Haiti’s earthquake was in January. Since then there was a major earthquake in Chile and many other smaller weather and climate issues throughout the world. Somehow it seems that the earthquake in Haiti was long ago and not foremost in the news any longer. Hands for Haiti  Now has been created and features master celebrity chefs dinners.

Hands for Haiti Now reminds us that Haitians are still in need. Just imagine if your city or town was destroyed in a few minutes how long it would take to rebuild it and make sure that people had ample food, shelter, clothing and medical supplies.

Next weekend, on March 20, 2010 South Coast Winery Resort & Spa will be hosting the first in a series of major dinner events prepared by five chefs. This five-course meal will be paired with five South Coast wines.  The cost is $125 per person. For more information about this South Coast Winery dinner, visit their website. To discover more of these special dinners to be held throughout the country to benefit Haiti, visit the Hands for Haiti Now website.

Kudos to Hands for Haiti Now!

Cheers! Kathy

St. Patrick’s Day will be here soon and it’s never too early to start celebrating. We came across a recipe for Leprechaun Punch at Kreutz Creek Vineyards in Pennsylvania while we were visiting. The winery is located in the Philadelphia countryside.

The ingredients for Kreutz Creek Vineyards Leprechaun Punch include Vidal Blanc, sparkling water-lime, melon liquor, ground ginger, lime slices and green food coloring. This easy recipe is on the Wine Trail Traveler website.  Give it a try and this may be a recipe to remember and use every St. Patrick’s Day!

Cheers! Kathy

Barrels have been produced for thousands of years. The process is basically unchanged in those millennia. For years, as the children were growing up, we would observe the coopers at Colonial Williamsburg craft barrels. Similar observations were made at the Seguin Moreau Cooperage in Napa. In early America barrels were made in different sizes and used for shipping materials. Later as the Bourbon industry took flight, a barrel industry was created in Kentucky. Bourbon barrels are toasted differently than wine barrels. Some of the first barrels made in the United States for wine didn’t resemble the craft in France for making wine barrels. It was of interest to talk with companies that make wine barrels during the 2010 Wineries Unlimited Trade Show in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Many wine barrels are made the way the French make wine barrels. Today, sourcing the wood is important. Barrels are made from growers who have a tradition of growing trees for barrel making. The industry now regularly checks for tainted barrels. TCA, which causes a wine to be corked, can also reside in barrels. The industry has improved their inspection of not only the barrels, but also the plastic covering that is used when shipping a barrel. Even facilities that make barrels are tested for TCA.

Many barrels now have a bar code on them that provides information about the barrel. Today, there is more accountability for making the barrel and if there is a problem, it can be traced. Barrels have a higher quality today than in the past. With this better quality, there is also a higher price.

Although wine barrels are mostly made from oak, acacia barrels are beginning to be popular. Virginia wineries are beginning to use acacia barrels for their Viognier and Petit Manseng. Acacia barrels have also been used in Austria.

The barrel making process is an old craft. Even though the process is similar and unchanged, the industry is producing a better product today.

Last night we enjoyed a Spanish wine while visiting family in Boston.  This wine was produced in Rueda, a region of Spain, using  60% Verdejo and  40% Viura (also called Macabeo) grapes. This wine is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc. Inspiracion Pampano, with 12 percent alcohol, was a crystal yellow color. The aroma was a striking citrus reminding one of fresh cut grapefruit. The taste was of citrus fruits especially lemon and grapefruit. The wine was dry and finished crisp and citrusy.

The wine paired well with the risotto and shrimp dish and a green salad. It reminded us of a Sauvignon Blanc.

The Rueda region of Spain is located northwest of Madrid in Castile and Leon. The region is home to both red and white varieties. Reds include Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Garnacha. White varieties include Verdejo, Viura, Sauvignon Blanc and Palomino Fino.

Enjoy exploring wines from the Rueda region!

Cheers! Kathy

Wine is a romantic drink. The romance of wine often extends to the bottle and its closure. Some believe that a romantic evening begins with the sound of the cork popping out of the bottle. Are all wine bottle closures equally quixotic?

We met a couple that certainly had different ideas of what indicated romance concerning wine bottles closures. Although the male was happy with a wine with a screw cap, the female refused to touch a wine that didn’t have the cork “pop” sound when opened. He continued to purchase wines with screw caps and simply opened them and then put in a cork so she could hear him removing it. Perhaps it’s the sound that conveys romance.

If sound is the important factor, then screw caps are less romantic than bottles with corks. But corks have their challenges. The first of which is removing the cork from the bottle. It isn’t very romantic to see someone struggling to remove the cork. A humorous commercial by Zork USA shows a man struggling to remove a cork. The force applied caused his arm to move backward making contact with his female companion and knocking her out. Romance for that evening was lost.

On rare occasions a bottle of wine with a cork closure will be corked. Depending on how badly the wine is corked, will dictate how much romance is lost due to the wine. A heavily corked wine can quickly ruin a romantic moment. It is important to note that the cork industry has made advances in cork closures over the past four years. A corked wine is more rare than it use to be.

Zork makes a plastic closure that is easy to remove by hand and has the accompanying “pop” sound. The sales of these closures are increasing.  Whether this closure will be considered romantic has yet to be seen.  From a distance, the closure looks like wax. Add some candlelight and listen for the “pop” sound.

Besides the wine, what makes a romantic evening has many variables. Perhaps it is a sound of opening a wine bottle. However I believe the wine will trump the sound or what closure is used.

Yesterday while attending the trade show at Wineries Unlimited, I kept running into numerous people and after saying I was from Maryland, added “the state where democracy isn’t happening … direct wine shipping issue.” Many of these winery enthusiasts nodded their condolences or shook their head in disbelief. I met two great people from New York who began lamenting their concerns over New York States wine laws. At some point in the conversation I mentioned that in Maryland even wineries cannot ship to consumers, and these New Yorkers were shocked! How is it that a legal product cannot be shipped directly to consumers? It defies logic and common sense.

It seems that many Maryland legislators are accepting money from the liquor lobbyists who do not support direct shipping in Maryland. It is time for the voters of Maryland to stand up for what is right and fair. Perhaps boycott businesses by not purchasing wine at any establishment, including restaurants, in a district that has a legislator who does not support direct wine shipping.

What suggestions do you have for changing the direct  wine shipping laws in Maryland?

Cheers! Kathy

There is great news for Virginia wine lovers and anyone wanting to explore Virginia wines. In April the DrinkLocalWine organization is sponsoring the 2^nd Drink Local Wine Conference. This year, the conference will be held in Loudoun County, Virginia from April 24-26.

This conference is open to the public so be sure to make plans to attend and discover what all the excitement is about. Events to be included in the conference are panel discussions as well as the Twitter Taste-Off of Virginia wines.

We had the opportunity in 2009 to participate in the 1^st DrinkLocalWine.com Conference held in Texas. It was a delightful experience for any wine enthusiast. So be sure to consider attending this year’s DrinkLocalWine.com conference. For more information, visit the DrinkLocalWine.com website at http://www.drinklocalwine.com.

While visiting Virginia, schedule a few extra days and visit some of the local wineries. For suggestions, you may want to use one of the Itineraries suggested on the Wine Trail Traveler website. If you want to limit the amount of driving, consider http://winetrailtraveler.com/itineraries/i66va.php. This itinerary includes wineries such as Pearmund Cellars and The Winery at La Grange.

Come to the east coast and enjoy springtime in Virginia.

Cheers!

Kathy

Another year and another defeat for direct shipping in Maryland can certainly depress the 20,000 people who make up Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws. However, there are things that can be done next. Build on the success of growing the non-profit group from 1,500 to 20,000. Aim for a six digit membership. Our state elected officials really can’t seem to help themselves fall victim to misinformation provided by lobbiests. Therefore continue to educate them and if possible, vote them out of office.

Voting politicians out of office may not have a desired result, since they will simply be replaced by other politicians. Therefore consider influencing the liquor wholesalers in the state. You might want to consider boycotting wine shops until a direct shipping bill is passed. Of course this can cause hardship but there are ways around not buying wine locally. Most Maryland residents are within an hour’s drive of a winery. Consider making a day trip to local wineries and stocking up on the wines you like.

Another option is to make your own wine. If you start with a wine kit, you will learn the basic process and end up with about 2 ½ cases of wine. By law, you are permitted to make 100 gallons of wine. You and your spouse can make 200 gallons of wine a year that is about 85 cases of wine. That’s a lot of wine. This is tax free so the state or the federal government will not collect tax on this wine. Do keep in mind that you get what you pay for when it comes to wine kits. The more expensive kits will make a product that you may enjoy better.

If you would like to make a premium wine and don’t have the equipment at home, you won’t have to travel far. There are several winemaking facilities in Maryland, where you can go to make a barrel or tank of wine. Residents in Howard, Montgomery and Carroll counties may wish to make wine at Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Clarksville, Maryland. Winemaker Dave Zuchero will guide you through the basic steps using grapes purchased from several locations including Stagecoach Vineyards in Napa. You will end up with 21 to 23 cases of quality wine that you can actually serve to friends.

You can make a difference. Take action, whether it is educating politicians or making your own tax free premium wines, get involved rather than getting depressed. Remember more thn 30 other states allow direct wine shipping – don’t let Maryland be the last to learn about the direct wine shipping benefits, including more money for the state government.

Last night we participated in an early St. Patrick’s Day dinner that will benefit children in Tanzania. Tickets for dinner included Irish stew, salad, ½ corn beef sandwich and dessert. The event began at 6pm with numerous snacks including spicy mixed nibbles, animal crackers and pretzels. All of this for a twenty dollar ticket. Beer and wine were available for a small fee. The wines chosen to be served were boxed wines. I had a light, sweet wine that was okay but not memorable. However this was for a worthy cause and so I didn’t mind. A local band provided live Irish music and there was a performance of Irish music. It was a delightful time for everyone and all for a good cause – The Tanzanian Children’s Project.

The Tanzanian Children’s Project seeks to build a medical clinic that will provide health care to those living in Mahida, Tanzania. More information about the Tanzanian Children’s Project is available at the website: www.TanzaniaKids.org.

If you are looking for a way to help others in need, consider a fundraiser at a winery. Wineries are great places to hold fundraisers. Participants can have a delightful time and also help others in need.

Cheers! Kathy

Last night we participated in the Twitter Sauvignon Blanc tasting. We invited friends to join us in tasting five different Sauvignon Blancs and provided three appetizers. The wines included two from Napa Valley, one from New Zealand, one was from France and one from Temecula Valley in California with grapes from Washington.

Conversation was great and varied from wine related comments to any other topic anyone wanted to discuss.

The final wine of the evening was Sweet Surrender, a Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Keyways Winery in Temecula California. This is a deliciously sweet wine but not syrupy. The honey tones with summer fruit nuances of the wine was excellent with the paired appetizer – baked brie topped with honey and walnuts. Keyways Winery is a delightful winery to visit. The winery offers frequent events especially on the weekends.

Cheers! Kathy