There is a lot of controversy in the wine world about whether a fruit wine (produced with fruits other than grapes) is a wine or not. The dividing line may depend on whether or not you like or appreciate fruit wines. While many fruit wines are sweet, many are also available that are not sweet. We have come across fruit wines made from apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Probably one of the more unique fruit wines we discovered was on a trip in Wisconsin where a winery produced a Maraschino cherry wine. There were light maraschino nuances throughout the tasting.
Some wineries create a fruit wine by taking a traditional grape wine and adding fruit flavoring. The aroma on these is usually very fruity and the taste is fruity. However, I prefer a fruit wine that is made with the actual fruit.
There’s always a time and a place for different wines. I enjoy a fruit wine especially on a warm, summer day relaxing under the shade of a tree. However, with dinner I enjoy having a traditional grape wine.
Cheers! Kathy
I’m always interested in wine bottles. Until recently the most amazing bottle covering was a port by Del Dotto in Napa, California. The bottle was covered in chocolate. All one needed to do was break away the chocolate while they drank the port. On a visit to Von Stiehl Winery in Algoma, Wisconsin, I discovered a bottle that had been wrapped in gauze. This was rather unusual. Dr. Stiehl started the winery in 1966. At the time, he was a country doctor in the area. According to the story, Dr. Stiehl believed that if a wine bottle were covered in gauze and then one applies plaster of Paris, the covering will protect the wine from light and heat.
So how well does this bottle covering work? Staff at Von Stiehl Winery opened a forty-year-old gauze plaster of Paris covered bottle and sampled the wine. It was not that good. However, this begs the investigation of whether winemaking techniques forty years ago were not as good as today or did the bottle covering just not work. To keep the Dr. Stiehl tradition going, the winery wraps some of the wine bottles in gauze and then applies a mixture of paste and paint. It does make for an unusual wine bottle. This bottle could make a good conversation piece and would be the perfect gift for a friend in a cast.
One of the perks of visiting wineries is the people you meet. At a recent visit to Trout Springs Winery and Vineyards in Greenleaf, Wisconsin, we met a group from the Appleton Libation Enthusiasts. This group, ALE for short, make beer. They had an afternoon outing at Trout Spring to taste the wines and tour the winery. We met up with the group on the tour. The members were all interested in wine and beer.
I asked them to explain simply the process of beer making and they were more than enthusiastic to talk about their passion. They were also knowledgeable of the winemaking process. They even had a few wines that they made with them and offered a taste of their elderberry. The wine was in a beer bottle, it’s maker confessing that he didn’t have a wine bottle corker, so he just put the wine in a beer bottle. The aroma and taste was elderberry and had some pepper on the finish. It would pair well with grilled food. What was surprising is the extremely long elderberry aftertaste. This wine’s aftertaste lasted fifteen minutes. This is a delightful group of people who enjoy both beer, wine and friends.
The ALE group has a blog. You can follow along at: aleclub.org.
Friday nights can be a great time to visit a winery. Thank God It’s Friday (TGIF) are emphasized especially in the summer months. Check out some of these events on the East and West Coasts.
Pearmund Cellars, Virginia
Relax and Thank God Its Friday – June 12 from 6-9
Ferrante Winery, Ohio
Music: Friday nights from 6:30 – 9:30pm
Thornton Winery, Temecula Valley, California
Rockin’ Fridays – Live Music– every Friday night starting June 12 from 5-9pm
With thousands of wineries in the US, you probably have a winery near you. Check out their Friday night events. As always visit their websites or call in advance for details.
Cheers! Kathy
Last night we were both too tired to cook and too tired to eat out. It had been a long, frustrating day. We’ve all had those kinds of days. We had a couple of those thick juicy hamburgers that we had purchased at Costco. I quickly washed two potatoes and used the microwave to cook them. A quick salad was tossed together and then we added a bottle of wine from our wine cellar.
The wine was produced by Stuart Cellars in Temecula, California. It was a 2004 Temecula Valley Long Valley Red, Limited Estate Reserve. This wine is a Meritage blend of five Bordeaux grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec It is unfiltered with an alcohol level of 14.1 percent.
After Terry tasted the wine, he commented, “This is the kind of wine I want to make.” We are making a barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon during October and have been searching for examples of wines similar to what we want to craft.
This red/purple opaque wine paired perfectly with the grilled hamburgers. The bouquet was of dark fruit jam with a very fruity, complex taste. The wine finished with mild tannins.
If you are wondering about the name Long Valley, according to the back label the Long Valley trail was used by settlers to cross the desert into California. I love to read the back labels of wine bottles. Numerous times one can obtain interesting information about the wine, winery, vineyard or tasting notes.
Cheers, Kathy
Mingle Easy party plates are available online. Two styles of plates are offered, both of which have a “universal” glass holder. One plate has three compartments and is perfect for those messy foods like baked beans, coleslaw or potato salad. The other plate has one compartment.
Pros: These black plates are lightweight but sturdy. They are even dishwasher safe. Mingle Easy plates make it easy to keep one hand free while the plate holds both the food and the glass. The “universal” glass holder can hold a wine glass, cocktail glass or soda can. The plates, made of polystyrene, are 100 percent biodegradable and produced in the United States. For a party plate that can be reused, the prices seem to be reasonable.
Cons: Currently the only color available is black.
You may want to consider purchasing Mingle Easy plates for a 4th of July picnic or outdoor gathering and then use all summer. These plates are also suitable for indoor gatherings. For more information, visit the Mingle Easy website.
Disclosure: I received a request from Jim Vernes of Mingle Easy to write about Mingle Easy “party plates.” I agreed to blog about the plates if I had a sample. Within a few days, I received two plates that this review is based on.
Cheers! Kathy
So, just what is a fruit wine? While wines produced with wine grapes technically are fruit wines for the everyday wine lover, when the words “fruit wine” are used, we usually think of peach, strawberry, blueberry, and cherry wines.
While some wine enthusiasts don’t want to consider these “fruit wines” as wines, I enjoy them especially the ones where fresh fruit aromas and tastes are noticeable. Fruit wines have the same alcohol levels as traditional table wines.
Not all “fruit wines” are equal. Some winemakers produce “fruit wines” by taking grape wine and adding fruit flavoring to the wine. The taste of these can result in a very tasty wine. However, many winemakers prefer using 100 percent fruit to make a delicious “fruit wine.” When you taste “fruit wines” ask how the wine was made.
Fruit wines can make a wonderful summer drink. Enjoy tasting “fruit wines” this summer!
Cheers! Kathy
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Wisconsin: A Tempting Place to Live
During our visit to Wisconsin wineries in June, we had incredible weather. Since this was our first visit to Wisconsin we were unsure as to what clothes to wear – would it be cold, cool or warm? We arrived on the first day with sweaters and a coat. It was not exactly the best choice; the weather was warm and comfortable with no humidity to speak of. As our visit progressed, the days continued both sunny and warm. We mentioned what a nice place to live to several winemakers and their immediate response was to talk about the cold winters in Wisconsin. At a winery near Madison, we learned that they had experienced five straight days of -30 degrees last winter. Another one said that people run from one warm building to another during the harsh winters.
So what kind of grapes can grow in Wisconsin? Depending on the area cool weather grapes and cold weather grapes can do well. For the most part vinifera grapes perform poorly and many winemakers prefer to source vinifera grapes from outside the state.
If you can tolerate and enjoy cold weather, Wisconsin has some beautiful farmland. You may want to consider a move to Wisconsin and plant a few grapevines in your yard.
Cheers! Kathy