Nov 3rdKentucky’s Wineries

When visiting a wine festival, you don’t get to try all the wines you’d like. You might want to give it a try, but there are so many varieties offered that you usually have to pick and choose. At recent festivals, I’ve been talking to visitors and signing books and haven’t been able to try many at all. But our recent visit to the Incredible Food Show was different. I was a taster and enjoyed the experience of trying some new wines.

At Rose Hill Farm Winery, we tried their estate grown Cabernet Franc, which has a deep garnet color. The wine is a very nice dry red with herbal flavors. The Cabernet Franc from Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery is also an excellent choice for tasters. The vintage we tried is blended with a Carmenere grape, which gives it a smooth finish. As lovers of Cabernet Franc, it’s good to find good varieties in Kentucky.

I also enjoyed getting the opportunity to try the wines from the site of Kentucky’s first vineyard. First Vineyard Winery is located in Jessamine County on the grounds where J. J. Dufour planted the first vineyard in Kentucky, in the late 1700’s. First Vineyard Winery offers a Reisling, that though described as semi-sweet, has enough dryness to appeal to me.

A tasting wouldn’t be complete for us without trying the available Nortons. The new one we tried was from Rising Sons Home Farm Winery. As one might expect from a Silver Medal winner, the wine is a welcome addition to Kentucky’s Norton selections. First Vineyard Winery also offers an exceptional Norton.

If you enjoy wines and love trying new things, I recommend going to wine festivals. They offer the opportunity to try many wines at the same time. Kentucky hosts many wonderful festivals each year.

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