Toast... to 2014

In an hour or so, we will be toasting in another fabulous grape-tastic New Year, 2015. It's amazing how 365 days can fly by so fast. Making resolutions is as odd as drinking Verdi Spumante. So this year instead of creating new year promises, I'm listing realistic goals and raising a glass of Conde de Caralt Cava Sparkling Wine. Now let's remember, I'm a wine enthusiast on a real-life budget. I ran across this wine at one of the many Champagne/ Sparkling Wine tasting that were offered last weekend. Too be honest, there was delicious Blanc de Blanc that my expensive wine palate fell in love with. But at last, the strong smell of the post-holiday bills quickly snatched me back to reality. The Conde de Caralt  is a semi-seco, which surprises me because I'm usually drawn to brut wines. 

Nevertheless, what ever vino you decide to cheer for the new year, let it be something that you enjoy drinking. Just for a moment..., forget about the rules of what you "should" drink and what it "should" be paired with it. Just for ONE moment......, use your palate to savor the last slurps of 2014 onto the first sips of a New Year of bottled vintages, Spring & Summer festivals, as well as Fall Harvest. 

Cheers!!!

Happy New Year!!

XOXOXO

I Heart Fermented Grapes 

Drink Outside The Box

It's the Holiday season, my favorite time of the year (along with fall Harvest). While searching for presents for the wine enthusiasts, I stumbled across a very cool gift for the divas in my life. This wine sack is so unique. I won't dare try to describe it, check out the website and let me know what you think. 

Happy Holidays Wine Lovers!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/wine-sack

2013 Malbec from Argentina

Happy Thanksgiving Eve,

I stopped pass Bin 604 today to check out their sale on wines. The store was so crowded. But what can you expect, it's Turkey day tomorrow. I'm a great cook but due to a crazy busy life, this holiday season I'm bringing wine to dinner. My main course of action was to find "easy drinkable" wines. I have to come to grips with the fact that my Boones Farm loving kinfolk are not ready for the intensity of a bold red Malbec. So it's only natural that I  purchase the 2013 Argintine Malbec for myself to selflessly enjoy. Believe me, it's for the best! Now that I'm home and out of the holiday frenzy, it's time to taste the Malbec (cool name) and relax for the night. I poured the vino in my favorite glass for red wines, to let the grapes breath. Swirl, then watch the purple sticky legs dance down the side of my glass. Sip, slurp, taste... plum, cherry, chocolate, raspberry, and grape jelly notes. I like the bold "here I am" flavor as well as the medium level of tananin left on my tounge. This wine is a winter winner. After this first glass, I believe I'll be back for more. 

*Enjoy the pics!

Holiday Vinos- Turkey verses the Fermented Grape

Dear Wine Lovers, 

I adore this time of the year. It's the season to give thanks, spread joy and celebrate new beginning. What better way to shares those special memories then with a great bottle of wine with every course. As you begin the gobble turkey feast, this year try something different, like a nice chilled bottle of a off- dry white wine. This choice will compliment the juicy brown sugar, honey baked ham (Aunt Stephany normally bakes for our family). If you are looking for a vino to taste with your grand-moms tender beef stew, try a ultra dry old vine zinfandel. The tannins in this wine will quickly soften your palate due to Nana's special homemade gravy that accompanies the beef and hearty veggies. Last but not least, for desert, skip the boring apple pie and overly frosted cupcakes. Instead, light the fire place or build a bonfire to enjoy a perfectly chilled bubbly glass of Champagne paired with freshly popped kettle corn to snack on. 

Well, I've just shared my holiday parings. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on turkey verses fermented grapes. Of course if you find yourself bogged down by the holiday to-do list. Let me help you choose the perfect vino for your holiday party, family gathering or girls-night-out-get away from the oh so intruding in-laws. Just contact me at iheartfermentedgrapes@gmail.com or stop pass my Twitter page #iheartfermented. 

Happy Holidays Oenophiles!

🍷🎁🎉

*Picture courtesy of my 7 yr old son and his second grade class. A drawing of a turkey only a proud mom would love.

Wine Bar Etiquette!

As a wine enthusiast and active blogger, I feel that it is my obligation to discuss the "elephant in the room", bar service and etiquette. Lately, I have noticed that the customer experience at wine bars in Baltimore have been less than tip worthy. I love to work at wine tastings. I enjoy talking about wine and meeting other Oenophiles. I visited one of my old favorite wine spots and quickly realized that something was truly different about the place. The bar staff were huddled in a group like shy teenagers and no one acknowledged our arrival. My friend and I found a seat (on our own) but waited a lifetime to be served. This was her first time at the wine bar but it was not mine. The crowd was even different. The food menu had drastically changed, and the happy hour house wine absolutely sucked. Come to find out, the place was under new management. They carried on with part of the wine bar theme but included crappy lifeless table wine. Once I was told the dillo, I was relived. There had to be some sought of explanation for the creepy slim guy who was roaming around the bar area studying us patrons. He's the new owner, I heard someone say. My experience at this wine bar was no longer office vineayard gossip worthy. Until further notice, I won't be returning to that bar for the rest of the year. 

Tonite, we visited a jazz spot. The experience was less than exciting. I asked for a wine list but was told that the restaurant only had three types of red vino and two types of white wine varitiabials. I chose a Malbec, thinking my choice would be flawless. After one sip, I could taste that the wine bottle had been open for sometime. No flavor, all air. It had no completely to my palate. Also, the waitress was R-U-D-E and very unprofessional. To top it all off we were given completely over flowing glasses of wine and small black straws to sip from. The food was ok but the Jazz band showed up late. 

I'm a huge fan of Jessy Barns from Bar Rescue. Jessy specializes is proper bar staff customer service skills. Now that's a job I would adore. A long as the selection of wine is great, the tapas are tasty and the bar service is memorable, count me in..... I'm there.

Cheers

Wine Loves 🍷

2010 Merlot

I recently read an article that said, "Merlot is Making a Comeback"! My first thought was, where did it go? The Merlot grape is one of my absolute favorites. My car is named Merlot and everyone that knows me adores Merlot the car. As of late, I've tasted a delicious 2010 Merlot from South Australia. The name of the wine is Steeple Jack. It's a fairly inexpensive wine. For the price, I purchased extras to share. This wine has medium tannin, that leaves a light coat of grape jelly on the tongue. It's a dry red wine but the color of the vino in my glass shows deep dark purple legs. The alcohol content is 14%. Purchasing this Merlot was definitely a great buy. Cheers wine lovers!  

Picture thanks to wine-searcher.com

Wine Station

I love to travel around the DMV (DC, MD, VA) for great places to taste wine, and food. Today I ventured to a hidden space on the east side of Baltimore County, Liquid Lib's. I was very intrigued by the fact that they had a wine station. What's a wine station you ask, well so did I? I was actually curious by the concept of a wine station. Unfortunately after giving it a try,  I quickly learned that it was a alternative to charging unreasonable prices for a 1oz tasting. The food was ok. I'm a Foodie by nature and expected more than the Lib's had to offer. The wine collection was average. There were not many wines available that I had not already tasted. But hey, wine tasting is my part-time profession so no judging allowed, laugh out loud 😃. 

BIG ZIN

I'm a sucker for a "Great Red Zin". Rubus 2011 Old Vine Zinfandel is as good as it gets! This three year old vine zinfindal is a awesome addition to my wine collection. I was so impressed, I purchased one bottle to immediately taste and another to hold. My palate actually likes tanin. I'm looking forward to tasting this same great vintage three years from now to celebrate my daughters voyage to her first year as a college freshman. But until then, I'm enjoying this old vine zin as a relaxing end to my looooooong day. There are notes of blackberry, and raspberry. I normally would pair this wine with a juicy steak or cheese steak sub. Because I'm in dessert mode, I'm actually pairing my glass of Zinfandel with milk chocolate (thanks to my sons PTA candy drive). Over all this is a great wine and with 15.75% alc content there is nothing to lose. I suggest this vino to my bold red vine drinkers. Cheers!!!

Pinot In A Can

Union Wine Company has created an awesome concept for packaging their Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Rather than using the average method of glass bottled or cardboard boxed, they decided on metal cans. I love when thinking out of the box becomes the "new normal" process of gathering great thoughts. Canned wine is definitely a eye-catching conversation piece. I'm an adventurous vino lover. I've purchased a few cans to enjoy and will back with you on what my taste buds say. Until then, enjoy a few pictures I snapped at the wine store of Union Wine Company soda can persevered Pinots. CHEERS!!!

Harvest 2014

When I grow-up (well actually, when my children are off to college) my career will exist consumed with my passion for wine, the fermented grape. The big question is what position will I play in the wine industry? It's not a bad thought to ponder. It is vey exciting, at the least. I recently had the opportunity to assist an awesome wine maker with the 2014 harvest season. During this fun and messy session, I worked with the continuous fermentation of freshly picked Syrah grapes as well as other varieties of red and white grapes. It was very interesting to me to learn about the complex stages of making wine. Cheers to Mrs. L. Baker-Hinson. I'm in debt to you and your family forever more!!! Looking forward to the next session. 

Uncorked in Rockville Maryland ....

The summer of 2014 may be coming to an end but the wine festivals continue through October. Enters the Uncorked Wine and Music Festival in Rockville, MD. I love the wineries, music and cooking demonstrations. This event is not one to miss. 

Check out the website to more details

http://www.rockvillemd.gov/index.aspx?NID=666

*Photo courtesy of www.rockvillemd.gov

Summer, Summer, Summer Time- Rose' Wine

OMG! What a summer? I have been learning so much about wine that I've not had time to do what I do best, "write about it"! One of my obsessions this season of sunshine has been dry rose'. I am totally in love with the saignée method of producing rose' wine. Saignée is a method of rosé production that involves bleeding off the juice after limited contact with the skins. What's left is a beautiful dark pink colored vino fermented primarily in stainless steel. I have tried a few dry rose' this summer and my favorite is from Old Westminster Winey. Maryland wine, Oh Yeah!!! Their Rose' is deliciously crafted using the signee' method. It leaves the vino smelling of crisped fresh berries chilled especially for summer wine tasting. 

Check out the website: 

http://oldwestminster.orderport.net/product-details/0027/2013-Rose

*picture curtesy of http://oldwestminster.com*

Millstone Cellars- Hopvine

This is my second year blogging about new comers Millstone Cellars. I know that this will not be the last. I had a chance to taste their Hopvine cider at the Decanter Wine Festival this year. I fell in love with it's taste that resembles a sparkling white wine. The palate of the cider is very floral with a honey aftertaste. Millstone Cellars is making cider the new alternative to wine and beer. Check out their tasting room. You will enjoy every slurp!

Cheers!!

http://www.millstonecellars.com/our-products/uncategorized/hopvine/

*picture courtesy of millstonecellars.com

Old Westminster Winery

Recently I visted Old Westminster Winery. It was a great pleasure to meet the Baker Family. I tasted a few wines and was blown away by the aroma and unique texture of the grapes which by the way are grown at the vineyard soaked in Maryland soil. Old Westminster is not your "run of a mill" winery. They produce fermented grapes for the mature palate. I fell in love with the unoaked Chardonnay. Defiantly one of my favorites. The winery is worth the drive to visit on a nice Spring day. They re-open to the public on Saturday, May 3. The wines are also sold at multiple wine stores throughout Maryland. Check put the website for more details http://oldwestminster.com.

Cheers Wine Lovers!

Decanter Wine Festival 2014- The Winery at Olney

The Winery at Olney

For Your Eyes Olney, Cabernet Sauvignon

This red wine was very interesting. The winery did a great job at attracting my attention to the bottle with the catchy name of the Cab and the eye tuning picture on the bottle. The wine was very smooth and had less tannin then I normally expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon. I recommend For Your Eyes Olney to those wine drinkers who are just starting to favor red wines. The light tannins will not leave your tongue thirsting for fresh air. I also tried the Australian Shiraz named "Down Under Red". It was a light flavored Shiraz with a lingering coconut aftertaste. 

I had a chance to chat with two of the owners, Joe and Jeremy. I really like the concept of a working winery in a urban setting. It's definitely something that I would love to be a part of in the future. I will be vitpsiting the tasting room very soon. Get Stained at the Winery at Olney.

Decanter Wine Festival 2014- Romano Winery

Romano Winery

Rougeon, 2012

This wine has a medium body with a sweet aftertaste. The grape used (Rougeon) is defiantly new to my vino vocabulary. Yes it is a red grape but ver light with little to no tannins. It's a truly unexpected flavor for a red wine. I will have to visit the family farm in order to get a taste of the other wines they have to offer. 

Decanter Wine Festival, Knob Hall Winery

Knob Hall Winery

Le Rêve Rouge, Semi-Dry Red Blend 

This wine is a blend of percentages of two grapes, 70% Chambourcin and 30% Vidal. Because it is considered to be a semi-dry wine the taste is light with very low tannin. At the first swirl of wine in my glass I smelled a floral scent. The something happened after tasting, floral after taste. Le Rêve Rouge was ok to enjoy but Knob Hall Winery had a taster red wine named Sweet Revenge. In my wine tasting profession I get to try all types of wine. Taking with others I realize sweet red blends are becoming a popular choice. I fell in love with Sweet Revenge after the first sip. I was told that this wine can be sipped with chocolate to give it another level of vino satisfaction. 

Decanter Wine Festival 2014

This weekend was the Decanter Wine Event held at one of Baltimore's most famous locations, The Pimlico Race Track. We enjoyed two fabulous sun shiny days of wine,  ciders, crafts, and horse racing. The kids were welcomed at the event but it was the big kids (adults) who had the most fun. As for me, I am always thrilled to be around lovers of fermented grapes.

I have attended Decanter for three out of the four years it has been open. Not to my surprise, this event gets better every year. This year I decided to checkout Maryland vineyards that I have not visited a of yet. I am a lover of dry red wines. A fellow wine lover suggested that I visit the following vineyards to taste their red wines, Knob Hall Winery, Romano Vineyard, and The Winery at Olney. 

Check out my upcoming posts about the experiences I endured at the Decanter event.......

Cycle Buff Beauty

A couple of days ago I stumbled across a wine store that I had never been to before. The name of this place is The Wine Stop. It's located in Reisterstown, MD. I was actually in search of my favorite cupcake store but lucky for my weight lost plans the cupcake place had closed for the day. Settling for wine instead of cupcakes nearly broke my heart, laugh out loud. 

The undiscovered wine store was small and quaint but they had a great selection of wines. I recently blogged about a wine named "The Show". This was the particular wine I was looking for that day. To my surprise the owner knew of this interesting vino. Unfortunately, he did not have any bottles of the wine remaining in the store. Like any great wine store owner, he recommended another wine that was said to be on the same level as The Show. I was offered a vino with a strange but intriguing name. Cycle Buff Beauty, a 2011 Limited Edition mixture of Shiraz and Malbec grapes from South Australia boating an alcohol content of 14.5%. Talk about great advertising. The bottle alone caught my attention. A regular size bottle canvassed with a comedic scene of two women dressed in only bra and panties, using a non-traditional yet soon to become very popular corking technique, the twist cap. I was more than eager to enjoy my first sip. Since the wine was a 2011, I quickly aerated the red into my glass. The nose of the wine was jammy with medium tannins. At 90%, the Shiraz did its best to shine. At 10%, the Malbec was a great compliment. I did not pair this wine with anything but I would love to sip this beauty with a Five Guys double cheese burger and a bag of greasy fries. Just like the The Wine Stop store owner, I definitely recommend tasting a glass of these fermented grapes. I am positive you will enjoy every delicious sip. 

Cheers to the discovery of great red wines. And the Wine-Ohs who accidentally discover them. I truly live for these "Ahhh" moments as well as enjoy sharing them with you.

Dry Rose' & Pâté'

Tonight I decided to venture out to one of my favorite wines bars in Canton, Chesapeake Wine Company. It's Friday! Not just any ole day of the week but Friday, the last day of the work week and time to try something fresh and new. After looking through the very impressive wine list I decide on a Rose' from Spain. This pink vino is named Ameztoi Txakolina Rose' 2012. It was a delight to the palate. The wine was perfectly dry, with a hint of grapefruit and floral notes. The alcohol content was no concern of mine at 10.5%. I enjoyed one glass of the wine and took a bottle home to share (with me, myself & I). 

For dinner I ventured to try Pâté' for the first time. Believe me, I'm a very adventurous Chic. I love the thrill of something new. Pâté' is actually a cute name for Duck Liver Mousse. This particular one was accompanied with Cognac Dijon mustard. Thanks mom for making me eat liver and rice as a child. It gave me an appreciation for similar dishes. 

Cheers!! Drink well and try new things!! 

Decanter 2014

Upcoming Events: Decanter 2014

Beginning April 12th through April 13th, enjoy live horse races, sample a variety of Maryland wines, browse wine focused arts & crafts and enjoy a day at the Famous Pimlico Race Track. This event is hosted by the MD Wine Association (http://marylandwine.org/events/).

I have attended the Decanter event for three of the four years that it has been active and have enjoyed every bit of the experience. 

My favorite last year was Aliceanna Winery (http://www.aliceannawinery.com). They are a actual Maryland Winery located in the concrete city of Baltimore. Checkout the webpage for more details.

  

Hope to see you there! Maryland Wines Rock! Release your palate from the everyday norm an explore new favorite.

Cheers.

 

The Show

Tonite I decided to venture out for dinner. I ended up at PF Chang's. This very adorable bartender tells me about a great red wine, a Garnacha. This red beauty boasts an alcohol content 14.9%. I'm in love. And I'm not just talking about the the cute guy, lol! 

Garnacha is one of my most favorite complicated grapes. The Show wine does not disappoint. Cheers to my new found obsession!!

*picture thanks to www.theshow.com

2011 Robert Mondavi Private Selection "Meritage"

Tonite I decided to sip on a special vino that I have not tried before (I love a challenge). Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, vintage 2011. The idea of tasting a Meritage wine is very exciting. There is a great story behind the creation of Meritage wines. The name is a combination of the words merit and heritage. This particular red is a blend of five red grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot). 

Since the vintage is three years old, I decided to aerated the wine. I'm interested in tasting the complete palate. At first sip I noticed a jammy texture, dark berry flavor, and medium tannis. So far so good! Since the wine is layered with all dry grapes, I suggest pairing with a thick juicy steak or Bar-b-q ribs. With an alcohol content of 13.5 you can't go wrong with this wine. I would truly recommend tasting this wine to my great friend Denise. She loves red blends and this one is well worth the sip. 

19 Crimes

After fussing through the super market gathering goods for the kids and I so that we can buckle down for yet another icy winter storm here in Maryland, I decided to visit a wine/liquor store that I had never been to before. I was completely surprised by the variety of wines the store had to offer. Running late (as usual), I try to breeze through the selection of vino. Believe it or not I decided to purchase a 2012 Red Wine named 19 Crimes. Now, I have heard about this particular wine. It's from South Eastern Australia. By what I have been told, it's a very good sweet red. As for my personal preference, I can not get past the marketing and name of the wine. But today I was on a budget and the 19 Crimes wine was just my price. Ok, I have to admit the wine is delish. I tend to lean towards dry reds grapes but was interested in the dark berry, very cherry, low tannin vino in my glass. At first swirl and sniff it was refreshing to smell the fruity notes. I completely recommend 19 Crimes Red Wine to all of my Wine-O's. If the packaging bothers you, keep the bottle in that lovely brown paper bag we all know and love, LOL!

Check out the 19 Crimes Wine website for more details regarding the history behind the vino. 

www.19crimes.com

Cheers!!

Welcome 2014!

As one of my New Year resolutions, I have decided to enjoy 2014 to the fullest! This includes keeping abreast of my most favorite passion (besides my children and vintage hand bags), the love of fermented grapes. The holidays are now over and it's time to settle into great winter wines. I'm a huge fan of the local vineyards. At this point of the season everyone is trying to keep warm from the Maryland frost and are starting to plan for the upcoming spring and summer season of fun and festivals. In October 2013, I was able to assist a local vineyard with their fall harvest. This included picking and bundling grapes right off of the vine. The experience was one of a lifetime and I intend to join them every year from now on. I know what you are thinking, "did we get a chance to stomp grapes with our bare feet"? Unfortunately, we did not. But that has always been a dream of mine, thanks to that famous episode of the TV show I Love Lucy. To my adored Oenophile's, look forward to a new year full of exciting blog posting, videos, and hopefully a new Pod Cast station. 

Cheers!!

XOXOXO

I Heart Fermented Grapes

14 Hands Merlot

HAPPY NEW YEAR Wine-O's! It's 2014 and I'm ready to begin the next 365 days with a glass of my favorite grape, Merlot. For the holidays I was gifted an unbelievable 2011 Merlot from the 14 Hands Vineyards in Columbia Valley. To my surprise, this is the BEST Merlot wine I have tasted thus far. When the vino was poured in my glass, I could smell the aroma of black cherries and plum. This Merlot has the most distinct low level of tannin I have ever tasted. I am very much impressed. With an Alc% of 13.5, you will be surprised. I researched the vineyard on the web and was happy to see the price per bottle was under $15. This vino is a winner all around. What a wonderful way to begin the New Year! Cheers!