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Central Oregon Vineyard Event Supports Cancer Research Center

September 7, 2014 – 11:00 am

Usually when we think of wineries in Oregon we consider Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge areas. However several wineries are also located in Central Oregon. Wine lovers will find Faith, Hope and Charity Vineyards and Events Center in Terrebonne, Oregon about a 2.5 hour drive from Portland. The Vineyards and Events Center is a bit unusual as they are in the process of creating a resort on 315 acres.

In addition to hosting a variety of private events they also feature public events. On Sunday, October 12 they will host their 2nd Annual Central Oregon Wine Stomp: Crush Cancer. A 5k and 10k race is planned. A celebration after the event will include wine, food and music.

Tickets are $35 a piece prior to October 3. After that date the tickets will be $40. Participants will receive a special t-shirt, wine glass and the first beverage of wine or beer. Tickets are available at select area Bend businesses and online.

Proceeds from this fun event will be donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The climate of the area means Faith, Hope and Charity Vineyards are growing hybrid grapes that can thrive in the shorter season. Grape varieties in the 15 acre vineyard include: LaCrescent, Vignoles, Marechal Foch, La Crosse, Frontenac Gris, Traminette, St. Croix, Leon Millot and Marquette.

The Central Oregon Wine Trail started by Cindy Grossmann runs from Bend to Terrebonne and includes six stops. Wineries included are Cork Cellars, The Open Door, Volcano Vineyards, Naked Winery and Maragas Winery. A map is located on the Faith, Hope and Charity Vineyards website.

Cheers!
Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Should the Special Anniversary Have Celebrated with Italian or Swiss Wine?

September 6, 2014 – 11:13 am

At one time, I considered traveling to Switzerland to discover what the Swiss wine industry has to offer. I put it on the back burner for a while.

However, the idea came back to me as I read an article on Wine-Searcher, “Swiss Air Force Drops a Bomb Over Italian Wine.” It seems that the Swiss are very proud of their wines. Most winemakers are very proud of the wines they produce. Winemakers keep an eye on their wines just like parents do their children.

In brief, the Wine-Searcher article is about how the Swiss Air Force aerobatic team celebrated its 50th anniversary by giving their staff Italian wine. Obviously some if not all of the Swiss industry has been offended.  Click the link to the article and find out what wine was given to the Swiss staff and the reaction.

For me, I’ll have to ponder visiting Switzerland again. I think it would be a wonderful experience to taste and write about the grape varieties and the wineries of Switzerland. Then again I wouldn’t object to a return visit to Italy!

Cheers!
Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Quiche á la Coquard Recipe with Prairie Fumé Wine

September 6, 2014 – 8:41 am
Barrels at Wollersheim Winery in Wisconsin

Barrels at Wollersheim Winery in Wisconsin

Yes, wine is produced in Wisconsin. We visited Wisconsin a few years ago and in addition to cheese discovered some delightful wineries to visit and write about. One of the largest wineries is Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac which also offered us a wonderful experience. Don’t miss a visit to Wollersheim Winery if you have the opportunity.

Below is a recipe for Quiche á la Coquard from Wollersheim.

If you make the quiche and want to send a photo of it to be added to the recipe, please do.

Cheers,
Kathy

Quiche á la Coquard

INGREDIENTS: For the Crust

½ cup margarine, cut up
1 ¾ cups flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold water

INGREDIENTS: For the Filling

1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup Prairie Fumé wine (semi-dry white wine)
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped ham (optional)
1 cup chopped leeks, sautéed
1 cup grated Cheddar or Swiss cheese
Options to add: Prairie Fumé Cheese Spread, sautéed vegetables

PREPARATION: For the Crust

  1. Place ingredients in food processor or mixing bowl. Mix until a ball is formed.
  2. With hands, spread over the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch quiche dish or suitably sized pie plate.

PREPARATION: For the Filling

  1. Beat milk, wine, eggs, salt and pepper.
  2. Sprinkle ham, sautéed leeks and cheese over the dough.
  3. Pour egg, milk and wine mixture over the dough.
  4. Bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes until top is lightly browned.
  5. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving. Can be served hot or cold.

MAKES: 6 to 8 servings

Recipe provided by Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin

 

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Like Wine? Make Your Own Wine at a Winery in 2014

September 5, 2014 – 4:23 pm

If you want to be a “winemaker” at a winery this year, it’s probably a good idea to contact the winery of your choice as grapes are being harvested now. Wine lovers who want to learn more about how wine is made and want to have a sense of ownership in winemaking can do so at several wineries around the country. On the East Coast several wineries offer winemaking opportunities at their facilities.

In Maryland, Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville offers winemaking options that include.

  • Quarter Barrel
  • Half Barrel
  • Full Barrel

Participants can choose the grape variety and from three different winemaking packages.

  • Premium Winemaking Package
  • Super Premium Winemaking Package
  • Ultra Premium Winemaking Package
Vint Hill Craft Winery, Virginia

Vint Hill Craft Winery, Virginia

In Vint Hill, Virginia, Vint Hill Craft Winery offers several possibilities for winemaking.

  • 2014 Full Barrel (Vintner Program)
  • 2014 Half Barrel (Associate Vintner)
  • 2014 6 Cases (Vintner Petit)

Vint Hill also offers an unusual Barrel Owner Program. According to their website, “$1000.00 buys a barrel that we ‘borrow’ for 4 years. 1 case of wine is included each year that we are borrowing the barrel. Free tastings for the barrel owner and 1 guest are included for the 4 years. Custom designed plaque for the barrel.”

Beneduce Vineyards in Pittstown, New Jersey, offers a “complete package” that includes: approximately 275 bottles of wine

  • Winemaking equipment usage
  • American oak barrel rental
  • Winemaking additives
  • All bottles, corks and capsules
  • Stock labels
  • One year Winemaker’s Club membership

For an additional price, participants can choose to help with the harvest at Beneduce Vineyards, an in-depth vineyard tour and a picnic lunch.

Home winemakers will like what Fulkerson Winery has to offer. Fulkerson is a winery in Dundee, New York located along Seneca Lake. The winery offers another option for winemaking. In addition to being a winery, Fulkerson sells grape juices during September and October. Those who are purchasing red varieties have the option of obtaining the grape skins. The winery also sells crushed whole fruit destemmed directly into your container.

Visit the winery website and give them a call if you want an experience to remember. We have visited all four of these wineries and written articles with photos about each one. Check the articles out.

Beneduce Vineyards: http://winetrailtraveler.com/newjersey/beneduce.php
Fulkerson Winery article: http://winetrailtraveler.com/newyork/fulkerson.php
Tin Lizzie Wineworks: http://winetrailtraveler.com/maryland/tinlizzie.php
Vint Hill Craft Winery article: http://winetrailtraveler.com/virginia/vinthill.php

Cheers, Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Visit the Vintner’s Collective in Napa Valley

September 5, 2014 – 9:01 am

The Vintner’s Collective in Napa Valley has survived since 1875. Last month’s earthquake did some heavy damage to this 19th century building; however, they will be able to rebuild. According to their Facebook page, until the building is repaired they will operate around the corner at their office/warehouse.

Check out this special: The ReBuilding 3 Pack

 “We love our building… the 1875 treasure that is filled with memories of great times! The early reports from engineers who have visited indicate that we can rebuild! To celebrate, we’d love to give you one of our 3 packs with the image of our building for free as a keepsake. Just pay the shipping and we’ll send it your way!

If you would like to purchase 3 bottles of wine for your 3-pack, we will use the profits to rebuild, which includes giving a portion to Mike Black, who owns our building and has been a great friend to us over the years. Thanks for supporting us!”

More information about The ReBuilding 3 Pack  is available at https://www.vintnerscollective.com/e/v/9dac22bf76755ee3.

The old Pfeiffer building in Napa, California has stories to tell from its beginning in 1875 through 2014. The building was built with stone by Bavarian Philip Pfeiffer who wanted a brewery. In 1879 Gotthelp Barth purchased the brewery and expanded it.  Two years later in 1881 a fire  destroyed the expansion. The brewery was stopped and turned into the Stone Saloon. A brothel for the well-to-do occupied the second floor of the saloon.

Beginning in 1918 the building was occupied by different businesses and at one it served as a home.  Other business since 1918 have included: an Italian grocery, Fred Peper  Saloon, Betterchix Hatchery, Sam Key Laundry and Andrew’s Meat Co. In 2002 the Vintner’s Collective took over the premises.

At first glance it might seem that with all of the wineries in Napa Valley a wine shop would be overlooked. However, the Vintner’s Collective offers Napa Valley wines from wineries where appointments might be required or wineries that may not have their own tasting rooms.

The Vintner’s Collective is open 11am to 6pm every day. The wine shop has four tasting to choose from.

  • Enthusiast Pathfinder (no appointment necessary) $10
  • Connoisseur, Scout             (no appointment necessary) $30
  • Collector, Explorer            (appointment only) $65
  • Aficionado, Trailblazer (appointment only) $95

The list of wineries working with   the Vintner’s Collective include:

  • Ancien Wines
  • Azur
  • Big Boy Cabernets
  • Buoncristiani
  • Clark-Claudon Vineyards
  • D Cubed
  • Flanagan
  • Gemella Wines
  • JC Cellars
  • Krupp Brothers
  • Lamborn Family Vineyards
  • Las Bonitas
  • Longfellow
  • Melka Wines
  • Mi Sueño Winery
  • Parallel
  • Richard Perry
  • Roy Estate
  • Tela
  • Tournesol
  • Vinoce

The next time we visit Napa Valley we hope to stop by the Vintner’s Collective.

Cheers,

Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Chile Pepper Wine in New Mexico

September 3, 2014 – 2:50 pm

A  news article about a very unique wine in New Mexico was recently published. U.S. Senator Tom Udall announced that the St. Claire Winery in Deming, NM is to receive a grant that is intended to increase the production of their unusual Hatch Valley chile-infused wines. According to the vice-president of St. Clair Winery, Florent Lescombes, “We use the best Hatch Valley red and green chile to make these wines, and bottle them here at our winery in Deming.”

Hatch Valley chile peppers are said to have unique flavors due to the soil of the region. New Mexico is serious about their chile production. A law was recently passed that companies selling  chile peppers from outside of the state must clearly label the chile peppers as such.

According to the St. Clair Winery website, “The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program, which helps agricultural producers like St. Clair Winery grow their businesses and support economic growth and development in rural communities.” If you like chile peppers and spicy foods, then you may want to give this wine a try.

Did you know that St. Clair Winery is not the only winery producing chili pepper wine? Peaks of Otter Winery, a small

Peaks of Otter Winery chili pepper wine

Peaks of Otter Winery chili pepper

winery in rural Virginia has been producing chili pepper wines for years. They also produce many kinds of wines and  refer to them as fun wines.

If you want to know more about chili (chile) peppers, visit The Chile Pepper Institute’s website.

Note: Both the chili and chile pepper spellings are correct. The difference in spelling is regional.

Cheers!
Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Movimento Turismo del Vino, A Gateway to Italy’s Wine Tourism

September 3, 2014 – 8:27 am

italy3If you are planning a visit to Italy and enjoy wine you will want to check out the Movimento Turismo del Vino website while making your plans.

Movimento Turismo del Vino was formed back in 1993. Today it boasts a membership of 1,000 wineries. For a winery to be a part of Movimento Turismo del Vino they must meet certain requirements that include a focus on wine tourism. The goals of the organization include: promoting the wine culture and support for tourism in all winemaking regions of Italy.

The Movimento Turismo del Vino website is filled with information for the wine tourist. As soon as you know what region of Italy you will be visiting check out the website for more information.

The website provides links and email addresses to 20 Italian territories. A second pull-down menu takes you to a map of each territory indicating where the wineries are located. Click on a wine glass and the name of the winery pops up. Click on the name and you will find information about the winery.

This comprehensive website for Italian wineries includes news, itineraries and a press area.

If you have a smartphone, then consider downloading the Movimento Turismo Vino App at http://www.movimentoturismovino.it/mobile.php.

Other countries or wine regions might want to use this website as a template for enhancing their own wine tourism.

We have visited and written articles about numerous wineries in Italy and hope to return again one day.

Cheers, Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine Notes | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Maryland Wine Festival Coming Up in September

September 2, 2014 – 6:34 am

Maryland Wine Festival

This year the Maryland Wine Festival takes place the weekend of September 20 and 21. This annual event takes place at the well-known Carroll County Farm Museum in Westminster, Maryland.

Firefly Farms goat cheese will be at the Maryland Wine Festival in September

Firefly Farms’ goat cheese will be at the Maryland Wine Festival in September

More than 30 Maryland wineries plan to participate. Food vendors and crafts/artists are also joining the fun. Craft and artist products include: alpaca products, jewelry, dulcimers, quilts, basketry and pottery. Food vendors will have a selection of foods to purchase including: sausage, beef, shrimp kabobs, baked desserts, goat cheese (from Firefly Farms), crab cakes, Kettle Korn and more.

The Carroll County Farm Museum opened in 1966. The museum showcases life on a 19th century farm. Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to see an assortment of vintage buildings including: a farmhouse, bank barn, smokehouse, a one-room school and much more.

 

Tickets

  • General Admission Tickets: $30 (in advance: $27)
  • Premier Admission Tickets: $65 (in advance: $62)

The general ticket prices include: a wine sampling glass, wine samples, seminars, live entertainment, guided tours of the museum’s farmhouse and self-guided tours of exhibits.

Premier ticket holders will include the same benefits as general admission ticket hold BUT will include more. Premier ticket holders will have access to a separate area for tasting premium wines and local cuisine samples. Only 400 premier tickets are available for the event.

Volunteers

As with many wine festivals around the country, the Maryland Wine Festival is looking for volunteers. Volunteering at a festival is a great way to meet people and enjoy the atmosphere of a wine festival. Those who volunteer for three hours will be eligible for free admission. Volunteers do not need to be wine connoisseurs as the festival has volunteer opportunities for an assortment of jobs including ticket sales, gate monitors and more. To discover the jobs that still need to be filled and to signup to volunteer, visit the website at http://mdwinefestsignup.ivolunteer.com/mdwinefest.

Cheers!
Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Wine News/Commentary | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

50 Great Cavas Media Group Announced

September 1, 2014 – 8:41 am

In February, Kathy and I attended a tasting of the Wines of La Mancha in Washington D.C. Prior to the grand tasting we attended a seminar including wines and producers from the La Mancha wine region in Spain. Sitting next to me was a representative from the Spanish Embassy. We talked about Spanish wines and Kathy’s and my desire to visit the country and discover the wines, wineries and vineyards. Recently, Kathy and I have received great news. We were selected to be on a team of writers that will visit several Cava producers.

090114aAnthony Swift of Wine Pleasures announced the media group that will attend this year’s 50 Great Cavas Tour. In addition to Kathy and me, there is another married couple Lara Dunston and Terence Carter. They are food and travel writers and photographers that have stories appearing in many magazines, newspapers and websites around the world. Laura and Terrance publish the blog Grantourismo. The couple are also working on developing cookbooks. This is of interest to Kathy and me since our website has over 250 recipes that include wine as one of the ingredients.

Another media member is Andrew Barrow. We met Andrew while on the media trip at the 2012 International Wine Tourism Conference (IWINETC) and Media FAM trip in Italy. Andrew also writes and takes photographs about food and wine. Andrew’s blog Spittoon has been online since 2004.  We have been on two IWINETC Media FAM trips (Italy and Croatia) with Marcy Gordon, a freelance food, wine and travel writer. She writes the popular wine blog Come for the Wine. The seventh member of our team is Oriol Ripoll, founder and CEO of the online wine shop Decántalo. Cava enthusiasts can order the Cavas we review at his online store.

While on the 50 Great Cavas Tour, Kathy and I will write daily blog posts and use Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to this wonderful sparkling wine. When we return home we will write an individual article about each of the Cava producers we visit during the tour. We are looking forward to this opportunity to write about Spanish wine producers and add the articles to our Spain site on Wine Trail Traveler.

Cheers,
Terry

By Terry | Posted in Wine News/Commentary | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Labor Day Weekend Wine Events and Festivals

August 29, 2014 – 12:48 pm
Messina Hof close to Fredericksburg, Texas

Messina Hof nearby Fredericksburg, Texas

In addition to individual winery events, special festivities are taking place including harvest celebrations. For more information about each event go to the designated website.

Enjoy spending time with others who enjoy wine!

Cheers! Kathy

 

 


August 29 – September 1

Three Fox Vineyards, Delaplane, Virginia
Event: Loafing for Labor Day Weekend!
Website Information

August 30

Messina Hof, Fredericksburg, Texas
2nd Annual Harvest Festival
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars, Broad Run, Virginia
Event: Labor Day BBQ
Event: Cheesecake Tasting (1-3pm)
Event: Sample Virginia Peanuts
Website Information

August 30-31

The Great Dakota Wine Fest
Website Information

August 30-Sept 1

Labor Day Open House Weekend
Columbia Gorge Winegrowers (Washington and Oregon)
Open House at participating wineries
Website Information

Harvest Festival, New Mexico
New Mexico Wine Growers Association
Website Information

Saturday, August 30

Chateau Chantal, Traverse City, Michigan
Event: Wine Sensory Treat Tour
Event: Wine Dinner
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Delaplane, Virginia
Event: Tuscan “Fer Agosto”
Website Information

Sunday, August 31

Chateau Chantal, Traverse City, Michigan
Event: Wine Sensory Treat Tour
Website Information

Grand River Cellars, Madison, OH
Event: Brushes & Lushes
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Delaplane, Virginia
Event: Loafing for Labor Day
Website Information

33rd Annual Harvest Wine Celebration
Livermore Valley Wine Country, California
Website Information

Monday, September 1

Chateau Chantal, Traverse City, Michigan
Event: Wine Sensory Treat Tour
Website Information

Herndon Labor Day Festival, Virginia
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars, Broad Run, Virginia
Event: Drawing for an original piece of artwork
Event: Labor Day BBQ
Website Information

Potomac Point Winery, Stafford, Virginia
Bistro Open!
Website Information

By Kathy | Posted in Wine News/Commentary, Winery Events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

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