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Wine Weekend at Renfest

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     It was picture perfect weather for the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival Wine Weekend in West Newton, Pa.  We decided to attend this event not only because of the wine tasting but to also enjoy the whimsical atmosphere that surrounds these gatherings.  During our visit to the 16th century we saw kings, queens, red knights, black knights, fairy princesses, wenches, belly dancers, elves, trolls and court jesters just to name a few of my fellow festival goers alter egos that were on display.  Christian W. Klay Winery and Glades Pike Winery offered free wine tasting and on site sales.  The lines were long and the wines were well received.  We tasted several selections at the Glades Pike Winery tent and purchased a bottle of Summer Breeze, a semi-sweet white table wine that I think will pair well with a fruit & cheese plate.  I was happy to see the interest these two wineries were creating in the emerging Pennsylvania wine industry

Jousting at Renfest

Jousting at Renfest

C. W. Klay Winery at Renfest

C. W. Klay Winery at Renfest

by bringing their products to a potentially new segment of the market. More information is available at www.cwklaywinery.com, www.gladespikewinery.com and pittsburghrenfest.com.

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California Dreaming!!!! Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2010

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     While we were in California I tasted plenty of good Sauvignon Blanc and it reminded me that this wine was a favorite of mine for years but had been forgotten recently. I decided to remedy this oversight by doing some research to find not just a good

Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2010

Chalk Hill Estate Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2010

Sauvignon Blanc but a very good one.  The search led me back to Healdsburg, California with the discovery of Chalk Hill Estate 2010 Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc.  This offering was bestowed a 90 point rating by both Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate.  My impressions of this wine were spicy, floral, lemons, herbaceous, bright, energetic, crisp with an interesting balance.  It can be found in P.L.C.B. stores or online at their website with the product code 46248 for $29.99.  

Summertime in Western Pennsylvania

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Steeler Training Camp St Vincent College, Latrobe, Pa

Steelers Training Camp St Vincent College Latrobe  Pa

Downtown Pittsburgh from PNC Park Home of Pirate Baseball

Downtown Pittsburgh from PNC Park Home of Pirate Baseball

PNC Park on Pittsburgh's North Shore

PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore

Downtown Pittsburgh from Station Square

Downtown Pittsburgh from Station Square

Wild Thing Baseball at Consol Field Washington Pa

Wild Thing Baseball at Consol Field Washington Pa

SummerSounds St Clair Park Greensburg Pa

SummerSounds St Clair Park Greensburg Pa

Billy Price preforms at The Aquatorium Monongahela,Pa

Billy Price performs at The Aquatorium Monongahela Pa

Crowd on Lawn at Jimmy Buffett Show

Crowd on Lawn at Jimmy Buffett Show

Jimmy Buffett at Star Lake in Burggettstown Pa

Jimmy Buffett at Star Lake in Burgettstown Pa

McWilliam’s Jack”s Blend 2011

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Snarky Puppy Preforms at SummerSounds

Snarky Puppy Performs at SummerSounds

     McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Jack’s Blend South Eastern Australia 2011 is a Red Wine Blend that has a solid character and the good taste that are usually only found in a more expensive wine.  Jack’s Blend exhibits a light oak aroma with a medium body and a long smooth finish full of mild tannins.  This offering would pair well with grilled meat or even pizza.  I had the pleasure of drinking this red while sitting with friends under a starry night sky in St Clair Park , Greensburg Pa as the band Snarky Puppy performed at SummerSounds.  When you need to grab a bottle or two of red wine for a gathering of friends this wine will give you good quality at a great price.  Jack’s Blend can be found at P.L.C.B. stores for only $5.99 or online for under $10.

Garlic Festival at Fox Run Vineyards

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Photo: Fox Run Vineyards

Photo: Fox Run Vineyards

Fox Run Vineyards will be holding their 21st Annual Garlic Festival on August 3rd & 4th from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. each day.  Free parking and free admission will be provided for all guests at the winery on 670 State Rte 14 Penn Yan, NY.  Thursday August 1st will feature a free concert by the West Coast Celtic rock band Town Pants that will start around 6 p.m..  Please bring your lawn chairs but leave your coolers at home because food, drinks and of course wine will be available for purchase starting at 5 p.m..  More information can be found at foxrunvineyards.com or by calling 800-636-9786.

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Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Mendozza Argentina 2011

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A glass of Malbec wine from Argentina

A glass of Malbec wine from Argentina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    This wine is an excellent example of a well made Malbec, it displays good body along with both red and black fruit flavors at a reasonable price.  A glass of this Malbec can be equally enjoyed and savored with food or alone.  I will be taking the advice of Dave De Simone, author and restaurateur, who suggests using your emotional reaction to a wine to describe its character and unique personality.  My descriptive feelings about Achaval-Ferrer Malbec 2011 would be agreeable, pleasing, appetizing, rich and vigorous. Wine Spectator gave it a rating of 92 points in 2012 and it is available in P.L.C.B. stores for $29.99 but can be found online for under $25.  This is a solid Malbec and worth the price. 

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LED Lighted Wine Glasses

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LED Wine Glass     Have you ever had to serve wine at a party or at a casual gathering and couldn’t use glass stemware?  If you said yes, then this product maybe the answer to your problem.  This isn’t your ordinary plastic wine glass by any stretch of the imagination.  This lighted wine glass has 3 LED’s that combine to make 7 different colors plus a continuous sequence mode that displays every color.  But wait there’s more, the bowl and base are removable for cleaning and the best feature of all is that “Batteries are included”.  I have found that people are amused by changing the stem color with the press of a button located under the base and the different color choices replace the need for wine charms to identify a guest’s personal glass.  These glasses are relatively inexpensive allowing guests to take them home with them thus eliminating the need to wash glasses at the end of the event.  They can be found online at several suppliers in small quantities or in bulk.  

Riesling Paradise

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  •       When someone asks me what I think is the best “All Purpose Wine” I laugh and give them my best answer “Riesling”.  It may sound too simple but when you consider the range of styles, producers, regions, and choices from very dry through sweet culminating in excellent dessert wine, the answer is actually a very complex one.  This wine is extremely food friendly and you can easily find a Riesling that will pair well with any cuisine.  You probably heard the saying “There’s an app for that” and when it comes to food pairings it can be said “There’s a Riesling for that”.  Riesling is produced globally by a host of very fine wineries but the frontrunners in quality have always been from the French Alsace Region, Germany and Austria.  Australia also markets some nice Riesling but anyone that has followed this blog knows I favor the Finger Lakes Region of New York and their world-class Riesling.  I have listed below a few favorites that should give you a good start on your search but there are plenty of others waiting to be discovered . 
  • Keuka Lake                      Seneca Lake                                Cayuga Lake
  • Ravines                             Herman R. Wiemer                   Swedish Hill
  • Dr. Frank’s                       Three Brothers                           Knapp
  • Heron Hill                        Belhurst Castle
  •                                             Standing Stone
  •                                             Lamoreaux Landing
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Tuscany Wine Dinner

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Sunset Wine Dinner     The Sunset Café Wine Club will be presenting “An Evening in Tuscany Wine Dinner” on Tuesday, June 25th at the Sunset Café 302 S.Urania Ave, Greensburg,Pa.  If you are planning to attend reservations are required and can be made by calling 724-834-9903.

Shipwreck Wine

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Charleston Harbor, near the jetties

Charleston Harbor, near the jetties (Photo credit: hdes.copeland)

     The Mira Winery of St Helena, California is involved in an experiment were they are testing the effects of aging their wines by submerging them in the ocean.  The first phase was completed recently when the four cages that were sunk 60 feet deep into Charleston Harbor, South Carolina last February were recovered.  It has long been known that wine recovered from sunken ships displayed a unique flavor but the question has always been what caused the change.  Wines have been aged in the ocean before around Europe and the West Coast but Mira wants to do a scientific study to determine the effects of this process including what makes it different from land aging.  The next step will be to put wine that has no terrestrial aging at the bottom of Charleston Harbor for twice as long as the initial test.  I wish them the best and hope to someday get to taste a wine just like the Pirates of the Caribbean drank in their day.

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