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Wine Festival at Jane’s Saddlebag in Northern Kentucky
Saturday and Sunday’s weather looks promising for spending a day strolling through the wine festival at Jane’s Saddlebag. Wine lovers should make time to join us there for wine and good times. The times are noon to six both days.
Hope to see you there!
by adminHuber’s Orchard, Winery, & Vineyards
Whenever we are near southern Indiana, we try to stop at Huber’s. This describes many different things. Huber’s is a farm and an orchard, where visitors can pick apples, strawberries, and many other fruits. Huber’s is a farm store that offers a wide array of farm products, from packaged soup mixes to apple cider to jellies and preserves. Huber’s is a bakery with mouth watering pies, rolls, breads, and cookies. Huber’s is a cheese shop and an ice cream shop. And, last but not least to a wine lover, Huber’s is a winery and distillery. While offering all of these products, there are also meeting facilities and a café. Our visit yesterday included stops at almost all of their shops. We bought wine, strawberries, packaged soups and beans, rolls, cookies, cider, and preserves.
On our last few visits to the winery, we didn’t do a tasting, just purchased some grappa (a distilled grape juice) and peach nectar; but this time we noticed some new wines and decided to do a full tasting. We were glad that we did. Two of the new wines we tasted were Tannat and Malbec. Both of these are full-bodied red wines. As we enjoy the wines, I will be writing about them later. We enjoyed our tasting very much with a very knowledgeable wine professional. We discussed the wines and the grapes. After tasting the 2011 Heritage, he also gave us a taste of a 2010 Reserve Heritage. Huber’s Heritage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Tannat; and the blend is excellent. We enjoyed the tasting with the friendly help of Scott, Sandy, and Jenn.
After the visit to the winery and the farm store, we traveled down the road to Joe Huber’s Restaurant and the Farm Store located there. The visit was wonderful, with a delicious meal and some ham purchases from the Farm Store.
If you are near southern Indiana, I recommend a visit to Huber’s. You will find many different things to enjoy that also include family friendly pursuits such as wagon rides and a playground. It is one of greater Louisville’s premier tourist sites.
Oliver Winery
Earlier this week my husband and I celebrated our anniversary sitting under the trees, by the lake at Oliver Winery. As always, the visit was enjoyable. Late spring is a great time to visit the winery; the flowers were lovely, the weather was perfect, and the wine was very good. We enjoyed a tasting of several wines, poured by a knowledgeable young woman; but found ourselves enjoying our same favorites from the past the most. My husband enjoys their Shiraz. My favorite Oliver wine is their Sauvignon Blanc.
A baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of wine in a beautiful setting. 
I can’t think of a prettier place to celebrate our anniversary.
by admin
Jane’s Saddlebag 2nd Annual Wine Festival in Northern Kentucky
Wine lovers are in for a treat next weekend. Jane’s Saddlebag will be hosting its second annual wine festival on May 31 and June 1, from Noon to Six. Over twenty wineries, along with a number of vendors, will be participating. Last year’s festival was a success and this one looks like an even bigger event. Wine lovers who have attended wine festivals in Northern Kentucky before will find familiar wineries, as well as discover some new ones. There will be something for every taste.
I will be there both days signing copies of A Wine Lover’s Odyssey Across Kentucky. Hope to see you there.
by admin
Grimes Mill Winery
On Saturday, Philip DeSimone, owner and winemaker of Grimes Mill Winery, welcomed many visitors to celebrate their first Triple Crown of Wines, the 2012 Reserve Malbec. The winery entertained visitors with an afternoon of wine, food, and music by the Troubadours.
The Reserve Malbec was worth the wait. Malbecs tend to have jammy aromas, inky colors, with mild tannins. Ca’ DeSimone’s Reserve Malbec, made with Kentucky grapes, is a full-bodied, robust, deep, red wine with flavors of cinnamon and blueberries. The supply is limited, so my recommendation to wine lovers is to visit the winery early in the summer.
We spent a relaxing afternoon with a great bottle of wine and wonderful renditions of some of our favorite old country songs.
by admin
2nd Annual Wine Festival at Jane’s Saddlebag
Once again, wine lovers will be able to try a variety of Kentucky wines, in a lovely pastoral setting, at Jane’s Saddlebag in Union. Jane’s Saddlebag is a complex of 35 acres, consisting of a restaurant, a wine shop, a petting zoo, and a general store that is new this season. Their Second Annual Wine Festival will be on May 31, and June 1, from noon to 6 PM. Pre-sale tickets, which will guarantee free parking and quick entry, are available until May 25 either at Jane’s Saddlebag or at their website. (Look in my links.)
This year’s festival has over twenty wineries including some of the state’s most popular. Those attending are local Northern Kentucky wineries: Elk Creek Vineyards, Atwood Hill Winery, StoneBrook Winery, Verona Vineyards, Generation Hill Winery, Serendipity Winery, Rose Hill Farm Winery and Redman’s Farm Winery. Other regions of the state will also be represented at the festival by the these wineries: Smith-Berry Vineyard and Winery, Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery, Forest Edge Winery, Wight-Meyer Vineyard and Winery, Talon Winery and Vineyards, Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery, Noah’s Ark Winery, McIntyre’s Winery & Berries, White Buck Vineyards & Winery, White Moon Winery. Indian Creek Winery and Best Vineyards & Winery from Indiana, and Southern Wine will be pouring tastes.
Music will be provided throughout the festival with entertainment such as: Bluegrass Mafia, Jane’s Gang, Ron & Country Pride, Lonesome Jared & the Heart Attacks.
Over forty vendors will have booths offering a variety of products. Origani Owl, Crafted Quilts, KY Gentleman Cigar Company and others offering items such as jewelry and wood furniture.
I will be there signing copies of A Wine Lover’s Odyssey Across Kentucky. Hope to see you there.
by admin
Verona Vineyards
Wine lovers visiting Verona Vineyards will find some changes. New additions, such as a larger tasting room and a lovely patio overlooking the vineyard are complete and more changes are coming. A kitchen and a private tasting room are both going to be coming soon.
As always a visit to Verona Vineyards is relaxing and enjoyable. Visitors are rewarded by wines made by one of Kentucky’s finest winemakers. We were able to sit on the patio and enjoy a bottle of Dornfelder when we stopped by last weekend.
2014 McConnell Springs Barrel Tasting
Though the Kentucky spring weather was not so inviting, the wineries were. Bluegrass wineries welcomed many visitors last Saturday to taste wine from the barrel and ask questions about the winemaking process. Seventeen of Kentucky’s wineries opened their doors to wine lovers who chose to spend a rainy spring day indoors drinking wine. The seventeen participating wineries were scattered across the Bluegrass region, with tastings from 11 AM to 5 PM. The four wineries we decided to visit make some of our favorite wines.
We started our day at Grimes Mill Winery. Philip DeSimone, the owner and winemaker welcomed visitors to his winemaking facilities, offering tastes, as well as a lesson in recognizing the sugar content in the wines as they ferment. Tasting were given of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Both wines show promise. My husband and I were also given the privilege of trying the long awaited Malbec that is to be bottled soon, can’t wait for that one. While there, we also spent some time in the tasting room. Grimes Mill is offering a Sauvignon Blanc (Kentucky) with grapes from their vineyard that have created an unusual aroma of butterscotch, while the flavors remain similar to other Sauvignon Blancs.
Following Kentucky back roads, our next stop was Chrisman Mill Vineyards. We were offered tastings of a Chambourcin from an oak barrel. Chris Nelson, owner and winemaker, uses this wine for his First Vineyard Reserve, a popular wine with their visitors. Visitors were also treated to a sampling of foods and wine pairings. Denise Nelson always has the tastiest munchies. We enjoyed some Norton Reserve with our food.
We decided to make Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery our next tasting experience. Brian Sivinski, the owner, was providing tastes of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines show signs of being very good. Brian also shared with us a taste of his Norton from the barrel, which will be a good vintage. We enjoyed a lovely visit and took home a couple of bottles of the current Cabernet Sauvignon. We’ve been toasting the Cats with this wine during March Madness and don’t want to break the good luck.
Our last visit of the day was at Prodigy Vineyards and Winery in Frankfort. Chad Peach chose a Chambourcin for tastings; it seemed to be a popular choice. The tasting room was overflowing with visitors as the McConnell Springs Barrel Tasting was winding down. We had sandwiches and some Lemberger wine.
Once again, the McConnell Barrel Tasting was a success. We enjoyed ourselves and from the conversations we heard, so did everyone else. Rainy spring afternoons offer a great chance to enjoy a day, of wine tasting.
by admin
Thomas Family Winery
Just across the bridge from Kentucky, in the town of Madison, Indiana is home to one of our favorite places to just kick back and relax. Walking into the winery, located in what was an 1850’s stable and carriage house, visitors are greeted by Steve and Elizabeth Thomas and made to feel at home. The handcrafted oak bar with its bar stools are inviting and folks just want to spend the afternoon.
Thomas Family Winery has an assortment of wines, both reds and whites; but my personal favorites are their old world ciders. Gale’s Hard Ciders are crafted and fermented in the old style that is a Celtic tradition.
Whether you’re interested in ciders, or want an intense, complex Zinfandel, you’ll find something to enjoy. The ambiance of the historic building and the friendly welcome of the Thomas family will give you a reason to stay for a while.
French Lick Winery
The weather last week gave us a tempting glimpse of spring. We took that opportunity to take a drive to southern Indiana. No trip to southern Indiana is complete without a stop at French Lick Winery. Wine lovers will, of course, find some excellent wine; but you can also enjoy a little shopping and an amazing lunch. Their building offers a tasting bar and windows overlooking the winemaking process, a shopping area featuring everything from wine shirts to gift items, and a Vintage Café with an inviting décor.
French Lick Winery makes one of the best Norton wines we have tried, and as Norton lovers, that is definitely a compliment. Their Norton has a balance of tart black cherry and toasted oak. The result is a wine that is pleasing from the aroma to the final taste. Wine lovers who enjoy shopping for wine gifts will be delighted with the gift shop area. French Lick Winery offers the best selection of wine gifts of any winery we’ve visited in the last few years. Be sure when you visit, that you’re hungry. The Vintage Café offers diners a wide selection of old country, fresh, homemade Italian choices. From appetizers such as Stuffed Mushrooms, to a variety of pasta entrees, and specialty desserts, every choice is excellent. Our personal favorites are the authentic Italian pizzas and the Bigio bread and oil.
A visit to French Lick Winery is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy fine wine, great food, and a fun shopping experience.
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- Dining Area 2015
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- Gift Shop 2015
