside secrets from the kitchen - new ones and ones from her days at the Culinary Institute of America. I highly recommend!! Deb uses a video conferencing program called "Bluejeans" - It's like Zoom but with a better camera.