Wine Time at the Colony

August 22, 2012August 17, 2012wpawinepirate Leave a comment

English: Portrait of a middle-aged William Penn (founder of the Pennsylvania colony) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Penn’s Colony will be hosting a Wine-Tasting that will also include gourmet fare and artisans. The event is Saturday September 8th from noon to 6 p.m. on the Grounds of Penn’s Colony 365 Saxonburg Blvd. Rt. 228E., Saxonburg, Pa. Admission will be charged and with a tasting admission you will receive a souvenir glass. Visitors must be 21 years old and provide a valid I.D. to participate in the wine-tasting. More information is available at Winetimeatthecolony.com or by calling 724-352-9922

Go Wine Tasting to Try Different Wines (oleole.com)
Winetasting (averygrandpressigny.blogspot.com)

Wagner Vineyards

July 25, 2012July 23, 2012wpawinepirate 3 Comments

We are back on the road again and on our way to Wagner Vineyards where they have a winery, brewery, restaurant and gift shop. I would like to take this opportunity to advise you to be careful when tasting and driving and also ask you to be sure that you act in a responsible manner to ensure public safety because if you don’t the police around the Finger Lakes will. Wagner is probably the most commercially developed winery around the lakes and should be on your must see list. They produce an extensive variety of wines and if you are fortunate enough to have Bill serve you in the tasting room you will get to experience every one that your heart desires. I asked him for a good red for making Sangria and he suggested the Sunset Red then he gave me his favorite Sangria recipe. I tasted all of their Chardonnay and chose the dry 2011 Barrel Fermented. I didn’t taste at the brewery this trip but I remember that the last time I did their portions were the same as the wine room samples and let’s just say they were more than generous. The Ginny Lee Cafe has a trendy menu and we have had lunch on the deck overlooking the vineyards on several occasions. If you do decide to stop for lunch try one of their wraps, my favorite is the Tuscan. Wagner Vineyards is located at 9322 State Route 414 Lodi, New York.

Lamoreaux Landing Winery Photos

July 10, 2012wpawinepirate Leave a comment

Lamoreaux Landing Tasting Room Building

Vineyards at Lamoreaux

Three Brothers Wineries and Estates

June 29, 2012wpawinepirate 4 Comments

The Three Brothers Wineries and Estates are located at 623 Lerch Rd Geneva, NY. It is just a short distance off of NY Rte 96A South at the north end of Seneca Lake. This winery is a collection of three distinctly different wineries (Passion Feet, Stony Lonesome and Bagg Dare) and a brewery (War Horse). We arrived at the property just a day after the conclusion of Winestock, a wine and music festival that had run through the weekend. Three Brothers was the only winery that we visited twice and is a perfect example of the saying “What a difference a day makes”. The first day we visited we were served in the tasting room of the Stony Lonesome Winery by a very well versed young man named Alex. Alex poured our selections and recited the characteristics of each flawlessly and with a friendly ease. That day we would purchase two Riesling: Degree 1 Medium Dry 2010 and Degree 2 Medium Sweet 2010 along with a wine that I was unfamiliar with Estate Reserve Grüner Veltliner 2011. I could have easily have picked up their Barbera, the first to be produced in the Finger Lakes but the promise of the wines in my near future caused me to pass on it. The next afternoon we decided to return to Three Brothers to pick up a bottle of their Pinot Noir and that Barbera that I had passed on the day before. We entered the Stony Lonesome tasting room and stood around until we were finally approached by a small young woman. We asked her several questions about their Pinot Noir and other red wines which she struggled to answer with her limited knowledge of the products. Since the Pinot was to be a gift I asked if she could do me a favor and photo copy the wine list and its tasting notes. She went into the other room only to return and say no and that it could be found on the website (I looked but couldn’t find it there). I bought the 2009 Pinot Noir and forgot about the Barbera.

The wines at Three Brothers Wineries and Estates were probably the best I tasted on this trip but the tasting room experience was surly the most sub-standard that I encountered. The management of this business has to remember that making good wine is important but there is much more to a brand than just that.

Three Brothers Wineries Photos

June 29, 2012June 29, 2012wpawinepirate Leave a comment

Photos include the tasting room for the Stony Lonesome Winery, sign post at Three Brothers Wineries, sign at entrance of Passion Feet Winery, grapes growing along numbered rows and immature grapes.

Strike Up The Band

May 31, 2012wpawinepirate 2 Comments

One of the most relaxing things that I can think of doing is to take my chair to an outdoor concert and spend the evening sipping wine with my wife and friends. The festive atmosphere created by a musical performance is being used by wineries to attract new customers to their facilities. These concerts range from nationally known acts to local solo artists and they cover just about every known genre of music imaginable.

The Seattle, Washington area is extremely fortunate to have the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery within easy access because this winery presents an outstanding calendar of events each summer. Chateau Ste. Michelle has been hosting live performances since 1984 in an intimate amphitheater setting that has made the Chateau Ste. Michelle Summer Concert Series one of the Pacific Northwest great music venues. Go to www.Ste-Michelle.com for more information.

Traveling east to the Finger Lakes Region of New York you can find music at numerous wineries located around these beautiful glacial lakes. Winestock is a wine, food and music festival that will be celebrated on Saturday, June 16th at Three Brothers Winery on Seneca Lake. If you would like to make plans to attend please go to www.winestock2012.eventbrite.com/ for more detailed information.

Let’s turn south to Western Pennsylvania and the Stone Villa Winery in Acme where you can enjoy a show and a glass of wine next to a picturesque lake on the grounds of the winery. A complete calendar of events and contact information is available at www.StoneVilla.com.

Our final stop will be Greensburg, Pennsylvania where the Summer Sounds Concerts will be held 7:00 every Friday evening from June 1st through August 31st. These free shows are presented at the Robertshaw Pavillion in St. Clair Park thanks to the support of volunteers along with corporate sponsorship and donations from concert goers. Additional information and schedules can be found at www.SummerSounds.com. I sincerely urge you to attend these events and support the businesses and organizations that promote them in your area.

Smell the Rose

May 25, 2012May 27, 2012wpawinepirate Leave a comment

Well it is Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer with all of its festivities. It is also the unofficial start of Rosé season, conditions are perfect for this wine to really shine in all of its styles. Rosé is made in many styles from very dry to sweet along with a wide range of sparkling wines. There is no need to over think your Rosé purchase I recommend just reading the tasting notes and picking

A glass being full of rosé wine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

one that sounds good. Mas de Guiot Rosé 2010 sounded good to me because it is made in the traditional dry crisp style of a Southern French Rosé. This wine has a deeper Rosé color than do most Rosés along with a dry finish. This can be attributed to the blend of grapes that is mainly Grenache with some Syrah and a little Mourverde. I think the winery notes say it best “Fresh with bright red licorice and ripe cherry notes backed by a stony hint. Very tasty.” This is a P.A.L.C.B. store online exclusive with the product code 20370 and a WA rating of 88. It is also has an unbeatable price of $7.99 on sale from $12.99

Rosé: A Wine for All Seasons (thekitchn.com)
What Are The Best Types of Wines For Picnics? (enofylzwineblog.com)

Wine Tasting

May 21, 2012July 13, 2012wpawinepirate Leave a comment

The Monongahela Area Library Wine Tasting and Vineyard Tour Fundraiser was held Saturday evening under a spectacular blue sky at the Ripepi Winery and Vineyard. The guests were treated to a vineyard tour by owner and winemaker Rich Ripepi. Rich kept the crowd entertained with his ability to weave his encyclopedic wine knowledge and storytelling together to create an atmosphere of fun, humor and learning. We returned from the vineyard to find our tables had been set with a variety of cheeses to complement that evenings wines. Rich conducted the tasting with a detailed explanation of each wine while fielding questions. I had a great time at this event and urge any wine lover to take any opportunity to meet and talk to a seasoned winemaker because their abilities are truly impressive. Rich Ripepi has reason to be proud knowing that four of his wines had just won medals at two different wine competitions.