A Great Wine Book

If you have been searching for great information on wine, well look no further. My favorite read is Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World, Complete Wine Course. I have read this book like a text book; highlighting phrases and important details. I recommend this book to the wine enthusiast who wants to learn the basics about grapes. I have this book on iBook as well as a hard copy. Happy Reading!

Events Around Town: Good Life Thursdays Happy Hour

I'm so very excited! Starting in May, my favorite happy hour is coming back for the Spring and Summer seasons. Good Life Thursdays Happy Hour at Boordy Vineyards is a one-of-a-kind event. It's free to get into the winery and most of all there is a different live band that plays every week. Plus, they also host a farmers market at the winery. I normally attend this event strait from work. It's a awesome cool down from the week and warm up for the weekend. Check out the website for more details http://www.boordy.com/events/events-at-boordy.

Hope to see ya there! Cheers!!

Wine Classes

Cheers Wine Lovers!!

I just found out that Total Wine will be hosting wine classes. It's always great to learn. And learning more about wine can be intoxicating. I'm interested in the class about Malbec. It's definitely one of my favorite grapes. Hope to see you there! Check out their website for more details http://www.totalwine.com/eng/stores/classes-and-tastings.cfm

Decanter Event: Romano Vineyard & Winery

As you all know I love red dry wines. So it truly surprised me when I tasted Ole' Glory wine from Romano Vineyard & Winery. This wine is a sweet red. It blends Chambourcin, Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes. I could drink this wine alone and not paired with anything. Try it and tell me what you think. Cheers!

Decanter Event: Millstone Cellars

It takes a versatile tongue to try and like Mead and Ciders. Luckily I was up for the challenge today. Enters Millstone Cellars. I tasted all of the flavors and really really liked the ginger cider. But most of all the Hopbrosia cider won my heart. Millstone Cellars may be new to the game but their drinks are truly one of a kind. Check out their web page for more details http://www.millstonecellars.com/

Decanter Event: Aliceanna Winery

Aliceanna Winery has to be one of my favorite wineries in Baltimore, MD. The wines are awesome but most of all the strong dedicated spirit of Owner and Wine Maker Erik Bandzak makes this winery a force to be reckon with. I had a chance to meet and talk with Erik today. We discussed the presence of his city winery as well as the awesome accomplishments the wines have made thus far. The Rougeon wine won the Silver Medalist at the 2012 Winemaster Choice Award. As well as their Riesling won the Bronze Medalist at the 2012 Winemaster Choice Award. My favorite is the Ruby Red. It's a rhubarb wine, made completely from rhubarb juice. The factor I mostly like is that's its a dry wine. Check out the website at http://aliceannawinery.com/. There is a list of wine stores and restaurants where you can taste the wines. Cheers!!

Decanter Event: Elk Run

Today I enjoyed time at the Pimlico Race Track. The Maryland Wine Association hosted an event called Decanter. The first winery I visited was Elk Run. I fell in love with a wine named "Red Door". This wine is a blend of several grapes and I'm a sucker for blends. Red Door boasts tastes from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and Melbec. This mixture gives the wine a very smooth taste and a generous long finish. I defiantly recommend Red Door to my dry red wine lovers. Check out Elk Run's web page for more details on other fabulous wines http://www.elkrun.com/wines_red.html. Cheers!!

Wedding Wines in VA

I've been driving down VA and wow .... Who know that there were so many wineries on Rt 29. The wineries in VA are plentiful.

Earth Day April 22nd

In honor of Earth Day, lets talk about one of my favorite wines...Releaf Organic Cabernet. The wine comes from Cape Town, South Africa. It's made from 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 20% Shiraz. Releaf Organic is made from 100% hand harvested, organically grown grapes from vineyards under sustainable agriculture. The blend perfectly balances the fabulous fruit flavors, structure, and acidity. I should know, I taste Releaf Organic wines very often. If you ever get a chance to try it, you will be pleasantly surprised. Enjoy! Cheers!!

KABINETT Wine

KABINETT - the world’s naturally lightest wines made from fully ripened grapes, sleek and generally low in alcohol...elegant wines. I'm enjoying a Kabinett tonight. It's truly light in taste with notes of pineapple and 8% Alc. Love it!!!!

Events Around Town: Wine in the Woods

It's about that time folks. One of my favorite festivals of the year, the Wine in the Woods. This event is held in Columbia, MD (near the mall) on May 18-19. I'm looking forward to visiting all of the winery booths as well as the crafts. Check out the website for more details http://www.wineinthewoods.com/information/tickets/. Tickets are around $35- $40 this year. Hope to see you there.

Cult

What's in a name? Cult Wine....a Cabernet Sauvignon that was names Editor's choice by the Wine Enthusiast Magazine. This delicious wine can be found at the Total Wine & More wine store. The cost is around $25. Happy Sipping!! Cheers!

Drink Local Wine Conference Day Two!

I had a blast last nite at the exclusive wine event located at the Tremont Hotel. I was introduced to so many great wine lovers. There was so much wine at this event. Wine from different states like.... New York, Virginia, as well as Connecticut. Today is the last day of Drink Local Wine Conference. It's about time to TWEET! Lets do it!

Exclusive Wine Event Tonight!!

I am so excited to announce that my blog (I Heart Fermented Grapes) has been invited to an very exclusive wine event. The party starts tonight at 9pm at the Tremont Suites Hotel. Stay tuned for more details as the night moves on. Wish me luck!!

Drink Local Wine Conference is Finally Here!

I am so excited that the Drink Local Wine Conference is finally here. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the Maryland wineries as well as meeting my wine blog colleagues. This is going to be the event of the year for Maryland wine. Not to mention we are embarking on the wine festival season. Decanter Wine Festival is April 20-21. I’ll be at this event as well. Keep checking back to my blog for more information. Wine Lovers, are you ready to sip? Cheers!!   

Wine Lovers Rejoice

Research confirms that moderate drinkers (one glass per day for woman) slash their risk of heart disease up to 40 percent. Yay!! You Go Girl!!

Cheese and Chocolate Pairing Experience at Linganore Winery

I volunteered for an wine, cheese and chocolate event at Linganore Winery today. The event was fantastic. I poured dry red vino. These wines were paired with blue cheese and brie cheeses. Pictures tell a thousand words so enjoy the many pics of the event. Cheers!

13.5% Wine Bar- Three European Flight

Last nite I visited the 13.5% Wine Bar in Hampden. The experience was out of this world awesome. The service was great. The atmosphere and people were fantastic. They are well known for their spectacular wines. I ordered the Three European Flight. The wines that accompanied this flight were a Cardigan/Grenache (Cellar el Masroig sola Fred 2010 from Spain), a Cabernet Franc (Domaine Joulin 2011 from France), and a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot (Godzilla, rosso saline 2004 from Italy). I felt like I took a trip around Europe hence the name of the flight. The Cardigan/Grenache wine was delicious. It boasted a hint of spice and finished smooth. The Cabernet Franc was smooth as well; very bold for a Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend was good. I tasted more of the Merlot than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Not a problem though, I love Merlot. Last but not least I enjoyed a scrumptious personal pizza topped with mushrooms and ricotta cheese. I defiantly recommend enjoying a night at the 13.5% Wine Bar. Check out their website for more details http://135winebar.com. Cheers!

I Heart Aliceanna Winery!

I love Aliceanna Winery's Riesling but most of all I love the story of the creation of this Baltinore City Winery. Yes... the winery is located on the concrete jungle of Aliceanna Street, downtown Baltimore City. The story of the beginning, growth and some heart ache (thanks to the Cities laws) gives this Cinderella story and awesome rags to riches outcome. Check out the website for more details about the winery! Cheers! http://aliceannawinery.com/home.html

Campos de Luz Garnacha "Old Vines" - 2010

Campos de Luz Garnacha "Old Vines" - 2010 is made from the Grenache grape (a.k.a. Grenache Noir). This grape produces relatively pale, fruity red wines that often stop just short of sweetness. I fell in love with the vino during a visit to one of my favorite water holes in Canton. This wine is from Spain. In my wine notes I wrote that the color depth was medium, the color hue was red-purplish, clarity was clear, tannins were medium, and the balance was fair. All in all I really enjoyed this wine. Another favorite to add to my list. Cheers!

La terre Chardonnay

While enjoying the sites during happy hour at Bone Fish Grill, the bartender introduced me to a delicious vino called Laterre Chardonnay. This was the house wine of the day. I was truly surprised by the Macintosh apple, honeysuckle and vanilla flavors of this wine. It also left a round finish that just lingered on and on. A wine I will for sure try again. Cheers!

Events Around Town!

This weekend I will be at the Cheese and Chocolate Pairing Experience at Linganore Winery. This will be an awesome event. Chocolate, wine and cheese.... how can you go wrong?  Chocolatier Paul Wockenfuss will be pairing handcrafted chocolates with delicious Linganore wines. Check out the wineries website for more details (www.linganorewines.com)
Cheers!

Drink Local Wine- Lets Blog

Dear Vino Lovers, my blog (I Heart Fermented Grapes) is being featured on the Drink Local Wine website, under the Press tab. That’s right; yours truly has hit the big time. I am so truly grateful to be joining other wine bloggers on the webpage. We only have two weeks to go before the Drink Local Wine Conference will be held on April 13, 2013. I have my tickets, do you have yours? There is still time to purchase tickets for this wonderful event. I am looking forward to the Twitter Taste-Off experience. Most of the MD Wineries will be participating as well. And I will defiantly be there tasting MD wines and tweeting. Check out the website to purchase tickets and learn more about the conference. Cheers!! http://www.marylandwine.org/dlwc13/

Drink Local Wine- Knob Hall Winery Event: Women Who Wine

In the spirit of celebrating Maryland wineries, let’s chat about Knob Hall Winery. Spring has arrived and on Thursday April 4^th Knob Hall Winery will be hosting an event cleverly called “Woman Who Wine”. The admission to this event is about $6 and is open to all family members as well. My favourite vino at Knob Hall Winery is a semi-dry wine called Jealous Mistress. The name specks for itself, LOL. It’s a great table red wine with less tannin than a Merlot or Cabernet. Support MD wineries and check out the Knob Hall Winery webpage at http://www.knobhallwinery.com/. Cheers!!