Jan 21stAtwood Hill Winery’s Farmstead Dinner

Located less than a mile off Madison Pike in southern Kenton County, Atwood Hill Winery has been welcoming visitors for the last few years. The winery is open each weekend offering tastings and a place to relax with a glass of wine. Events draw many wine lovers from the surrounding community, as well as visitors from all over the tri-state. In the summer months, there are outdoor concerts and dinners. This time of year, visitors have the opportunity to visit the Farmstead located next door to the winery for a monthly dinner.

This weekend, we had the pleasure of sharing an evening out with close friends at Atwood Hill Winery’s Farmstead Dinner. Guests are greeted and invited to taste and choose a wine to go with their dinners. Our table chose Cabernet Sauvignon, Harvest White and Vidal Blanc. The winery offers a wide variety of wines from dry to sweet, along with some fruit wines.

Home cooked food, furnished by caterer, Linda Padgett, included herb rubbed roast beef, pork tenderloin, butter parsley red skinned potatoes, green beans, tossed salad, yeast rolls, and desserts. Entertainment was provided by Lynn Holland Payne, who played the acoustic guitar player and sang an eclectic selection of songs.

Their next dinner will be in February. Those interested can check their event calendar for the date and menu. Reservations are required.

Anyone wanting a fun night out in the country will enjoy the food, the wine, the music and the lovely, homey atmosphere of the Farmstead at Atwood Hill Winery.

Jan 14thHappy New Wine Year

A new year has started (Does anyone else have a hard time believing it’s 2013?) and vintners are beginning the process of creating new wines and getting the old well-loved ones ready. Unfortunately for wine lovers like us, many of the wineries are closed until spring and those that remain open have adopted winter hours. If you are planning a trip, be sure to check the new hours. Wineries that have wine shops are generally open, but their hours may differ.

Many wineries have special events for Valentine’s Day, for anyone wanting a special day. Spring hours will resume in March for most of those wineries that are currently closed.

Some wineries, such as Atwood Hill Winery, in Northern Kentucky, have special events in the winter months. We have reservations for a Homestead Dinner in January at Atwood Hill and are looking forward to an evening out.

Dec 21stMerry Christmas and Happy Holidays

                   After the halls are decked, the tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped and the dinners are ready, relax with a glass of your favorite wine. I’ll be enjoying a glass of Cabernet Franc, a saved bottle from a limited production by Chrisman Mill in 2004. 

                 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our home to yours. Enjoy the season with your family and friends.

Dec 9thNashville Indiana Wineries

Nashville is a small town in Brown County Indiana, known for its artists and unique shops. We visit each year at Thanksgiving. I love to browse through the shops such as the Totem Post, Kiss the Cook, Peg Ann’s, and the Nashville General Store. Those deep-fried biscuits and apple butter at the Nashville House are also a must do. But no trip to Nashville is complete for a wine lover without stops at Chateau Thomas Winery’s tasting room and Brown County Winery.

Chateau Thomas Winery is actually in Indianapolis but welcomes Nashville visitors at a lovely tasting room that offers entertainment, welcoming patio seating and a gift shop. It is a perfect spot to sit and relax from all the shopping. The wines at Chateau Thomas are excellently made and offer something for all tastes, from dry to sweet. My personal favorite is the dark red, spicy Teroldego, known as Dragon’s Blood after an old legend. I would also recommend their Vintage Port.

Brown County Winery has two locations in Nashville; the winery, which is just east of Nashville on Indiana 46, and a tasting room amid the downtown shops. Both locations offer a wide variety of wine gift items, from wine racks to decorative wine bottle stoppers. Tastings are also poured at both tasting bars. This year I was pleased to find a dry Traminette, which is a spicy white wine that is somewhat like a Gewurtstraminer. We also enjoyed their Old Barrel Port. Brown County’s Black Raspberry Encore is a fortified dessert wine that is wonderful.

If you love to shop, but get tired of the same old stores, Nashville offers unique shops in a small town atmosphere. There are a number of lovely places to stay, such as the Hidden Valley Inn where we stayed this year and many nice places to eat. It is a great place for a weekend getaway. Wine lovers won’t be disappointed.