So many things have been going on that when I looked to see when I last wrote, I found it was over a month ago and April is ending. April has been a busy month. The cookbook is finished! Once the printing is completed, I will be letting everyone know about the scheduled signings and where it can be purchased. Beginning in late March up until last week, there was editing and working on photos. My mind was taken over.
Also, Spring has brought about some spring cleaning. We’ve been getting out a little bit more and visiting a few wineries. I’ll catch up with a few articles on some recent visits.
by adminRemember the old song “Our Day Will Come“. For American wine lovers, our day has come. February 18 is National Drink Wine Day, so celebrate and enjoy!
Many of us are still staying home, avoiding crowds and social distancing, but the beauty of this day is you can do all that and still salute the day. It doesn’t require travel or crowds—just wine!
For just a moment forget the weather, the pandemic, politics, and all your worries, pour a glass of your favorite wine and commemorate National Wine Day! Salud!
by adminHappy Valentine’s Day! My favorite way to celebrate a day of love is a special someone, a special dinner, and a special wine.
The special someone is always the same; Mike and I have shared many special days for over 50 years. The special dinner has been Lasagna for many years. The special wine has changed but is almost always a favorite dry red wine. This year we will be sharing a dinner of Lasagna Supreme and a bottle of Nebbiolo from Barboursville Vineyards and Winery.
Hope you and your special someone have a great day! Celebrate your love in your own special way!
by adminThe only cure for the January blues is to enjoy some delightful reds. Our favorites are Cabernet Sauvignon from Brianza Gardens & Winery and Old Vine Zinfandel from Chrisman Mill Vineyards & Winery. They’ve boosted our morale through this cold, dreary month.
January is nearly over, 2020 is in the past, vaccines are available, and the future is brighter. Let’s look forward to February, Valentine’s Day, and the upcoming spring. Raise a glass to your mental health and let the red wine chase your blues away!
by adminNew Year’s Eve makes many people think of drinking bubbly at midnight to celebrate the possibilities of that new year beginning and say goodbye to the year that is ending. Midnight this year may be one of the most momentous in recent history as 2020 has been a year like no other we can recall. 2021 gives us all hope for better times. So bring on the bubbly!
Champagne is the bubbly that comes to mind, but most people have never really had Champagne. For most people this is just the generic name they give to bubbly wine. The only true Champagne comes from the Champagne Appellations in France with requirements on its making. But sparkling bubbly wines are made almost everywhere that wine is made using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. Some countries have put their own customization on this popular celebratory wine.
Germany’s sparkling wine, Sekt, is not very well-known outside of the country. Until recently it wasn’t able to be purchased except in Germany. The uniqueness of Sekt is that it is made with Riesling grapes. Spanish sparkling wine, Cava, is made with Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo grapes, though also sometimes with Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. Probably most wine lovers are more familiar with Prosecco, a sparkling wine made in Italy with the Glera grape. Prosecco has been around for centuries and in much of the twentieth century was a rather sweet wine. Today, Prosecco is generally a crisp aromatic wine. It is sometimes made with Perera, Bianchetta, and Verdiso, and the better known wine grapes Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir.
New World wineries in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are also contributing excellent sparkling wines. Names like Brut and Blanc de Blancs are on labels from California, Washington, and Oregon. Kentucky wineries Smith-Berry Vineyards and Winery and Talon Vineyards and Winery make sparkling Moscato wines that are sweeter choices.
My personal favorites tend to be Prosecco. La Vostra Prosecco, a crisp Italian sparkling wine is easier to find than some and is excellent.
Whatever your choice, raise a glass at midnight tomorrow, say goodbye to 2020 and welcome 2021. “To a better year!”
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“I’m dreaming of a wine Christmas!”
Celebrating Christmas this year means a quiet evening at home enjoying a special wine. The good thing is there are so many wonderful wines. I always recommend choosing your favorite, whether it is red, white, rosé, dry, or sweet.
Some Kentucky wines I recommend: a red – Brianza’s Cabernet Sauvignon, a white – Sauvignon Blanc from Forest Edge, a rosé – Lover Leap’s Rosé, a dry – Chrisman Mill’s Old Vine Zinfandel, or a sweet – Blackberry wine from Smith-Berry.
For a perfect Christmas Eve, start a fire in the fireplace, turn on the lights on the tree, dim the lights, and share a glass (or two) with the one you love.
Merry Christmas to wine lovers everywhere!
by adminCheers! Here’s to you! Salute! Whatever your preferred libation, drink up!
Today is the anniversary of the end of Prohibition. From January 17, 1920 to December 5, 1933, the United States prohibited the making and sale of alcoholic beverages.
So whether your drink of choice is gin, tequila, vodka, bourbon, beer, or wine, it’s the day to raise your glasses in a toast – “to the end of Prohibition”.
by adminThanksgiving Day is this week. Even though 2020 has been a rough year and we have lost many loved ones and many experiences, we are thankful to be here. Thanksgiving celebrations will be different with most of us staying at home and not spending the day with family. Things appear to be looking up so stay safe and look forward to a new year. Have a glass or two of your favorite wine and enjoy a quiet day at home.
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Celebrating our Anniversary for many years has meant visiting a favorite winery. Due to the conditions this year, our trip to visit the wineries in Southwest Michigan was cancelled. We made plans to visit our favorite local winery, Brianza Gardens and Winery for the afternoon but the state changed the date they could open. So this year (after a trip to Brianza to pick up some wine and get a photo) to celebrate 52 years of marriage we shared a bottle of wine on our back porch, It was a 2012 bottle of Octagon, from Barboursville Vineyards and Winery in Virginia, along with some Bruschetta, and it was excellent!
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