I am always looking for recipes with wine as an ingredient. As part of the search, I contacted Chumeia Vineyards in Paso Robles, California and discovered more than recipes and wine. Their website has many recipes on it. Most of the recipes are for pairing with their wines. You may want to check out their website for some scrumptious recipes.
As I was browsing the Chumeia Vineyards website, I also came across an event for for wineries in their area. On April 25, Chumeia Vineyards will be joining 30 other wineries to support the Woods Humane Society. The event is the 1st Annual Wine 4 Paws. When visitors to Chumeia Vineyards purchase a bottle of selected Chumeia wine, one dollar will be donated to the Woods Humane Society. If you choose to sign up for a Whiskers & Paws Wine Club membership, the winery will donate $10. Be sure to check out the other participating wineries.
When I contacted Chumeia Vineyards about Wine 4 Paws, I discovered that Chumeia has an event every September for supporting their animal friends. This September will be the 3rd Annual Cause For The Paws. The event includes food, wine, mobile dog adoptions and more. This event also benefits the Woods Humane Society. The event is scheduled for the September 12.
Many wineries support worthy causes. If you know of any that others would enjoy discovering, please email me.
Cheers, Kathy
PS: In the event of changes, always check with a winery about their events before you make your plans.
Spring wine events are in the air. With Virginia having a fast growing increase of vineyards and winery, there is cause for celebration. If you are looking for a fun activity this weekend, check out some of these Virginia events. The Monticello Area Wine Festival will be held April 18 and 19 from 11am to 5pm, rain or shine. The festival will feature ten of Shenandoah’s wineries. These include Burnley, Horton, Stone Mountain, Gabriel Rausse, Kluge, Hartwood, Rockbridge and Starr Hill Brewery. While tasting wines, enjoy visiting arts, crafts and food vendors. The Monticello Area Wine Festival will be in Ruckersville, Virginia. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate.
Habitat for Humanity Wine Festival at Fauquier Fairgrounds will help to benefit the Fauquier Habitat for Humanity. Date: April 18 Time: 12Noon
The 9th Annual Virginia Fly Fishing Festival will be April 18 and 19 from 9 til 5. In additional several wineries will be attending. Location: Waynesboro, Virginia
For more information about these and other Virginia wine events check out the Virginia Wine website. Look for similar events in your state and enjoy the opportunity to taste wines and meet new friends.
Cheers, Kathy
The other day we opened a bottle of Riesling that was full of aroma and flavor. Maurice Carrie Winery in Temecula Valley, California produces a 2008 Riesling that is delightfully aromatic and with a taste to match. The summer fruit nuances reminded me of peaches and pears.
With an aroma of floral and fruit nuances and 10.5 percent alcohol, this semi-sweet wine is well balanced. This is a perfect white wine to enjoy with dinner or perhaps after dinner. On the other hand, imagine yourself on a summer day under the shade of a tree enjoying a glass of this fully aromatic and delicious wine.
If you have the opportunity to visit Maurice Carrie Winery, be sure to stop in for a tasting. The winery is a fun filled place to enjoy. Also, ask about the special Brie bread they bake.
Cheers, Kathy
April 13, 2009 – 11:17 am
Norton is the Missouri state grape. The Hermann Norton Wine Trail in Missouri will be featuring the Norton grape May 2 and 3. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information, visit the Hermann Norton Wine Trail website.
People either love the Norton grape or believe that it shouldn’t be a wine. Sometimes tasters refer to it as bubblegum but if you like the Norton taste, then there is no doubt that for you it produces one of the best wines in the world.
We first came across the Norton grape when we visited Horton Winery in Virginia. The Norton grape has a long history. It is believed to be a native American grape but there is some dispute as to its parentage. We soon discovered that the Norton grape had been prolific in Virginia during the late 18th century. Settlers traveling to Missouri brought the Norton grapes with them and thus began the start of Norton grapes in the Midwest. During Prohibition, many of the Norton grapes in Virginia were pulled out and replanted with grapes for producing juice. Today the Norton grape is flourishing in Missouri and becoming established in Virginia again.
If you have the opportunity to taste a wine produced from Norton grapes, consider doing so. It’s fun to taste different wines to determine what you like. Enjoy a visit to a winery that produces Norton wine.
Cheers, Kathy
Just imagine going to the Smithsonian National Park for this event: Grapes with the Apes! On April 16 from 6 to 9 pm., ticket holders will have the opportunity to support the Zoo and taste wines. General admission tickets are still available.
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park website says, “Sample wines from a variety of wineries, listen to live music, and enjoy an exclusive opportunity to greet the baby gorilla in the Zoo’s Great Ape House.”
Tickets include wine sampling, a commemorative glass, live music and a visit to the Great Ape House. More than 15 wineries will be participating including several from Virginia.
All participants must be at least 21. For more information and ticket information go to the zoo’s website.
Enjoy! Cheers, Kathy
While not many wines are corked, occasionally we come across one that has that odor of old damp cardboard lurking in some dark crawl space. Yuck! There are different levels of the cork taint. Some wines at the beginning stages of cork taint are so negligible that many consumers may not notice it or more unfortunately taste it and think that wine tastes bad and won’t return to that wine again. At other times, the odor can be so horrendous that it can be smelled from several feet away.
I suspect that when a wine drinker realizes that the wine is corked, they dump their glass of wine or the whole bottle done the drain. But what if it’s your last bottle or an expensive bottle or a bottle with memories attached to it?
A somewhat simple and inexpensive method may help to make the wine drinkable. The suggestion is to add polyethylene plastic wrap to the wine and swirl it. Does it work? The consensus is that the plastic wrap absorbs the TCA molecules
In The Cellarist blog this week, Testing a Fix for Corked Wine, Jon Bonné sets out to determine if the fix for corked wine works. While it is not a scientific study, he does take your through the steps of trying to save a corked wine. As to the results he comments, “No TCA to speak of. If anything, it reminded me a bit of wines with absolute borderline corkiness, where the taint isn’t detectable except in a certain flatness that’s revealed when you uncork a second bottle. Certainly drinkable, though in a diminished way.”
The next time I have a corked wine, this is a trick I am going to try. At the least, it will be an interesting science experiment and at best, I’ll save a bottle of wine.
Cheers! Kathy
The easy to drink Zinfandel explodes with ripe juicy blackberry flavor. The red translucent color is a bit deceiving because this wine packs a punch that you may not notice. It has a delightful aroma of blackberries and spices. The velvet mouth feel gives way to a very fruity taste. The finish is crisp and fruity. There is no heat from alcohol on the finish, surprising for a wine that 16.5 percent alcohol. This is so easy to drink you may not notice the alcohol levels until after you finished the bottle.
We decided to pair the wine with a beef stew that had been slow cooking on a wood burning stove for most of the day. The stew lessened the fruit flavor a bit, although the Zinfandel was still fruity. It also matched well with the perceived sweetness of the wine.
Balistreri Winery is in Denver, less than a half hour drive from Denver International Airport. It is well worth a visit.
Wine Trail Traveler article
For more information
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To some, cleaning up decades of saved items in an old house is a chore that many would rather put off. To others, it can be a step back in history. Some may find excitement in a treasure or what they believe may be a treasure. Last week we were in a situation of going through decades of items. One dust covered bottle caught our attention. After cleaning we discovered a half gallon wine bottle. What was unique was the embossed decorations on the bottle. Grapes and grapes leaves provided a tactile feel. The center of the bottle featured an embossed eagle and coat of arms. The words said Garrett’s American Wines.
Your Own Barrel of Wine at Vint Hill Craft Winery
Discover the fun, enjoy the satisfaction and learn winemaking at Vint Hill Craft Winery.
Vint Hill Craft Winery offers the opportunity for wine lovers to craft their very own barrel of wine. Vint Hill Craft Winery is the creation of Chris Pearmund, owner and executive winemaker of Pearmund Cellars and business executive Ray Summerell.
Here on the East Coast, wine enthusiasts will have the opportunity to produce their own barrel of wine. The location is particularly beneficial to those who live in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Virginia. The closer you live to Vint Hill Craft Winery, the more you will be able to participate in producing your own barrel of wine.
The first production will take place with the 2009 harvest. Participants will have the opportunity to choose what grapes they will use, where they will be sourced from, aging in American, Hungarian or French oak and much more. Members will be able to participate as much or as little as they like. There will be an emphasis on learning the process of winemaking.
People are already signing up for this opportunity. Space is limited to 150 barrels; so don’t wait until harvest to make your decision. For more information, visit the Vint Hill Craft Winery website.
Cheers, Kathy