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Lovers Leap Vineyards and Winery
For those who have not already heard, Lovers Leap Vineyard and Winery has changed hands. The new owners, the Sivinskis, are keeping the winery open, but have closed it temporarily to make some changes. Check the Lovers Leap website for updates about the opening.
I’ve spoken with Brian Sivinski, the winery manager and he’s very excited about reopening and continuing to make wines that Kentuckians will love.
by admin with No Comments
Kentucky Wineries
February is usually not the month that wine lovers choose to visit wineries. The vineyards are not all that beautiful and you can’t enjoy sitting outside sipping your wine. We did however take time from basketball games to make a few stops at four Bluegrass wineries. Elk Creek Vineyards and Winery have the Kentucky Proud store at the Lexington Center. Not only can you taste the wines, you can get a glass of wine before the ball games. Chrisman Mill Vineyard and Winery have a shop at Hamburg. It is just a short drive to Rupp Arena, so before or after the game, enjoying a glass of wine provides a good time. One Saturday in February we drove out and revisited Grimes Mill Winery, just off Old Richmond Road. The visit was fun. We were able to taste some of the future vintages from the barrel. At Kentucky’s last noon game, we were able to visit Prodigy Vineyards and Winery. The Winery is just off of I-64, and the trip was worth it.
With spring approaching, we’ll be out and about visiting wineries and tasting wines. See you there!
by admin with No CommentsHappy Valentine’s Day!
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, people are trying to decide what wine would be best to help them celebrate. Many wine drinkers are looking for a wine that goes with chocolate so they can combine those two special tastes with their loved one. My recommendation would be to choose one of Kentucky’s dry reds. Chrisman Mill’s Norton, MillaNova’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Prodigy’s Lemburger, Wight-Meyer’s Norton, or Smith-Berry’s Barbera would be at the top of my list. Those who prefer a sweet wine might want to try a Kentucky blackberry or strawberry wine to pair with those chocolate desserts.
Many of the wineries are hosting special Valentine’s Day events. Chrisman Mill is hosting a brunch on the 11th, with a chocolate flavor to all the dishes. Prodigy is serving a cheese tray and a special toast of a dessert wine in a chocolate cup on Valentine’s Day. Talon is offering a special tasting of their Cabernet Sauvignon or their decadent Chocolate Strawberry Wine on the weekend. At Jean Farris, enjoy a special Valentine’s Dinner menu that will be available Friday night, February 10th, through Valentines day, Tuesday, February 14th. Also, Jean Farris will be open for dinner service on Monday, February 13th for this romantic holiday weekend event. Elk Creek Winery is hosting a special wine dinner on the 10th and the 11th. Your local winery is probably hosting an event as well. Be sure to check their websites.
However you choose to celebrate with your special other, enjoy the day. Valentine’s Day is a great day for love and for wine lovers.
by admin with No CommentsGrimes Mill Winery
We had the pleasure of visiting this new Kentucky winery on New Year’s Eve. When I first heard about the winery, I had read they would be closed until spring. Happily, that information was wrong. The winery is operating under winter hours, from 1 to 5 on the weekends. I recommend a visit whenever you find the time.
Grimes Mill Winery is located just south of Lexington on Old Richmond Road. They opened in September and have been serving visitors and hosting groups since then. Philip and Lois DeSimone, the owners, previously grew tobacco on their small farm. In 2003, they began raising grapes. Their four-acre vineyard consists of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Petit Manseng, Moscato, and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Visitors to Kentucky vineyards will note that some of these are unusual to the state. As a new vineyard, they have bought some juice for their wines.
Their wine list includes six wines currently. Guests are offered a taste of three wines for six dollars, with a souvenir wine glass. Additional wine tastings can be purchased. I chose to taste the three dry wines. The Pinot Grigio is a dry white wine, with a hint of citrus flavors. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a dry red, deep in color and fruity in flavor. My favorite was the Malbec; it has a strong berry flavor with a hint of chocolate in the finish. Other visitors, while we were there, were also delighted with the sweeter offerings. As their Pinot Grigio grapes will not be ready until 2013, they had to buy the juice. However, both the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Malbec grapes came from their vineyard.
Though the winery is relatively new, the wines are superbly made. The explanation might be the Italian heritage of Philip DeSimone (his grandfather made wine in the basement of his Brooklyn home), his profession as an oncologist (many winemakers are physicians), or the time they lived in Italy developing a taste for good wine in the city of Milan.
The tasting room and the wine-making facilities are in a renovated barn that once housed tobacco and horses. You might find that hard to believe when you walk through the door. The decor is delightful. From the inviting wine bar to the sofa by the fireplace, visitors will feel at home and want to stay awhile. I recommending looking up. The ceiling is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.
Philip and Lois were both there greeting guests and making them feel at home. We were given a tour of the winery with an explanation of the winemaking process. Their winery uses both a French barrel and barrels from the cooperage in East Bernstadt, Kentucky. Both owners enjoy the winery and sharing their wines with visitors. As I have found in my travels to other Kentucky’s wineries, the owners are extremely interesting. Philip, originally from New York, teaches and spends time working at the Markey Cancer Center. Lois, though from Newfoundland, went to school at Berea and really enjoys the opportunity to meet the visitors to the winery.
Grimes Mill Winery is an excellent destination for those who want a chance to taste good wine and relax in a rural Fayette County setting.
by admin with 1 Comment
Tuscan Chicken
On New Year’s Day, I was preparing dinner for friends and decided to experiment with a chicken dish. It turned out to be delicious so I’m sharing it with you.
- Four large chicken breasts, cut into 3 to 4 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 T. balsamic vinegar
- 1 T. chopped basil
- 1 T. parsley flakes
- 1 T. oregano flakes
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. black pepper
- 1 pound of portabello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large onion (sliced to the size of the mushroom slices)
- 1 and 1/2 cup of white wine
Brown the chicken pieces in the olive oil. When browned, place in a 9 x 13 baking dish with the onions and mushrooms on top. Using the olive oil remaining in the skillet, add the balsamic vinegar and the spices. Stir the wine into this mixture. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check while cooking to be sure that the chicken does not get too dry.
As with most of my dishes recently, I have tried to use Kentucky products. I used the Traditional 18-year aged Balsamic Vinegar and the Tuscan Herb EVOO from Lexington’s Stuarto’s Olive Oil Company. My spices are from a company named Litehouse, which sells freeze dried herbs (available at Krogers). The wine in this is Pinot Grigio, like that offered by the Grimes Mill Winery in Lexington.
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did.
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Happy Holidays
No, I haven’t given up on talking about wine. Christmas shopping, giving and grading finals, and going to basketball games has taken up most of my spare time this month. Of course, I have had some very good wine. A glass of wine (or more) is always relaxing after shopping and grading; and the Elk Creek Kentucky Proud Store next to Rupp Arena and Chrisman Mill Winery at Hamburg offer a chance to combine two of my loves on game days.
There are a couple of wines I’ve enjoyed this month that I would recommend, especially for those of you who love the big reds in cold weather. Prodigy’s Lemberger is a dark, dry wine with a plummy taste. Chrisman Mill’s Norton is garnet colored dry wine that has a spicy taste.
Enjoy the season and have a happy holiday with family, friends, and wine.
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New Wineries
I’ve discovered a couple new wineries that have recently opened that I’m looking forward to getting to in the next few months.
The Little Kentucky River Winery has opened in Bedford. They are open on Saturdays and by appointment. They offer several sweet wines in bottles with names like Smokehouse Red. We stopped briefly weren’t able to spend much time so I’ll wait to review it.
Verona Vineyards opened earlier this year. While I haven’t had a chance to visit, I have heard good things about them and their wines. They are closing for the winter months.
The Grimes Mill Winery has opened in Lexington. Their winter hours are limited and they plan to close in January and February, so it may be a while before we visit. After looking at their website, I’m looking forward to visiting and tasting their Italian style wines.
The Cincinnati Enquirer recently reported a market opening in May next year located on Mt. Zion Road just south of Florence, in Northern Kentucky. Several Kentucky wineries will be available there for tasting and buying.
The wine industry in Kentucky is constantly changing. New wineries have been opening and people have been discovering Kentucky wine. I hope you are enjoying the wines as much as I do.
by admin with No CommentsBlack Friday
My husband and I have had a Thanksgiving tradition for several years. After dinner on Thursday, we travel to Brown County Indiana, for the weekend. We spend Friday shopping, but it involves casually strolling around Nashville rather than pushing and shoving to get the best prices at stores like Best Buy.
For those who have never visited Nashville, the town is full of unique shops full of one of a kind items, artisan crafts, and unusual gifts. Our Christmas cards come from a lovely little shop named the Totem Post, that sells Leanin’ Tree cards. As someone who loves to cook, I also enjoy a stop at a gift shop called Kiss the Cook. The Nashville House and the Nashville General Store and Bakery offer a wide variety of local jams, jellies and spices. Dining in Brown County offers many choices, from the Brown County Inn and the Ordinary featuring old fashioned country cooking to restaurants with more modern cuisine.
Fine wine is also to be found at several local wineries. Our stops include Brown County Winery, Chateau Thomas Winery, and nearby Oliver Winery just north of Bloomington. Oliver Winery, the largest in Indiana, offers tastes of a large variety of wines from drys to sweets. They also have many flavors of hard cider. Chateau Thomas, while offering some sweeter choices, have many varietals of dry reds. If you love dry reds (and I do), I recommend a visit. Brown County Winery has many lighter reds and fruit wines that are quite popular with visitors.
Each season in Brown County offers a panoramic vista of the hills in southern Indiana. The change of seasons provide visitors with many opportunities to enjoy the area. We find it a lovely, relaxing way to spend Black Friday.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
With the varieties of foods in a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, many hostesses have difficulty choosing a wine. With turkey, it is best to have a lighter wine with lots of flavor. My personal choice would be Gewurztraminer, such as Elk Creek’s. Another wonderful choice is Cranberry wine, such as Chateau du Vioux Corbeau’s. If you prefer red wines, I’d recommend a Beaujolais Nouveau. I always look forward to that third week in November, when those great wines are released.
Truthfully, choose a wine you enjoy. Thanksgiving is for relaxing, enjoying family and friends, and being thankful for what you have. Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.
by admin with No CommentsProdigy Vineyards and Winery
When you visit a winery fifteen minutes before closing, you might think you wouldn’t be welcomed. But the people at Prodigy couldn’t have been more hospitable. We were driving across the state on our way home and as we were nearing Frankfort, we decided to see if they were still open. They were and we had a lovely visit.
On Friday evenings until 9PM, Prodigy serves food and has live entertainment. Even though they were about to close when we arrived, we were offered a menu of grilled food or appetizers and a chance to taste the wine. We chose to have a glass of wine and listen to the music. The musical artist was Thomas Hood playing guitar.
We did taste a couple of new wines, the barrel fermented Chardonel and a new Zinfandel. We chose Lemberger, our favorite, to drink. While there, we were invited to join their new wine club. Members get three bottles of wine four times a year, either of your choice or the winemakers, as well as discounts and special members only events.
Our choice to stop was definitely a good one. We had an enjoyable time. Chad Peach, the owner and winemaker, is doing a great job.
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