National Drink Wine Day turns Rittenhouse into a tasting room
For National Drink Wine Day, Restaurant Aleksandar is hosting an intimate Curated Wine Tasting on Wednesday, February 18 at 7 pm, designed for devoted wine people and curious newcomers alike. With only 50 seats available, the evening feels less like a crowd event and more like the kind of guided, table-to-table experience you’d normally chase down at a vineyard—except this one happens right here in Center City.
Part of what makes National Drink Wine Day such a fitting occasion is the way it nods to wine’s deep, shared history. Humans have been fermenting grapes for thousands of years, with evidence of ancient wine production found across China, the Middle East, and Greece. The oldest known winery was discovered in a cave in Armenia and dates back more than 4,000 years, and wine even showed up in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs and in the secret religious ceremonies of Ancient Greece.
The magic is that the core method hasn’t changed much over time—crush, press, ferment, seal, age, bottle—yet those simple steps still produce endless styles. And because soil, temperature, and weather shape every harvest, two bottles from the same vineyard can taste completely different depending on the year. That sense of place and vintage is exactly what this National Drink Wine Day tasting is built to spotlight.
National Drink Wine Day is guided by Michael Ringland
The evening is led by Restaurant Aleksandar’s General Manager and Master Sommelier, Michael Ringland, whose background reads like someone who understands both the kitchen and the guest. He started cooking in high school, then spent years at the Viking Cooking School in Bryn Mawr, teaching classes and collaborating with renowned chefs before moving from back-of-house into front-of-house at Lacroix.
He’s been a certified sommelier for more than ten years and is currently preparing for the Advanced Sommelier examination, which tells you everything you need to know about the depth of his commitment and the level of detail you can expect in the room.
Ringland’s approach is rooted in pairing and perspective—how a wine behaves with food, how it reflects where it comes from, and how it can be explained without making anyone feel like they need a decoder ring. That ethos comes through in his own words: “My background as a former chef and my years as a sommelier influence how I approach every wine I select,” said Michael Ringland. “This tasting brings together that experience with thoughtfully chosen wines, paired with curated accompaniments, and shared in a way that encourages conversation and discovery.”
National Drink Wine Day pours four wines plus a final sweet finish
The structure of the tasting is designed to explore “balance, place, and intention through the glass,” and the lineup does exactly that with four thoughtfully selected wines that travel across regions and styles without feeling scattered. Guests will taste Syrah from Piedrasassi in Santa Barbara, California, followed by an Italian Aglianico from Salvatore Morris in Basilicata—two reds that can show off power and texture in completely different dialects.
The pacing then shifts to Weingut Brundlmayer Grüner Veltliner from Niederösterreich, Austria, a bottle that practically begs for conversation about freshness, structure, and what “precision” tastes like. From there, AJ Adams Riesling from Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Germany, brings in that unmistakable interplay of aromatics and balance that makes the category such a lifelong rabbit hole.
To close, the tasting finishes with a dessert wine—Kopke 2020 Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Ruby Port from Portugal—an expressive final pour that rounds out the arc of the night and gives the room something plush and lingering to sit with. And because this is Restaurant Aleksandar, the wine isn’t floating solo. Every sip is accompanied by light bites chosen specifically to complement and elevate the glass, including pierogi, schnitzel, and selections from the restaurant’s curated charcuterie program.
Throughout the evening, guests are guided through each pour with insight into origin, grape variety, and the philosophy behind every selection. The atmosphere is described as intentionally warm and conversational—less lecture, more shared table energy—built for discussion, discovery, and connection among guests. Tickets are $65 per person and can be booked via OpenTable, which makes this one of the most accessible, high-touch National Drink Wine Day experiences you can find in the city.
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