Buy Local…Three Great Wineries in your backyard

By AngelaL

This Saturday I decided to go the Ohio River Valley 6th Annual Barrel Tasting. First off it was a beautiful day and what a lovely drive. Since I live in Northern Kentucky, I decided to go to Harmony Hill Vineyards  in Bethel, then to the Ripley to Miranda-Nixon Winery and then end at Kinkead Ridge Winery.

Disclaimer: When sampling wines that are still aging in the barrel are not complete or finished products. So when tasting them you can taste the potential of what they will be. All of the wines I will will be talking about came straight from the aging barrels.

My first stop was Harmony Hill Vineyards. As we drove back to the tasting room and the barrel tasting all we could think of was how beautiful and quaint it was. Harmony Hill is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and everywhere you look there are donkeys, fawns, birds, and many other wildlife. The Barrel tasting was held in the underground wine cave. We tried 2 wines a Sauvignon Blanc and a Chambourcin. The Sauvignon Blanc was good you could tell when it’s done aging it would be a crisp medium bodied wine. The Chambourcin was decent, but when you tried the finished product in their tasting room it was yummy. A great bold red wine with tastes of oak, currant, and pepper. My suggestion if you go to Harmony Hills go during their summer months, pack a picnic basket and buy a bottle of wine and listen to the live music. Its a whole entertainment experience.

Second was Miranda-Nixon Winery, this place was beautiful too! Not only can you see the acres of vineyards its next door to a horse farm. We sampled 3 wines from the barrel a Chardonnay, a Sangiovese, and a Cabernet Sauvignon. The Chardonnay was amazing and it will be even more amazing once its finished aging. The Sangiovese was young of course but you could tell it had great potential when finished aging. I liked the Cabernet but I really thought the other 2 had more potential. There tasting room overlooks the hills of the vineyards and the horses on the farm. We tasted some of the wines in the tasting room and I fell in love with 3 of their wines. The 2010 Traminette (a crisp white wine that has a hint of sweetness), 2010 Catawba (a blush wine with hints of citrus and sweet), and the American Cabernet Sauvignon (a balanced cab with hints of berry flavors with a semi-dry finish). My suggestion go to their Saturday night tasting dinners $55 per couple accompanied with a bottle of wine with your choice of Salmon or Steak.

Now I have saved the best for last! My favorite Winery was the Kinkead Ridge Winery, they have their wines mastered. These wines will stand the challenge against of any wines anywhere. We first tasted wines as the finished product and then we tasted them out of the barrel. The first wine we tried was their Cabernet Franc and I all ready knew I wanted to buy a bottle. We tried 4 wines from the barrel and all of them were showing strong characteristics of big red wines. We started off with the Cabernet Franc which all ready had some tanins, a hint of cherry, and a little spice aftertaste. This was by far my favorite out of the barrels. I then tried the Cabernet Sauvignon which was on its way to be a full-bodied tanic cab. It was of course still in its young stage but it sure showed potential. Next we moved onto the Syrah which was a little more fruitier tasting or lighter tasting than I would expect from a Syrah. I’m sure after it’s fully aged and bottled the wine will be great after a few years of aging in the bottle. The last barrel tasting was a Petit Verdot this was also showing strong tannins and a spicy aftertaste. This will be the wine to buy when it gets released next year. Trust me when all of the wines get released next year, I’m going to be the first in line to purchase them.

] Pictured: I’m with the winemaker of Kinkead Ridge Winery, Ron Barrett, I bought the last bottle of Viognier/Roussanne which he autographed for my collection.  Here it is on their website.

Cheers and remember support all your local vineyards/wineries. You’d be surprised what’s in your own backyard.

Angela

Shop ‘Til You Drop, Then Relax With Some Bubbly

By: Cresta

After a long – and hopefully productive – day of shopping Friday, spend some time tasting a variety of sparkling, bubbly wines from around the world. The Wine Merchant in Hyde Park is featuring Sparkling Wines during its Friday Night Tasting this Friday, November 25 from 6 until 8 p.m.

You’ll be getting a jump start on holiday dinner planning as they promise the eight sparkling wine selections are perfect for the holidays. $20 per person if you register in advance at least 24 hours before the event; $25 at the door. 

Visit  http://www.winemerchantcincinnati.com/ to reserve your spot.

Wine & Art Show Debut at Party Town this Weekend!

by Michelle

This Saturday, Party Town is spicing up their free wine tasting with some art! They are welcoming Cindy Crofoot as featured artist in their first Wine & Art Show, from 3pm to 6pm, to kick-off the holiday season.

Ms. Crofoot, a local artist from Southeastern Indiana, specializes in Traditional Realism in oil on canvas, including Landscapes and Still Life. She will be displaying many works during the Party Town wine tasting. Her catalog of pieces can be viewed at her website, www.cindycrofoot.com.

 “With Thanksgiving coming next week,” says Drew Murphy, General Manager of Party Town, “we thought an Art Show would be a great way to get people in the Holiday mood just a little early.”

Party Town’s tastings, free and open to the adult public (21 and over), are held weekly on Saturdays and Sundays, from 3 to 5 PM, but for this special event the time will be extended to 6. Sunday will also be a regular tasting, but the art, sadly, will be gone.

This Saturday’s tasting is larger than normal, with 12 bottles from which to choose! The red table will feature the likes of Triton Tempranillo, out of Spain, Longboard Vineyards Point Break Red from California, the Loring Wine Company’s Cargasachi Vineyard Pinot Noir, Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, Clerico Barolo Ginestra from the Piedmont in Italy, and Ben Glaetzer’s Amon-Ra Shiraz from Australia. The white wine table looks to be just as much fun, with wines from Charles Smith Winery’s Kung-Fu Girl Riesling out of Washington, Mohua Sauvignon Blanc out of New Zealand, William Hill Chardonnay out of California, Stag’s Leap Karia Chard from Napa, and Carl Schmitt-Wagner Riesling Auslese 2004 from Germany. To wake your palate up to such treasures (if needed), we’ll also be pouring Humberto Canale’s Extra Brut Sparkling Wine from Argentina.

Remember, both the tasting and the art show are free, so have some wine and enjoy yourself!

Party Town is located at exit 182 Turfway Road off I 71/75 in Kentucky.

Join Angela this Thursday and Friday for free wine tastings

By Angela

Hello fellow wine lovers,

I just wanted to inform everyone that starting Thursday I will be pouring and hosting FREE wine tastings at Liquor City Bakewell in Covington KY.  Thursday and Friday, November 17 and 18, from 4 -8 p.m. I will be pouring the big six grapes. The tasting will be Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah.

The big six wine tasting will get you to:

• taste the difference between each grape varietal
• taste the difference between light, medium, and full bodied wines
• see the color difference between the three whites and the three reds
• and you’ll be able to know a few basics about wines

If you happen to be in the Covington/Northern Kentucky area this Thursday or Friday please come and see me. Future wine tastings: November 21st & 23rd at Liquor City Bakewell.

Cheers.

Taste of the World This Weekend

by Kevin

Saturday, November 12th from 7:30 – 11:00, is the eighth Taste of the World Wine and Beer Festival at the Newport Aquarium. Michelle and I have volunteered to pour in the past and I can recommend the event. This year, in addition to the regular admission ticket, a new “Top Shelf” area has been added with food and cocktail pairings from Laine Steelman and Molly Wellmann. Laine is the new head chef at the Party Source and Molly is the mixologist behind Japp’s in Over-the-Rhine.

I have enjoyed wandering through the different rooms and finding new and different drinks and cocktails. I’m not sure exactly what beverages will be available this year, but the selection of spirits (usually a couple of Party Source private barrels, tequila, and cocktails) along with the beer and wine has made it easy for everyone to find something to enjoy.

General Admission Tickets are $85 ($95 at the door)
Top Shelf Tickets are $125

All proceeds go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 513.698.2457.