Over the long Thanksgiving weekend, we had the opportunity to enjoy a non-vintage Penn Shore Champagne.  The aroma offered apple nuances and the taste was dry and mild. This Champagne with 12% alcohol made a delightful addition to dinner. The Champagne cleansed the palate and offered the opportunity to taste the various flavors of the dinner.

Penn Shore Winery is located in North East, Pennsylvania. While those familiar with Pennsylvania locations will know where North East is, others will be surprised that it is located on the shore Lake Erie in the north western area of PA. North East, Pennsylvania is located in the area often referred to as the “Chimney.”

Cheers! Kathy

If you are looking for a colorful, useful and good price gift, consider a wall calendar with a wine theme. Just a quick look on the Internet will give you some good options. Several wine calendars for 2010 are available. These include Wine Country by Susan Winget Lang 2010 Vertical Wall Calendar, Wine Country by Barbara Felisky 2010 Wall Calendar, Vinifera 2010 Wall Calendar: The World’s Great Wine Grapes and their Stories, Gourmet Wines 2010 Wall Calendar, and The Wine Companion 2010 Wall Calendar by Calendars.

The list can go on but it’s most likely easier for shoppers to go online and search for “wine and calendar 2010.” Also include vineyards as a search term.

A wine or vineyard calendar is a great gift idea for the wine enthusiast!

Cheers! Kathy

Last night, I enjoyed a glass of Simply Pink, a wine produced by St. Julian Winery in Michigan.  It is a blend of Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Seyval Blanc. Simply Pink has a lot of summertime fruit nuances both on the aroma and taste.  The wine is labeled as semi-dry… but was sweeter than I anticipated. It paired nicely with cheese and crackers before dinner. The wine is easy to drink and suggested uses include using it as a summer time drink or to enjoy by a fireplace.

According to the St. Julian website, the winery gives a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for each bottle of Simply Pink sold. So do yourself a favor and also support the National Breast Cancer Foundation by purchasing a bottle of Simply Pink. In the event you don’t care about semi-dry or sweet wines, it will make a very nice gift for someone who does like sweeter wines.

Cheers! Kathy

Are you looking for ways to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? There is a recipe in the fall issue of the Wine Trail Traveler Quarterly that uses turkey – dark and light turkey meat, cut into 1 by 3 inch chunks. Tacchino Toscano (Tuscan Style Turkey) also calls for one cup of dry red or white wine.  Stone’s Throw Winery is a very friendly winery to visit.

Cheers! Kathy

I’ve decided that despite tomorrow being Black Friday, I’m staying home away from the maddening crowds of shoppers. Who wants to stand in lines for hours and then maybe find out the items you want are sold out. That’s poor way to start the holidays.

Then again maybe I won’t stay home after all a relaxing dinner with wine at a restaurant sounds rather nice. Let someone else do the cooking! Then again a number of wineries are offering special deals and maybe you’ll find a winery event to enjoy. So enjoy your options and maybe a glass of wine.

P.S. On November 27, 28, and 29, Three Fox Vineyards in Virginia has a treasure hunt in the vineyards. Find coupons for free tastings and wine/ merchandise discounts! Also check out the Friday events at Keyways Vineyard &Winery in Temecula Valley, California and Ferrante Winery in Ohio.

Cheers! Kathy

It’s been cool (cold?) and rainy for the last three days. Even yesterday I started thinking about making a mulled wine in the crockpot. The wine warmed with spices would taste good. It would also warm me up and the aroma throughout the house would be wonderful. Why didn’t I make it yesterday? I thought about waiting and sharing the experience with others and truth be told, I did get busy with other Thanksgiving duties. It’s midday here on the east coast and it’s has been raining all morning. Should I start mulled wine today or wait until tomorrow when the kitchen will become somewhat chaotic?

In any event, below are links to three mulled wine recipes in case the idea of a mulled wine intrigues you for this holiday weekend.

Connie’s Concoction http://winetrailtraveler.com/recipes/beverages1.php

Mulled Wine http://winetrailtraveler.com/recipes/beverages6.php

Glouvine (Vin Gewurtz) http://winetrailtraveler.com/recipes/beverages10.php

Cheers, Kathy

Gift shopping for the holidays has already begun. For the wine aficionado there are many gifts to consider and they are in a range of prices. There is an excellent suggestion about decanters at Examiner.com. Check it out. It also has links to several sites where decanters can be purchased. Of course, your favorite local winery may have a selection of decanters from which to choose.

Cheers! Kathy

No matter how many Thanksgiving dinners you have prepared in the past, you may have a question about what wine to serve or about preparing this holiday dinner for your family and friends. John Griffin has come to your rescue. In an online article at SavorSA, “Websites and Hotlines Offer Holiday Help,” Griffin has taken the time to discover 17 hotlines and websites with contact information.  Many links are also provided including links to Butterball, McCormick, Ocean Spray, Nestlé Toll House and a food and wine pairing website. This is an article that you will want to keep bookmarked throughout the holidays.

Peruse the websites and perhaps you will find a recipe that you will want to make a tradition for your family.

Cheers, Kathy

Thanksgiving Day is almost here! If you haven’t decided on all of the dishes to be served, check out the recipe suggestions at http://winetrailtraveler.com/recipes/thanksgiving1.php. The recipes use wine as one of the ingredients. These recipes are used with permission from the mentioned wineries. If you know of a recipe we should add, please contact us at Wine Trail Traveler.

Cheers! Kathy

Somehow at the beginning of 2009, I missed the Wall Street Journal checklist about 20 things to do with wine. Today they published an update and it makes for an entertaining article as well as provides some ideas about the fun nature of wine. Check out the article Wine Notes: Doing Some of the ’20 Things to Do’ by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher.

By the way, I discovered this article because it was tweeted on Twitter by Eagles Nest Wine.

Cheers! Kathy