Order Now
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Categories
- Adventures in Wining
- Cooking with Wine
- Festivals
- Kentucky Wineries
- Travels
- Wine News
- Wine of the Week
- Wine Sayings
Archives
Pinot Grigio
Also known as Pinot Gris, this white vinifera grape is widely grown and produces a highly popular wine. The name comes from the French. Pinot is derived from a word which means pine cone, which is often how the grape is shaped. Gris is for the word gray; the fruit often has a gray tint. In Italy the grape is known as Pinot Grigio.
Pinot Grigio wines are generally dry, straw-colored, with the aroma of tropical fruits, melons and pears. The wines are generally intended to be consumed early. The wines are usually acidic, so they pair better with foods with little acid themselves. A glass of Pinot is excellent with light pastas or cheese and crackers.
I first encountered Pinot Grigio wine at Barboursville Winery in Virginia . It is done in an Italian style and is one of their most popular white wines. Having developed a taste for this light, yet spirited wine, I was anxious to try it at other wineries. Oliver winery in Indiana offers a very good Pinot Grigio. But, of course, I was pleased to discover this varietal at Kentucky wineries. The two that I have tried and recommend are Grimes Mill Winery and Elk Creek Vineyards and Winery. Grimes Mill’s Pinot Grigio is a crisp white that pairs well with fish dishes. Elk Creek’s Pinot Grigio has aromas and flavors of sweet citrus, peach and honeysuckle.
For a light, but favorable white wine, you can’t go wrong with Pinot Grigio.
by admin with No CommentsWinery Visits
I have been out and about visiting wineries, sharing my book, and getting them into the wineries. Since it had been awhile since I visited some of the wineries, I thought I would share some new wines and changes.
Elk Creek Vineyard and Winery has released Estate Sangiovese and Estate Cabernet Franc. If you get the chance, you will want to try them. Both are very good wines.
Grimes Mill Winery has Malbec again. We loved the wine and were anxiously waiting until the new vintage was ready for the bottle.
Chrisman Mill Vineyard and Winery are currently out of Norton and Norton Reserve, but will have the new vintage ready soon.
Smith Berry Vineyard and Winery’s reds are excellent as always. It is difficult to choose between the Norton, Cabernet, Brother John, and Barbera when you want a glass of wine.
In the next couple of weeks, I plan to visit several others and will let you know what’s new. I’m contacting some of the wineries by mail because of how far away they are; I want them to see the book and didn’t want to wait until I was able to visit.
Look for a whole new photo gallery soon.
by admin with No CommentsSigning Updates
On August 17, I will be signing books at Chrisman Mill Winery at Hamburg, in Lexington. I will be there from 5 to 8. Chris Weiss will be providing musical entertainment from 7 to 10.
I will be signing books at the Prodigy Vineyards and Winery wine club release event on Sunday, August 19, from 2 to 5. Live music will be provided by Thomas Hood.
In October, I will be at the Northern Kentucky Wine Festival in Covington, on the twentieth and at the Incredible Food Show, in Lexington on the twenty-seventh.
I have a few more events in the planning stages and will post the dates and times when I know them.
by admin with No CommentsLemberger
In Kentucky, Prodigy offers Lemberger wine. This wine grape goes by many other names: Limberger in Germany, Blaufränkisch in Austria, Franconia in Friuli and Kekfrankos in Hungary. Those who are familiar with the Hungarian Egri Bikavér, or Bull’s Blood will recognize the taste of Kekfrankos. Whatever it is called, the wine is a medium-bodied, dry red, with earthy, fruit flavors of black currant, and cherry and dark garnet colors.
Our first taste of the grape came a few years ago at Winzerwald Winery in southern Indiana. They offer tastes of Blaufränkisch, as well as other German and Swiss style wines. We enjoyed the flavors, aromas, and deep color of the wine. Later, we were served Egri Bikavér at the Schnitzelbank Restaurant in Jasper, Indiana. Egri Bikavér, or Bull’s Blood, is a blend that uses Kekfrankos along with other reds such as Merlot or Syrah.
It was pleasant to find that same grape being used to make wine in Kentucky. Prodigy Vineyards and Winery has won medals with their Lemberger at the Kentucky State Fair competition and at the Kentucky Derby Festival Winefest. Lemberger is a favorite wine.
by admin with No CommentsBook Signings
My first scheduled book signing is at Chrisman Mill Winery in Hamburg in Lexington. I’ll be there from 5 to 8 PM. Also, that night Chris Weiss is performing from 7 to 10. I’m looking forward to it.
I will also be signing books at the release party at Prodigy Vineyards in Frankfort. The times are not yet set. I will update you when they are.
by admin with No CommentsTeroldego
This week I decided to write about a rather obscure wine. I’ve found it only at one winery but it is an excellent wine. Chateau Thomas Winery in Indianapolis, and their tasting room in Nashville, Indiana, offer visitors a taste of Teroldego described as Dragon’s Blood. The grapes come from Lodi, California.
The Teroldego reference to Dragon’s Blood is because of the legend often associated with the grape in its original home of Trentino, Italy. In the legend a knight slew a dragon that had been killing virgins in the area. Drops of the dragon’s blood fell to the ground and the first Teroldego grapes sprouted.
Teroldego is a deep purple colored wine with dark spice, cherry, and blackberry flavors. The aromas are of herbs and floral undertones. The wine is well-balanced with a mellow finish.
Chateau Thomas’s label offers suggestions for food to accompany Teroldego, such as, red meats, cheeses, and roasted dragon. Sounds yummy!
by admin with No Comments
Concord
Possibly the most recognizable flavor of grape is the Concord. Many of the grapes grown in back yards and gardens are Concord. This is the grape associated with childhood and jelly sandwiches or the ever popular peanut butter and jelly. Most children and adults are familiar with Welch’s grape juices. When some individuals taste wine, they are looking for that taste.
Historically, Concord grapes are the product of a man named Ephraim Wales Bull, in Concord, Massachusetts, in 1849. According to the Concord Grape Association, Bull planted over twenty thousand seedlings hoping to produce the ideal grape. In the late 1860s, Thomas Bramwell Welch and his son Charles produced unfermented grape juice to use for their communion service. Today, the Welch Company produces over 400 grape products.
The Concord grapes, dark-skinned with a lighter colored bloom that rubs off, have a rather large seed and are very aromatic. Concord, though cultivated, is a Vitis labrusca, or Native American grape. Some believe that another native grape, Catawba, is a parent grape. Others believe it might have developed from other sources; some even suggest a Vitis vinifera or European grape. The characteristics of the Concord grape, the foxy, musky flavor and candied grape aroma seem to be more representative of Native American grapes. Foxy does not refer to an animal flavor as the term suggests. Grapes found in the United States in the 1800s, such as Concord, were referred to as fox grapes, hence the description.
Most Kentucky wineries produce a Concord wine and they are generally quite popular. Visitors are reminded of the grape they remember from childhood. Concord wines are usually a sweeter wine. Acres of Land Winery, in Richmond, produces a Concord that has won multiple awards, StoneBrook Winery and Wight-Meyer are just two of the other wineries that produce Concord wines.
by admin with 2 CommentsCedar Creek Vineyards and Winery
On a trip to Renfro Valley last weekend, we enjoyed a visit to Cedar Creek Vineyards and Winery. After a tasting and looking around, we sat outside enjoying both the wine and the scenery. Cedar Creek is located on a hill in southern Kentucky. In every direction the view is beautiful. Visitors to the winery follow a winding road through the woods and arrive at the top of the hill to view the vineyards and the tasting room.
The tasting room has a gift shop and a beautifully built cedar tasting bar. Jeff Wiles welcomes visitors who want to taste the wines. Their offerings range from the drys such as Maréchal Foch to sweet such as Catawba and Niagara. We were disappointed because the Cynthiana was sold out.
The Wiles try to work in harmony with nature by establishing native grasses and wildlife habitats. Their endeavors have created a picturesque setting to enjoy a glass of wine on a beautiful summer day.
by admin with No Comments
Sinking Valley Winery
Recently, I had the opportunity to return to Sinking Valley Winery for the first time since I visited when writing my book. We missed the road and as it happens that was a good thing because they have moved. The new location is just off Highway 461 in a larger building with the name written on the roof. Visitors are much more likely to find it on a drive to the Somerset area.
While missing the charm of the old Plato Post Office building where they were previously located, the new site offers the Burton’s the opportunity to have a wider variety of wine related items on display. One of their most popular wines is Prohibition Repeal Red, a sweet red featuring three collector labels depicting the beginning, enforcement, and repeal of Prohibition. Also popular are their fruit wines such as blueberry and blackberry. For dry wine lovers, they have a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Zane and Amy Burton welcome visitors at this new location with tastings, wine sales, and unique gift items.
A Wine Lover’s Odyssey Across Kentucky is now available
Faye’s Wine Book page will take you to a link to Butler Books where you can purchase A Wine Lover’s Odyssey Across Kentucky. It is (or will be) available at local bookstores, wineries, and from the on-line book sites, such as Barnes and Noble, Joseph Beth, and Amazon.
I asked Eddie O’Daniel at Springhill Winery and Plantation B & B to read excerts from the book and give a review. He said, “I think this is a great, easy read that pops the cork on the history of Kentucky’s wine heritage and pours the reader a tantalizing taste of Kentucky’s wineries for a memorable experience!
I really like the easy flowing style and the revealing details you have discovered to share with the readers.”
I’m quite pleased with the way the book has turned out. Here’s the front cover. I hope you like it!
