TasteCamp – Boxwood Winery
Boxwood Winery was the first stop at TasteCamp. I have to rave about their Rose. For those that followed me last summer on my quest to find a Rose that WOWED me, I wish I had tasted this one. I am not a big Rose fan, there is just something about Rose that doesn’t do it for me. While I can’t pin-point it, I always keep an open mind and this Rose stopped me dead in my tracks.
Boxwood’s Rose is 46% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 19% Malbec and all estate grown fruit. It’s pale peach color has aromas of strawberry and thyme. Your mouth fills with soft delicate flavors of strawberry with a hint of soft spice. The wine is very well balanced and has a beautiful mouth feel.
Boxwood makes only 3 styles of wine. Their Rose, Topiary and Boxwood. The Topiary represents the St Emilion style of wine with Cabernet as the principal grape and is blended with Merlot and Malbec. The Boxwood represents the Medoc style of wine with Cabernet Sauvignon the principal grape with Merlot and Petit Verdot blended in.
The site at Boxwoods is a national historic landmark. It is one of the earliest established farms in the Middleburg, Virginia region of colonial America and Civil War history. Originally a horse farm, it is now planted with16.5 acres of vines. The largest percentage of grapes plated is 36.9% Merlot, followed by 34.5% Cabernet Franc, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7.1% Petit Verdot and 2.5% Malbec.
Boxwood Winery is now open to the public Friday through Sunday 11am -6pm. If you are visiting the area, I highly recommend a stop at Boxwood.
Beaches and Wine
Happy Memorial Day Weekend. This is what we’ve waited for all winter, right? I don’t know about you, but I have!
This weekend you will find me strolling around through Cape May, New Jersey. Providing the sun is out, I will be parking my body on the beach and will finally have some time to read with no computer to distract me.
In the event of clouds or even on my way back to the house after a day of roasting in the sun, you might find me at one of the wineries in Cape May. I am lucky, there are two wineries within 2 miles of my house (walking distance) Cape May Winery and Turdo are frequent stops for us on our way back from the beach.
Last year we explored a new winery Hawk Haven and this year I hope to visit Natali Vineyards.
I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Cheers!
Hudson Valley Wine Goddess Contributes to the WBC Scolarship – Send a Wine Blogger to Wine Camp
It’s all about giving back. Since becoming a wine blogger many years ago it gives me great pleasure to be able to give another wine blogger a chance by donating to the Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship Fund. This will give a wine blogger a chance to learn, network and build relationships within the wine community.
The Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship was founded in 2009 by Thea Dwelle, to provide well established “citizen bloggers” with a stipend so they can attend the wine bloggers conference, further their knowledge, their network, the wine blogging community and the wine industry as a whole.
Unfortunately, not all who wish to attend can afford the costs associated with the conference and the scholarship was established to assist in this effort. The citizen blogger scholarship recipients are bloggers who are not affiliated with a winery or other company in the wine industry with a demonstrated financial need. Specific attention is paid to bloggers who post regularly, have never attended the conference before and who might be students with a particular focus in wine.
To qualify for the scholarship applicants are asked to describe their blog, their financial need pertaining to the conference, and why they are deserving of sponsorship. Stipends are awarded through a committee selection process based on the above mentioned focus criteria.
The Wine Bloggers Conference will be held August 17-19, 2012 as hundreds of wine bloggers, new media leaders, and wine industry members will gather in Portland, Oregon for the fifth annual North American Wine Bloggers Conference (WBC).
Thanks to a partnership with Enobytes, the Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship Fund is accepting donations as a 501(c) non profit organization. This means, that you can donate to the scholarship fund TAX FREE (subject to your tax professional’s advice of course). Donations are accepted via our donor page personal or corporate check (please let us know if you prefer this option as there are some specific rules for the 501c).
If you have any spare change around and would like to send a wine blogger to wine camp contact info@wbcscholarship.com. You’ll feel good about yourself and be glad you did!
8 Finger Lakes Whites at 8
I participated in a Finger Lakes wine tasting last month. Eight Finger Lakes whites at 8pm via Ustream with the winemakers. That’s a lot of territory to cover in an hour and a lot of wine. I had submitted my questions to the winemakers prior to the tasting and one or two additional ones were asked during the tasting.
We put the winemakers on the big screen and invited two neighbors over along with blogger Robin Locker Lacey known on twitter as @MyMelange. On the table were the wines arranged in flight order and the kitchen sink as the spit bucket.
One of the items I found interesting is that Sheldrake Point harvests their Gewurztraminer and places them into a refrigerated truck for cooling. Why? To assure they are the correct temperature for the cold soak.
We got introduced to Dr. Frank’s Gruner Veltliner. I have tasted last years vintage and like it quite a bit. Dr. Frank is in their third vintage of Gruner and have 10 acres planted. The largest acreage in New York State of this varietal.
Here are short notable notes from the tasting:
2010 Treleaven Chardonnay – Taste like a Werther’s Original. One opened up pineapple shows its flavor. Long butterscotch finish. Retails $17.99
2011 Glenora Pinot Blanc – Nice! Mild apple and pear with bright lemon.
2011 Sheldrake Point Gewurztraminer - Nose is very aromatic, apricot, honey with lychee notes. Acitiy on the finish makes you pucker. Retails for $18
2010 Rooster Hill Gewurztraminer - Nice. Retails $16.99
2011 Goose Watch Winery Pinot Grigio - Crisp. Will pair well with my spicy scallop dish. Retails for $13.99
In the crowd around the island in the kitchen was a taster who wasn’t fond of Chardonnay. Being that this was a tasting, you had to taste every wine. Told to keep an open mind, although hesitant, tasted the Treleaven Chardonnay and remarked “WOW! I really like this!
This wine tasting had a great outcome. We turned a non Chardonnay drinker onto a Treleaven Chardonnay, which she liked and sent her home with the rest of the bottle to enjoy.
Notes From the Tasting Room, Vol. 12 – The Captain’s Log
The Captain’s Log
Portuguese Clam Bake with White Wine
For Mother’s Day I was spoiled and my wonderful husband cooked for me a Portuguese Clam Bake and paired it with a 2010 Whitecliff Traminette. Lucky for him this was a one pot deal.
Ingredients:
1 lb Choirzo
1 red bell pepper sliced
3 lbs potatoes sliced thin
1lb mushrooms sliced
1 scallions sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper chopped
1/2 lb of steamed green beans cut in half
2 lbs muscles
1 lb clams
1lb shrimp
fresh parsley for garnish
He began by grilling the Chorizo until just about done. In the pot saute the garlic in oil for 2 minutes add veggies and chorizo stir until veggies become soft. Add 2 cups of white wine and stir in the seafood. Cover for 5 minutes or until shrimp is pink and the clams and muscles open. Serve and garnish with parsley
Dinner was wonderful and cooked with lots of love. The Traminette went nicely with the meal, but I think the Awosting White would have been a better pairing. (Shh…don’t tell Paul)
Passion for Port – Traveling the Douro Valley
There are three primary zones of production in the Douro for Port. The Baixo Corgo region where Regua produces lighter wines due to the cooler, wetter weather it experiences and represent 45% of Douro’s plantings. As you travel further inland to Cima Corgo, the weather gets a little warmer you will find the town of Pinhao where the vineyards here account for 40% of ports production. Furthest to the east is the hottest and driest zone Douro Superiore which accounts for 15% of Ports production. The vineyards in this region are among the most highly classified in the world. There are approximately 90,000 acres planted, owned by 30,000.
You will be introduced to the 5 main grape varieties used in Port. Touriga National which accounts for just over 2% of the region’s vines. Touriga Franca which accounts for 22% of the vines planted. Tinta Roriz also known as Tempranillo accounts for 12% of the regions vines. Tinta Barroca accounts for 23% of the vines and Tinta Cao which is somewhat rare and accounts for only 1% of the vines.
Your Passion for Port tour begins in Porto as you focus on the historic side of Port. You will visit famous names as Taylor Fladgate, Grahams and Kopke. You will take a nice walking tour where you will get your fill of history, cathedrals and an outdoor food market.
The second part of your tour you will travel up the river to Cima Corgo and Douro Superiore. Here you will visit a variety of wineries that produce both Port and dry wine. You will receive a great overview of the winemaking in the Douro Valley.
If you are interested in the wines of Portugal this trip is something you would want to consider. The 5 day trip is from September 16 – 21, 2012. The cost includes accommodations, 4 dinners, 1 lunch, all wine tasting, walking tour, scenic train ride along the Douro from Pinhao to Vesuvio and river cruise in Oporto. For more information and detailed itinerary and price click here.
A Taste of TasteCamp – Loudoun, VA
I survived TasteCamp! Or I should say the 6 hour drive by myself. I am going to give you a brief re-cap of the weekend and go into detail in a few posts later on.
It seems the only time I can spring out of bed early in the AM and be wide awake is to travel. So at 4:15AM the buzzer sounded and I began my trek south. I would have arrived 20 minutes early to Boxwood Winery but I doubted my GPS and took a wrong turn or should I say the “scenic route.”
Boxwood really knows how to entertain. Walking through the doors I was greeted by Rachael Martin and a glass of their Rose. Rachael was a wonderful host and the Rose was fantastic, yes I got the WOW factor from it.
Rachael shared with us their big news. They were closing their tasting room in the town of Middleburg and opening up the winery for tasting and tours. I had a wonderful lunch with Rachael, as she sat at my table. I want to thank her for opening up the winery and sharing her love of wine, winemaking and family history with us. We had quite a few things in common, both our families owned a form of media outlets (hers, many more than mine) and we both work/ed for our fathers. 
A Grand Tasting followed with 11 Virginia wineries out on the crush pad.
A quick trip to the hotel – The National Conference Center, found us in a college dorm setting, complete with the furniture to match. Who cares, we are only there to sleep and it was clean. I never did find the Starbucks.
Off to the “Last Supper” at Breaux Vineyards A table for 40. They shared their 2002 Virginia Merlot with us. What a treat! Silky and sexy is how I describe that.
Dinner was wonderful, although I would have liked my steak cooked a tad more. We had a vertical tasting of their Nebbiolo with dessert. The hospitality couldn’t have been better. They really opened their arms to us.
Half way back to the hotel which was about 45 minutes away Frank got the dreaded tweet from Breaux “You left two campers behind.” Diane who was following the bus was kind enough to drive back to the winery to pick up the stragglers.
Day two had us up at the crack of dawn for an extremely educational vineyard walk at Fabbiolo Vineyards where they have a very unique frost protection operation.
Then it was onto Tarara Vineyards for a vineyard tour or I should say a tractor ride, another Grand Tasting and lunch. Lunch was fantastic wood fired pizza with various toppings.
Vineyard walk at Tranquility Vineyards which is operated by 8 Chains North, and then headed down the hill to Otium Cellars for a tasting their wines along with 8 Chains North.
A quick trip back to the dorms to get the BYOB for dinner. By this time I really wanted a beer to cleanse my palate. I brought with me Happy Bitch Wines Rose (of course) Oak Summit Charddonay, Benmarl Frontenac, Brotherhood Pinot Noir, Robibero 87 North, Whitecliff Awosting White, & Tousey Cassis. We headed to North Gate Vineyards for a BBQ by Smokin’ Willy. After a lovely tasting we were all standing around the TV and got to watch the Kentucky Derby and what a race it was. I’ll have another!
Dinner was perfect, not to heavy and actually went with the many of the wines that were brought. But it was a long day. And for some like Carlo, well the picture speaks for itself.
Sunday a 45 minute drive to Linden Vineyards was the last stop of the weekend. A beautiful winery and vineyard. Their Sauvignon Blanc really stood out for me along with their Chardonnays.
Four take-aways from TasteCamp
- Learned about a new disease – Grapevine Yellow
- They have similar growing season and issues as does NY with weather (time, rain, frost, disease pressure) although their humidity is worse.
- I think New York overall makes a better Cabernet Franc (according to my taste and palate)
- Price points on wine were $20+
More details about the wineries, viticulture, and tastings to come in the upcoming weeks.
Hale Males Ride Rail Trail For Pale Ale
Hudson-Chatham Seyval Blanc
Another Seyval Blanc to tell you about before the 2011 vintage comes out.
The 2010 Hudson-Chatham Block 1, North Creek Vineyards was Estate Grown and Bottled had a strong nose of citrus.
A palate of soft banana with citrus and lime flavors with a tart finish that jumps out at you and lingers. As the wine warms up a bit the lime flavors become more prominent.
If you notice the color of the wine is a bit more yellowish than I’m use to with this type of varietal. Usually Seyval is more clear with hints of a yellow and a greenish ting. But in any event, the color did not effect the wine. It was what I expected.
