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October Wine Festival
I want to share some good news for wine lovers around Northern Kentucky The Sixth Annual Northern Kentucky Wine Festival at MainStrasse Village will take place on October 15, 2011, at 3 PM. The festival is at the Sixth Street Promenade at the Goose Girl Fountain. Admission is $10.00 and includes a souvenir glass and four sampling tickets. Additional tickets and glasses of wine can also be purchased.
This year’s festival will feature several Kentucky wineries as well as artisans, live entertainment, and local foods. To whet your taste buds, some of the local foods include Lime, Fireside Pizza, Taste of Belgium, and Sushi Cincinnati.
For those more interested in the wine, here are just a few of the wineries that plan to attend: Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery, Chrisman Mill Vineyards and Winery, Purple Toad Winery, Atwood Hill Winery, StoneBrook Winery, Elk Creek Vineyards and Winery, Seven Wells Winery, Generation Hill Winery, and Rose Hill Farm. If you’ve been to the festival before, you’ll notice a couple of new names. Since Purple Toad Winery is in Paducah, it is not as well-known to many in Northern Kentucky. Rose Hill Farm is a new winery in Pendleton County. A few other wineries from the state are talking to the festival planners but haven’t made up their minds yet. Wines will be available for tastings and for purchase.
I’ve attended this festival for the past few years and really enjoyed myself. The location in the MainStrasse Village is a lovely spot for a festival. It’s a relaxing way to spend a fall afternoon.
by adminTaste Kentucky Wines
On Saturday, October 8, 2011, the third annual Kentucky Proud Incredible Food Show will be in the lower level of the Lexington Convention Center and Rupp Arena. The hours of the show are 9 AM to 7 PM. General admission tickets are $15.00.
Those who have attended in the past will know the event showcases Kentucky products. Wineries such as Acres of Land Winery, Chrisman Mill Vineyards and Winery, Equus Run Vineyards, Horseshoe Bend Vineyards and Winery, Elk Creek’s Kentucky Proud Market, Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery, and Talon Winery are expected to offer tastings of their wines. The wines will also be available for purchase.
Wine is not the only Kentucky product that will be showcased. The marketplace will have booths featuring Kentucky Proud products such as Browning’s Country Hams, Lexington Chocolate Company, Critchfield Meats, and many other Kentucky foods. Joseph-Beth Bookstore will feature cookbooks with authors available for signings throughout the day. The show features cooking demonstrations, seminars and features the winner and runner-up of Bravo’s Top Chef (season six).
I’ve attended the last two Food Shows in Lexington and am looking forward to this one. It has been marked on my calendar since the date was announced. The show gives visitors a chance to sample and buy Kentucky products, as well as learn abut the agricultural pursuits of the state. Be sure to go hungry so you can enjoy the tastes offered by the vendors. I’d also advise comfortable shoes. My husband and I usually spend several hours there. If you are interested in attending, expect to have a good time. I wouldn’t miss it.
by adminA visit to a Virginia Winery
Years ago, the first winery my husband and I visited was Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia. Since then we have continued to visit every chance we get. Both the owners and the winemaker are Italian, and the wines and decor reflect this. We visited last month and as always found the wine to be fantastic. Our favorites are the full-bodied reds: Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Barbera. We also enjoy Octagon, a blend of their finest grapes. Barboursville’s wines are served at events in Washington, D. C. and Octagon was served to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Virginia a couple of years ago.
The vineyards and winery are located on an estate once owned by Governor Barbour whose home was designed by Thomas Jefferson. A fire destroyed the home, but the ruins remain. Visitors to the winery can enjoy a walk around the ruins, stay at the 1804 Inn, or dine at the Palladio Restaurant.
If you’re like me and enjoy visiting wineries, I recommend Barboursville Vineyards if you’re traveling in Central Virginia.
by adminKenton County Farm Tour
Kenton County Cooperative Extension Services sponsored its first farm tour on September 17, 2011. Hundreds of visitors were welcomed at the farms and invited to look around and enjoy learning about the farm products, from pumpkins to shrimp to Angus and Simmental cattle. Two of the fourteen farms visited were wineries. Kenton County’s two wineries are Atwood Hill Winery and Redman’s Farm and Winery.
Atwood Hill Winery has been around for several years and is well-known to the community. The wines are good; the tasting room and grounds are lovely and provide visitors with a relaxing experience. During the tour, there were antique tractors, special foods, craft booths, and, of course, wine. Though the grapevines were covered to protect the harvest, no one seemed to mind. While we were there, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and partaking of all of the offerings.
Redman’s Farm and Winery is relatively new as a winery, but not as a family farm. The family took visitors on tours through the farm, provided food, and had flowers available for purchasing. Visitors could taste the apple and blackberry wines or purchase produce during their time at the farm.
by admin
An easy dessert that always gets raves
A few years ago while visiting the winery at the Biltmore Estate, the young man pouring our wine made a cooking suggestion for a cake that sounded just too easy to believe. Of course, I had to give it a try. Not only was it one of the easiest desserts I’ve ever made, but it is also one of the most popular with my friends. I serve it at parties. You might want to give it a try.
Start with a devils food cake mix. (Duncan Hines is my choice, but any brand will do.) Follow the directions on the box for a bundt cake, with just one change. Instead of adding the water, add the same amount of Cabernet Sauvignon. When it’s baked, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve it to your friends. sit back, and wait for the compliments.
Other red wines work just as well. Last Christmas, I used Merlot and it was delicious. To make it a little festive, put a few grapes around the cake. You might even want to try a white cake with white wine. The wine makes the cake extremely moist and gives it a surprise flavor.
by adminRecent Visit to Chrisman Mill
If you haven’t visited Chrisman Mill’s new tasting room, you are missing a good time. While still in Hamburg, they are now located just across from the theatre. For those accustomed to the old tasting room, the new one will not disappoint. There is still great wine, a good selection of gifts, and a relaxing atmosphere. The decor is reminiscent of Venice, with an amazing mural decorating one entire wall. Visitors will find a larger space with more seating at the tasting bar, snack trays available, a big screen television (that just might feature a UK game), crafted beer to provide a tasting choice, and outdoor seating. Events, such as Wild Women of Wine Wednesdays, are sure to provide a mid-week break.
For Chrisman Mill regulars who have just been too busy since July to take time to visit, you will find everything to like and nothing to mind about the winery’s move to a new tasting room. Those who have not had the chance to visit Chrisman Mill’s Winery at Hamburg in Lexington, take time to visit. My husband and I spent a relaxing afternoon there this summer and plan to visit again soon.
by adminKentucky Wine on Display
The second annual Vintage KY Wine Festival was held over Labor Day Weekend at Ashland, the home of Kentucky’s Henry Clay. Visitors were treated to tastings from Chrisman Mill Vineyards and Winery, Elk Creek Vineyards and Winery, Purple Toad Winery, Generations Hill Winery, Prodigy Vineyards and Winery. and Horseshoe Bend Vineyards and Winery. Each winery brought selections from their wine lists, with wines ranging from Chrisman Mill’s dry, red, full-bodied Norton, to Elk Creek’s light-bodied, fruity Pinot Grigio, to Purple Toad’s Paducah Peach.
While the weather turned bad and kept the attendance lower than last year’s festival, around 250 people enjoyed the wine, food, and entertainment. The venue of the festival provides a beautiful setting for relaxing and enjoying Kentucky wine. Many visitors also enjoyed touring Ashland and the grounds.
I attended the festival both years and am already looking forward to next year’s. The food choices were excellent, the tour of the historic home and the grounds were well worth it, and the wine was great. What else would you need for a good time?
by admin