Travel + Leisure has just come out with a wonderfully informative article on the 10 most spectacular tasting rooms in the world, among the tasting rooms mentioned is one of my faves — Heron Hill Winery in Upsate New York. See below for what they had to say about Heron Hill!
Overlooking Keuka Lake in upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region, Heron Hill Winery references Greek Revival and traditional farm architecture (both of which can be found in abundance throughout the area). The cobblestoned floors of the airy, vaulted-ceiling Tasting Hall, where Rieslings and Chardonnays along with a selection of reds are poured, came from the nearby Hammondsport quarry.
August 10th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Food & Wine Trails has planned 14 different wine cruises in 2010 to the Mediterranean and Australia and New Zealand. The cruises are on three of the highest rated cruise lines of the world, with each sponsored by a winery or a group of wineries that brings 300 to 400 bottles of wine for their guests to enjoy.
Wineries host these cruises to educate and build relationships, so an incredible selection is brought to wow the group says Food & Wine Trials President, Larry Martin. All 2010 Food & Wine Trails cruises are on Celebrity, Regent and Oceania Cruises, which are premium or deluxe, adult-oriented cruise lines. Guests are highly discerning when it comes to onboard service and food quality, and these cruise lines receive top awards in these areas.
Food & Wine Trails cruises begin at $1,649 per person double occupancy and all except one include free round-trip airfare, the ship and port fees, and prepaid gratuities as an early booking incentive. Martin stresses that this offers tremendous value to the consumer, as his programs include all that wine, many private events, all meals, deluxe accommodations, taxes and round trip air transportation.
The 2010 Food & Wine Trails wine-cruise collection includes a few past sponsors, such as the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, the Zinfandel producers of ZAP, and Matanzas Creek and Arrowood wineries, but also many new sponsors as well. New sponsors include Wines from Spain and Andr Lurton, Bordeauxs largest owner of wine-chateaus. These two organizations are cruising on Food & Wine magazines May 19th European wine cruise.
Firestone, Sebastiani, Three Rivers and Lincourt Winery are teaming up, on a May 24th cruise that will begin in Marseille and end in Rome.
Robert Mondavi, Franciscan and Mt. Veeder are three top Cabernet-Sauvignon producers, and are hosting a Napa Valley focused Cabernet cruise from the Greek Islands to Barcelona on June 30th.
Flowers Winery has won many awards and was one of the first wineries to develop a direct-to-consumer program. They are hosting their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay Mediterranean cruise on July 24th.
Food and wine cruises that are still in the works include November 2010 cruises to New Zealand and Australia hosted by Pat Kuleto of Kuleto Wines and Pat Kuleto Restaurants who will travel with San Francisco restaurateur and James Beard award-nominee Nancy Oakes of Boulevard Restaurant, and a South American cruise hosted by world famous vintner Paul Hobbs. Paul will most likely host a pre-cruise visit to his hot new winery in Mendoza Vinas Copos, which received Wine Spectators highest rating ever given for a South American wine.
Also planned for January 2011 is another Sydney to New Zealand cruise hosted by cult Pinot Noir producer Halleck Vineyard. Halleck will be accompanied by nationally known wine-writer Dan Berger.
August 7th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in News & Events | Comments (0)
I’m obsessed with Built NY! They have the absolute coolest neoprene bags to keep everything from your laptop, to your bottles of wine safe and secure. They’ve also got cute finds for your tots and everything comes in an array of colors and patterns. For anyone who is heading to the park for a picnic, taking multiple bottles of wine or champagne with them as they pack for a weekend getaway, or simply bringing some bubbly or a bottle of wine when invited to dinner party nothing beat’s Built’s Wine Tots. They come in single bottle form ($14), as well as in a two bottle tote. How cute are these!? I have the Fishnet Wine Tote in the Nolita Stripe and I love it – I can carry a bottle of wine in my bag and not have to worry about it breaking. To boot the material is stain-resistant, insulating and can be hand washed. Learn more by clicking here!
July 28th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Wine Accessories | Comments (0)
Heron Hill Winery produces some of the best Riesling and Chardonnay in the Finger Lakes Region and now visitors can enjoy the winery’s offerings at the newly opened Blue Heron Café on the West Side of Keuka Lake at Heron Hill Winery. The Café takes great pride in using only the freshest and highest-quality locally and organically farmed products whenever possible. Under the new direction of George Morris III, Director of Hospitality, the Blue Heron Café is supporting the sustainable agriculture movement alongside Heron Hill Winery. The menu includes salads, flat bread pizzas, wraps, sandwiches, and kid’s meals. Guests can also enjoy free live music every Saturday on the terrace from 12:30pm – 4:30pm all summer long.
Heron Hill has provided us with some additional information. See below!
The Café offers a broad menu including locally produced cheeses and Adirondack style sausages, low-calorie, vegetarian and gluten-free (available upon request) menu items. An extensive wine list including eleven Heron Hill wines by the bottle and glass are also available. Each dish has a suggested wine pairing that has been expertly selected by the Café Director and tasting hall staff. Some of the summertime specialties are the Lobster Roll ($15) and homemade Jumbo Lump Crab Cake sandwich or appetizer ($10). The seasonal favorite is the Insalata Fiorucci ($9), named after the Italian Designer, it’s a mix of organic field greens tossed in balsamic glaze dressing with roasted red and yellow peppers and grilled eggplant topped with whole milk mozzarella, perfect with the Heron Hill Pinot Noir!
The Blue Heron Café welcomes all winery employees from the Finger Lakes and beyond by extending a discount of 20% (justbring your business card or proof of employment). For tour groups, call or email ahead to place an order for box lunches. Catering is also available. The Café is open from 11am to 4pm every day with the exception of Wednesday.
July 16th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
Sunflowers, Chardonnay & “Sand-Wishes”
Sun, July 19th
12:30-3:30
Luncheon/Fundraiser to benefit Make A Wish of Suffolk County
Grab your friends and head out to Pindar Vineyards for an afternoon of good wine, good food and good company all for a fantastic cause. $35 per person includes lunch, glass of Sunflower Chardonnay, logo glass, dessert, and live music on the Pindar pavilion overlooking the vines. Proceeds go to Make A Wish of Suffolk County to grant a wish for a child in that area. Groups are welcome, but reservations required are — call or e-mail to reserve your space 631.734.6200 x104 or events@Pindar.net.
On a side note, the sunflower field at Pindar will be in bloom –U-pick bouquets $6 each, pre-picked bouquets $7.
July 10th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in News & Events | Comments (0)
July 9th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in News & Events | Comments (0)
The importance of serving wine at the right temperature is often overlooking (red wines are often served warmer than they should be, while white wines are often served at temperatures considered to be too cool), despite the fact that temperature has a huge impact on a wine’s flavor. For true wine aficionados, Nuvo Vino’s SnapShot Wine Thermometer ($39.95), would make a delightful gift — it’s an infrared thermometer that takes the temperature of your wine via a sensor, so it does not come into contact with your wine (ie no worries of contamination). Basically it takes the guesswork out of figuring out if your wine is at the appropriate temperature. The device is super-easy, quick to use, and accurate (literally just a click — ironically the gadget looks like a pen). Learn more by clicking here!
July 8th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Wine Accessories | Comments (0)
The Rapid Ice Cooling Carafe ($39.99)– available in black or white – is one of the sleekest, easy-to-use, and fast-acting cooling carafes I have ever seen. It allows you to chill your wine (or any beverage for that matter) in mere minutes and without ice! You can forget about any watery mess with this uber-sleek table-top cooler which reminds me of something Philippe Starck could have designed. The carafe incorporates two rapid ice cooling elements — simply store the cooling elements in the freezer and insert into the carafe base when you are ready to enjoy a nice cool glass of wine (1 liter capacity). Your wine will be actively cooled in minutes and will remain cool for hours.
The carafe truly lives up to all of its lofty claims as I found out recently when I had the chance to test it out. Best of all you can use it both outdoors and indoors making it ideal for all those summertime BBQ celebrations. The glass carafe is also dishwasher safe.
On a side note, the carafe won the honor of being awarded the 2008 ‘Good Design’ award at Good Design Chicago.
The Vacu Vin website is truly a gem for anyone interested in wine accessories. They’ve got an endless array of impeccably designed products offered at reasonable price points. Check them out online!
July 7th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Wine Accessories | Comments (0)
I can’t think of a wine gadget that has been getting more buzz than the Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator ($39.95) – and let me just say, it’s very well deserved. The ingenious product aerates wine – both red and white aerators are available– to create a better bouquet, enhance flavors, and offer a smoother finish. Simply hold the aerator over your wine glass and pour wine through for instant aeration – what could be easier?
The Vinturi aerator accelerates the wine breathing process without sacrificing anything in the way of flavor or finish so it’s little surprise that it has quickly become the chosen aeration tool of over 100 Napa Valley and Sonoma wineries. After all, who wants to use time-consuming decanters when you don’t have to?
To properly aerate the wine, Vinturi applies Bernoulli’s principle, which states that as the speed of a moving fluid increases, the pressure within the fluid decreases. When wine is poured in the Vinturi, its design creates an increase in the wine’s velocity and a decrease in its pressure. This pressure difference draws in air, which is mixed with wine for perfect aeration.
The Vinturi is made of acrylic, and comes with a a no-drip stand and a travel pouch. It’s dishwasher safe and widely available at Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, Wine Enthusiast, and on Vinturi’s website.
July 6th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Wine Accessories | Comments (0)
Mortimer Bester, a 24-year-old sommelier at Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa on South Africa’s famed Garden Route, has won the Chaîne de Rôtisseurs’ Jeunes (Young) Regional Sommeliers competition and will represent South Africa at the finals in the United Kingdom this September. Born and raised in Knysna, Bester, what is most impressive about Bester is that he had never tasted wine when he joined Pezula as a waiter in 2005.
Werner Wentzel, Pezula’s F&B Manager and Wine Director, who has mentored Mortimer for the past four years, says that once he started attending Pezula’s in-house tasting sessions, his passion for and knowledge about wine began to grow so quickly that he was promoted to Sommelier in 2007.
Bester was the regional winner of the Chaîne de Rôtisseurs’ Jeunes Sommeliers competition last year. His high score on the final examination, which included blind tastings of wines from all over the world, secured his spot in the global finals.
The 2009 International Jeunes Sommeliers final takes place on September 25th in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the bailliage of Great Britain.
June 29th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in News & Events | Comments (0)
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