Events listed are from Wine Trail Traveler’s featured wineries. The events are listed by state. To learn more about Wine Trail Traveler, LLC’s partners visit the Partners link on the home page.

Use the links below to check out wine fun events. Enjoy checking out the winery events below for this coming weekend!

Cheers! Kathy

CALIFORNIA

Lorimar Winery and Vineyards
October 2
Live@Lorimar Series/ Jim Gibson – Blues

Thornton Winery
October 2
Champagne Jazz Concert: Norman Browns Summer Storm
Russell, Perry and Jessy J

Vezér Family Vineyard
October 2
Concert: Ritmojito-Latin Jazz Musical Performance

MARYLAND

Serpent Ridge Vineyard
October 1
First Friday Outdoor Music Event: Chasmo & Cassandra
October 2 and 3: Meet the Artist Weekend/ Rob and Rose of R&R Fine Art Photography

MICHIGAN

Chateau Chantal
October 2
Harvest Fest at Chateau Chantal

OHIO

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Ohio
October 2
Music/Mike Wojtila
October 3

Music/ Joe Vanilli
October 3 TROLLEY TOUR includes Italian dinner with a trolley tour of three historic bridges

TEXAS

Messina Hof Winery & Resort
October 3
Cooking Party with the Chef

VIRGINIA

Barrel Oak Winery
October 1
TGISunsets
Music/ Deer Creek: a folk/jazz/blues fusion duo
October 2
Tour’ga Franc Bike Ride!
The “Chomp And Stomp” Weekend Of Fun!

Music/ Farmdoubt Rocks Bow!
TGISunsets
October 3
A PAWS FOR THE CAUSE BENEFIT for Golden Retreiver Rescue…
Music/ The Nearly Infamous Karl Stoll In A Solo Show…

Del Fosse Vineyards and Winery
October 3
French Crepe Day

Pearmund Cellars
October 1
Friday Nite Fellas

The Winery at LaGrange
October 1
Movie Night – M*A*S*H
October 3
In Vino Veritas Spiritus

Three Fox Vineyards
October 3
Wine & Cigars with the Winemaker

Tarara Winery
October 1
Music on the Deck/Levi Stephens
October 2
Toast to the Tunes Summer Concert Series: The Justin Trawick Group

October 3
Music on the Deck/David Davol

Grape Creek Vineyards in Texas is offering free shipping on cases.  The free shipping ends tomorrow, September 30. To order wine visit the Grape Creek Vineyard website.

Wines available at include several varieties of red and white wines. While visiting  Grape Creek’s website check out the onsite Villa that has been renovated and available for lodging.

For a review of Grape Creek Vineyards go to the article at http://winetrailtraveler.com/texas/grapecreek.php

Cheers! Kathy

This month we enjoyed an Alabaster 2007 Spanish wine. The wine was produced with 100 percent Tinta de Toro. It was an excellent red wine. The grape is known as Tempranillo and was from the central Spain region, Toro. The back label added additional information about the wine. It was made with grape bunches that were selected by hand and foot treaded in order to have the gentlest of extractions. This is an elegant wine which pairs well with beef dishes.

According to the label, “In ancient times, Egyptian and Greeks stored their most precious perfumes in exquisite alabaster bottles.” What better wine name could have been chosen for this elegant wine?

Cheers! Kathy

The hearing of H.R. 5034 -”Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act of 2010″ by the full committee of the Committee on the Judiciary is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 11am in the Rayburn House Office Building!

The H.R. 5034 bill needs to be read very carefully and looked at as how it may affect wineries rights to control wine shipping etc. It also is a good idea to look at the financial contributions for political campaigns, which candidates are receiving large amounts and how they are voting. Remember Election Day November 2 is not far away and the entire House is up for re-election or replacement.

If you are concerned with the consequences of  H.R. 5034 contact the committee members ASAP. You can find out who is on the Judiciary Committee and how to contact them at http://judiciary.house.gov/about/members.html It’s a good idea when contacting politicians to be polite but firm.

Cheers! Kathy

October – with so many events and so little time. If you’re looking for a wine festival or winery event for the weekend of October 9-10, you will find one. In addition to wine festivals there are numerous harvest festivals celebrating all kinds of foods. Do your research and you’ll be sure to find a festival to travel to and enjoy.

The below links will give you a starting point.

Cheers! Kathy

New York
New York City Wine & Food Festival
October 7-10, 2010
http://www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com/2010/
Note: Some specific activities are sold out

Panama City Beach, Florida
Seafood, Wine & Music Festival
October 8-10, 2010
http://www.panamacitybeachfest.com/

Yuba, California
California Beer & Wine Festival
October 9, 2010
http://www.californiabeerandwinefestival.com/

Culpeper, Virginia
Taste of Culpeper
October 10, 2010
http://www.culpeperdowntown.com/events.cfm

Last night we were treated to a wonderful Italian dinner prepared by my sister. She and her husband had recently taken a class at Cookology. The class was Italian based recipes with wine.  Cookology is a fun and educational culinary school in Northern Virginia.

We began the afternoon with appetizers – crackers, bleu cheese and white cheese. With the appetizers we had Vermentino di Gallura, DOCG. This imported Italian wine was from Pedres Thilibas. This straw colored wine was delightful. The aroma and taste were dry and crisp with citrus notes. The stainless steel produced wine was 100 percent Vermentino. It was excellent with the cheeses and crackers. Suggested pairings included shellfish and fish. After tasting this particular Vermentino, I am looking forward to trying others, too.

My sister wanted to see if she could recreate the success of the class in her home for us. Using the recipes from the class, she adapted the recipes servings for the four of us. They served the same Italian wine that had been used at the Cookology class and we shared a wine that we made.  The dinner was very successful.

The first course was shrimp and a very special bruschetta. Both were excellent. The entrée consisted of very tender filet mignon in a wine sauce with glazed figs. For dessert, there was chocolate mousse. All of the dishes used wine as an ingredient even the chocolate mousse. Dinner was delicious and rated a success!

If you live in metropolitan Washington DC, and enjoy food check out the Cookology website to see all the classes that are offered.

Hoping everyone has a great week!

Cheers! Kathy

Twitter is working with Crushpad to produce Fledgling wines that will support Room to Read, a non-profit that works to improve literacy among children around the world.

Every bottle of Fledging wine sold will benefit Room to Read. The goal is to promote literacy in Uttarakhand in India.

Red and white wine lovers can purchase a bottle of wine and support Room to Read. Currently two Fledgling wines are available, Fledgling Pinot Noir 2009 and Fledgling Chardonnay 2009. The wines can be purchased online.

During the summer our daughter had the opportunity to travel to India and work with children who were living in poverty. The photos and stories she returned with to the US were heartbreaking. She is determined to find a way to help the children with basic supplies like paper, crayons, pencils etc. She would like the goals of the Room to Read organization.

Anyone who wants to promote literacy can make a donation through the Fledgling website or go directly to the Room to Read website.

Cheers to Twitter and Crushpad for working together to benefit the children of the world.

Kathy

Check out this recipe that offers pork, bacon, shrimp and red wine all in one entrée. With the recipe below you can spend some time in your own kitchen and have an elegant meal.

Before starting the recipe check your supplies to make sure you have all of the ingredients.

If you don’t have a red wine on hand, plan on stopping by a winery “in your own backyard” and purchasing it and perhaps a wine to pair with the meal.

Have a wonderful autumn weekend!

Cheers! Kathy

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Shrimp

Yield: Serves 6
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Pork:

1 lb (500 g) Ontario pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 t (2 mL) fresh cracked pepper
6 strips bacon

Shrimp:

1 T (15 mL) grape seed oil (or vegetable oil)
1 lb (500 g) shrimp
1/4 c (50 mL) fresh lime juice
1/4 c (50 mL) water
1/2 t (2 mL) ground cumin
1/2 t (2 mL) ground cardamom
1/2 t (2 mL) EACH: salt and pepper

Sauce:

1 t (5 mL) vegetable oil
1/4 c (50 mL) minced shallots
2 T (30 mL) brandy
1/4 c (50 mL dry red wine
2 c (500 mL) beef stock
1/2 t (2 mL) EACH: salt and pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 t (1 mL) smoked paprika
1/4 t (1 mL) horseradish
1/4 t (1 mL) Dijon mustard
1 t (5 mL) cornstarch
3 T (45 mL) water

Directions

1. Season pork with fresh pepper. Wrap bacon around pork, securing with toothpicks if necessary. Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in a 400°F (200°C) until bacon is crisp and pork has just a hint of pink remaining, about 25 minutes.
2. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into six rounds.
3. In large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and cook shrimp until pink on one side.
4. Whisk together lime juice, water, cumin, cardamom, salt and pepper. Turn shrimp over and pour in lime juice mixture. Cook just until shrimp are opaque, about 2 minutes more.
5. In saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat; add shallots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in brandy and reduce until almost evaporated. Stir in red wine, scraping any bits from the pan, until wine is reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes.
6. Add beef stock, salt, pepper and thyme, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove thyme and stir in paprika, horseradish and Dijon mustard.
7. In small bowl, stir cornstarch and water until smooth. Slowly stir into sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.

To serve: On a warmed plate, arrange a piece of pork with 2 – 3 shrimp and serve with rice and sautéed seasonal vegetables. Drizzle with sauce. Repeat 5 times.

Source: Homegrown Ontario (www.homegrownontario.ca) adapted from Chef Christopher Ennew

Recipe provided by Put Pork on Your Fork.

Often you will hear about wineries that have Grape Stomps that wine lovers can enjoy. We’ve visited several wineries that host these “Lucy” type events. However, we discovered an unusual twist to grape stomps.

Do you ever wonder what happens to the resulting crushed grapes? Perhaps thinking “What a waste to throw it all out?” Most wineries we have visited do not keep the juice to use for making wine.

However, we are aware of an exception to this waste of the juice. Balistreri Vineyards in Denver, Colorado has an Annual Harvest Party with a grape stomp for children ages twelve and under.  The crushed grapes resulting from the Children’s Grape Stomping are used to produce a wine called Little Feet Merlot. Parents can pre-purchase this wine and of course they tend to buy extra for when their children are adults. “A portion of the pre-sales of the 2010 Little Feet Merlot Benefit The Children’s Hospital Foundation.”

Sunday, October 3 is Balistreri Vineyards 8^th Annual Harvest Party. The Balistreri staff puts a lot of work into creating an experience for everyone. Besides the children’s grape stomp, this annual event features wine tasting samples, antipasti, artisan cheeses, wood-fired pizzas, pig roasts and desserts.

Proceeds from the Harvest Party will benefit CASA of Adams & Broomfield Counties?and?The Children’s Hospital Foundation. Plan on attending the Balistreri Harvest Party on October 3 and helping others in need.

You can visit the Balistreri Vineyards website and read an article about the winery on Wine Trail Traveler.

If you know of a winery that uses grape stomp juice to produce wine, let us know.

Cheers! Kathy

Celebrate the first weekend of Fall by visiting a winery tasting room! Below are some suggestions for events from our featured winery partners, you may want to consider participating in this weekend. Take a camera for some great autumn photos. Enjoy!

Cheers! Kathy

Fri, Sept 24

Tarara Winery
Leesburg, Virginia
Event: Music on the Deck-Stanley Whitaker
Web Info

Barrel Oak Winery
Delaplane, Virginia
Event: Demetrios & Curtis on Guitar
Web Info

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante,
Geneva, Ohio
Event: Music/Legacy
Web Info

The Winery at LaGrange,
Haymarket, Virginia
Event: Movie Night
Web Info

Sat, Sept 25

Lorimar Winery
Temecula, California
Event: Wine Club Pick Up Party
Web Info

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante,
Geneva, Ohio
Event: Music/David Young
Web Info

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante
Geneva, Ohio
Event: Music/TBA
Web Info

Lorimar Winery
Temecula, California
Event: Live@Lorimar/Kenny Marquez-Acoustical Guitar
Web Info

Tarara Winery
Leesburg, Virginia
Event: Toast to the Tunes Summer Concert Series: The Josh Burgess Band
Web Info

Messina Hof Winery& Resort
Bryan, Texas
Event: An Intimate Evening with Author John DeMers
Web Info

Tesoro Winery
Temecula, California
Event: Comedy Nite@The Tesoro Club House w/Rocky Osborn+ 2
Web Info

Sun, Sept 26

Barrel Oak Winery
Delaplane, Virginia
Event:The nearly infamous Karl Stoll in a solo show
Web Info

Tarara Winery
Leesburg, Virginia
Event: Music on the Deck-Joe Rathbone
Web Info

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante
Geneva, Ohio
Event: Music/Just George
Web Info

Three Fox Vineyards
Delaplane,Virginia
Event: Winemaker Walkabout
Web Info

Chateau Chantal
Traverse City, Michigan
Event: Sunday Jazz at Sunset
Web Info

Messina Hof Winery& Resort
Bryan, Texas
Event: Wine Appreciation Class
Web Info

Thornton Winery
Temecula, California
Event: Champagne Jazz Concert Series/Peter White
Web Info