Winemaker Ben Glaetzer blew into the Chicago area this week amid his annual tour of the States to promote forthcoming releases from the fabulous Barossa Valley in Australia.

Ben gathered with a group of local wine connoisseurs at the acclaimed Hinsdale Wine Shop in the city’s western suburbs (he’s posing here with oenophile Doug Myers, center, and the wine shop’s esteemed founder Sean Chaudhry) and unveiled a spectrum of exceptional types of red wine, foremost among them the 2006 Amon-Ra Shiraz. Ben does not attempt to conceal his lofty expectations for the ‘06, even though it comes on the heels of an ‘04 and ‘05 also both highly regarded. He expects to go three-for-three. The ‘06 growing season was slighty warmer than the previous two, which leads the congenial Aussie to believe the current Amon-Ra will continue to add finesse, elegance and structure as it matures in the bottle.

We tasted Robert Craig’s forthcoming 2004 Cabernet Sauvignons this morning when he visited Hinsdale Wine Shop in Chicago’s western suburbs. Bob (left), as he congenially introduces himself, was here to talk about his limited releases – the Affinity Bordeaux-style blend and the Howell Moutain and Mount Veeder Cabernets.

The headline for Craig fans is that the ‘04 Affinity (85% Cabernet Sauvignon), produced from yields in southern Napa Valley’s Tulocay appellation, is unfiltered for the first time in its history. The goal is to achieve “more depth” for the blend, which tended to show less power and structure than Bob’s “mountain wines”. Our Wednesday tasting suggests the new approach is doing the job.

The charming vintner Betty O’Shaughnessy left her enviable perch on Howell Mountain to be in Chicago this week. She began by dining at the celebrated TRU, then the following day reconnected with sommeliers, restaurateurs and retailers during a private lunch in the gallery room at NoMI, an acclaimed dining destination inside Chicago’s posh Park Hyatt. The event’s host was leading Midwest distributor Troy Clements of Pure Wine Co.

With her new husband, Paul, at her side, Betty is on the road with new sales and marketing director Mike Steffel to herald the forthcoming release of the 2004 O’Shaughnessy Estate Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. There is much to herald.