We discovered some lovely wines and wineries on Maryland’s Eastern Shore this week. Over the next few days we will  write descriptions of the wineries. For this weekend consider enjoying one of the following wine events. (Check the links provided for details and any changes.)

Cheers! Kathy

Thursday, August 25

Cava Winery & Vineyard
Event: Thirsty Thursday
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Event: Jazz at Sunset
Website Information

Laurello Vineyards, Ohio
Event: Pizza for the Cure
Website Information

Friday, August 26

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Ohio
Entertainment: Face Value
Website Information

Lorimar Winery, California
Event: Friday Night “Happy Hour”
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars,Virginia
Event: TGIF
Website Information

The Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Event: Taco Night
Website Information

Saturday, August 27

Blue Ridge Vineyard, Virginia
Event: Harold Cook and the Boys
Website Information

Cava Winery & Vineyard,NewJersey
Event: Wrapping Up August Weekend
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Event: Wine Dinner
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan suggests
Food & Wine Festival at Meadowbrook
Website Information

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Ohio
Entertainment: Afternoon-Romone; Evening-Uncharted Course
Website Information

The Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Entertainment: Time Warp Rocks
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
Event: On the Boardwalk
Website Information

Vezer Family Vineyard
Event: “Cab and a slab in the Vines” with a twist of the Caribbean
Website Information

Sunday, August 28

Blue Ridge Vineyard, Virginia
Event: Sounds of Summer-TBA
Website Information

Cava Winery&Vineyard,NewJersey
Event: Wrapping Up August Weekend
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan suggests
Food & Wine Festival at Meadowbrook
Website Information

DelFosse Winery, Virginia
Event: Vertical Tasting Series-Cabernet Franc
Website Information

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Ohio
Entertainment: Trevor Trio
Website Information

The Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Event: A Blessing of the Vines Ceremony
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
Event: On the Boardwalk
Event: Winemaker Walkabout
Website Information

Monday, August 29

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

On August 27 from 12 to 4pm, Del-Gatto Estates in Picton, Ontario will be hosting a special event in their boutique tasting room.

The support for the local Breast Cancer Centre are by Silpada Designs Jewelry and Del-Gatto Estates Winery. Purchase sterling silver jewelry for yourself or a loved one and taste wines. All of this can help support the Breast Cancer Center. “All proceeds from jewelry orders on this day will go towards eliminating this devastating disease.” In addition, part of the 2010 Dragonfly wine sales will be donated to the Cancer Centre.

The bottle of Dragonfly wine is accompanied by a hand crafted wood pink pin crafted by Michael Cassidy.

A silent auction of the original artwork for the Dragonfly wine label will also be available.

Del-Gatto Estates is located in Prince Edward County, Canada. The address is 3609 County Road 8, Picton.

An article about Del-Gatto Estates is available online. Find out more about Del-Gatto Estates by visiting their website.

Cheers! Kathy

This weekend there are a variety of festivals to end the month of August. Below are several wine festivals with links for more information. A festival can provide a wonderful, fun experience. What a great way to bring summer to a close. Be sure to check details on the attached links.

Cheers! Kathy

Columbus Wine Festival
Columbus, Ohio
August 26-27, 2011
Website 

9th Annual Food, Wine & Art Festival
Mesa Verde Country, Colorado
Date: August 26-28, 2011
Website

Wine & All that Jazz
Where: Boca Raton, Florida
August 27, 2011
Website

Wine Food & Music
Where: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada
August 27, 2011
Website

Great Dakota Wine Festival
Vermillion, South Dakota
August 27 and 28, 2011
Website

Ashtabula City’s Wine & Walleye Festival
Ashtabula, Ohio
August 27 and 28, 2011
Website

11th Annual Wine & Food Festival at Meadow Brook
Auburn Hills, Michigan
August 28, 2011
Website

Save the date – September 17-18, 2011 for the 28th Maryland Wine Festival. This festival takes place at the Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, Maryland. The festival includes food vendors, crafts, wine education, entertainment and amateur wine competition.

More than 35 Maryland wineries will participate in the festival. More than 30 food vendors will provide a wide variety of foods to purchase including french fries, crab dip, funnel cakes and Polish sausage. Crafts vendors include Wooden Creations, Small Farms Ceramics, Pigeon Hills Pottery, Hillside Apiary and many more.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/apps/fm_sales/default.aspx?id=FM. 

Wine homemakers are invited to enter the amateur winemakers competition. The details for participating are on the website competition page.

This annual wine festival is hosted by Carroll County Recreation and Parks, Maryland Wineries Association and Carroll County Farm Museum.

When planning to attend the festival use sunscreen, drink plenty of water, and eat between tastings. If you may be purchasing wine use a cooler to protect your wine. You may even want to plan to do some Christmas and holiday shopping at the festival.

Cheers! Kathy

Slow Food San Francisco is celebrating Charlie Barra as an organic grape growing pioneer. On Sunday, August 28 at Masa’s Restaurant in San Francisco, Chef Gregory Short will pair a four course dinner with several of BARRA of Mendocino’s organically grown wines. BARRA wines available will include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Muscat Canelli.

Last fall 2010, Charlie Barra of BARRA of Mendocino celebrated his 65th harvest. We had the opportunity to visit with Charlie and Martha Barra when we were in Mendocino County in 2010. Charlie is a warehouse full of information with stories to tell and Martha is equally enthusiastic. This is an opportunity for guests to hear some of Charlie’s many great stories.

The proceeds from this Slow Food San Francisco event will be put towards Youth Food Education. This will support healthy eating in schools, school gardens and childhood nutrition.

Visit the BARRA of Mendocino website. An article about BARRA  of Mendocino is also available on the Wine Trail Traveler website.

Cheers! Kathy

Enjoy the recipe below from “At Home with Rioja.” Vibrant Rioja was giving these booklets out at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia this year. Note this recipe calls for grilling. What better way to celebrate summer!

Cheers! Kathy

Shrimp and Honeydew Salad with Warm Rioja Dressing

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp shell-off, deveined and butterflied
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 c white Rioja, preferably oaked (barrel fermented)
1 head lettuce, rinsed, dried and chopped (frisee, butterhead, red leaf, green leaf all work well)
1 1/2 c honeydew, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c olive oil
1 T tarragon, finely copped
1 T parsley, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste

Directions

1. In non-reactive bowl or sealable bag, combine shrimp, garlic and wine. Let shrimp marinate for at least 20 minutes.
2. Remove shrimp; reserve marinade. To small saucepan over high heat, add marinade and 1/2  of the onion; bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until marinade has reduced by 1/4, about 5 minutes.
3.  Preheat grill. Grill shrimp for two minutes on one side, then flip over and grill one minute. Remove shrimp from grill. In large bowl, combine shrimp, lettuce, honeydew and remaining red onion. Dress salad with reserved marinade; toss well. Garnish with tarragon, parsley and sea salt. Serve immediately.

Provided with permission by Vibrant Rioja

Plan to travel to Texas in September so you can enjoy the 25th Annual Grapefest in Historic Downtown Grapevine, Texas. The dates are September 15, 16, 17, and 18, 2011.

According to the online information, this is “the largest wine festival in the Southwest.”

Events include entertainment, wine tasting, a culinary pavilion, GrapeFest Golf Classic, a Vintner’s Auction, Carnival, Arts & Crafts and food booths. Anyone who enjoys Champagne will want to check out the Champagne Terrace, Champagne Brunch and Champagne Cork Shoot-Off. In addition the Baylor Region Medical Center will have a KidZone. The KidZone will include interactive games, petting zoo and live entertainment.

Admission on Thursday is free and early Friday from 10am til 5pm admission is also free. Otherwise daily admission for adults is $8. For other admission fees, check the website. There is also a fee for tasting wines. Check the Grapefest Festival website for more details.

The 25th Grapefest in Texas has so much to offer that one should be sure to attend if possible.

Grapevine, Texas is a quaint town with numerous wineries. Enjoy shopping in some of the small shops for unique items.

Cheers! Kathy

Dinner time on the East coast so I checked on my supply of Pinot Noirs. I selected a 2006 Husch Anderson Valley Pinot Noir from the Knoll Vineyard. The grapes came from the estate from 40 plus year old vines. To get the real Pinot experience I poured the wine in Riedel Pinot Noir glasses. The color was a dark ruby with a light purple rim. I was not able to read text through the wine so that was a step in the right direction for me. The aroma was predominately cherry and cherries were on the taste. I was picking up the faintest hint of strawberries also on the taste. There were mild tannins, darn, on the fruity and crisp finish. I wondered if tartaric acid was added to the wine. In all, I liked the wine, however was disappointed in the mild tannins. I prefer the bold tannins that some Oregon Pinots can offer.

Through dinner prep I had a glass of the Pinot and was ready for a hot summer’s day meal. We had crab salad, fried zucchini and pasta with a simple butter, basel and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. Well … a white wine or wimpy Pinot Noir would have been a better match for the dinner. So I did the next best thing. Finished the Pinot for dessert.

Cheers,
Terry

The Pinot Noir Smackdown is an interesting challenge for me. Although I can enjoy a Pinot Noir, it’s not my usual red wine choice. I like a red wine that has a color from dark ruby to black and you can’t read text through the wine. This eliminates many Pinot Noirs. I also like a wine with bold to outrageous tannins. This also eliminates many Pinot Noirs.

Imagine my happiness when I visited Archery Summit in Dayton, Oregon. Their portfolio of Pinot Noirs fealt like they were made for me. They had three Pinots that I would love to buy and have with a meal. The 2007 Looney Vineyard Pinot Noir was a dark ruby with notes of cherry and spice. The finish had bold tannins and was fruity. The 2007 Arcus Estate Pinot Noir was also dark ruby with an aroma of cherries and violets. The taste had cherry and spice notes. The finish was very fruity with tannins. Finally the 2007 Red Hills Estate Pinot Noir was a dark ruby and had cherry and spice notes on the aroma and taste. There were bold tannins on the finish.

While visiting Oregon wineries in the Willamette Valley, you’ll discover that many wineries have several Pinot Noirs in their portfolio. The grape is very versitle as are the crafted wines. You can find the light bodied strawberry-like Pinot rosé wines as well as the full-bodied bold tannin Pinots. My Pinot Noir smackdown choice for a wine growing area is Oregon.

Cheers,
Terry

Archery Summit wine cave aging Pinot Noir

Spend time at a winery this weekend! Below are several winery events between Thursday, August 18 and Monday, August 22. If you prefer a quieter time at a winery visit during the week if possible or early in the day.

Cheers! Kathy

Thursday, August 18

Cava Winery & Vineyard, New Jersey
Event: Thirsty Thursday
Web Info

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Event: Jazz at Sunset
Web Info

Chateau Chantal, Michigan suggests
Harding’s Cup Wine Challenge
Web Info

Laurello Vineyards, Ohio
Event: Pizza for the Cure
Web Info

Friday, August 19

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Web Info

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Suggests: 3rd Annual Traverse City Wine & Art Festival
Web Info

Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Ohio
Entertainment: Tom Todd
Web Info