Finger Lakes New York

Finger Lakes, New York
May 29, 2015

As you drive through the Finger Lakes Region for the first time, I suspect you'll have the same reaction that we did.  When will we be able to get back and spend some more time here?  The town of Geneva at the top of Lake Seneca, allows for easy access to either the West or East side of the Lake.  And as our friend Joan would say, "It's stinking with scenery!"  The historic downtown has experienced a rebirth and is a great place to walk around after a long day of tastings.

Downtown Geneva, New York

Geneva, New York

There are dozens of wineries at the Lakes region, so don't be fooled into thinking you can visit them all.  Go to a couple and tell them the style of wine you like, and then let them guide you to your destination.  We were looking for a view of the lake and a place to have some lunch, so we followed the local advice to visit Fox Run Vineyards,  The combination of puffy white clouds and sun made an excellent late May day.  With 25 years under their belt, , the wines here have been awarded lots of medals and Best Buys from major magazines.  

Their gourmet lunch room was also delicious.  We were envious of a couple who had a cheese plate and were sitting on the front porch.  A great combination of wines and food.

We sat back and enjoyed ourselves and hope you can make a trip there too.  On our way now to another northern winery, but not in a state.  Check us out next week to see where....

Bread, cheese, and wine is always fine.

Fox Run Vineyards' Lake View

Fox Run Vineyards

Fox Run Vineyards Tasting Room

Fox Run Vineyards Restaurant

Downtown Geneva New York

Finger Lakes in New York

Lake Seneca, Finger Lakes Region, NY
May 26, 2015

Lakewood Vineyards

Tasting Room at Lakewood Vineyards

Our Wine Flights has an on time arrival in Geneva, New York complete with a view of Lake Seneca and its historic downtown.  We picked this destination because of two women we met at McRitchie Winery in North Carolina.  They were driving from the Finger Lakes to Florida for business, and stopped over at the McRitchie Winery where they convinced us to visit the area.

Lake Seneca's shores are lined with lots of wineries, and we visited two today that are right next door to each other.  Lakewood Winery which as been in existence since 1988 and Barnstormer Winery that has been open for 22 months.

Lakewood Vineyards View towards Lake Seneca

Lakewood Vineyards has a history of growing grapes for the likes of Welch's and Seneca Grape Juice.  In 1951 Frank Stamp purchased the property for growing grapes.  In 1977, the New York state laws changed to allow the grape growers to make their own wines.  In 1988, their son Monty opened Lakewood Vineyards.  They produce a wide variety of wines where you'll find something to suit everyone's taste.  Now Monty's children are also graduates with Oenology degrees and they continue in their father's and grandfather's path.

The story behind the Naked Run Vineyard Pinot Noir is that Frank was in the Pinot Noir section of the vineyard when bees decided to make a home in his overalls.  He quickly stripped and ran to safety, thus the name.  (Sorry - no pictures available!)

Barnstormer
Tasting Room

Barnstormer Winery
Tasting Bar

Barnstormer Winery is only a quarter mile down the road and has been open for 22 months.  During this time they have been gaining notoriety as a "boutique" winery that produces low quantity but high quality.  Their grapes are sourced from local growers, so they can focus their efforts on the production of wines.  They also collaborate with local vintners to create their special blends.

Kyle Knapton, Barnstormer's Tasting Room Manager, said he's really happy that their wines move so quickly.  They would rather make a couple of great barrels, when there is a limited selection of grapes available for them.  It also allows them to be very creative.  So if you like something, buy it!  It may not be there next week.

Barnstormer Winery

As we drove to Geneva, we saw many more wineries on the way.  So many destinations, and so many stories...
Apologies if you received this twice!

Greek Wine Flights

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Tuesday May 19, 2015

Red and whites from Dry (l) to Sweet (r)

Working the "kitchens" at the Greek Festival

Well this weekend was a lot of fun - we took a wine flight to Greece, sort of.  We didn't actually fly to Greece, but it certainly felt like it.

So here's a way you can take some wine flights without even going through Customs.  The Winston-Salem Greek Festival was this past weekend, starting on Friday and ending on Sunday.  I was able to go three days to enjoy the food and wine that would be traditional in Greece.

Some church members are 2nd or 3rd Generation Americans, while others were born in Greece.  Many of them had cooked from recipes that were handed down from generations.

Greek Festival 2015 wines in the tent

Dry Red Wine in French Oak

So what wines did they have?  3 white wines and 1 red.  The whites ranged from Sweet to Dry.  They paired well with the marinated chicken kabobs right on down to the baklava and other pastries for desert.  The one red was dry and paired well with the Lamb Souvlaki.  Glasses were $4 and the bottles were $16, so it was all very reasonably priced.

The distributor wasn't there, but lots of times they will have been to the country and can pass on their experiences with the vineyard.  They can be a wealth of information and are excited to share their travels too.  And where better to ask about a place to visit in Greece - you'll have lots of free advice!

We're going to be looking out for more ethnic events to see where else we can do a quick trip.

Realizing Dreams...

Winston-Salem, NC
May 15, 2015

Empatia Wine Bar at Hotel Villa de Abalos

Church in Villa de Abalos

When we came back from Spain, we had a bunch of video on some really great places that we visited.  We love Spain and we had so many destinations with stories to share.  But how could we do that?

Common Room for Guests at
Hotel Villa de Abalos

We came up with the idea of creating 3 different perspectives on wineries that would showcase some of the excellent productions coming from Spain.  Our first in the series last week was Bodegas Baigorri.  This winery can produce about 600,000 bottles a year.  (You can see the video here:  Bodegas Baigorri - Our Wine Flights)

Antique Still at Hotel Villa de Abalos
(Had to include since we are from NC!-
NASCAR Shout Out!)

This week, we want to bring to you a much more intimate winery.  This wine is called Empatia, and they produce both a white and red wine with total production around 7,500 bottles a year.  Jose Luis Castillo and his wife Merche Ruiz have been working years to create a winery of their own.   On their way, they've run a restaurant, restored and opened a hotel with a restaurant, added a wine bar, and have 2 kids!  Join us on Our Wine Flight to visit  Hotel Villa de Abalos - Our Wine Flights.

Tapas at the Empatia Wine Bar:
Tempora Shrimp,
on Tempora Calamari
on Tempora Tuna deviled egg
on toasted bread.
Lay it on me!

Coastal Consulting

Blounts Creek, North Carolina
May 10 - 11, 2015

We're working on finalizing a couple more videos from Spain.  The videos are from a bodega in the town of Briones in the Rioja region.  The stories from the owner are great, and we've got them on the selecting table to pick out the best for you.

Antico 

Villa del Cigliano

This weekend we went to the coast to visit family.  Our brother-in-law has been running his own company successfully for years now, and has been giving us guidance on what we're trying to create.

We previewed for them the videos that we're releasing this week on Facebook, our web page, and on the blog.  We're glad to say that they were happy with the results and we're just tweaking a few things to bring it in line with our own expectations.

Afterwards they cooked a wonderful meal of Giada's Lemony Shrimp Risotto (Recipe here) and we paired it with two Italian wines.  Russ Anderson helped us pick them out at his store Caviste in Winston-Salem.
(The Caviste in Winston-Salem)

We started with a white Italian white, Antico, from the Apuglia Region in Southern Italy - right at the heel of the boot. Cathy and I had traveled there September in 2014. We have never seen so many Olive Trees in our lives!

Villa del Cigliano in September 2010

We followed that with a light red Chianti wine from San Casciano that was a 2003 Reserve. The wine we had purchased about 10 years ago when we went to Italy with our extended family and stayed in San Casciano at Tuscan Charm (Tuscan Charm). While we were there, we toured Villa del Cigliano and their manicured grounds.  Even though the label is in two tones, my mind can still see the colors of the plants, and flowers in the garden when looking at the label. Check them out here - Villa del Cigliano 

Time flies, and we couldn't believe how a decade had gone by so fast. Almost as fast as the bottle.  It was probably past its' prime, but who are we to throw stones in a glass house?

5 Things You Didn't Know about NC Wines!

Raffaldini Vineyards -  Ronda, North Carolina

5 Things you didn't know about NC's Wine Industry

North Carolina Wineries are popping up all over the state.  North Carolina has a wide variety of terroir and climates, and these help it to be able to produce a wide variety of grapes and in turn wines. From dry Cabernet Sauvignon to sweet Scuppernongs, you'll be surprised at the spectrum of flavours and destinations.

1.  North Carolina was one of leading producers of wine in the early 1900s.   Yes - the Bible Belt state of NC was one of the first states to approve Prohibition, and with it they eliminated a whole industry.

2.  North Carolina has more than 160 wineries.  That's a far cry from the 1970s when there were less than 10.

3.  North Carolina is the 10th state in grape production.  Those 160+ wineries are growing and providing lots of grapes for wine and food. 

4.  North Carolina is 3rd in the United States for Wine Tourism.  With the exponential growth of wineries in our state, tourists are discovering the value of NC wines and tourism.

5. There are 4 different American Viticulture Areas (AVAs) that have been approved for North Carolina.  The AVA lets the buyer know that 85% of the wine comes from that region.

1. Yadkin Valley (Established 2003)
2. Swan Creek  (Est. 2008)
3. Haw River  (Est. 2009)
4. Upper Hiwassee Highlands  (Est. 2014 - Straddles the North Carolina and Georgia State Borders)

Information from http://media.visitnc.com/news/wine-industry-facts

Our Web Page is Live

May 1st, 2015

We're glad to say that we're live on the web!  We're directing most of the page towards our business partners right now.  We have to recruit wineries so we can line up their interviews and get the information ready for publishing.  Keep an eye out for our videos of the wineries in Spain's Rioja Region.

Vines and Views in Rioja Spain

The first that we're going to release is about a small production winery that shares it's space and vintner with other growers in the area.  They're hoping to build their own facility in the near future as funds and financing become more readily available.  Jose Luis and Merche Castillo have a great wine story that is still being written day-by-day.   They produce about 7,500 bottles a year for their hotel guests and their wine bar.  They also provide a few local restaurants with their wine.

The second story is kind of a coming home story for Miguel Merino.  Miguel came to North Carolina in the 1960s for a year abroad in High School.  He lived and attended Mount Holly High School and was voted the Friendliest Student in the Senior Class.  It's that drive to be a friend and make sure people enjoy his wines as much as they enjoy his company that makes his wines so approachable.  He's has so many good stories to tell, but we only had a few minutes to highlight Miguel's wines.

View of Briones, Spain from Vivianco Vineyards and Museum

The final video short that we're releasing is about Bodegas Baigorri.  Talk about a great time.  We've spent a lot of time in the Rioja Region, and this was our third time that we were able to eat lunch at their winery.  It's a fantastic treat and a wonderful way to spend a day in the Rioja Region.   The winery is modern, yet has old world respect for the grapes and their treatment.  It's a medium sized producer that can make up to 600,000 bottles a year.

Most of all, we're so lucky to meet these wine experts and learn from them.  They opened up their doors to us like we were family and we've grown to know them over visits during the last six years of travelling to the Rioja area of Spain.

Join us, even if it is only for a few minutes, to view our destinations with stories.