The GrapeVine hits the MD wine trail

The GrapeVine talks with Deb Scarbourough of Running Hare Vineyard in Prince Frederick, MD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N82A2_LKAow

A New Year, A Clean PC

2010 found me with trials, tribulations, and several viruses on my laptop! In my excitement and naivete to get a free iPad, I seemed to have gotten many many free viruses, trojan horses, etc on my PC. Well, this year I'm starting off fresh and clean thanks to ChicaPC-fix!

ChicaLogic is all about women and empowering them for the technological age. It's designed for women, by women that need solutions to technical problems...and need them fast. I clearly need my PC to be bug free and run faster. I downloaded ChicaPC-fix in just seconds. A little while later (not sure exactly how long as got sucked into a Lifetime movie and had a glass of wine) I found out my laptop was near death. I ran the error fix and VOILA! my laptop was restored back to its original greatness. It now moves at lightning speed and there are no more weird pop-up screens. ChicaPC-fix definitely gets my thumbs up for ease of use and speed. If you're not using it on your PC right now, well you're just crazy!

Now if I could just get my email to stop sending out free iPad messages to my ENTIRE address book...

Happy New Year!!

I'm changing it up a bit, I'm starting my NYE off with a little Infinium Ale from Sam Adams and Weihenstephan, a Bavarian Brewery, open since 1040 AD. A light Bière de Champagne....I even served it in flutes. Not being a beer aficionado or knowing the lingo, my thoughts on this sound like a bubbly review: nice foam on the top with flavors of citrus and wheat with a tart, slightly dry finish. 2011 might be the year that I admit to being a beer drinker.

Hope 2011 is filled with the best wine that life (and your wallet) has to offer!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

What a year it's been! I hope this holiday season finds everyone thankful for what they have and hopeful for the future. Here's to an AMAZING Christmas spent with family and friends.....and the best wines you have!!

I'm not sure what will be in my glass today/tonight, but it is sure to be fantastic :-)

Merry Christmas from The GrapeVine!!

Turkey & Wine

People always wonder what to drink for Thanksgiving - what goes well with the turkey, yams, stuffing, etc... Well, a lot of wines to go with a lot of different foods! Here is what I drank (am drinking) today in no particular order:

Lumos Pinot Gris (Oregon)
Prosecco
Tegernseerhof Zweigelt (Austria)
King Estate Pinot Noir (Oregon)
Ravenswood Zinfandel
Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Cocktails

And yes they were all delicious! Everyone has something to be thankful for, think upon those things today. Happy Thanksgiving!!

A New Vintage

People just love new stuff. That new car smell, a new car, new clothes...and of course new wine! So people just line up, place orders, and can't wait to get their hands on the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau that is released the 3rd Thursday of November, which happens to be this Thursday November 18th.

Beaujolais Nouveau is sometimes considered young and immature to many a 'seasoned' wine drinker, but it's fruity, jammy flavors make it approachable to many and also a possible gateway into some of the wines of France. It's also the perfect wine for Thanksgiving which is next week.

According to Wikipedia, Beaujolais Nouveau, made from the Gamay grape, always had a huge event to celebrate its end of harvest but not until the end of WWII were the wines available to the public. Negociant Georges Dubouef saw the marketing potential of this wine and worked with the UIVB to promoting this 'new Beaujolais'. Not only was it a way to clear lots of wine for a great profit, but selling wine within weeks of the harvest was great for cash flow. Hence the idea was born of a race to Paris carrying the first bottles of the new vintage. This attracted a lot of media coverage, and by the 1970s had become a national event. The races spread to neighbouring countries in Europe in the 1980s, followed by North America, and in the 1990s to Asia. In 1985, the date was changed to the third Thursday in November to take best advantage of marketing in the following weekend.

This "Beaujolais Day" is accompanied by publicity events and heavy advertising. The traditional slogan, even in English-speaking countries, was “Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!” (literally, "The new Beaujolais has arrived!"), but in 2005 this was changed to "It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!".
So this Thursday, visit the French Embassy, or your local wine shop for fun, friends, and free wine because 'It's Beaujolais Nouveau Time!'

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!