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Visit Thousand Islands Winery this Summer!

July 7, 2011 – 8:33 am

The Thousand Islands region of the United States and Canada is home to a variety of attractions for tourists. The official tourism bureau for the region is http://www.visit1000islands.com/visitorinfo/  Check it out!

Interstate 81 that starts in Tennessee goes through Syracuse New York and finally ends in the Thousand Islands region. Shortly before the Interstate ends, a drive of less than a couple minutes will take you to the Thousand Islands Winery.

The owners of the winery are Stephen and Erika Conaway. Stephen who discovered his love of German wines while serving in the military in Germany discovered that this region of the country is much like Germany. He decided to attempt growing grapes in this area and has successfully planted cold weather grapes.

Currently the winery produces 18,500 cases of wine. The tasting room is large with numerous wines to taste and wine related accessories to browse.

Be sure to stop at the Thousand Islands Winery while discovering the Thousand Islands region.

Cheers! Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Winery Tasting Rooms and Cellar Doors | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Create Your Own Wine with a Winemaker this Fall

July 6, 2011 – 9:47 am

You may know a lot about wine including how to taste the wine, the 90 plus point wines, the varietals, but do you really know how that bottle of wine on your table was made?

For some they don’t really care, but if you are interested in how wine is made and would like a hands on experience on the East Coast there are some options. Two that we have had great experiences with include Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Maryland and Vint Hill Craft Winery in Virginia.

At Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland, people are provided with the opportunity to learn about and create a barrel of wine. It is time to sign up for the fall winemaking sessions. Participants can choose from a range of grape varieties to make their own wines. A number of blends are also being offered. Blends include Rhone blends, a Syrah-Viognier Blend and a Red Bordeaux. To find our more visit the Tin Lizzie Wineworks’ website.

Vint Hill Craft Winery in northern Virginia is located in a renovated 1900’s barn and uses the latest equipment available for producing wine. Partner and head winemaker is Chris Pearmund a well-known Virginia wine and winery expert. Check out the Vint Hill Craft Winery website.

Both Tin Lizzie and Vint Hill have created opportunities for wine enthusiasts to have an in-depth look at creating wine by offering participants the ability to produce their own wine with their own label.

For the wine enthusiast who has everything this could be the perfect gift.

Cheers! Kathy

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

Wine, Food and Art Festivals this July Weekend

July 5, 2011 – 1:45 pm

Check out these wine and food festivals for this weekend!

The 27th Annual Central Coast Wine Classic will be July 7-10 in San Luis Obispo, California. Proceeds from this event fund non-profit businesses in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. These nonprofit companies focus on Healing, Performing or Studio Arts. A list of recipients for 2011 are on the festival website.

Park City in Utah offers the Park City Food and Wine Classic. There will be over a hundred wineries, breweries, locally made producers and epicurean purveyors. Check out the festival website.

The annual Horse and Hound Wine Festival in Bedford, Virginia is on July 9. The festival includes eight Virginia wineries. This is a unique festival with events throughout the day. This is a family friendly festival.

For those interested in the arts, Los Altos, California offers the 32nd Annual Arts & Wine Festival on July 9-10. Enjoy wine, food, art and activities.

Cheers, Kathy

By Kathy | Posted in Winery Events | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

A Special Beverage with Champagne

July 3, 2011 – 7:11 pm

I really enjoy most Champagnes and sparkling wines. They are light and refreshing while pairing well with food. Champagne and sparkling wine should be used everyday not just for special occasions. It would be nice if the price were lower so it could become more popular as an every day drink.

If you want to add a little something extra to your Champagne or sparkling wine, check out this easy recipe.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful 4th of July!
Cheers! Kathy

Sparkling Berry Champagne

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 -750ml bottle chilled Champagne (or sparkling wine)
1 cup red raspberry juice
1/4 c black raspberry Liqueur (such as Chambord)
Fresh or frozen whole raspberries for garnish
Fresh mint for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Divide juice and liqueur evenly between 4 wine glasses.
2. Fill glass with Champagne, adding 2-3 raspberries and sprig of fresh mint for garnish, if desired.

Enjoy!

Recipe provided by Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission

By Kathy | Posted in Wine/Food/Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Should I throw out my wine?

July 2, 2011 – 6:08 am

Every now and then I receive a telephone call from someone with a wine or winery question. Most often the callers believe they have reached a winery rather than an online publication. Calls have been on the increase this year averaging about one a week. I’ve helped mothers planning their daughters’ weddings, people interested in a particular wine they’d like to buy and have shipped to their address, telephone numbers for wineries and suggested itineraries to wine country.  Today, I received a call from a person concerned about the advice he received from a friend about wine.

A friend told the caller that his several bottles of a 2005 Chardonnay had to be thrown out since they were too old. The caller wanted to take the wine to a Fourth of July celebration. My quick response was maybe, but chances are the wine is still good. I suggested that he taste the wine in one of the bottles. It didn’t seem like he wanted to open the bottle though. So I asked him to describe the color. The Chardonnay was a light yellow. It doesn’t sound like it was oxidized. I asked him to describe the storage conditions. The wine has been in a room with a temperature of about 65º. The room had very little change in temperature over the years. The wine was stored on its side. It sounds to me like he should open a bottle and give it a taste.

The caller admitted that he probably wouldn’t be able to tell if the wine was good or bad since he seldom drinks wine. He did say that he could probably tell if it tasted like vinegar. So after talking for 15 minutes he felt better about taking his wine to the party, opening it and seeing if it is ok to serve.

I have whites older than 2005 in my storage room. I’ll get around to them one of these days. The oldest white I tasted and thoroughly enjoyed was a 20-year-old Riesling Icewine. Delicious!

I’ll start posting other calls about wine and wineries that come into Wine Trail Traveler. The calls add some highlights to our already busy days.

Cheers,
Terry

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

July 4th Weekend Winery Events

July 1, 2011 – 2:13 pm

We hope everyone enjoys this long, patriotic weekend!

For this holiday weekend many wineries are offering activities and entertainment. Check out the ones in “your own backyard.” To see some of the events for this weekend checkout the events below.

Drive safely!

Cheers! Kathy

Saturday, July 2nd

Blue Ridge Vineyard, Virginia
 Event: Saturday Evening Event-check winery for details
Website Information

Cava Winery & Vineyard, New Jersey
Event: Independence Day Celebration Weekend
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

Laurello Vineyards, Ohio
Event: Celebrate Laurello’s 9th Anniversary and the 4th of July
Website Information

Lorimar Winery, California
Entertainment: John Foltz-Keyboard
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars, Virginia
Event: Celebrate the 4th and Pearmund’s 8th Anniversary
Website Information

The Winery at Perennial Vineyards
Entertainment: Live Music
Event: Horse & Carriage Rides
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
 Event: Celebrate July 4th
Website Information

Ventimiglia Vineyard, New Jersey
 Event: Third Anniversary Celebration
Website Information

Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Event: Live Music All Summer Long/Jordan Baird
Website Information

Sunday, July 3

Blue Ridge Vineyard, Virginia
Event: Sunday Afternoon Event-Forrest Baldwin
Website Information

Cava Winery & Vineyard, New Jersey
Event: Independence Day Celebration Weekend
Website Information

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
 Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

DelFosse Winery, Virginia
Event: Fourth of July BBQ
Website Information

Laurello Vineyards, Ohio
Event: Celebrate Laurello’s 9th Anniversary and the 4th of July
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars, Virginia
Event: Celebrate the 4th and Pearmund’s 8th Anniversary
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
 Event: Celebrate July 4th
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
 Event: “Winemaker Walkabout” tour
Website Information

Ventimiglia Vineyard, New Jersey
 Event: Third Anniversary Celebration
Website Information

Winery at LaGrange, Virginia
Event: Live Music All Summer Long/Damon and Dave
Website Information

Monday, July 4

Chateau Chantal, Michigan
Event: Tapas Tour
Website Information

Pearmund Cellars,Virginia
Event: Celebrate the 4th and Pearmund’s 8th Anniversary
Website Information

Three Fox Vineyards, Virginia
Event: Celebrate July 4th
Website Information

Ventimiglia Vineyard, New Jersey
Event: Third Anniversary Celebration
Website Information

By Kathy | Posted in Winery Events | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Crostini

July 1, 2011 – 5:29 am

With a nice long July weekend, many will plan picnics, barbecues and outdoor events. Along with those grilled favorites there is an array of sides and appetizers that go well with barbecued foods. The recipe featured today is an appetizer we tried earlier this week while matching wines from the Beaujolais wine region with Independence Day foods.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Crostini

Ingredients
1 fresh baguette
olive oil
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
¼ c of onion diced
2 T Chardonnay
Smoked Salmon thinly sliced (we bought it already sliced from Costco)
Fresh parsley

Directions
1. Cut the baguette into 3/8” slices.
2. Spray or brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil.
3. Lightly toast the bread slices.
4. In a mixer combine and mix the onions, cream cheese and Chardonnay.
5. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto one side of the toasted bread slices.
6. Place a piece of smoked salmon over the cream cheese.
7. Top with fresh parsley.

Presentation:
Arrange on a platter and refrigerate until needed.

Serve with chilled Chardonnay.

Recipe provided by Wine Trail Traveler.

Cheers,
Terry

By Terry | Posted in Wine/Food/Recipes | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Two Wineries Celebrate Anniversaries this 4th of July Weekend!

June 30, 2011 – 12:01 am

Two wineries of the many we have visited are celebrating their anniversaries this weekend. Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run, Virginia is celebrating its 8th Anniversary. In Geneva, Ohio Laurello Vineyards is celebrating its 9th Anniversary. Congratulations to both wineries!

Pearmund Cellars is celebrating their anniversary over the long weekend. Visitors are invited to bring their own grill with a reminder to observe grilling etiquette. In addition the winery is offering visitors a challenge. “Here’s a challenge…come dressed as your favorite Revolutionary War personality (we’ll accept either side of the conflict) and receive $17.76 off a bottle of wine.” No stilts please!

On Saturday Bad to the Bone Smokehouse will be at the winery. Smoked chicken, pulled pork, and chicken wings plus more will be available for purchase. For more information check out the Pearmund Cellars’ website.

In Ohio, Laurello Vineyards is celebrating their 9th Anniversary with the purchase of your first in-house bottle of wine, you will receive a free small cheese tray and crackers. This offer is good on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Laurello is also offering specials on their Pinot Noir, Muscat Blanc and Gewürztraminer for a limited time. Music this weekend will include Uncharted Course and 4 Kings and a Queen. For times and more information visit Laurello Vineyards’ website.

The menu for this weekend includes grilled burgers, grilled chicken caprese sandwiches and the Laurello Vineyards special pizzas that include bacon, artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes.

By Kathy | Posted in Winery Events | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Beaujolais Wine Pairings for July 4th

June 29, 2011 – 8:16 am

Yesterday was the special Beaujolais twitter tasting event, Red, White, and Beaujolais: Celebrate the 4th with Refreshing Wines. Visit the Discover Beaujolais website for a replay of Cover It Live. Four different Beaujolais wines were tasted over a 1½ hours. Here on the East Coast the event started at 7:00 pm. We wanted to share the experience with others and invited two other couples to share the wine tasting.

Beaujolais wines are not as well known as other wines. Beaujolais region is located in France south of the Burgundy wine region. The primary varietal grape in Beaujolais is Gamay.

The wines were light to medium bodied and perfect for warm summer days. It was interesting to note that two of the corks were synthetic, rather a surprise from France which is often thought to be steeped in tradition. The wines paired well with salmon, barbecued hamburgers, chicken and sausage.

Our guests enjoyed all of the wines and there were only positive comments about all four wines. The favorite wine was Beaujolais-villages, Chateau Luc du Tracot 2009.

If you are interested in Beaujolais wines for July 4th or anytime, here is a list of the ones we tasted.

2010 Rosé d’ Folie, Terres Dorées, Jean-Paul Brun ($14.99)
2009 Beaujolais Blanc, Georges Duboeuf, a Chardonnay ($11.95)
2009 Beaujolais-Villages, Chateau Luc du Tracot ($11.95)
2010 Chiroubles, Damien Coquelet ($18.99)

Many thanks to John Slighte from Social Media Group who asked us to participate in this Beaujolais wine tasting.

Enjoy the 4th of July with a glass of wine!

Cheers, Kathy

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

2010 Chiroubles: Allure Trumps Sophistication

June 29, 2011 – 5:44 am

We had a barbecue last evening and paired the food with four wines from the Beaujolais wine region of France. The last wine was the 2010 Chiroubles. In a casual survey, our dinner guests preferred the Beaujolais Villages, Château Luc du Tracot, however it was interesting to note that the bottle of the Chiroubles was the first bottle emptied.
The 2010 Chiroubles was alluring. Even though our guests indicated they preferred another wine, they kept reaching for the Chiroubles made from 100% Gamay grapes. The image of a rooster on the label detracted from the sophistication associated with French wines. Yet sophistication was trumped by allure. The dark ruby color with a light rim indicated the youth of the wine. The aroma had dark fruit and spice notes. There was plum on the taste and the fruit yielded to spice on the finish. Licorice and cedar predominated the aftertaste.

This wine was paired with barbequed chicken. This was an easy pairing to remember since there is a chicken on the wine bottle’s label. The chicken was also spice, coated with Penzeys Spices Northwoods Seasoning. The Northwoods Seasoning is a blend of Hungarian sweet paprika, Tellicherry black pepper, thyme, rosemary, garlic and chipotle. The seasoning gave the chicken a nice spicy taste that matched well with the wine.

Consider wines from Beaujolais during 4th of July celebrations. They are light and pair well with barbecued foods.

Cheers,
Terry

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

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