MyJoogTV Episode 11: The Steel Wheels with Blue Mountain Brewery

Episode 11 features The Steel Wheels discussing bike touring, Ocrafolk festival, and their signature brews - the Steel Wheels ESB from Blue Mountain Brewery and the Steel Wheels Oat Malt Stout from The Livery. The episode ends with a rendition of "Nothing You Can't Lose" at the IOTA Club. Also check out Martin Garrish & Lou Castro in Ocracoke, NC; our first video on MyJoogTV. Red Wing - The Steel Wheels

Grüner Veltliner Finds a Papa

While visiting Budapest & Vienna, we happened to stumble upon several wine bars in each country where they served young, ready to drink white wines. We made it a ritual to start our day at these wine bars having a glass of dry Furmint in Hungary and some type of white grape in Austria. These wines had low alcohol levels, so we indulged a few times during the day and were refreshingly acidic in the summer heat. It wasn't until years later, when my wine knowledge expanded, that I realized that the unknown Austrian grape was most likely Grüner Veltliner - the most popular white wine variety in that country. The grape has an interesting heritage, deriving from a natural cross between the mother Traminer and an unknown father. Unknown, at least, until a few years ago. Apparently in a small hillside in St Georgen (Burgenland) there was a vine known to the village elders that bore no fruit. Local historian, Michael Leberl, was able to locate the vine and have it genetically tested. The surprise result was that it was the predominate parent of Grüner Veltliner and subsequently named St. Georgen-Rebe. Despite surviving phylloxera, war, and cattle; this vine has a precarious future - so please read the story here.

The Weinviertel region, just northeast of Vienna is the oldest agricultural region in central Europe as archaeologists have unearthed artifacts nearly 7,000 years old. Today, vineyards stretch from the Danube and Vienna to the Czech republic to the north and Slovakia to the east. And each sub-region provides distinct wine styles. The northeastern section produces sparkling wine from Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling; the western, dry reds along side Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Closer to the Danube and Vienna, Grüner Veltliner dominates. Many of these vines supply the Heurige Inns that we frequented, but lately are being used to make age worthy wines. In early 2003, Austria implemented a DAC standard - which translates to "controlled designation of Austrian origin". The Weinviertel DAC was introduced as Austria´s first DAC Wine, with the quality regulated by “Qualitätswein” (quality wine) definitions; blind tasting; at least 12% alcohol; lean, crisp, peppery-spice character; and no discernible oak characters. And in 2009, Austria introduced the Weinviertel dac Reserve in order to promote fuller wines. These wines share the same characteristics as the dac but can contain subtle traces of Botrytis or oak. Furthermore the minimum alcohol content was increased to 13% and the blind tasters expect a denser structure with a longer finish.

The dac system has proven quite beneficial for both producers and consumers. In the past, small family wineries had trouble marketing their wines to wholesalers or exporters. But with a dac label, these wholesalers and exporters assume less risk in marketing the wines. The same holds for consumers. When searching for a Grüner Veltliner, look for the dac label. You should be assured of a certain level of quality.

Now, here in the United States, the acreage planted for Grüner Veltliner is climbing. In Maryland, Black Ankle Vineyards produces an excellent wine and the grape is becoming more popular in the Finger Lakes where Riesling is normally supreme. (See Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars and Zugibe Vineyards.). And on the left coast, the grape is finding a home in many wine regions - Chien Wines, Darcie Kent Vineyards, Von Strasser Winery, & Niven Family Wines.

We still have plenty to learn about this grape. So join us as our education continues this Wednesday during #winechat where Austria Wine will be discussing Grüner Veltliner from Lower Austria during the Twitter tasting.

Villány: Hungary's Bordeaux

A recent #winechat session on Cabernet Franc reminded me of several nice wines from this grape that I had tasted from a relatively unknown wine producing area in central Europe. I'm referring to the Villány region in southwestern Hungary, who's climate affords the luxury of growing several well known Bordeaux, Rhone, and Burgundy grape varieties. And why not; the region lies at the same degree of latitude as the northern part of the Bordeaux wine-region. Plus Northern mountains protect the area from cold northerly winds, while the southern ranges help establish a micro-climate where the number of sunny hours is the highest in the country.

Grape cultivation in Villány probably originated with the Celts, and continued with the Romans as an inscription on a Roman-era altar stone discovered in the hillside of Szársomlyó documents 50 hectares of vine stock plantings. The Magyars continued this practice and, in his deed of foundation of the Szársomlyó Castle, King Béla IV mentions vineyards on the outskirts of Harsány. However, during the Turkish wars, the vineyards suffered terribly; and were rehabilitated when Serb and German settlers moved into the area. At the same time these settlers introduced Hungarians to new grape varieties (Kadarka and Portugieser) as well as new winemaking and storage techniques. Villány wines soon were exported throughout Europe and the Americas and the region thrived until the phylloxera arrived in the late 1800s. Just like the rest of Europe, Hungary's vineyards suffered almost complete devastation. As over half the the vineyards perished; a local grower, Zsigmond Teleki, established an experimental stockyard in Villány to test varieties of rootstock - both American and domestic. He eventually created several rootstocks that were used to reconstruction vineyards, in Villány, Hungary, and throughout Europe. With this reconstruction, Bordeaux varieties, as well as Syrah and Pinot Noir, were planted in this temperate climate.

Over the past several years, we have had the opportunity to taste many of these Villány wines, and in particular wines from Zsigmond Teleki's Château Teleki Winery - now made by Csányi Winery. These were single varietal Bordeaux style wines - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot - seeming to match New World market for single varietals with Old World earthy styles. Besides Bordeaux styled wines, the Vylyan Winery produces an excellent Pinot Noir, which might be our favorite wine from the region. And finally, Heumann Winery, produces two Bordeaux style blends which are smooth classic Bordeaux cuvees, with light tannins and balanced acidity. The winery also produces a very impressive Kékfrankos as well as a Chardonnay (full bodied with apricot flavors and a slight nutty finish). Perhaps the only version of Hungarian Chardonnay available.

Wines from Villány are still scarce in the United States. But check with your local wine shop or Blue Danube Wine, they are worth the search. Photos courtesy of visitbudapest.com.

Harvest Live 2011 - William Hill Estate Winery

Today's broadcast starts at 9:00 AM PT and features William Hill Estate Winery with Raif Holdenried, winemaker.


Live streaming by Ustream

Harvest Live 2011 - Robert Mondavi Winery

Today's broadcast starts at 9:00 AM PT and features Robert Mondavi Winery with Keith Horn, director of vineyards and Genevieve Janssens, director of winemaking.


Live streaming by Ustream

Napa Vintners Present Harvest Live 2011 - October 17th-22nd

A Groundbreaking Six-Day Webcast Combining Harvest with Real Time Q&A:

St Helena, CA--The Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) non-profit trade association is excited to bring "Harvest Live 2011," the Napa Valley's first week-long, live harvest webcast that will allow viewers to interact in real time with winemakers, vineyard managers and special wine industry co-hosts to hear and see all that's news with this year's crush in America’s premier wine region. "These innovative, interactive webcast will be breaking new ground in social media wine education," said Linda Reiff, NVV executive director. "It will be a terrific opportunity to have a conversation with these renowned vintners in real time, all week long."

"Harvest Live provides an opportunity for anyone, anywhere, to experience a Napa Valley harvest--even on their phone via the Ustream mobile application," explained Christophe Smith of Titus Vineyards. "This is a chance for wine lovers to connect with the Napa Valley beyond what they have tasted in the bottle and have a behind the scenes look into the 2011 vintage. We look forward to a great exchange between wine enthusiasts and those of us in the winemaking business during this most exciting and important time of year."

Produced by Christophe Smith along with David Gowdy of Dirt on the Vine, Randy Hall of VOM Productions and the NVV, Harvest Live offers participants a behind the scenes view into the Napa Valley harvest that even many locals don't get a chance to see. During the morning broadcasts viewers will be taken outside into the vineyard to learn about picking decisions and what's current in the field, then during the afternoon journey into the cellars to follow those grapes through the winemaking process. Capitalizing on the real-time webcast, viewers will have the ability to ask questions of winemakers and hosts via the Ustream webcast and receive answers instantly. For Twitter and Facebook users, questions will be monitored and answered via the #HL11 hashtag.

The interactive, one-hour webcasts will occur daily October 17th through 22nd at 9am PDT and 2:30pm PDT, and will be hosted at a different winery each day, showcasing varied winemaking techniques as well as multiple American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) throughout the Napa Valley AVA.

The winery participants by day are as follows:

• Monday, October 17: Robert Mondavi Winery with Keith Horn, director of vineyards and Genevieve Janssens, director of winemaking
• Tuesday, October 18: Staglin Family Vineyards with Garen Staglin, owner, along with Fredrik Johansson, winemaker and Chris Platt, assistant winemaker
• Wednesday, October 19: William Hill Estate Winery with Raif Holdenried, winemaker
• Thursday, October 20: Round Pond Estate with Chris Pedemonte, vineyard manager and Brian Brown, winemaker
• Friday, October 21: Titus Vineyards with brothers Eric and Phillip Titus
• Saturday, October 22: Chappellet Vineyard & Winery with Phillip Titus, winemaker

To access the interactive webcast, visit the NVV's Harvest 2011 website atwww.napavintners.com/harvest . A detailed schedule including on-camera talent and topics can be viewed online in advance of broadcast, and sessions will be archived here as well so viewers can watch and hear all the sessions.

To read and watch all the Napa Valley Harvest 2011 videos, blog posts and photo galleries, and to take the fun and interesting quiz, find out about tasting events in celebration of October's Harvest Napa Valley month, please visit www.napavintners.com/harvest

About the Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents more than 420 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its legendary American wines, visit www.napavintners.com

press release: Contact: Terry Hall Communications Director Napa Valley Vintners 707.968.4217 thall@napavintners.com

Regional Wine Week: How many of the 47 have you visited?

While smack in the middle of Regional Wine Week I decided to see how many of the 47 states we have visited wineries. And the answer was rather disappointing - I really thought we had visited wineries in more states - but the sum was only 17. That's poor. DrinkLocalWine.com and WineCompass stress the availability of wines from all states and I personally believe the best method to enjoy these wines is to visit the winery. Why? Usually, you get to meet the winemakers, discover new grape varieties, enjoy local terrain, and learn some regional history. We need to get out on the road more often. How about you? I'm sure there are many who have visited wineries in more states than us. Let us know.

Here is the list of wineries we have visited, excluding the 100 or so from Virginia - home field advantage on that one.

Maine
Blacksmiths Winery
Cellardoor Winery
Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery

New York
Applewood Winery
Brotherhood America's Oldest Winery
Demarest Hill Winery
Loughlin Vineyards
Warwick Valley Winery

New Jersey
Alba Vineyard
Cream Ridge Winery
Silver Decoy Winery
Tomasello Winery

Pennsylvania
Adams County Winery
Glades Pike Winery
Hauser Estate Winery
Reid's Orchard & Winery
Rose Bank Winery
Stone Villa Wine Cellar

Delaware
Nassau Valley Vineyards

Maryland
Black Ankle Vineyards
Cove Point Winery
Deep Creek Cellars
Elk Run Vineyards
Frederick Cellars
Linganore Wine Cellars
Loew Vineyards
Orchid Cellar Winery
Solomons Island Winery
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

West Virginia
Forks of Cheat Winery
West-Whitehill Winery

Virginia
....

North Carolina
A Secret Garden Winery
The Biltmore Estate Winery
Chatham Hill Winery
Laurel Gray Vineyards
Moonrise Bay Vineyard
RagApple Lassie Vineyards

Tennessee
Corey Ippolito Winery
Countryside Vineyards & Winery

South Carolina
September Oaks Vineyards

Florida
Eden Vineyards
Rosa Fiorelli Winery & Vineyard
San Sebastian Winery
Schnebly Redland's Winery

Missouri
Bynum Winery
Pirtle Winery
Stonehaus Farms Winery

Kansas
Davenport Winery
Heimhof Winery
Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery
Kugler's Vineyard

Texas
Dry Comal Creek Vineyards & Winery

Colorado
Carlson Vineyards
Minturn Cellars
Plum Creek Cellars

South Dakota
Prairie Berry Winery

Our Regional Wine Week's 47 Word Essay

We posted earlier about DrinkLocalWine.com's 4th annual Regional Wine Week which started Sunday and continues through October 15th. One of the highlights of the week is the 47 word essay describing the hidden gems among the other 47 wine producing states (California, Washington and Oregon excluded). Here is our entry, which is loosely based on our visit to Hiddencroft Vineyard described in this link.

Returning from hiking and thirsting for wine; we headed to Notaviva but saw a sign;
It pointed to Hiddencroft, a really good bet; with new wines from Chambourcin, Cab Franc, and Traminette;
But then, the little boy made a big mess; that Mr. Clyde cleaned, God bless.

A Tale of Two New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs

Way back when, in July, we sampled two different New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. The first was a sample sent to us, the Nine Walks Sauvignon Blanc ($10.99); the second was the Decibel 2009 Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ($16), poured at the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference. Each have unique names, the first named for the "9 Great Walks of New Zealand"; the second inspired by owner Daniel Brennan’s prior work with musical artists. That’s where the similarities end. The Nine Walks was made from grapes sourced from Marlborough: the Wairau Valley and Awatere Valley sub-regions to be precise. Malborough, located on the northeastern corner of New Zealand's South Island, is the region that put New Zealand wines in consumer’s vocabulary. It produces about 60% of that country's SB and for some, this region produces the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc. On the other hand, the Decibel was made from grapes sourced from the Mai Mai Creek vineyards in the Brookfields region of Hawkes Bay. Hawkes Bay, located on the North Island, is no slouch itself, being New Zealands second largest wine region and the oldest grape growing area in the country..

Now Sauvignon Blanc often buds late but ripens early, which means the grape thrives in cooler climates with plenty of sunshine. So which region is preferable? In Malborough, “the long narrow geography of the South Island ensures that no vineyard is more than 80 miles (130 km) from the coast. The cool, maritime climate of the area allows for a long and steady growing season in which the grapes can ripen and develop a natural balance of acids and sugars. - wiki” Perfect. Hawkes Bay has some of New Zealands's highest sunshine hours, with long, hot summers and cool winters The warmer maritime climate in Hawke’s Bay allows for a more supple, fruit driven Sauvignon Blanc.

The results? We were very impressed with the Decibel Sauvignon Blanc. It possessed more of a new World character than the Nine Walks – more fruit forward – and finished with a louder bang – in terms of acidity. As I recall, the wine exhibited a creamy texture in the mouthfeel – very different from most New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs we’ve tasted. The Nine Walks had a smaller flavor profile, a little grassy and citrus. Both are excellent values and when Decibel becomes available in DC, we will scoop it up. Even with summer over, clean Sauvignon Blancs are still appreciated.

Great American Beer Festival - The Medal Winners

Another year, another missed opportunity to attend the greatest beer fetival on the planet: the Great American Beer Festival. Held each year in Denver, the festival sports continuous beer sampling as well as the GABF competition. The winners are listed in this pdf; but here are some of the highlights and results for the #dcbrew. Congrats to PBR - and to the several MyJoogTV participants that are bringing home medals: Mad Fox Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, and Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

-------------------------------------- Brewer of the Year
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year
Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA: Will Kemper

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company
Firestone Walker Brewing Co, Paso Robles, CA: Matthew Brynildson

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company
Pabst Brewing Company, Woodridge, IL: Bob Newman

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub
Pizza Port Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA: Yiga Miyashiro

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub
Pizza Port Carlsbad, Carlsbad, CA: Pizza Port Brew Guys

Brewpub Group and Brewpub Group
TAPS Fish House & Brewery, Brea, CA: Victor Novak

--------------------------------------

Category: 15 Indigenous Beer - 31 Entries
Silver: Monticello Reserve Ale, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 17 American-Belgo-Style Ale - 43 Entries
Silver: Blue Reserve, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA

Category: 25 Kellerbier or Zwickelbier - 48 Entries
Gold: Kolsch Kellerbier, Mad Fox Brewing Co., Falls Church, VA

Category: 26 Smoke Beer - 43 Entries
Silver: Smoke Out, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 31 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 20 Entries
Silver: Tommy Two Fists, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA

Category: 34 Vienna-Style Lager - 32 Entries
Gold: Jomo Lager, Starr Hill Brewery, Crozet, VA

Category: 45 English-Style Summer Ale - 33 Entries
Gold: Summer Lovin’, Blue Mountain Brewery, Afton, VA
Bronze: Mad Fox Brewing Company English Summer Ale, Mad Fox Brewing Co.,
Falls Church, VA

Category: 64 German-Style Sour Ale - 13 Entries
Bronze: Gordon Biersch Goze, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Rockville, MD)

Category: 83 Barley Wine-Style Ale - 42 Entries
Gold: Horn Dog Barleywine, Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, MD

4th annual Regional Wine Week

October is Wine Month. Not only in Virginia, but also at DrinkLocalWine.com which has designated October 9 through October 15 as "Regional Wine Week". The site honors "The Other 47" states (excluding California, Washington and Oregon) and has instituted the "DrinkLocalWine 47 Words Contest" where you can submit 47 words describing the hidden gems among the other 47 wine producing states. Entries (drinklocalwine@gmail.com) are due by midnight ET on Sat., Oct. 15; and there are several cool prizes. Thus, during Regional Wine Week, make a concerted effort to sample a local wine from your area - preferably from a winery visit and let DrunkLocalWine.com know about it in 47 words.

On the 9th, we hope to be attending The Festy, so there will be ample opportunities to visit some wineries in Nelson County, Virginia. Actually there's no excuse since Wintergreen Winery is across the street from the venue: Devils Backbone Brewing Company. The following weekend, we should probably head across the Potomac into Maryland to visit some of our favorites in that state: Black Ankle Vineyards or Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard. As an added benefit, each of these wineries host live music. What are your Regional Wine Week plans. I'm thinking of a theme... You can always check out WineCompass for wineries and events in your area.

"Discover Your Local Crush" During Virginia Wine Month

It's that time of year again; the heat and humidity is slowly dissipating, leaves are dying, summer flowers are exerting one last display of life, and the grape harvest is in full gear. And for the 24th year, the Commonwealth is celebrating Virginia Wine Month. This month's theme is "Discover Your Local Crush", acknowledging the state's numerous and diverse wine regions: Northern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia, Eastern Virginia, Chesapeake Bay, Blue Ridge Highlands, Hampton Roads, Heart of Appalachia, Southern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley AVA, Monticello AVA, Eastern Shore AVA, Washington Birthplace AVA, North Fork AVA, and the Rocky Knob AVA.

Regardless of the region, there will be ample opportunities to sample excellent wines, listen to music, enjoy the scenery, and meet the winemakers. We plan on starting Virginia Wine Month at Chrysalis Vineyards and their 11th Annual Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival. And why not, pair some of Virginia's native grape with Jackass Flats, Hickory Ridge, and Good Natured Riot. Then our favorite Charlottesville musician; no, not Dave Matthews; but William Walter performs at Delaplane Cellars. Then we will head back to Visit Loudoun to listen to more music and sample some Viognier. That's our "Discover Your Local Crush". What's yours? To help plan your outing visit WineCompass or Virginia Is For Lovers to find an event in your area.

Today is Riesling Hour, Celebrating 2010 Finger Lakes Rieslings

Today, September 22nd, Finger Lakes Wine Country & Finger Lakes Wine Alliance host Riesling Hour; a celebration of the 2010 Finger Lakes Riesling vintage. The online social event begins at 6:00PM, EST and will continue through the evening. Everyone can participate, just follow these instructions:

1. Select a few bottles of your favorite Finger Lakes Rieslings.
2. Plan your menu.
3. Invite your friends and family over.
4. Log on to Twitter and post details of your evening using #FLXwine.
5. Post pictures and comments to www.Facebook.com/FingerLakesWineCountry.

• Anthony Road
• Atwater Estate Vineyards
• Billsboro Winery
• Casa Larga Vineyards
• Damiani Wine Cellars
• Dr. Konstantin Frank's
• Fox Run Vineyards
• Fulkerson Winery
• Glenora Wine Cellars
• Heron Hill Vineyards
• Hosmer Winery
• Hunt Country Vineyards
• Keuka Lake Vineyards
• Keuka Spring Vineyards
• Knapp Vineyards Winery

• Lakewood Vineyards
  
• Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
• Lucas Vineyards
• McGregor Vineyard Winery
• Ravines Wine Cellars
• Red Newt Cellars
• Rooster Hill Vineyards
• Seneca Shore Wine Cellars
• Sheldrake Point Vineyard
• Standing Stone Vineyards
• Swedish Hill Winery
• Thirsty Owl Wine Company
• Three Brothers Wineries & Estates
• Wagner Winery
• Zugibe Vineyards

MyJoogTV Episode 10: Trent Dabbs and Andrew Belle with Brewery Ommegang

Andrew Belle & Trent Dabbs

Brewery Ommegang
Hennepin Farmhouse Saison

This episode of MyJoogTV features Trent Dabbs & Andrew Belle discussing the Ten Out Of Tenn tour which was performing at IOTA in Arlington Virginia on September 16th 2011. The musicians discuss the tour and their two respective CDs, Southerner & The Ladder while sipping Brewery Ommegang's Hennepin Farmhouse Saison. The Cooperstown NY brewery specializes in Belgium Ales including an Ommegang Abbey Ale, Ommegang Witte Ale, Three Philosophers Quadrupel, Belgian Pale Ale, & Rare Vos Amber Ale. The Ten Out Of Tenn tour features Amy Stroup, Katie Herzig, Gabe Dixon, Tyler James, Andrew Belle, Matthew Perryman Jones, Trent Dabbs, k.s. Rhoads, Butterfly Boucher, Jeremy Lister, & Will Sayles. The video is available to download for iTunes and Windows Media Player.

Visiting the Shawangunk Wine Trail: Applewood Winery

Ever since our visit to Foggy Ridge Cider for the MyJoogTV Episode 9: Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band @ Foggy Ridge Cider episode, we've been on a hard cider kick. And what better way to feed that habit, but through a tour of apple country in New York's Hudson Valley and the Shawangunk Wine Trail. The trail consists of eleven wineries, with a few producing hard cider from the regions abundant apple crop. We started out intending to visit Warwick Valley Winery & Disillery, but found the roads blocked because of storm damage from Hurricane Irene. Having a limited time schedule, we reversed course to the next closest winery in Warwick, Applewood Winery. This farm winery is the oldest continually operated farm in the county and still contains a stone that bears an inscription of the first owner's initials ("SGS 1700"). The current operation began in the 1950's when the land was purchased by the Hull family and apple trees planted to create Applewood Orchards. In 1993 Jonathan Hull expanded the apple farm to include a winery and plantings of vinifera, labrusca and hybrid and grape varieties.

On our visit, we were surprised to find a packed parking lot; surprised because of the seclusion of the farm. They have gotten the word out; plus there was live music scheduled for later that afternoon. The winery offers a large selection of wines, from Chardonnay, Reisling, and Cabernet Franc to Traminette and Concord. And plenty of Apple wine and hard cider; actually sparkling hard cider, the semi-dry Stone Fence Cider made from fermented estate apples, honey, and champagne yeast. This was all we needed, purchasing one cold and two to bring home. Even though we prefer dry cider and brut sparklers, this cider was nice and refreshing -on that 90 degree day. The apple flavors bounced through the palette with the honey providing a touch of sweetness at the finish. And at $8.25, what a fair value. We didn't sample the other wines, but enjoyed the bottle of Stone Fence Cider before returning to Greenwood Lake.

On the rise back, we stopped at Friendly Beer & Soda Corporation to grab some local beer and to our surprise, found bottles Warwick Valley Winery & Disillery hard cider proudly displayed on the register counter. We took home bottles of the Doc's Draft Hard Apple Cider and the
Doc's Draft Hard Pear Cider. The pear was wonderful, dry-dry-dry; and with plenty of pear flavors. The apple was made semi-dry and had a similar flavor profile as the Stone Fence Cider minus the CO2. Despite the slight sweetness, it was clean and refreshing. The reason why we love hard cider.

Visiting the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail: Vynecrest Winery

While visiting family in New York, we took a slight detour on our travels to visit Vynecrest Winery, located in Breinigsville Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. Why Vynecrest? Well, the winery is one of the few East Coast producers of Lemberger\Blaufränkisch; we had to check that out. The winery is located just off Route 78 and is being encroached by the suburbs - yet you still get that Pennsylvania farm feeling when pulling up to the 19th century Swiss barn that houses the tasting room. The operation began almost 40 years ago when John and Jan Landis purchased the initial 5 acre estate and the first vines were planted in 1974. The winery itself did not open until 1989 and soon expanded with 23 additional acres of a mix of vinifera, labrusca, and hybrid grapes. Today their son Sam manages the business, as well as the current president of the Pennsylvania Wine Association, and John still operates as the winemaker. It's nice to see a business have a succession strategy.

When we arrived, we immediately noticed the advertisements for the winery's latest medal winner, the 2009 Chardonnay which was a Double Gold winner at the 2011 Indianapolis International Medal Competition. A three pack for $30; shows how affordable these wines are priced. Back in Virginia, an equivalent medal winner would be marked up to $30 a bottle. We sampled a double tasting of 12 wines which gave us a good representation of their portfolio. Starting with whites, the aforementioned Chardonnay was okay, but for us, nothing really special - no noticeable mouthfeel of Chardonnay flavor. Yet the Traminette and Riesling (Both dry and semi-dry) where exactly what you would expect from these grapes. And the biggest surprise was the Vynecrest White, a blend of labrusca and hybrids such as Cayuga and Vidal. Made semi-dry, the acidity balanced the sweetness and this was one we enjoyed out on the lake the following day.

Moving to reds, the vinifera were mostly medium bodied wines that I've found are common in Pennsylvania red wines. The Pinot Noir and Lemberger were both medium bodied, smooth, but not much complexity. On the other hand, the Chambourcin was our favorite red, full bodied with strong cherry flavor, yet a smooth silky finish. This was nicely done. The "house" red, Vynecrest Red, was also appealing for what it is, a semi-dry blend of several grapes - yet not overly sweet and quite tasty.

Finally, the winery offers a small selection of fruit and sparkling wines. The Blueberry and Cherry DiVine are made sweet and are full of their respective flavors. And for those who like semi-sweet sparklers, we prefer brut, the Sparkling Chambourcin is for you.

All in all, Vynecrest produces several wines we really enjoyed. And with all the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail events planned throughout the year, we shall return to the area. And we will revisit the Lemberger in a later varietal tasting. Got to love that they planted this grape variety.

2nd Annual #CabernetDay: Frederick Cellars 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon

Rick Bakas has scheduled this Thursday September 1st as 2011 #CabernetDay, where all are encouraged to consume and tweet about one or more Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon wines. After perusing the cellar, we will open our last bottle of the Frederick Cellars 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was crafted by Robert Lyons just before his Catoctin Vineyards was purchased by Frederick Cellars. Mr. Lyons has a long history of crafting award winning wines as his 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon joined the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon as winners of the Maryland Governors Cup. The grapes for all their Cabernet is local, from Mountain Creek Vineyards in the Catoctin AVA. You can follow our feed on Thursday using the #CabernetDay and #mdwine hash tags. Cheers.

2011 Wine Bloggers Conference Pre-Tour: Loudoun County (DC's Wine Country)

One of the best kept secrets of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference was the Loudoun County Pre-Tour sponsored by Visit Loudoun. This two day tour was available to the first 25 bloggers who registered and consisted of visits to four wineries: Tarara Vineyard & Winery, Breaux Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, and Boxwood Winery. Each winery rolled out the red carpet with the winemaker greeting the participants and providing tours and tastings of their regular offerings as well as reserve and barrel wines. These were very intimate engagements where the participants were able to discuss Norton or Albarino with Jenni McCloud and Alan Kinne at Chrysalis; Bordeaux with Rachel Martin and Adam McTaggart at Boxwood, Terroir with Jordan Harris at Tarara; and Nebbiolo with the Breaux crew. These wineries may be familiar to the larger group of conference attendees since they participated in many of the WBC11 events in Charlottesville, either as sponsors, the twitter tastings, the Other 46 tasting, and the Monticello dinner.

Check out the video below, which includes audio from Stacey Sheetz of Visit Loudoun discussing the wine region, to see why this area is one of the top wine destinations in Virginia and considered DC's Wine Country. The video also features Tara Nevins (Donna the Buffalo) "Beauty of Days Gone By" from her new solo release: Wood & Stone. And below is a list of blog posts concerning the Loudoun pre-tour and WBC11.

Dallas Wine Chick: Loudoun County Wine Pre-Trip
Tarara Winery: WineBloggers
Wine Biz Radio: X Does WBC ’11
The Wine Hub: Why Terroir Matters – Blog by: Jordan Harris – Tarara Winery Winemaker

2011 Wine Bloggers Conference: Ignite Wine Presentations

The last session of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference (July 22-24; Charlottesville, Virginia) was the Ignite Wine presentations where nine presenters had five minutes to talk about anything of interest to wine bloggers. The catch: each presenter had to show 20 slides auto-tuned to advance every 15 seconds. This was very entertaining; too bad not many attendees stayed around to witness.

Elle Potter: Wine Bloggers Conference: What It Takes
Zephyr Adventures | Wine Bloggers Conference


Amy Hoopes and Susan Stockton: entwine
entwine | Wente Vineyards |Food Network


Matthew Parnell: East Coast Wines
E Coast Wines


Su Birch: South Africa: Why Our Wine Lands Are Wild
Wines of South Africa


Patrick Spencer: Wine Closures: Fact, Fiction and Sustainability
CorkReharvest


Kelly Medler & Emily Knutson: The Evolution of a Wine Drinker
Naked Winery | The Naked Truth


Jason Mancebo: A Picture is Worth 1000 Words – Visual Storytelling
$20 Dollar Wine Blog


Mary Cressler: Pairing Wine and Food
Vindulge Wine Education & Consulting


Jason Phelps: Savoring Similarities & Celebrating Differences - Blogging the Diverse World of Wine
Ancient Fire Wine Blog

2011 Wine Bloggers Conference Highlights

The 2011 North American Wine Bloggers Conference was held July 21-24 in Charlottesville Virginia. Here are the highlights from the various events, tours, seminars, and tastings during the weekend from the International Tasting Thursday night to the Ignite sessions Sunday morning. The video also includes footage from the vineyard tour of Virginia Wineworks, First Colony Winery, and Blenheim Vineyards. The musical theme features Tony Trischka performing at the Floydfest Front Porch courtesy of the Virginia Folklife Program. And one note, the Traminette shown in the International Tasting was from the Other 46 Tasting. Cheers.