January 5, 2009 – 2:25 pm
Do you have a few extra days to travel this month? Consider visiting an Icewine festival. Canadian Icewine must follow strict regulations including the harvesting of grapes when the temperature is below -8 degrees Celsius (17 degrees Fahrenheit). The Icewine is expensive due to the labor-intensive procedure including usually handpicking the grapes and the frozen grapes providing little juice.
A visit to Niagara where you will discover a Icewine Festival would make a delightful getaway. Be sure to visit Inniskillin where you will be greeted with an Icewine served in a glass carved of ice. Other delightful wineries are also very involved with the Icewine Festival.
At Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Icewines and late harvest wines will be available during the 11th Annual Icewine Festival, January 13-18. Enjoy icewines, dinners, seminars, a progressive tasting and skiing. Information is available online.
If you can’t get away during January, consider the Icewine festival in Nova Scotia scheduled from February 12 – 22. Complete with tastings, gourmet dinners, cooking classes and ice sculptures this festival’s plans are exciting. Check out the individual wineries for details. However, Fire & Ice Gala Event looks like a great experience.
If you prefer to travel in the US, Casa Larga will host its first Annual New York Ice Wine Festival in February. Events include “Fire & Ice,” An Evening with the NY Ice Wine Makers”, a wine seminar and a Fiori Dinner.
Enjoy your journey into the world of Icewine. If you do get a chance to visit an Icewine festival, write and let others know your experiences.
Cheers!
January 4, 2009 – 6:59 pm
With about 6,000 wineries established throughout the United States and more continuing to open, one renewable New Year’s resolution is to plan to visit different wineries each year. Decide on how often you want to visit wineries. Will it be a one-day trip or multi-day trip? However you decide to set up a schedule, there will always be new experiences for you at each winery. Perhaps you would like to visit two or three wineries in one day. In some wine country areas where wineries are close together, this is easy to do. While you may want to continue on visiting wineries, I’d suggest that to get a good feeling of a winery and its wines, to limit the number of winery visits to only two or three a day. Tasting numerous wines in one day tends to desensitize taste buds and by the fourth winery wines may not taste as good and you very likely will not enjoy a tour quite as much. A fresh start the next day will make the fourth winery a better experience. As always, drink responsibly and remember to use the dump bucket.
Cheers
January 3, 2009 – 5:43 pm
For another resolution to add to your already growing list of New Year’s resolutions, consider visiting a winery when it is having a special event. Regularly I will mention in this blog events that I become aware of that sound inviting. For instance, I just received an email from Veritas Vineyard and Winery in Virginia announcing that American Shakespeare Center will present Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors on January 17, 2009. The show will be preceded by a buffet dinner that will include a glass of wine. All proceeds will benefit American Shakespeare Center. For more information or reservations, call 540-456-8000 ext 108.
If you are interested in other events that take place at wineries or large events such as wine festivals, be sure to check out the Wine Trail Traveler calendar. The link is located on the Wine Trail Traveler homepage.
January 1, 2009 – 11:36 am
Happy New Year! One traditional New Year activity is to make resolutions. If you don’t keep a wine journal, perhaps starting one and writing in it throughout the year may be a great resolution. You write your notes about a wine in a journal and later use your notes for reference. Wine journals come in all sizes and may vary with the information about a wine that you record.
If you kept a journal in the past, now is a good time to view your notes and decide if you’d like to purchase some of the wines during 2009. If you wrote about a wine that you liked, consider trying another wine produced by the same winery. If possible, a visit to the winery may be a great vacation plan for 2009.
Wine Trail Traveler created a simple to use wine journal for 2009. The journal showcases some of the vineyards and wineries we visited during 2008. The pdf file can be downloaded to your computer and printed. Printing extra copies of the last page will give you extra journal entries. You can also punch holes in the pages and keep in a binder. We are making the 2009 Wine Trail Traveler Wine Journal available for free. Thank you for visiting our site.
Free 2009 Wine Journal
December 31, 2008 – 3:26 pm
The other night when we had guests over for a wine tasting, one of the wines did not taste “right.” Several people noticed that both the aroma and taste for a Sangiovese wine was off. Earlier this year we purchased a wine fault kit by Jean Lenoir, so we took it out and we were quickly able to identify the fault. Although the wine was still drinkable, many of us decided to go with the other wines.
The wine fault kit offers 12 tiny bottles with 12 different scents and a booklet that describes the fault and what can be the cause of the fault. We determined that the fault was number four, glue. Several conditions can result in this fault and these are described in the booklet. This particular fault can be caused by a chemical reaction (acetic acid reacting with ethyl alcohol), when wine is in contact with air for too long or lack of hygiene during winemaking. This may all be more information than the typical wine drinker wants to know but the kit is valuable in helping people know the difference between a wine with a fault and a wine that they just don’t like.
During the tasting our guests were encouraged to dump any wine they did not like. They were reluctant to do so. With the wine that was faulty, it didn’t take long for our children to demonstrate dumping of wine in a rather attractive large Aalto vase that serves at times as an ice bucket or wine dump bucket. We followed with our wines and then our guests followed suit. Everyone enjoyed the tasting and even a faulty wine added to the experience.
If you want to explore more about wine faults consider purchasing a wine fault kit.
December 30, 2008 – 2:46 pm
Last night we hosted a small wine tasting party for neighbors and friends. It was fun and everyone had a good time. We chose wines from Colorado, Ontario, New York and Virginia to taste. An array of foods included grapes, crackers, salami, cheese, nuts and dried apricots.
With a red tablecloth, brightened with an evergreen bouquet and several candles, the atmosphere was friendly and inspired conversations about many topics including wines.
Consider hosting a wine tasting party at any time of the year. It’s a great excuse to get together with friends and family.
December 29, 2008 – 2:28 pm
Yesterday our daughter mentioned a bottle of champagne she purchased to share with friends. Her comment was, “It was terrible. It was a brut and only $12 but it was bad.” Interesting comment as many people drink champagne during the holidays.
How much should you spend for a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine? I doubt there is any one price that says the champagne is good or bad. It reminds me of attending my sister’s wedding and sipping champagne as a teenager. It was terrible and at the time I wondered why anyone would celebrate with something as terrible tasting as champagne. Years later I discovered that champagne can be delicious.
Unfortunately many wineries do not offer tastings of champagne or sparkling wines. Once a bottle of champagne or sparkling wine is opened, the bubbles quickly dissipate and most wineries feel they cannot afford to open a bottle just for a tasting. It is expensive due to the labor and extensive time it takes to create any type of champagne and that adds to the cost.
When visiting wineries, if you have the opportunity to taste champagne or sparkling wines take the opportunity to taste it. You will discover that there are many good champagnes and sparkling wines. Be sure to note the ones you like in your wine journal so that you will be able to purchase them and know they will be good.
If you are purchasing champagne or sparkling wine at a wine store, notice the name of the winery and read any available comments. Both will give you a clue as to the quality of the wine and of course ask the competent staff what they would suggest within your budget.
Cheers!
December 27, 2008 – 2:04 pm
Cabernet Franc, a red wine, usually offers a spicy, peppery taste. Last night we had a Thai dinner, basically rice pasta with chicken and peanut sauce. Since we were a little low on white wines, we opted to trying a Cabernet Franc 2005 from Creekside Cellars in Evergreen, Colorado. The wine seemed to bring out spices in the main dish. The Cabernet Franc 2005 was a gold medal winner. At the dinner table, one person immediately noticed the alcohol level asking what it was. With an alcohol level of 14.5 percent, the wine offered black fruit aromas and taste with tannins. Another dinner guest said that it was the best Cabernet Franc he has tasted. Creekside Cellar wines are hands-on crafted and the emphasis is on quality wines.
Early in the fall, we had the opportunity to visit Creekside Cellars in Colorado and discovered a small hands-on winery that emphasizes food and wine. Creekside Cellars is also an Italian Café. The Italian menu is wonderful. One can spend hours enjoying the food, wine and location. While we visited, we enjoyed tasting numerous wines along with the Italian Antipasto Platter. This platter offered numerous items to pair with a variety of wines.
Evergreen, Colorado is located west of Denver and is a delightful small town with a small town atmosphere. Enjoy strolling along the main street and browsing. Plan your stop at the Italian Café with their hours in mind. They are usually open between 11am and 5pm and stop serving food at 4pm.
Creekside Cellars has won numerous awards for their wines so be sure to stop by when you are visiting Evergreen, Colorado.
Cheers!
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The Economy and the Wine Factor
As a wine consumer, how is the economy affecting your choice of wines? Recent news reports indicate that wine for less than $10 a bottle is continuing to sell at current or higher levels. However, consumers who were purchasing wines that are more than $50 a bottle had cut their purchases by about 30 percent. Those who purchase on the extreme end of the spectrum, perhaps $10,000 a bottle are continuing to purchase these ultimate wines.
I can well imagine that those suffering from the poor economy are not purchasing wine as frequently as they once were. Perhaps those who are cutting back from the pricier wines are aware of the economy and being cautious. To quote a good friend of ours, “Instead of buying a $300 bottle of wine, I’ve cut back to a $250 bottle.”
While anyone purchasing a $10,000 bottle of wine is most likely a collector and considers the wine an investment. I find it difficult to understand why someone would collect wine. However a wine collector explained it to me in this way. “It’s not about the wine as much as it is in the game – trying to get that bottle of wine for your wine cellar.” In any event, if that $10,000 bottle of wine is properly cared for it may sell for much more in years to come.
What it comes down to though is do you have to pay a significant amount of money to have a great wine? Personally, I have tasted some wonderful wines for less than $12 a bottle. Wine quality varies and price is not a guarantee of quality or that you will enjoy the wine.
I’d like to hear from you about how the economy is affecting your wine purchases.
Cheers,
Kathy