Feb 4thMcConnell Spring’s 11th Wine Barrel Tasting

For the 11th year, wine lovers of Kentucky have the opportunity to support the state’s history and taste some really good wine at the “Wine Barrel Tasting for the Springs.” Eighteen of Central Kentucky’s wineries will be giving tastes of a wine that is still aging in the barrel.

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, Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War. 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.

Each spring many wineries of the state that are within an hour’s drive of Lexington participate in this event. This year the event takes place on March 31, 2018. For $20, a person can travel around the Bluegrass at their own pace and in their own vehicle visiting their choice of participating wineries, and receive a commemorative glass.

Many wine lovers are familiar with barrel tastings and have enjoyed experiencing the stages of aging of their favorite wines. If you are new to the wine world and have never tried wine from the barrel, it is really a treat. Wine makers, while sharing facts about the wine, will draw wine directly from the barrel with some sort of wine thief and pour it directly into the taster’s glass. Wines change as they age and wine makers try the wine at different stages to be sure that it has reached the taste they want. A barrel tasting is an opportunity for wine lovers to be a part of this process.

Check my links page for more information on McConnell Springs.

We have enjoyed the “Wine Barrel Tasting for the Springs” many times in the past and look forward to the event this year. What a good way to celebrate the beginning of spring!