We are very much beginners. We don't really know how to judge what goes with what.... but we have found that the NC wines are to our liking, no matter what we have them with. So for tomorrow, we have something new to try.... SALEM FORK sweet blush table wine. It's made here in NC, so we're assuming we'll like it.

Dina B. Seeker

Rieslings are one of our favorite white wines...
Locally, we like Shelton Riesling... but, we do like Chateau Ste. Michelle's wines very much.
We have a variety this year... a Viognier for a drier white, Riesling, and a Chambourcin for our red. We also made a delicious cake with some Raspberry wine, complete with Raspberry wine glaze.

Carolina Wine Trail
Wanda

Dina:

I think you & Charlie will like the Salem Fork... sweet but not too sweet :)
Another Shelton Vineyards wine

CWT
W.

Sorry to jump on this too late, but here's our post-game wrap-up:

Appetizers:
1. An Australian dry riesling (Sorry, forgot the producer and vintage)
2. La Cala, a Vermentino: dry white from Sardinia; I think it was a 2007

Dinner:
1. Duval-Leroy champagne (Mmmmmmm...indulgent, but worth it!!!)
2. Laetitia Arroyo Grande Reserve Pinot Noir 2005
3. Ridge Three Valleys Zinfandel 2007

Hope everyone else enjoyed their dinners!

Dan

With Thanksgiving dinner, we had Duplin Winery's Christmas wine. It's a sweet red. But we didn't have turkey, we had lamb.

Then, on the way to my parents' house on Friday, I made my husband stop at the Duplin Winery so I could do a tasting! My youngest daughter even sat with me and tasted the non-alcoholic juices and cider! Most of their wines are on the sweet side.

Didn't buy anymore Christmas wine, but got a bottle of "Naughty and Nice". Each year they put out a new wine for the one season only and that is this years! Also bought wine for my dad and aunt for Christmas.

We did like the Salem Fork wine !

We have also had the Christmas wine that Sudoku Crazy mentioned.... not the naughty and nice one.... the regular Christmas red.
I must remember to look for the Naughty Nice one.... too cute.
We like all the Duplin wines.

Dina B.

Dina:

I thought that you would like that one. :)
We always stop at Duplin on the way to my sister's in Wilmington.
We haven't got the "Naughty and Nice" one for this year, either, but will have to look for it.

CWT
Wanda

Most of their wines are on the sweet side.

Some of the very sweetest ones are delicious in a sauce for waffles and pancakes, or other types of desserts. Yummy!

CWT
W.

Some of the very sweetest ones are delicious in a sauce for waffles and pancakes, or other types of desserts. Yummy!

Why waste good wine? Just give me a glass to go with my dessert! No extra prep needed. :)

It is delicious that way, though
Not a waste. Have an extra glass with it ;)

I bought a bottle today. I've never tried it before so I thought I'd give it a try. I bought a Cuvee Anne-Laurr 2008. I bought it because it was on sale and the cheapest. 8)

Shiloh

Let us know how you like it, Shiloh.
I have had Gewurztraminer before, but I've not tried this particular brand.
Sounded like a very good price, too... :)

Carolina Wine Trail
Wanda

We love gewurtz with appetizers or Oriental cuisine! Ch. Ste. Michelle in Washington State and Covey Run both make wallet-friendly versions, as well as Alsace's Willm.

Cheers!

Dan (of J.W.)

I like it. Being a wine newbie I like the less tanic off dry wines better. I'm having a little seasonal trouble with my nose so I can't give a good description of the wine. 8) The best I can do is say it was a little like unsweetened grape juice. That's not completely accurate but it is an easy drinking wine.

Shiloh

Glad you liked it, Shiloh.

We stopped at a couple of vineyards today for tastings...
Our favorites were the Viognier for a dry white, a port, and a Muscat for a sweeter wine.

CWT
W.

I've not heard of Viognier. It might be a regional grape.

I've only ever tried one port and I've been afraid to try another. I was in the tasting room at the winery. I gagged and almost threw up. That would have been embarassing.8)

I will have to try a Muscat sometime.

Shiloh

You should try the ports with some dark chocolate. It's an incredible experience. :)yummy

I've not heard of Viognier. It might be a regional grape.

I've only ever tried one port and I've been afraid to try another. I was in the tasting room at the winery. I gagged and almost threw up. That would have been embarassing.8)

I will have to try a Muscat sometime.

Shiloh

Viognier is a French varietal. Here's a link from wikipedia.
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=viognier+wine&page=1&qsrc=2352&dm=all&ab=1&title=Viognier+Wine+Information&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wineintro.com%2Ftypes%2Fviognier.html&sg=jY3RpOBnY3H%2BLxuaMAJtLz6pA9%2FpO5NHif9eUtvprOA%3D&tsp=1260068506047

Port is a fortified wine, stronger than most regular wines - and it is great with chocolate. This today tasted like raisins.

Muscat is sweet, the one we tried today was not as sweet as most I've had, though.

CWT
Wanda

Where was there viognier?

We have had some good California viognier - Rosenblum comes to mind - as well as Australian Yalumba's Y Series viognier is a reliably good value. Viognier is often blended with its fellow Rhone (France) white varietals Marsanne and Rousanne. An Australian "Rhone Blend" called The Hermit Crab by d'Arenberg is very tasty!!! (But I can't remember which of the varietals it includes.)

White Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Condrieu would be two premier Rhones, while white Cote-du-Rhone would be a much more wallet-friendly foray into this varietal group!

Cheers!

Jonah's Whalers

PS - We drank a nice Torrontes from Alamos in Chile. Torrontes is another nice aromatic, medium-bodied dry white. Its excellent acidity makes it a good match with appetizers, seafood, lighter poultry and spicy dishes. We had it with kettle corn, but I prefer Cayuga White with popcorn! A hybrid varietal developed at Cornell's College of Agriculture, it grows particularly well in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Riesling and Gewurztraminer are also excellent there. A newer hybrid based on Gewurz is called Traminette - tends to be more dry, but lighter-bodied in our limited experience. Long post-script - sorry!

Where was there viognier?

We have had some good California viognier - Rosenblum comes to mind - as well as Australian Yalumba's Y Series viognier is a reliably good value. Viognier is often blended with its fellow Rhone (France) white varietals Marsanne and Rousanne. An Australian "Rhone Blend" called The Hermit Crab by d'Arenberg is very tasty!!! (But I can't remember which of the varietals it includes.)

Quite a few of the local vineyards here in NC grow Viognier grapes. Flint Hill Vineyards, Hanover Park Vineyards, Sanders Ridge Vineyards (all located in the Yadkin Valley Appellation), all produce great Viognier wines. The one we had today was at Daveste Vineyards, in Troutman, NC. All of these are pure Viognier, not blends.

Carolina Wine Trail
Wanda

Tonight I'm trying a locally produced syrah. I've never tried this wine before. It's a bit dry for my liking but I'm still a wine newbie.

Shiloh

I'm a big fan of Smoking Loon Syrah (and their others).

What's smoking loon like? I've seen it but never tried it.

Shiloh

I haven't had it in a while either, but I always look for it when I want a red. I've had the merlot, chiraz and syrah and never been disappointed. It is very easy to drink and quite flavorful. For those us whose palates aren't quite as refined as others it is a good choice if you want to try something new.

Smoking Loon is a good label for trying something new without breaking the wallet. Chateau Ste Michelle and Columbia Crest (esp their Two Vines series) are good for that, too.

Another nice entry for syrah from its homeland (in France) is Cote-du-Rhone. Some well-distributed labels would include Gilles Ferran, E. Guigal, and Parallelle 45 (which I think is by M. Chapoutier, but I may be wrong). Usually around $12 a bottle, and often have a small amount of grenache and/or mourvedre (or even more rarely, viognier - a white!) mixed in.

FYI: Australian shiraz is the same grape as syrah, by the way, just a funny alternate name. We like Wishing Tree, Jacob's Creek, and Yalumba for wallet-friendly versions. Australian shiraz tends to emphasize fruit flavors, while European styles have more "earth" tones. American styles from Washington state and California can run the gamut.

Dan (of Jonah's Whalers)

The one I tried was made right here in Arkansas. Yes we have wineries, 6 to be exact.

What would be a more off dry version for me to look for?

Shiloh

Can't say I've seen off-dry syrah, but the fruitiness of Australian versions may be appealing to your palate.

Now that I think of it, I may have seen (in a magazine) a dessert-style Australian shiraz, but I don't think it was cheap, nor easy-to-find. You may be able to find a bubbly Aussie version, too - again, not easily, but may also taste sweeter.

Hope this helps!

Dan

Can't say I've seen off-dry syrah

Thanks. Maybe I'll just move on to another type.

Shiloh

What have you discovered in the wonderful world of wine?

Our dream has always been to open our own winery. My husband took a couple of classes in the past year through the community college on viticulture and wine making (he already had been brewing his own beer). He has now made a couple of batches of wine as well.

In the past month, we have located land that we want to buy to begin growing grapes so that we can have a couple of estate wines, with enough land to build the winery. Wish us luck as we try to obtain financing, etc.

And maybe in the future, we can have a wonderful letterboxing event there! :)

I've been drinking wine over the past two years since the last posting..... does that count for something?????!!!!!

And recently hosted a wine and cheese party for some fellow boxers.

:)

Wendy