Another Year

It's my birthday! So I decided to celebrate with a trip on the much talked about Frederick Wine Trail. I had a driver ;-) of course and we stopped at Black Ankle Vineyards and Elk Run Vineyards both in Mt Airy, MD.

Black Ankle has gotten much press and much buzz as one of the greatest wineries in Maryland. The buzz is well worth it, the tasting room is beautiful and the wines are fantastic! I had a coupon for a complimentary tasting for two, and we were lead through a tasting of Bedlam, Viognier, and Gruner Veltliner for whites; and Syrah, Rolling Hills and Crumbling Rock reds. I think I got the birthday tasting special with a few gems thrown in. I absolutely loved the crisp, tart flavors of the Gruner and I was already a fan of the Crumbling Rock. I ordered a glass of the Viognier to sit back and enjoy.
At Elk Run Vineyards, they let you select 6 items off their tasting menu for a small fee or for a smaller fee, you can taste 6 wines that they select. Since there were 2 of us, we picked out 12 wines which gave us a great tasting of almost all of their tasting menu. Some of the standouts were the Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot. A birthday gift of the Maryland Merlot (also known as Marilyn Monroe) was given to me.

I had a fantastic birthday meeting new wine friends and tasting new wines. Cheers to another great year!

The GrapeVine Digest

A little wine information just in time for the weekend!

Give It A Swirl
In recognition of the Drink Local Wine Conference this weekend, here are 2 local wine picks. Enjoy a new wine from your state!

White – Breaux Vineyards (VA) Viognier 2008
Beautiful tropical aromas and flavors. Orange blossom, honey and freshly sliced pineapple dominate the palate. Crisp acidic finish.

Red – Black Ankle Vineyards (MD) Rolling Hills 2007
A dense ruby/plum color with a nose of black fruits, dark chocolate, and hints of tobacco and licorice. In the mouth the Rolling Hills reveals an abundance of cassis, blackberry jam, and sweet, velvety tannins leading to an extraordinarily smooth finish.

Weekend Wine Tastings
Venturing out to taste a few wines at these mostly free wine tasting is a great way to find out way you like (and don’t like!)

Friday April 23rd – 5pm – 8pm
Winemakers from Elite Wines portfolio will pour current releases from:
Alphonse Mellot Jr. of Alphonse Mellot Domaine La Moussiere (Sancerre)
Jerome Mader of Jean Luc Mader (Alsace)
Christian Berthet-Rayne of Domaine Berthet-Rayne (Chateaneuf du Pape)
Bell Wine & Spirits 1821 M Street NW Washington, DC 20036

Saturday April 24th – 1pm – 4pm
Four textbook examples of 100% Cabernet Franc-based wines from the Loire Valley. And our four featured wines will be on sale through Saturday at 20% off the normal retail price.
Weygandt Wines 3519 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 10 Washington DC 20008

Sunday April 25th – 1pm - 4 pm
A walk around style tasting featuring the wines of Italy. Ten wines are scheduled to be poured. A few are even under $10 a bottle!
Rick's Wine and Gourmet 3117 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314

The GrapeVine Around Town
Where am I (and most importantly) what am I drinking

What a busy weekend I will have! I’m providing wine pairings for a cooking class at Classic Caterers in Springfield, VA then I’m off to Lansdowne Resort for the Drink Local Wine conference. The goal of DLW is to spotlight wine made in the 47 states and Canada that aren't California, Washington, and Oregon. It's the brainchild of Washington Post wine columnist Dave McIntyre and wine blogger Jeff Siegel, the Wine Curmudgeon. There will be a twitter taste-off on Sunday featuring Virginia and Maryland wineries from 2:15pm – 4:15pm. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow me @grapevine4wine and you can follow all the taste-off tweets by searching #DLW10. Also, stay tuned to my blog for additional information and wine event recaps.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK WITH WINE!!

If there is anything you'd like to see appear in The GrapeVine Digest or you have any questions, please email me at thegrapevinellc@gmail.com.