How many times have you stood in a State Store, staring at shelves of wine bottles, wondering ‘will I like it after I buy it?’

For many years Palate Partners and Dreadnought Wines in Pittsburgh's Strip District have been giving wine lovers the opportunity to try specialty wines before buying them at their First and Third Friday Wine Tastings at their store at 2013 Penn Avenue.

Folks gather to sample three red and three white wines, carefully selected by owner Mike Gonze, complimented by breads and fine cheeses, and to enjoy the company of other Oenophiliacs.

Mike Gonze has taught classes for Community College of Allegheny County for over twenty years and created their wine education curriculum.  Along with presenting seminars for the local Chapters of the American Wine Society, and the AWS National Conference, Mike frequently presents custom wine seminars for local corporations like Bayer, American Express and First Tier Bank. He is an active member of the Society of Wine Educators and has attended their conferences in Oregon, Seattle and Vancouver. Mike is a frequent visitor to wineries in the US, has visited wineries in the Loire Valley and the Southern Rhone regions of France, Italy and regularly attends tastings sponsored by importers, distributors, the Culinary Institute of America, and boutique wineries. Mike maintains a personal wine cellar with over 1000 bottles specializing in lesser known wines from the US and around the world.

Needless to say, Mike knows his wines. And he loves bringing that knowledge to Pittsburghers.

After sampling the Dreadnought Wines sampled for the evening, patrons can order the wines they like, and pick them up two business days later (as required by state law).

Pittsburgh wine lovers can meet and greet each other at these regular wine tastings twice monthly, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Palate Partners/Dreadnought Wines store at 2013 Penn Avenue in the Strip District. The events are open to the public at the cost of only $12.00 per person and no RSVP is necessary. For more information, call (412) 391-8502