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!

Mars and Venus

Today I chose to drink a Sauvignon Blanc. The name of the wine is Mars and Venus. I really like this wine. And the name reminds me of the book Men are from Mars and Woman are from Venus. This great white wine is from Italy, boasting 12.5% Alc. While swirling the vino in my glass I smelled sweet citrus notes. At the first sip I could taste the citrus but with a little pucker. Sauvignon Blanc has always been one of my fresh go to white wines. I truly reccomend Mars and Venus Sauvignon Blanc with a light meal or by itself. 

Cheers!!

Chesapeake Wine Company- A Sparkling Beauty

The other day I visited one of my favorite wine bars in Canton, Chesapeake Wine Company. This place is extraordinary. I love how the shop owner tastes each of the wines and adds a personal tasting note describing his opinion of the vino. Just reading his wine notes made for an exciting experience. I purchased a sparkling wine all based on the hilarious description of the personalized wine note. I am not much of a sparkling wine sipper but when the wine bar owner wrote that the wine was “Stupid” (meaning awesomely great) by then my interest was spiked. The wine I choose was Prosecco Superiore di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. This sparkling beauty is produced in Italy. At first sip I could taste hints of peaches along with a slight mob of bubbles crawling to the back of my tongue. I truly recommend visiting Chesapeake Wine Company as well as tasting this sparkling wine. I also suggest sipping the vino without being paired, or making Mimosas for Sunday brunch.

 

Cheers!!       

Maryland Wine Festival- 30 years of MD Wine

Today I attended the Maryland Wine Festival. This year they are celebrating 30 years of Maryland vino. There were so many wine lovers at the festival. And it was a great day to celebrate. There was a premier tent, it was very exclusive. Only 400 tickets were available. I enjoyed learning more about wine grapes and the pressing process. I was given the opportunity to actually press and destem red wine grapes. I had so much fun! I'll tell you a secret.... my next venture is to own my wine. I'll be fermenting grapes, bottling and selling my own vino! More details to come. In the meantime, check out the pictures and enjoy. Cheers!

Mysterious Red Blend, Apothic Wine

I have to admit, I am completely surprised by Apothic Red. I found myself in a never before visited wine store in Towson, MD. This place (from the outside) looked like a corner liquor store. I didn't expect the wine experience that was ahead of me. Lesson learned, don't judge a book by its cover. The sales man was so knowledgeable about his wines. The vino he selected for me was a red blend. My first question to him was, "how sweet is this wine"? Most wine blends are just that.... a blend of grapes intended to compliment each other or... hide the original flavor of a particular grape. As you can tell, I am not necessarily a fan of blends. I am very passionate about wine grapes and I enjoy the original taste of them. With all this said, I'll contradict myself by going back to my first sentence, I am completely surprised by Apothic Red. I ended up purchasing the blend due to the fact that it contained most of my favorite grapes, Zinfandel, Syrah,Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The mixture of these grapes created a fabulous taste. This wine has medium tannins, and a beautiful purplish color tune. All combined to create an essence of black cherry, ripe raspberries, and plum. I was so impressed by Apothic Red that I visited their website. The site equally impressed me. It is a pleasure to share my experience of great wine finds with you. Check out the website at www.apothic.com. 

Cheers!

Sweet Red, A Great Saturday Find!

This Saturday was intended to be a laid back day, spending time with the kids. First stop, my nephew Chance's soccer game. Even though his team did not win, Auntie was still very proud of him. Next stop, the market to gather items for dinner. But not before checking out an impromptu wine tasting at DiWine Spirits in Pikesville. As a mom, I know better than taking two active kids into a fancy wine store but I could not pass up the opportunity. We entered the shop, was greeted by the staff, and then whisked off to the tasting area. Like normal I give the speech to my little darlings..... don't touch, don't touch, don't touch. Now it's time to explore. I had my eye on an Old Vine Zinfandel but this wine was not on the tasting list. I only had time to try two wines, a Sweet Red and Pinot Noir, before kids "don't touch" tolerance level boiled over. The Pinot Noir was very light and delicious. The tannins of this vino were perfectly set.  I ended up purchasing the Sweet Red. The name of the wine is Rock Rabbit Sweet Red. It's fermented in a California Winery, 2009 Vintage. I choose this vino because it surprised me. Rock Rabbit was able to make a sweet red wine with 13.5% alc content. What I like about it is that it's not overbearingly sweet. I taste all dark berries including raisins. I love the color of the wine in my glass, my favorite color purple. This wine is considered a dessert wine so I paired a glass of sweet red with a red velvet cupcake. My thought is that this is not just a dessert wine. I have lots of friends who love sweet red wines but their only option has been Sutter Homes. Well not any more! Rock Rabbit hold on to your vines because here we come. Cheers!!