Wine Tasting this Friday!

Whoo! And yet another tasting coming up! After work on Friday, I am heading to my friend Liz's house to do a tasting. I can't wait for many reasons, but mostly because she always has amazing food..hehe..I know she'll have lots of fun, and I'll be sure to post pics from the night..What a winey Friday! (oh, and yes, the pic above is super old..good riddance to the blonde hair)

New Job(yes that's right)

Another opportunity arose recently that I am so thankful I went forward with. I am now working at the Jonathan Edwards Winery/Vineyard in North Stonington, CT. I've only worked there three days so far, and I absolutely love everything about it. The staff is some of the nicest people you'll ever meet, it's a gorgeous location, and of course, the wine is delish. I was also lucky enough to help work a wedding this past Saturday in the vineyard, and it was absolutely beautiful. So much so, that I kind of wish now that my wedding took place there. We have so much going on at the vineyard this summer, and all of you locals really need to come check it out. Our tasting room is open Wednesday-Sunday, where you will either get the chance to try 4 or 8 of our delicious wines. After tasting, get a glass of your fav, and walk around, check out our barrel room, or just relax on the patio overlooking the vineyard. Let's hope this weather gets better! We also have several events coming up, including our summer nights series, our Jonathan Edwards concert, a pig roast and Harvest fest! Check us out!

www.jedwardswinery.com

Hope to see friends and family there this summer!

25th Anniversary Wine Tasting

A couple weeks ago, I was asked to do a tasting for my aunt and uncle's 25th wedding anniversary celebration. I was thrilled to have been asked and wanted to make sure they had a great time as they celebrate 25 years of wedded bliss. The tasting was held at this super cute restaurant/inn, called the Vienna in Southbridge. The couple that owns the place, along with their standard poodle, are really nice and I was honored that they allowed me to use their outdoor space to do my thing. I was also told that Bill Murray is a frequent guest(sshhhh), so I was hoping to have some pics of myself with him..oh well. So, the tasting was held outside on the patio, along with the Leo Doherty Band, a cover band of sorts and an Irish music band. They were very good, and I found myself tapping my feet more than once. They played a little, then I did the tasting, and they played some more. My aunt and uncle had a great time with close friends and family, and everyone loved the wine. The food provided by the Vienna was delish. as well..My fav had to be the mint chocolate cake for dessert. YUM! Some pics of the celebration are up above.

It's been a while!

I'm back! I know it's been quite a while since my last blog, but I have been ridiculously busy, and now I have all sorts of things to share! (hold your enthusiasm)...And the posts start...now...

Daily Wine Tidbits-How did California become what it is?

So, how did California become a world class producer of wine in only 40 years? There are many factors that have made Cali what it is today. All a series of factors that almost made up the perfect formula for creating wine country. One of these factors is location. Both Napa Valley and Sonoma are less than a 2 hour drive from the populated San Francisco. Many, many people drive out to the valleys from San Fran. every weekend. Another factor is the weather. There is abundant sunshine, warm daytime temperatures and cool evenings, all of which makes for a longer growing season. The third factor are the schools. Both the University of California at Davis and Fresno State University are out in California and have been the training grounds for students who want to study the scientific aspect of winemaking. The last factor is money and marketing strategies. Everyone has seen the commercials advertising for Napa Valley and we all know there's money out there. All of these factors have made Cali what it is today, and most likely will continue to thrive.

Daily Wine Tidbits-Wine Ed.

There is actually a college major in the field of studying wine...why didn't I know this about 11 years ago? In fact, early California winemakers sent their children to study oenology at Geisenham in Germany or Bordeaux, France. This was when it was thought that only the Europeans knew how to make wine. However, today, many European winemakers send their children to the University of California at Davis or Fresno State University in California. In 1966, the University of California at Davis only graduated 5 students from the oenology department, and today there is a waiting list of students from all over the world! Hard to imagine!

Chahlton Orchahds

Or Charlton Orchards for those that speak normally. The hubs, a friend and I decided to take an impromptu drive out to Charlton, MA over the weekend to check out the winery at Charlton Orchards. The farm and the land itself was typical Charlton...a tiny bit run down, and cows and chickens running loose, but the wine store was very cute and the wine itself was actually very good. They had a pretty large wine list for us to taste from, including more grape wines than I thought they would have(orchards tend to have a ton of fruit wines, and not a lot of grape wines)! Well, we tried a bunch..I tried their Riesling, a red wine called Chambourcin, their blueberry, pear, peach, plum and cherry wines. The grape wines were pretty good! The Chambourcin was something I've never tried before, and it was a white wine drinkers red wine..not too dry or harsh, it was pretty light and a good wine for the summer. And the fruit wines tasted EXACTLY like what they said they were. We ended up buying a bottle of the blueberry and pear. YUM. Happy Summer!