Mar 16th7th Annual Wine Barrel Tasting for the Springs

Each spring, McConnell Springs sponsors a wine barrel tasting in the Bluegrass. The sponsoring wineries offer visitors an opportunity to taste one of their wines from the barrel. For those who enjoy the tasting experience; this allows tasters to enjoy the nuances of flavor that change over the aging process, especially in their favorite wines. The 7th Annual Wine Barrel Tasting for the Springs will take place from 11 am to 5 pm, on March 29, 2014. Seventeen Bluegrass area wineries will participate this year. Visitors will travel on their own, pay a $20 donation at their first stop, and visit whatever number of wineries they choose. Wineries will offer a one-ounce taste of a wine of their choice.

McConnell Springs, a National Historic Site, is the location where William McConnell and a group of explorers camped in 1775. While there, news reached them of a victory at Lexington. They named that future settlement Lexington. Today, visitors can visit the site with its natural landscape and historical remains of that early settlement. Proceeds from the Barrel Tasting will help fund improvements at McConnell Springs.

A list of participating wineries, a map , and a downloadable brochure are available at the McConnell Springs website. Go to www.mcconnellsprings.org and check out Events and Activities.

Most people are looking forward to the coming of Spring. What better way to celebrate spring, than a celebration of Kentucky’s wineries. Hope to see you there.

Feb 18thNational Drink Wine Day 2014

National Drink Wine Day is February 18, 2014. This day is a celebration of wine, its benefits, and its versatility. As I’ve written many times, wine is a celebration and an event. In moderation, wine can be beneficial to your health. Wine has been around for over 6,000 years and has been the focal point of special occasions for most of that time.

Whether your choice is red, white, or rosé, sweet or dry, wine is the preferred drink of people around the world. Americans consume approximately 13% of the wine made in the world, making us the top country in wine consumption. Recently, wine news reported that Americans were drinking more Italian wines than Italians were. Though some states are not as far along in their development, all fifty states make wine. Americans are planning vacations to various wine regions of the United States every year. Wine should be celebrated on National Drink Wine Day,  as well as the other 364 days.

From one wine lover to another, Cheers!

Feb 10thLove and Wine on Valentine’s Day

Thoughts of wine and romance seem to go hand in hand. With Valentine’s Day nearing, wine lovers are looking for ways to show their love to a special someone. Celebrating your love at a Kentucky winery has become an annual event for many. Many of the wineries, such as Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery, Equus Run Vineyard and Winery, Talon Vineyard and Winery, and Prodigy Vineyard and Winery, have scheduled special events.

Whether you choose one of these, or would like to go to another winery, I suggest that you go to the Kentucky Wine website (check my links), and visit the website of the winery of your choice.

If you celebrate with your loved one at home, look for one of Kentucky’s fine wines at wine shops and liquor stores around the state. My husband and I are looking forward to celebrating our love with our first bottle of 3 Reds by Wight, produced by Jim Wight at Wight-Meyer Vineyard and Winery.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Jan 23rdJane’s Saddlebag

For those of you who visited Jane’s Saddlebag in Boone County last summer for their first annual wine festival and are hoping for a second one, you’re in luck. They will be hosting another festival this year, a two-day festival on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1. Last year’s festival was so successful that they are expanding to two days from noon to six both days. Jane’s Saddlebag is perfect for an afternoon of relaxing and drinking wine.

If you were unable to visit Jane’s Saddlebag last summer, I recommend that you visit. Many wine lovers who attended last year have asked me whether there would be another festival this year so I’m sure they will be looking forward to it.

They will also be hosting a Fall Festival on September 20, with crafts and wines. You can check back for more information.

I’ll be there and hope to see you there.

Jan 23rdKentucky Wine Lover in 2013

Thanks to all of you who have visited my blog; 2013 was a good year. There were over 2500 visitors to the site and while most were from the United States, there were many from other countries as well.  11 visitors from Pakistan was especially surprising.

While the current weather is good for sitting by the fire with a glass of wine, the cold doesn’t exactly suggest visiting vineyards. Hopefully, we’ll begin to see an end to the cold weather and an early spring of visiting wineries and trying new wines.