Notes of Vino in a Perfume

By: Cresta

For work, I subscribe to a service called HARO (Help a Reporter Out). Last week, HARO was promoting a company called Kelly & Jones. They create fine fragrances that capture the scents of various wines. Because of my love of wine AND perfume, I had to check out their website.

Kelly & Jones offers five different scents in their Notes of Wine Collection: Sauvignon Blanc, Reisling, Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. The Sommelier Sprays are $50 for a 1.69 oz. bottle. They also have these scents in a smaller Wine Country Rollette for $25 each. Or you can purchase a Sample Flight of all five scents for $15.

As the story goes, the company founder, Kelly, was wearing perfume at a wine tasting, which is a big no-no because the scent of the perfume can interfere with the aroma of the wine. Because she loved wearing perfume, she decided to create scents that not only captured the notes of some of her favorite wines, but also enhanced the vino experience by complementing the aromas of these wines.

I think this is such a cool idea. While I have my favorite scents, I love perfume in general. I’m always looking to try new fragrances. I think I’d enjoy the Cabernet – “spicy notes of pink peppercorn, ripe black cherry, and tobacco flower on a gorgeous base of vintage leather.”

What do you think? Would you wear a wine-inspired perfume?

Southeastern Australia Pinot Noir

By: Cresta

I recently tried McWilliams Hanwood Estate Pinot Noir 2008. It was a gift to my husband, and he graciously passed it on to me. I did share, though.

Nice ruby color with a cherry aroma. The fresh fruit flavor was accompanied by a little bit of oak and some spice. This light-bodied wine is nicely structured with balanced tannins, but I thought it was a little dry for a pinot noir. I am starting to prefer more full-bodied, flavorsome reds.

Hanwood Estates boasts six generations of wine making – since 1877. Their wines are sourced from select vineyards in some of the best wine growing regions of Southeastern Australia. Other Hanwood varieties include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Jack’s Blend.

I believe the average price is less than $10 a bottle.

Stop by Northern Kentucky’s Only Wine Festival Saturday

By: Cresta

Celebrate the wines of Kentucky this Saturday, Oct. 20, at the Northern Kentucky Wine Festival. With 19 participating wineries, you’re sure to fall in love with a wine or two. They will have two city blocks filled with food and craft vendors, music and lots of wine.

Participating wineries include:

Atwood Hill

Baker-Bird

Black Barn

Cedar Creek

Chrisman Mill

Elk Creek

Equus Run

Generation Hill

Horseshoe Bend

Lovers Leap

Old 502 Winery

Purple Toad

Redman’s Farm

Rose Hill Farm

Serendipity Winery

Seven Wells

Stonebrook

Verona Winery

WhiteMoon Winery

The Northern Kentucky Wine Festival takes place from 3 until 10 p.m. this Saturday in Covington’s Mainstrasse Village. Tickets are $10 and include a souvenir wine glass and four sample tickets. Additional sample tickets may be purchased on-site.

For more information, visit http://www.nkvgga.org or check out the Northern Kentucky Wine Festival’s Facebook page. Ages 21 and older please.

If you go, please share which wines you enjoyed the most by commenting on this post. Cheers!

Vast Wine List at Crave Cincinnati

By: Cresta

I recently had the chance to eat at Crave Cincinnati at The Banks downtown . While this post is not a restaurant review, I have to say we had a fantastic experience – exceptional service, delicious food and the chance to choose from a very extensive wine list (my favorite part).

While we waited for our table, I had a glass of wine at the bar – Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. This is a crisp, vibrant wine full of tropical fruit flavor and a little bit of grapefruit. It is very smooth from start to finish and rather acidic. Delicious. I will be searching for this one at my local store.

With dinner, I had a red - what Crave classifies as a Unique Red – Gascon Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina. Big and bold, this wine is a good blend of fruit and spice. It has nice round tannins and a long smooth finish. I don’t drink Malbec on a regular basis but this wine is above-average.

Crave’s wine list boasts nearly 90 wines by the glass and bottle. They also have a selection of Martinis, Crafted Cocktails like Blueberry Lemonade and Crave Creations like their Summer Shandy.

I would definitely like to visit Crave again for the wine… and for the sushi.

Great-Tasting Chicago Brews

By: Cresta

I was in Chicago last month watching the Cincinnati Reds play the Chicago Cubs. I got to sample a few tasty beers brewed right in the Windy City. Here are a few of my faves.

Goose Island 312

312 is classified as an American Pale Wheat Ale. You can definitely taste the wheat, along with citrus flavors. This is a creamy and refreshing medium-bodied beer. I’ve continued to buy 312 here at home, although it’s probably more of a summer beer (I’ve started to stock up on Sam Adams Oktoberfest for the Fall since it’s only available for a limited time).

Goose Island Green Line

Green Line is considered an American Pale Ale with a bright, hoppy aroma and citrus fruit flavor. It is light, crisp with a little spice and a slightly bitter finish. Green Line Pale Ale is the beer at the core of Goose Island’s environmental sustainability initiative, the Green Line Project. The beer is available on draft only in Chicago to help cut down on packaging waste and reduce the impact from refrigerating and transporting the beer.

Goose Island Matilda

Matilda is a Belgian Style Pale Ale. It has a spicy aroma and a slightly fruity – with a hint of honey – taste. The beer is a little dry; not overpowering, but smooth and very drinkable.

Metropolitan Brewing Krankshaft

Krankshaft is a Kolsch style beer. Kolsch is a clear German brew with a bright, straw-yellow hue, and just slight hoppiness. This was the lightest beer of the four and perfect for a hot day . This crisp, light-bodied beer has a lemony sweetness and light malt flavor. Metropolitan Brewing is the newest microbrewery in Chicago.