Dec 31stChrisman Mill Vineyard and Winery

There’s good news and bad news for fans of Chrisman Mill Vineyard and Winery. The bad news is that the tasting room at the vineyard is closed for the season. We have to wait for spring to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and beautiful views. The good news is that Denise and Chris Nelson have opened a new shop in Nicholasville, called The Vintage Gourmet. Visitors can stop in, taste the wine, buy a bottle, or shop in the uniquely stocked gift shop. Gift items range from gourmet foods, such as pastas and sauces, to wine related objects. I found a wine glass case for my phone there. All my wine lover friends want one too now.

The new shop is easy to get to, but not as easy to find. It is located on Nicholasville Road before the turn into Nicholasville, the number is 2205. If you are traveling south, it is located on the right hand side of the road. For those who like landmark directions, it is next to an Enterprise office.

Wine lovers may miss the vineyard, but hopefully the winter will be short. The new shop is great. You will love it.

Nov 17thProdigy Vineyard and Winery

Visitors to Prodigy are in for a treat. Last month the old tasting room was closed and visitors now can enjoy tastings at the vineyard. The new tasting room is large with various amenities that many will find pleasing. The gift shop, while larger, offers the same unique, fun, wine-related items. A raised stage for entertainment, a fireplace surrounded by comfortable seating, more seating, and a larger tasting bar are all very welcoming for those visitors who find their way there when visiting the state’s capital. Wine lovers, who have made Prodigy one of their favorites, will be pleased to find that the Prodigy tasting room is still a great place to relax and enjoy some of the best wine in the state.

Oct 3rdBrianza’s Food and Wine Event

Last weekend, Brianza welcomed visitors to an event that had it all — great wine, delicious food, good music, gracious hosts, and a great atmosphere. Local food vendors shared cheese and beer cheese during the day. During the early evening, we were treated to a sausage on a baguette, with a wonderful Marinara sauce. Both the sausage and the Marinara are made for the winery locally, using Tony’s special recipes. Of course, there was wine. Brianza features both white and red wines, offering dry and sweeter tastes. Rucca, a local duo, performed a wide variety of songs, from Johnny Cash and June Carter to the Indigo Girls.

A lot of wine lovers are finding their way to Brianza. Though only open for a few months, the winery has created a well-deserved reputation for themselves. This is definitely a place to visit over and over.

Jul 27thBrianza Gardens and Winery

Northern Kentucky’s newest winery has become a popular destination on Saturdays for local wine lovers. The setting is beautiful, the wine is great, and the people there are friendly and helpful. Tony, the owner, and Crystal, the event planner, welcome guests, pour tastes and answer questions. What more could you ask for?

This past Saturday, there was a special event to celebrate the release of a Noiret. This new wine is from a French hybrid grape produced by Cornell University. Noiret produces a smooth, jammy, red wine with a big finish. Brianza has 362 vines of this limited grape. The wine is very drinkable right now and will benefit from some age.

The event featured music from a local duo named Rucca. With music ranging from self-composed songs to recent recordings such as Hell on Heels by the Pistol Annies, Lauren and Ashley entertained the crowd for a couple of hours. If you get a chance to see Rucca somewhere, I recommend them. With guitars and an occasional tambourine, their vocals are impressive.

Relaxing in a gorgeous surrounding, with good wine, and good music was a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Check my Links for Brianza’s website. You’ll enjoy your visit.

Jun 1stSmith-Berry Vineyards and Winery

Last week, on our way to French Lick, we stopped for a visit and tasting at Smith-Berry Vineyard and Winery, in New Castle. The winery is offering tastings of new vintages and a new wine. We tried the dry reds and one is as good as the next one. The new vintage of Burley, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Norton, and Munson, is one of the best vintages. Of course, I say that with every new vintage. The newly released vintage of Brother John, the blend of Syrah, Merlot, and Petite Syrah is also excellent. Both Burley and Brother John were winners of Silver Medals in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. We were also pleased to find a new vintage of Norton, aged for three years in American Oak. The winery has been out of Norton for a while so this was great. As always, this wine is our favorite and this vintage is one of the best we’ve tried. Chuck Smith, the owner and winemaker also had a new wine offering. He was able to get the grapes from Lake County, California, for a Sangiovese. Chuck’s has just a bit of Zinfandel blended to give it a fresh, spicy, and mellow taste.

This winery is one of Kentucky’s finest and a visit there is always enjoyable. What’s not to like, the wine is excellent, the winery is beautiful, the tasting room is inviting, and the people there are friendly and helpful. You will want to find a reason to stop there and relax for a lovely afternoon.

Jun 1stProdigy Vineyards and Winery

At Prodigy Vineyards and Winery, they are open late on Fridays, serve food, and have entertainment. We had a free afternoon a couple of weeks ago and decided that it was a perfect time for a drive to Frankfort. Chad Peach, owner and winemaker, has introduced a new wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is a smooth, full-bodied, dry red wine, and will be a definite crowd pleaser. After trying a taste of Blueberry, we got a bottle of Lemberger, had some delicious food, and relaxed for a lovely evening while listening to some good music.

The tasting room is open on Fridays from noon to 9 PM. Not only can you get food and wine, but Lenée Peach has filled the tasting room with a large selection of amazing gift selections from t-shirts to artisan offerings. There is definitely something for everyone.

Sip and Savor Fridays are events at Prodigy year around. Good food, good entertainment, and great wine — what a way to wind down after the work week. I recommend getting away for a fun Friday evening, from 6:30 to 8:30.

May 6thBrianza Gardens and Winery

Verona has become a wine lovers destination. No, not the Verona that usually comes to mind, but Verona, Kentucky. For the last few years, wine lovers have been finding their way to Verona Vineyards; now they have another winery to visit less than three miles away. Brianza Gardens and Winery opened their doors to visitors on April 25, 2015. While their address is officially Crittenden, they are just two and a half miles from the Walton exit off of I-75, on Salem Creek Road.

Tony Parnigoni, with a family heritage that traces its roots to an Italian region called Brianza, left the corporate world to fulfill a dream of owning a winery. Four and a half years ago, he purchased a farm in Boone County and began planting his vineyard of over 1900 vines. He, his 3 children, and friends tend the vineyard. Tony is honing his craft as a winemaker with Jim Wight, one of Kentucky’s finest winemakers, as his mentor and consultant.

Last Saturday was such a beautiful day, we decided to visit one of Kentucky’s newest wineries. Brianza Gardens and Winery was a pleasant surprise and good news to this wine lover. New wineries often have this unfinished look to them and their wines are not at their best. This is definitely not true of Brianza. As you arrive at the drive and follow the signs to the parking lot behind the tasting room, you find yourself hoping the wine is good because the place is beautiful. You won’t be disappointed. The tasting room is lovely. I was especially impressed by the unique tasting table that made use of three barrels with an oak top.

As for the wine, most wine lovers will be delighted with the choices and with the quality of the wine. His dry whites, such as Vignoles and Chardonnay are both excellent. The Chardonnay is aged in stainless steel giving it a delightful taste of the grape itself. Tony’s current selection of reds are from grapes purchased from Lovers Leap Vineyard and Winery and are very good, but coming in September he will be offering an estate Noiret. We had the opportunity to try that as well and it will be exceptional. As his grapevines continue to develop, more offerings will be estate varietals as well.

The tasting room is currently open only on Saturdays, 10 to 6, or by appointment. Tony has also created an event venue, with a reception room and a special room created for brides. There is a cottage on the grounds that can be rented as a B & B. In the tasting room, local cheeses and a locally made bread can be purchased for an impromptu picnic. Visitors can wander around the grounds and garden. Look for the website in my Links.

I definitely recommend that wine lovers make plans for a visit to Brianza Gardens and Winery. You will be glad you did.

May 6thVerona Vineyards

Last weekend, we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon visiting wineries in Verona. This was our first trip this spring to Verona Vineyards. There are some changes since our last visit. A new covered seating area outside, and a lovely special wine room are two of the nice additions.

As usual, the atmosphere is inviting, the service friendly, and the wine is excellent. Dan and Peggy Montgomery offer a wide variety of wines for wine lovers. New this year is a Malbec, as well as two red blends. Cabernet Franc and Dornfelder are back and just as popular.

Verona Vineyards is a perfect place to enjoy an afternoon relaxing with a bottle of wine. Check out their link from this site.

Mar 31stForest Edge Winery

Wineries sometimes offer barrel shares of new wines. This means that you purchase a case of the wine while it is still in the barrel. During the aging process, buyers are invited to taste the wine to experience the changes that the wine makes in the barrel. Last year, as a gift for my husband, I purchased a blended red wine from Forest Edge Winery. Butch Meyer, the winemaker, created a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petite Verdot, and 6% Petite Syrah. The wine is called Mes Amis Vin 13. We went over the weekend to bottle the wine. The blend is delicious; a smooth, full-bodied wine with deep red berry flavors.

Forest Edge hosted a breakfast followed by the bottling process. We invited close friends as our guests for the day. My husband bottled his case of wine. It is interesting to have the opportunity to bottle your own wine. This event was an especially enjoyable experience. Forest Edge is offering another barrel share for next year with a vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Forest Edge is one of Kentucky’s finest wineries. It is located in Shepherdsville, just about a mile off I-75, at Exit 112, near Bernheim Forest. Wine lovers will find a lot to like, from their reds to one of the best dry Rieslings I’ve ever had. I certainly recommend Forest Edge Winery.

Oct 14thWineries of the Bluegrass

While the weather last week was rainy and dreary, a friend and I were fortunate to have chosen the one day of the week with perfect weather. Wednesday was a beautiful day for a day trip to some wineries in the Bluegrass region.

When you visit vineyards this late in the season, the grapes have generally been harvested. The vines have begun to look like all the other foliage of the fall and are not at their best. To my surprise, when we arrived at Lovers Leap Vineyard and Winery, the Norton grapes were still on the vine and absolutely gorgeous. Since Norton is one of my favorite grapes, seeing the vines covered was a welcome sight. I was, of course, anticipating all that wonderful Norton wine to come. Lovers Leap currently has seven acres of Norton vines. Their wine made from this native American grape uses its other name, Cynthiana. They are planning to also make a Reserve in the future as well. We tasted a lot of new vintages of some of my favorite of their wines and had a great tasting experience.

Our next stop was in Frankfort, at the Prodigy Vineyard and Winery tasting room. We had a wonderful visit with some excellent wine and a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches. Prodigy’s tasting room has an inviting atmosphere that seems to suggest you come in, enjoy the wine, and relax a while. So, we did.

We visited Chrisman Mill Winery at Hamburg and couldn’t resist an order of bread pudding to go. New gift items had been added to the shop, so it was fun to look around.

The day was enjoyable and it is always fun for me to introduce wine lovers to some of my favorite wineries.