Virginia wineries have an abundance of activities for July 4th. Be sure to check out your favorite wineries and see what they have to offer visitors this weekend. Or looking for something new? Visit one of the many new wineries that have recently opened.
If you want wine, beer and music consider attending the Floyd Fandango Beer and Wine Festival. Located near Floyd, Virginia the site is off the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Blue Cow Pavilion. This event covers two days – July 4 and July 5.
Enjoy strolling between 12 breweries and 14 Virginia wineries as you listen to music from a variety of 9 different music events.
Cheers! Kathy
Willamette Valley wineries are celebrating July 4th with Red White and True Oregon wines. A large number of wineries will have special events or activities for visitors from July 3 to July 5. Experience games, picnics or BBQs depending on the wineries you choose to visit.
We had the opportunity to visit several wineries in Willamette Valley and discovered quality wines and friendly tasting rooms. Some of the wineries we visited included Cooper Mountain Vineyards, Duck Pond Cellars, Erath Winery, The Four Graces, Kramer Vineyards, Montinore Estate, Ponzi Vineyards and Sokol Blosser Winery. To find out more about these wineries go to Wine Trail Traveler Oregon articles. There are many other wineries in Willamette Valley that you may want to experience. Remember to ask about the special Riedel stemware made specifically for Oregon Pinot Noir wines.
Not only will you benefit from visiting these participating wineries but so will the Ecotrust’s Farm to School Initiative. On the website page announcing this celebration of July 4th a comment proclaims patriotism. “Be patriotic – support locally crafted wines AND healthy food & kids in local schools.”
Enjoy your vacation in Willamette Valley, Oregon.
Cheers! Kathy
Last night we had our first of the summer season pizza on the grill. It’s easy to make, light and it has that fresh garden flavor that is missing from frozen pizza or pizza made with canned pizza sauce. Last night our pizza was topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil straight from the garden and diced fresh tomatoes.
While there are a number of red wines that would pair well with this seasonal pizza, we chose to have a Petite Syrah produced by Keyways Vineyard & Winery in Temecula Valley, California. This wine, Spellbound, offered a very fruit forward aroma of dark berries especially blackberries. The taste was smooth and the finish offered intense fruit flavor.
This wine is part of the Famina Vita series. The series was developed to celebrate women’s lives and support women. Other wines in the series include First Crush (Rosé of Syrah), Contentment (Rhone blend) and Sweet Surrender (late harvest Sauvignon Blanc.) The artistic labels are based on artwork by artist Jessel Miller. To see the original artwork, visit the Keyways tasting room.
To find out more about Keyways, read the article on Wine Trail Traveler.
Cheers, Kathy
“It takes a lot of beer to make a good wine.” This frequently heard comment is from several winemakers who believe that a good beer can be as satisfying as a good wine. Even if you don’t care for a beer, try a beer tasting.
This weekend there are a couple of beer festivals in Colorado. Now I know that Colorado wineries produce some wonderful wines so perhaps Colorado breweries offer some great beers. Check out these two Colorado festivals: Rails and Ales Brewfest, June 27, 2009, Alamosa, CO and Colorado Brewfest, June 27-28, 2009, Oldtown Fort Collins, Colorado.
While in Wisconsin earlier this month, we toured and tasted beer at Sprecher Milwaukee’s Original Microbrewery. Normally I do not care for beer but at Sprecher there were a couple of beers that I actually enjoyed tasting. Terry enjoyed several other beer tastings after our tour.
No matter where you live consider participating in a beer tasting. Beers do vary in aromas and flavors as wines do. Enjoy the experience.
Have a great weekend!
Cheers! Kathy
You may want to consider visiting wineries in the Finger Lakes area of New York State. It’s almost the end of June. Have you made your summer vacation plans yet? The region has a lot to offer. A couple of days ago Terry wrote an article about wineries in this popular vacation area of New York. The article has been reviewed by numerous online visitors. In case you are interested in visiting the Finger Lakes region of New York State, you may want to read this article online.
More information and photos about New York wineries is available on the Wine Trail Traveler website.
Hope you are enjoying your summer!
Cheers! Kathy
Sunset Splash was a demi (half-size) bottle of wine we had in our cellar. We decided to open it Friday afternoon and discovered how delightful it was. The color was a pale straw color. It was perfect for a warm, summer day. Door County Sunset Splash was a semi-sweet wine with 11.5 percent alcohol. The wine was delightfully refreshing and offered a pronounced fruity aroma. The taste was of pineapple, mango and banana with a finish that lingered.
Door Peninsula Winery in Wisconsin produces the wine. Sunset Splash has won several awards in competitions including at the 2009 International Eastern Wine Competition (Silver) and the 2009 Florida State Fair International Wine and Grape Juice Competition (Silver).
If you have the opportunity, give Sunset Splash from Door Peninsula Winery a taste.
Cheers! Kathy
Door County, Wisconsin has trolley tours, and one of these tours is a Premier Wine Tour. Since we were on a schedule we were not able to take part in the trolley ride but it looked like a great idea to us. We saw the trolleys at two of our winery stop Simon Creek Vineyard and Winery and Door Peninsula Winery. The bright red and yellow trolleys gleam in the sunshine. The Premier Wine Tour travels to four Door County wineries and includes a gourmet lunch. Tour tickets can be purchased at Orchard Country Winery. The tours for this summer have started and will end October 24, 2009.
This is a great concept for wineries to consider doing especially those that are located farther apart. Just relax, enjoy the scenery and leave the traveling to the trolley.
Cheers! Kathy
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Would You Buy Wine from an Internet Site?
Decanter.com reported yesterday that Vinexpo CEO, Robert Beynat stated, “the Internet is not the right medium for the sale of wines and spirits.” I do much of my shopping on the Internet so I found this comment interesting. It brought back memories of something stupid I once said about a Commodore 64. I said that my Commodore 64 would be the only computer that I would ever need. At the time I was quite impressed. It had a color monitor and took cartridges. What more could someone want from a computer?
That was back in the days that Telnet was just beginning and I wasn’t much of a visionary. Twelve computers later I’ve learned that the future is just around the corner and when it comes to computers a generation is measured in months not years. The Internet has also evolved and buying wine is just as practical as traveling to the local wine shop (assuming the state where you live allows consumers to buy wine and have it shipped to one’s home).
Perhaps Beynat’s comment also lacks vision. Wineries need to decide if they want to use the Internet as a medium for wine sales. This thought also reminds me of a statement from the past. A principal that I worked for once said that we had a choice. We could be in front of change and lead, or be behind change and get pulled along.
What do you think? Would you buy wine from an Internet site?