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Kentucky: More Than Bourbon

Monday, April 28th, 2008 | Kentucky, Wine Events, Wine News | 1 Comment

I will be the first to admit that bourbon and horse racing are the first two think that spring to mind when someone says “Kentucky.” But did you know that the state has 47 wineries? The wine industry is being revived in the Bluegrass State. Prohibition nearly destroyed it but people are working hard to build it back up.

In a press release, Agriculture Commissioner and Kentucky State Fair Board Member Richie Farmer said, “The growth of our wine industry is generating economic activity in our rural communities. It’s also creating demand for grapes, which helps Kentucky farmers. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council are working together to expand the industry and make the Commonwealth a producer of great wine.”

To draw attention to their home-grown grapes, this year there will be a commercial wine competition at the Kentucky State Fair. The competition will have 50 categories, and the competing wines must be made from at least 75% Kentucky-grown grapes (or other fruit grown in the state). The competition will be judged on Aug. 10, and each entry will be showcased during the Kentucky State Fair, which runs Aug. 14-24. For more information, visit www.kystatefair.org Entry forms will be available beginning May 12.

Wine Bags and Totes by Wine Diva Designs

Friday, April 25th, 2008 | Wine Gifts | 4 Comments

One of the many things I love about the Internet is how you get to meet really cool people that you might not have otherwise. Such is the case with me and my friend Linda Blakely. Some time ago we “met” on the photo-sharing Website, Flickr. Honestly I’m not positive how I even came upon her photos (I think we might have had a shared contact, but I’m not sure). At any rate, I loved Linda’s wine photography and learned that at the time she and her husband owned a small wine shop (Southside Cellars) in Jacksonville, Florida. Instant connection!

Linda took a very popular series of photos entitled “Fun With Corks,” in which she recreated popular scenes (and sometimes landmarks) with corks. Her clever ideas and amazing photography skills won over many people.

Unfortunately, last year Linda and her husband had to make the difficult decision to close Southside Cellars. Their small mom-and-pop wine shop was yet another casualty of big box wine stores. One of these large liquor stores opened  near their shop and cut into their business. (So please people, support your local merchants!). After the shop closed, Linda decided that she needed a creative outlet. And so she started up Wine Diva Designs. I asked her how she decided to start making these great bags. She said:

“I’ve always loved sewing/quilting, photography, wine and humor. I wanted to do something that would incorporate all those elements, and the wine gift bags featuring my “Fun With Corks” photo series seemed to fill the void.

I started printing the photos first with iron-on transfers, but I didn’t like the way the photo felt. It was too stiff and didn’t really transfer all that well. I found this specially treated fabric online (gotta love the Internet!) and switched to using that. After I had a whole group of wine gift bag samples, I wanted something to carry them to vendors and to shows, so I made a tote bag. Then I figured I could incorporate my photos into those as well.”

Yes, add sewing and quilting skills to her list of talents. Linda sent me two sample bags: a tote bag and a wine bag. First I’ll talk about the tote.

This is a really generously-sized tote bag. It measures approximately 18″W x 16″H and the body is made of cream-colored denim. The straps are cotton osnaburg. The photos are printed onto cotton poplin and sewn onto fabric. I examined the photo area of the bag very closely and it was very securely attached. I can’t imagine that the photo area of the bag would separate from the body with normal use. I plan on using this as my “Farmer’s Market” bag this season because it will hold quite a bit and it is very sturdy. The tote bags retail for $50.00 (free shipping within the continental United States) and you can choose the photo you’d like on the bag. Unless she has one in stock, the bags are made to order and are shipped within 2-3 days of completion.

 The wine gift bag she sent me was really cute. I have seen all manners of wine bags (including one or two I have knit myself), and this bag is among the nicest that have come my way. Just as with the tote bags, the photos are printed onto cotton poplin.

Quilting fabrics made of 100 percent cotton are pieced around photo and the bag is lined with cotton muslin. The bottom is 100 percent cotton batting sandwiched between muslin to make it sturdy. The seams are finished using a serger to keep them from raveling and the bag is colorfast.

I think it would be a lovely hostess gift (with a carefully chosen bottle of wine inside, of course!). The wine bags retail for $25.00 (free shipping within the continental U.S.). As with the totes, you can choose the photo you want on the bag and unless she has one in stock, the wine bags are made to order and shipped 2-3 days after completion.

Mother’s Day is just a few weeks away and either of these would make a unique way to present your mom with her favorite bottle of wine. For more information, please visit Wine Diva Designs online: www.winedivadesigns.com.

When Hobbies Collide, Part II

Monday, April 21st, 2008 | Wine Blogs | 4 Comments

I finally finished my little knit version of Budo-Kun! I will be sending him out to Jill of domaine547 this week. Unfortunately, my circular knitting skills are not the greatest and I got a little sloppy on the decreases up at the top (and I also forgot to embroider the area where the cork starts, argh), but for a gag gift, I am pretty happy with it considering I don’t make these whimsies all too often.

Flayvors of Washington Recipe Contest

Friday, April 11th, 2008 | Food & Wine Pairing, Wine News | No Comments

Last May, celebrity chef Bobby Flay entered into a partnership with Columbia Crest wines to promote their brand and show how people can enjoy food and wine together everyday. I think that it’s important for people to understand that wine really can be an everyday enjoyment, so I’m excited about a contest that Columbia Crest is sponsoring. “The Flayvors of Washington” recipe contest will be hosted on the Food Network site and challenges you to take inspiration from Washington State’s fresh ingredients and Columbia Crest wines and create an original recipe. The contest will begin on April 15, 2008, and all entries must be received by midnight on May 31, 2008.  To submit an entry or find out more about the “Flayvors of Washington” contest, please visit www.foodnetwork.com/columbiacrest beginning April 15 (note that the contest portion of the Food Network’s Web site does not seem to be live yet — check back when the contest officially begins).

The entries will be reviewed and the top ten recipes will be narrowed to a selection of five finalists by Columbia Crest Winemaker Ray Einberger and Seattle Times restaurant critic and local NPR food commentator Nancy Leson. Flay and Food Network Executive Chef Robert Bleifer will then judge the top-five recipes and select a first-, second- and third-place winner.

The grand prize winner will enjoy a trip to New York City, and get to cook the winning dish with ”Boy Meets Grill” himself at one of his restaurants. (Sorry Canadians, this contest is only open to residents of the United States.)

Cascade Mountain Vineyards NV Coeur de Lion

Thursday, April 10th, 2008 | Hudson Valley, New York, Red Wine | 1 Comment

As I mentioned before, April is New York wine month. (It’s also Michigan wine month, apparently, but I’ve never seen a Michigan wine around here.) I have a line-up of wines from most of New York’s wine-growing regions and I thought I’d start with the Hudson Valley, since this is where I live. Believe it or not, even within New York it’s not easy to find wines produced here. Last week I decided to stop by Astor Square Wine & Liquor in Rhinebeck. It had been a long time since I’d last shopped there and I was curious what they’d have for local wines. Their New York section was rather small. They had a few wines from Bully Hill, a few wines from Cascade Mountain Vineyards, and I think they had something from Alison, too.

I quickly decided on a bottle of Coeur de Lion  from Cascade Mountain ($13.99). Drew and I visited Cascade Mountain Vineyards in Amenia, NY a few years ago and tasted many of their wines, including this one. I wasn’t keeping tasting notes at the time, so I looked forward to revisited the wine. It is a light-bodied red, often described as a “country wine.” The grapes are not listed on the label, but the wine is a blend of Marechal Foch and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In the glass, the wine was a lovely shade of burgundy. When I smelled the wine, the first thing that came to mind was banana, followed by dark fruit, and lots of oak. I found the wine to be incredibly dry. It sucked the moisture off your tongue. Personally, I thought it was a bit too dry for such a light-bodied wine. There is a great deal of oak on this wine, but I was able to discern some tart berry flavors. The wine did open up a bit when I tried it again a few hours later and it had softened. Still, I wasn’t crazy about it. I might have liked it better if I’d paid under $10 for it, but that is my frugal nature rearing its head. Drew liked it slightly more than I did and thought it might appeal to people who enjoy wines from Burgundy.

I’m starting to realize that no matter what region, I tend to enjoy New York white wines and dessert wines more than the reds produced here. That’s not to say that New York doesn’t produce decent red wines; I’m realizing that they just don’t suit my tastes. And in the end it does come down to personal preferance. No wine is everything to all people, you know? Next time I’ll pick up a bottle of Summertide ($11.99), which is a semi-dry white made with Seyval and Vidal grapes and see I enjoy that a little bit more.

Tool Wine Bottle Signing April 9

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 | Arizona, Celebrities & Wine | No Comments

 Any Tool fans out there who happen to live in Chandler, Arizona want to head over to Whole Foods Market after work tomorrow night. Maynard James Keenan and his partner Eric Glomski will sign bottles of their Caduceus, Merkin, and Arizona Stronghold lines at the store’s wine bar between 4 and 9 p.m. There will also be a signing in the Scottsdale store on April 10. From Blabbermouth.net:

Keenan told The Pulse of Radio that he would rather spend time with wine enthusiasts than rock fans. “Generally speaking, the people that are into wine are generally adults and respect people’s space, and it’s not about the person really who made it, it’s about the wine,” he said. “So there’s definitely a calmer admiration that goes on in those circles.”

A rock star with a poet’s winemaker’s soul.

Keenan started Caduceus Cellars in 2004 and unveiled his first three wines in the spring of 2006. The vineyard is located in Arizona, though grapes from California are used in the wine at this point, too. The goal is to have a wine produced from 100% Arizona grapes, though as one might imagine, growing grapes in Arizona presents a host of challenges. If you’ve ever tasted any of his wines, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them.

For more information on the events, please call the local Whole Foods stores.

When Hobbies Collide

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 | Wine Blogs | No Comments

I’ve always thought that Jill’s mascot over at domaine547 was adorable. So when I ran out of small-ish knitting projects, and wasn’t quite ready to commit to a lace shawl that I’ve tried to knit twice before, I decided to alter a pattern I had for a stuffed beer bottle and make Budo Kun spring to life. I’m a little more than half-way done with him:

If all goes well, he’ll be stuffed and complete by the end of the week!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #44: French Cabernet Franc

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 | Cabernet Franc, France, Loire Valley, Red Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday, Wines Under $20 | 5 Comments

The topic for this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday was picked by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. The topic he chose for WBW #44 is French Cabernet Franc.

Cabernet Franc grapes are grown mainly in the Bordeaux region, where they are blended into the wines. However, the only terroirs that produce pure Cab Franc wines are in the Loire Valley: Bourgueil, Chinon, and Saumur-Champigny. At least in the United States, the Loire Valley might be better known for its Vouvray, and perhaps that’s because the reds might be difficult for some palates to love. Unlike the fruitier Cabernet Franc wines from the West Coast, French Cab Franc tends to be a little more… how shall I say it? “Rustic” perhaps? And I mean that in a good way. It is refreshing to get away from super-fruity wines and enjoy something that challenges your taste-buds a little bit.

I sent Drew on a mission to seek out a Loire Valley Cabernet Franc and he had little difficulty finding one. He purchased a bottle of 2002 Olga Raffault Chinon “Les Picasses” ($18.99) at Arlington Wines & Liquor in Poughkeepsie, NY. Winemaking in  Olga Raffault’s vineyard in Savigny-en-Véron has been a family tradition for over 60 years. Olga passed the vineyard onto her son Jean, and it is currently maintained by Olga’s granddaughter Sylvie and her husband Eric de la Vigerie, who is also the winemaker. Of the 25 hectares of vineyard, 24 hectares are planted with Cabernet Franc. The other hectare is planted with Chenin Blanc.(Trivia: These two grapes are credited as being “parents” to Cabernet Sauvginon.)Here is a bit of information on Les Picasses that I found at The Wine Doctor:

Lastly comes Les Picasses, undoubtedly the most classic and ageworthy wine from the domaine, and some would say also one of the finest examples of the whole appellation. Naturally it comes from a limestone terroir, a lieu-dit where the vines have reached a respectable fifty years of age. The fruit is hand-harvested and the final yield is typically in the order of 30 hl/ha and after fermentation, which is again carried out in stainless steel controlled to less than 30°C, followed by a maceration of 25-30 days, the wine that results goes into large foudres where it will rest for between 12 and 14 months before bottling.

We were very excited to taste this wine. In the glass it is a dark, deep red, and brown-tinged around the edges. It was rather watery, which is characteristic of the wine. The complex nose might have been the most interesting part of the wine for me — it was unlike most wines I drink. There was something metallic (almost bloody) about it. I also was reminded of pine mulch. Imagine standing in the woods in very late fall, or even now in early spring and scooping up a handful of dried pine needles off the ground. After a while I got a hint of marigold, too. Again — a very earthy scent. There was a tiny bit of alcohol on the nose as well, which surprised us as the wine is only 12.5% alcohol.

This is a light-to-medium bodied wine. The metallic scent carried through to the palate and we immediately thought of iron when we tasted this wine. I think Drew put it best when he said that the wine “tastes like a good butcher shop smells.” I know that doesn’t exactly sound delicious, but trust me — it was. After some time we detected sour cherry and unripe raspberry flavors as well. The tannins were present, but certainly not overwhelming, and there was a suggestion of ash on the finish. I found it to be a delicate wine, but Drew argued that “delicate” implies “dainty” which the wine surely is not. Perhaps “elegant” or even “graceful” would be a better a description?

I originally intended to serve the Chinon with roasted pork tenderloin (which would have been great with the wine, I think). However, we’d gone out to lunch on Sunday and were much too full for another big meal. Instead we opted for a snack tray that included Herbes de Provence salami, garlic and red pepper olives, goat cheese rolled in parsley and lemon zest (full credit to Jenn at Last Night’s Dinner for this idea), grapes, honeydew melon, and French bread with butter. I was surprised to find that I thought the wine paired best with the goat cheese bites. The lemon zest brought so much flavor out of the wine and I didn’t expect that. While I think this wine is drinking well right now, I think it will hold up quite well over the next several years. I might pick up another bottle, myself.

Thanks to Gary for hosting. Rumor has it that this might be the WBW with the highest participation level to date, which is exciting. I’m eager to read everyone’s posts. Wine Blogging Wednesday is the brainchild of Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS.

Loire Valley Map Image from Brittany Ferries