Semi-Sweet 16: October, 2011

Our trip to Miletta Vista Winery in St. Paul happened on one of those random trips that follow an impromptu visit to Kearney by Jessi. She came to town and we decided to venture to St. Paul to visit the place that makes Serenade.

Serenade is an amazing wine that Jessi and I discovered at the last Wine and Jazz Festival. I’m sure we’ve probably tried it before, but this year, it really stuck with us. We bought a bottle that night and many times since and it has become one of our favorites.

Setting out, we turned on the GPS and followed the directions diligently… until we got there and realized that we knew a much simpler and more direct route than how it took us. I am sensing a reoccurring theme of our tour-where the GPS gets confused and therefore we are confused. While we get to see some interesting countryside, it also gave Jessi’s car a mud bath and added about 15 minutes to a trip by taking us on unmarked gravel roads.

As we approached the tasting room, we could not help but admire the rows of grapes and the amazing view. Vineyard owners seem to really like putting the tasting rooms on top of hills, but the scenery is usually pretty spectacular, so I’m not complaining.

Jessi and I also decided that since we already knew (and loved) Serenade, we would not choose it for a tasting and give the other wines a shot. Something that worked out perfectly since that made it possible to try every other wine they offered.

We were the only people in the place when we arrived and we were the only people during our stay so we got to pick the brain of the girl behind the counter all we wanted. She was a wealth of knowledge and I enjoyed talking to her.

She gave us some food for thought while we were there. She introduced us to the art of matching particular wine glasses to different wines. For example, you want to drink red wine from a larger wine glass, leaving lots of room in the glass for air to mingle with the wine. White wine, you can drink from smaller glasses because they don’t need to breathe as much to enhance the flavors. She also told us about the Riedel class they offer that teaches people how to match wines to different glasses. The class was a little pricey sounding, but then she mentioned that everybody gets to keep the 6 different Riedel glasses used in the class (which are leaded crystal, by the way). Hopefully, Jessi and I will be able to get together to attend when it happens.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed their wines. I don’t think, since Glacial Till, have I liked so many wines that a single vineyard had to offer. There was only one red I didn’t particularly care for, while I rated almost all of the other wines (including the other reds) at an 8 or above. I actually gave their Edelweiss (no surprise, once again) and their Prairie Blush 10s.

Once we finished with our tastings, put our e-mail address down to get info about the class and talked them out of a few corks for our collections, Jessi and I each got a glass of wine and headed to sit outside to enjoy the unusual warm weather and the view from the patio. I got a glass of my favorite of the day, Catawba (and later bought a bottle). We were joined by one of the uber friendly cats that live at the winery… I’ll have to ask Jessi what its name was. She is way better at remembering stuff like that than I am.

I had a great time at Miletta Vista. It is one of my favorite wineries in western Nebraska and definitely in my top three favorite stops of the entire tour. I hope to return, if not for the class, then during our tour next year!

Miletta Vista Specs:

5 tastings for $5-ish

Food and wine-related items for sale

Souvenir glass for $3-ish (I can’t remember for sure)

Wine for Christmas? Yes Please! Christmas, 2011

Christmas morning I realized that I may have a problem.

Opening presents I was excited to find a new, cheap DVD player (exactly what I asked for, even emphasized the cheap),  gift card to Cabela’s to get a holster,  cookbook, candle, and a wine kit complete with a bottle opener, pour spout, foil cutter and more goodies including a necklace for a wine bottle from my mom.

I continued opening gifts and found two super cute cutting boards and knife, perfect for cheeses to go with wine from my sister, Betsy, and brother-in-law, Walt.

Then my sister Laura, handed me a wine bottle gift bag with a bottle of Feather River Edelweiss from my mom. Yum!

As everybody finished opening presents, my mom and Laura told me to go open the giant present in the corner. Sitting on top of it was a wrapped bottle of wine from a Salida winery from Betsy and Walt. It’s a Riesling/ Chardonnay blend that I can’t wait to try.

As I worked my way into the huge present (Laura wrapped it and likes making it difficult to open), I uncovered an adorable wine rack! It has places for 16 bottles of wine, wine glasses, and a top the perfect size for munchies.

Then, when we thought we were all done, my mom walked out with one last gift bag that she handed me. Inside I found a Redneck wine glass. If you’ve never seen one before, allow me to explain…

It’s a short canning jar glued to the top of a glass candlestick.

Classy.

15 Minutes of Fame: October 1, 2011

After we drove the thirty-some-odd miles from Paxton back to North Platte, we headed to Feather River. I was looking forward to this stop since my mom had visited there already and she knew the lay of the land so she had the advantage over the rest of us.

Jessi, Jenna, and I were blown away at how beautiful Feather River was, even surrounded by the drab landscape of late-fall Nebraska The vines covered the hills and the tasting room was nestled in a valley below a beautiful house that was home of one of the owners.

The bar was occupied when we arrived so we spent a few minutes wandering around looking at wine baubles while they finished up their tastings.

Then we pounced.

We started chatting with the lady behind the counter while we chose what we wanted to taste. My mom had tried most of their wines already so the choosing was left up to Jenna, Jessi, and me. I was surprised at the number of wines that Feather River had to offer, more than most of the places we stopped on the tour.

Wires were crossed with the first choice and she gave all of us what Jessi (I think) had chosen first, but it was ok since the tastings were free. Plus, there was four of us so we all chose different wines and exchanged glasses. I tried quite a few of their reds, but I liked only one-a semi-sweet called Red Neck Revenge. I enjoyed the whites with Edelweiss (no surprise) and Frosty’s White being my favorites.

We enjoyed our afternoon at Feather River, all of us bringing home at least one bottle (they had some of their 2008 vintages on sale).

I would love to go back. I think that I will have to talk Jessi, my mom, and Jessi’s mom into going back when it gets warmer so we can enjoy the beautiful surroundings and a bottle (or three) on their veranda.

Feather River Specs:

4 Tastings for Free

Wine Glass-$2 for small, $3 for large

The Big Grape: Putting the Squeeze on Juvenile Diabetes, October 14, 2011

“Do you want to go to the Big Grape with me?”
“What is it?”
“A wine tasting thing.”
“How much?”
“Tickets were free.”
“Yep. I’m in!”

Jenna and my text conversation went something like that… but since my phone deletes text messages, I can’t tell you exactly what it was.

She had gotten free tickets from a radio station (which was good since they were $50 a piece) and she thought of Jessi and me as possible tag-a-longs. I wonder why…

Unfortunately, Jessi couldn’t go, but another of Jenna’s friends could, so us three set off to see what exactly The Big Grape was. Come to find out, it was a fundraiser thrown every year to raise money for juvenile diabetes research, not something I know a lot about, but a good cause none the less.

When we walked into the Expo building at the State Fair grounds, we were handed a glass and a nice little booklet that listed all of the silent auction prizes, sponsors, and beverages offered for tastings.

I spotted a banner that said “Vodka” and tried to make a bee-line for it. Jenna herded me toward the first wine table with promises to head there next. She made good on her promise and I got to try vodka that is made here in Nebraska. It was surprisingly good… plus, I impressed the socks off the owner of Cooper Chase Distillery who was there giving out tastings. He poured it into my wine glass and muscle memory took over. I swirled it, sniffed it, and then tasted it… just like I do with wine. He looked at me with wide eyes and said “You are a vodka drinker, aren’t you?” I laughed… Guilty as charged, but this blog is about wine, not vodka.

We spent the rest of the evening trying wines (and a couple different beers) from all over the country and world. It was fun to try wines that I would not normally have access to and wines that I had never heard of.

Some of them were Confectioners Angel Cake which was a sweet chardonnay, Emery Pink Moscato which was a little drier than most moscatos, and

Lucy Lane

from Jasper Winery that reminded me of Welch’s grape juice with a kick. My favorites of the evening were the delicious Chateau Ste. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling and Confectioners Chocolate that was a red wine with cocoa, it tasted like a tootsie pop with a kick.

I also felt a little adventurous and chose something that I wouldn’t normally try. I believe it was Warre’s Warrior Reserve Porto, a full-bodied red that I enjoyed at the first sip but it got a little much as I drank.

Scattered amongst the unknowns, it was good to see a few familiar faces. 17 Ranch Winery, Mac’s Creek, Prairie Creek Winery, Superior Estates, Cedar Hills Vineyard, Milleta Vista, and James Arthur Vineyards were there to represent Nebraska wineries and vineyards. They were all places that I have visited or are familiar with after seeing them and trying their wines at the Wine and Jazz festivals.

The Big Grape seemed like an event that was a little too classy to be held in the Expo Building of the Nebraska State Fair grounds. We had couples in formal wear (a step below black-tie) sitting next to people in jeans and work boots. It was an interesting juxtaposition that just made the event more fun to attend. It was a fun evening and for a great cause. I would love to go to another one in the future.

Go to this site to learn more! Avera-The Big Grape

Wining with the 'Chowskis

I read a news article recently (attached below) that said that more Riesling is consumed at Thanksgiving than any other time of the year and it is the #1 choice of wines for Thanksgiving in the U.S. I thought this was interesting since Riesling is a German style wine and most people think France when they think wine. The article turned into a news clip from a local news show that was discussing wine that was produced in Nebraska. In a blind tasting, Nebraska wines did, for the most part, better than some of the Goliaths from Napa... something I chalk up to the fact that Nebraskans seem to enjoy sweeter wines more than tart or dry.

Thanksgiving... well any holiday, come to think of it, with my family revolves around food and alcohol (now that we are all over 21), games and laughter. My sister, Betsy and her husband Walt, had brought a few bottles of wine with them from Denver, slightly dry reds that I think were from... Argentina or somewhere else in South America. They had an interesting bite to them and I would be willing to try them again.

I brought a bottle of Catawba from Miletta Vista to share, but we never got to open it before I had to leave. I told my family to enjoy it without me, but I have to admit, I kind of hope they didn't so I can help them enjoy it.

But the highlight of my visit was when my sister, Wendy, arrived from Nebraska City toting a cooler that held a jug of Arbor Day Farms cherry cider, a 2 liter of sprite, and a bottle of apple wine. I quickly went to work making the sangria we enjoyed during our visit to the vineyards of Nebraska City.

Oh! I've been meaning to share the recipe for that sangria:
2 Bottles Apple Wine (that's a lot, but go big or go home!)
1/2 gallon cherry cider
1 liter sprite
sliced oranges, lemons, and limes

The sangria was a huge hit with the family and glasses were refilled throughout the afternoon and into the evening. When it started running low, I added a bottle of Moscato we had lying around (can't let wine go to waste) and a bit more of the sprite and cherry cider. A recent conversation with my mother reveled that the sangria lasted through the weekend… they just kept adding to it.

I do miss having a few bottles of sparkling cider and grape juice around for the holidays, the treat that my mom got my sisters and I so we could drink something wine-like out of fancy glasses while she and my dad enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, but I would not give up the fun we have trying new drinks and sharing our favorites as a family.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

Nebraska's Wines Put to the Test

X plus 4: October 1, 2011

When we set out to visit 5 Trails Winery, we planned to get there shortly after they opened so we could do our tasting and get back on the road to get to our next stop on the tour… unfortunately, we forgot about the time change. We actually arrived to Paxton an hour too early so we decided to take Jenna out to Lake McConahay since she had never been there before. She was duly impressed by Nebraska’s largest man-made lake (although not too impressed since she grew up near the ocean). When we had killed enough time, we headed back to Paxton to check out what kind of wines the sandhills produced.

The tasting room was located on the main street in Paxton with the actual vineyard located a few miles outside of town. It was a nice open space full of tables and large windows. We were told to pick out a table and the owner brought us glasses while we made our first choices from the wine list written on large black boards hanging on the wall. Jessi and I explained our usual procedure to my mom and Jenna and shared some stories about our other wine stops. We all traded glasses when our wine arrived so we all got to try a lot of different options.

Looking back at my notes, I see that I liked the majority of the wines I tried. I rated their Brianna (no surprise) and Passenger blush, highest but Jessi and I were both rather disappointed with their Edelweiss. For a wine that we generally love, it was a sad discovery. Both Jessi and I agreed that if they had called it anything else, we probably would have enjoyed the light, bubbly wine, but as an Edelweiss, it left more to be desired.

5 Trails Winery was the first place that I was introduced to the Zork. It is cork/cap combo made out of a plastic/rubber type material. To open it, you peel back the tab (like old-style milk jugs) and simply pull it out of the bottle. No corkscrew needed. My corkscrew just shed a tear or two.

Once we had finished our tastings, Jessi and I purchased our glasses, mom and Jenna got a bottle or two, and we tipsily wandered our way across the street to visit Ole’s Steak House for lunch (it’s never a good idea to do a wine tasting on an empty stomach).

Our stop at 5 Trails Winery was a lot of fun. Usually, it’s just Jessi and I but it was fun to have a couple extra people along to offer new perspectives on the wine and new stories to share over a glass or two.

5 Trails Winery Specs:

5 tastings for $5

Food available to enjoy with the wine

Souvenir wine glass for $5

Lucky #13: September 30, 2011

Mac’c Creek Vineyard in Lexington has been a favorite vineyard of ours since my sister, Laura, introduced it to us a couple of years ago. One of her professors in college actually owns Mac’s Creek so she usually had a bottle around. I had been there once or twice already but it was one of the stops I was looking forward to the most on the wine tour. I was excited about the prospect of getting to talk to them about some of my favorite wines and about their operations.

Well… it didn’t quite work out like that.

Jessi, fabulous planner-a-header that she is, found out that they were having a harvest festival to introduce their fall wines: Pinky's, Frapple, and Manzanas Dulces. They were going to have food, music, and of course, wine tastings of their three fall wines. Soon after Jessi found out about the festival, my friend Jenna heard about it and said we should go. So we all set out together to enjoy what Mac’s Creek had to offer.

We arrived to Lexington much more quickly that we anticipated (we nearly missed the exit) and jumped in line to purchase our tickets and find out what was going on. We were given glasses, tickets, and told to head outside for wine tasting, hors d'oeuvres, and music. Jessi and I were able to persuade them to stamp our passports before we went outside to enjoy the vineyard, music by Once Were Three, and the beautiful weather.

We got to enjoy a bunch of their wines, including two of their three fall wines. Unfortunately, the labels for Manzanas Dulces did not come in on time so we could not try it that night.

Five tastings, a bunch of hors d’oeuvres, and a bottle of wine later, our evening at Mac’s Creek was over and we set our sights on North Platte, our layover before the rest of our quest west could begin.

Wines to check out from Mac’s Creek are numerous so here is a list of some of my favorite ones (in no particular order): River Valley Red, Buzzard’s Roost, Frapple, Buffalo Wallow, Brianna, and Spring Mist.

A Full Dozen: August 7, 2011

We finally got to visit Deer Springs Winery in Lincoln the second time we tried. The first time around, we were still new at the whole wine touring thing and hadn’t checked to see what hours they were open.

The tasting room is in an old farm house that was built in 1874. It has been restored and is now a lovely space of open rooms and light coming in through the large windows.

The larger area closest to the bar was occupied by a large group of twenty-somethings, so Jessi and I got our first tastings and moseyed to a small table in the next room next to a window that offered a great view of the yard and gazebo. We did not get a chance to really chat with the lady behind the counter like we enjoy doing, but we were reaching the end of our whirl-wind weekend and I think we were both rather tired. Sitting at an out of the way table, quietly drinking our wine was something that I think both Jessi and I were in the mood to do.

When we went back up for our third or fourth sample, another lady had arrived and talked us into getting a basket of goodies designed to eat with wine. It had a loaf of fresh French bread and locally made treats like summer sausage, cheese, and Baker’s Meltaways (a favorite chocolate candy of my family’s made in Greenwood, NE).

Jessi and I quietly finished our wine tastings and as we went up to pay and purchase our souvenir glasses, we ran into a group of four who had just arrived. We were delighted to find out that they were also doing the Nebraska Wine Tour but they had started in the west and were working their way east as opposed to us starting in the east and working our way west. We traded tips and stories about the places we had been to and gave suggestions on wines that had to be tried.

Personally, I was happy to see that two of the four were guys and they seemed as enthusiastic, if not more so, about the tour than the two girls in the group. See, guys like wine too! *hint, hint*

Overall, I enjoyed our quiet and uneventful trip to Deer Springs. Looking back at the wine list and notes I have, it looks like I have a three-way tie of high scorers: Wild Colleen is a sweet red, Firefly White is, as the name suggests, a sweet white and an award winning wine for Deer Springs, and finally, Bianca which is a Hungarian style wine. Bianca sticks out the most in my mind, probably because it was slightly different than any wine I had tried thus far and the fact that it was a Hungarian style (I’m always up for trying something from the motherland) endears it to my heart a little.

Plus, Jessi finally got to try Baker’s meltaways, something every chocolate lover should do!

Deer Springs Specs:

      5 tastings for $5

      Locally made meat, cheeses, and treats available for purchase

      Souvenir wine glass for $3.

The numbers all go to 11: August 7, 2011

Our visit to the Glacial Till tasting room in Ashland was probably our shortest stop. Since we had already sampled all the wines that we wanted to, we made this stop just to try out their newest vintage, Zephyr. The lady who was working there was helping another couple so she suggested Jessi and I check out the art gallery upstairs. There were some really awesome pieces by local artists on display. By the time we were done looking around, the other couple had left so we had the place to ourselves. We just got a glass and claimed a table to enjoy the wine (which was very good, by the way).

Since the place was empty, we struck up conversation with the lady working who was a close friend of the Murmans (the owners of Glacial Till). We told her about our trip out to the vineyard back in May and she shared some stories that she had of the vineyard. She then started a slide show that she had full of photos of the vineyard, renovations at the Ashland tasting room, and the Murman’s trip to wineries around the world.

While it was a different atmosphere than the vineyard, I’m glad we made the trip to the Ashland location. We got to try their new wine and learn more about one of our favorite vineyards.

“X” marks the spot: August 7, 2011

Out of all the vineyards that we have been to so far, I was least impressed with Soaring Wings Vineyard outside Springfield, both the wine and the atmosphere.

I was blown away by the view of the vineyard from atop the hill where the tasting room sat. The tasting room itself was very nice and full of fun wine themed knickknacks but the greeting let much to be desired. A lady behind the counter quickly explained that we could do a tasting, using the five tickets provided, from the wine list but two were sold out and unavailable. She handed us a wine list, took our money, and left. We were slightly out of sorts as we made our way to a table near a window to decide on our first choices.

After we had made our first choices (two very dry reds…not our forte) we made our way back up to the bar where a twenty-something year old poured our first samples. We tried to engage him in conversation every time we went up but he was not the chatty type, denying Jessi and I the opportunity to find out all we could about the vineyard.

As we worked our way through the wine list, I began rating them from 1-10, something I have been trying to do at every place we stop so I have a better idea later on what my opinion of the wines were. Ice Falcon 2009 got my highest rating of the stop at an 8, but even then, I thought it was too high. Most of the wines were rather tart with a slightly bitter end.

After we finished with our 5 tastings, the cashier said we could wander through the vineyard so we took her suggestion. We moseyed our way down the hill to get a better look at a few rows of grapes and enjoyed the view.

While we may not have had a good time at Soaring Wings, it was a very busy place, exemplifying the fact that not everyone has the same taste in wines.

     

Soaring Wings Vineyard Specs:

                  5 tastings for $6

                  Glass of wine $5

                  Food and wine-related items for sale

                  Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

9 off the vine: August 6, 2011

Our third and final stop for the day was to Slattery Vintage Estates in Nehawka. This was the place that Wendy had actually suggested to us since they were having a musician perform the night we were going to be there. We ventured straight to Slattery from Kimmel Orchards and Jessi and I were completely blown away from the sight before us. The main building was huge and absolutely beautiful, practically a castle in the middle of the Nebraskan countryside. We found a place to park near the rows of vines and walked to the main entrance to the courtyard, still in awe of our surroundings.

We paid our $5 entry to a very friendly lady (who later I found out was Barb Slattery, she and her husband, Mike own SVE) and gawked at the beautiful house and landscaping while we made our way to the tasting room, which was a beautiful set of rooms that was tucked under the Slattery’s home (the aforementioned castle). The tasting room was exactly what I would want if I had a wine cellar. There was a dark wood bar, overstuffed chairs, polished cobblestone floor, and a full on wine cellar alcove tucked into one wall complete with a barred entryway.

The room was full of people taking advantage of the air conditioning before the musician began so Jessi and I parked ourselves at the bar, trying to stay out of the way of the bustling servers. We nabbed a wine list (a four or five page menu, I kid you not) and started flipping through. When the bartender had a spare moment, we asked if we could do a tasting. She kindly explained to us that they stopped tastings at 5:30 on Saturday evenings when they had entertainment. We had missed it by a half an hour! We explained that we were doing the Nebraska wine tour and she said that if we bought some wine, she’d stamp our passports anyway.

Woohoo!

So I overruled Jessi and ordered a bottle of Glacial Till’s Frontenac Rose for us to share (she agreed if she could pick out the second bottle that we knew we would need). We got our passports stamped and purchased probably one of the most unique things that I’ve seen on the tour… sandwich bags full of wine corks. LOVE IT! Jessi and I both got one and it had a wide variety of corks from around the U.S… and they were only a buck!

Jessi and I took our wine and joined the rest of our group at a picnic table to melt in the heat that sometimes strikes Nebraska in the summer and wait for the music to start. We ended up ordering food (the shrimp pizza was awesome, baked in their outdoor stone oven) and more wine while listening to the music, but as we sat there, the wind picked up and blew in a storm. I felt safe, sitting at a table with three paramedics/EMS (I can’t remember what the difference is right now or where any of them were in their training) who were getting updates from people who were watching the storm approach.

Eventually Barb came up to us and told us that they were shutting down the music due to the approaching storm but we were more than welcome to move up to the tented area and enjoy the rest of our evening. We jumped at the suggestion and moved up the hill to the empty tables under the tent before anybody else could.

Jessi and I were finishing our second bottle, Moon Shine from Prairie Creek, when I heard the ladies at the table next to us discussing what wine they would try next. They mentioned Mac’s Creek in Lexington, a vineyard that I’m very familiar with. I couldn’t help myself, I jumped in and suggested they try Buzzard’s Roost, Mac’s Creek’s signature wine. That opened the door to bonding with a table full of older and slightly tipsier wineauxs.

Even with the storm, our visit to Slattery was very fun. Their grapes got hit with a hard frost a few years ago and they lost a lot of their vines. They have not been able to make any of their own wines since. I would love to go back when they get back into production and have their own vintages to sample. We will probably venture back so we can enjoy the entertainment and events they have during the summer and fall. (check out their calendar and other info at www.svevineyards.com)

Slattery Vintage Estates Specs:

5 tastings for $6

Wines and Beers from around Nebraska and the U.S.

Food and lodging available

Souvenir glass for $1 with tasting

Wine tasting in SoDak: September 3, 2011

I know this blog was initially started to share my adventures on the Nebraska wine tour, but I have to share my brief jaunt into the South Dakota wine scene.     

This past weekend, I ventured north for one of my college friend, Amanda’s wedding. I had been doing a little research on vineyards in the area that I could potentially visit when I discovered that there was a vineyard/winery in Vermillion the entire time I was going to school there and I didn’t even know it! I also found out that there was a winery in Hinton, IA… the town where the wedding was taking place.

How serendipitous this all was!

I talked my friend, Jamie, and her boyfriend, Kelly, into coming with me for a tasting at Valiant Vineyards Winery in Vermillion. Neither of them had ever done a wine tasting before so I was ready to share my knowledge and experience with them. As we approached the tasting room, I realized that I had known it had been there the entire time. I had probably driven past it a hundred times the 4 years I spent in Vermillion, but since I did not really start drinking wine until I moved to Kearney after graduation, it really held no appeal to me…. until now.

Valiant Vineyards Winery is the oldest winery in South Dakota. The tasting room is in a huge converted barn. It also houses a gift shop, bed and breakfast and event room.

When we walked in, there was already a group doing a tasting so we wondered around the gift shop until they were finished, then we stole the barstools and commandeered the lady behind the bar’s attention. She started us out by giving us a wine list and introducing us to the wines they had to offer, which was surprisingly a lot.

Another surprising part of the visit was that the tasting was FREE!!! Six samples for nothing! When I asked about it, the lady who was helping us said that the owner didn’t see a reason to charge people for the tastings when they would hopefully purchase bottles of wine that they liked during the tasting.

Jamie and Kelly seemed to be a little overwhelmed so I tried talking them through the various wines on the list and what a tasting was all about. I asked if any of the wines jumped out at them. They said that they would go with whatever I picked… no pressure or anything.

I started with my usual routine of picking some dryer reds before moving to sweeter wines but I got distracted and lost my train of thought. So we just went with a random selection of whatever sounded good… which included a taste of rum that they made at the vineyard.

Rum is not a good color on me.

I chose the first four wine choices with Jamie and Kelly trying the same ones, but I finally handed them the wine list and told each of them to pick a wine they wanted to try and then we would all swap glasses so we could try what the others picked. Something that Jessi and I do all the time so we get more bang for our buck. Kelly wasn’t too fond of the wines that he picked out but he seemed to enjoy the ones that I chose. Jamie liked her choices, including the drier red that I did not like.

Valiant had a few fruit wines to choose from, including a blueberry wine that wasn’t too bad. They also have an elderberry honey wine called Buck Naked which is one of their best sellers but my favorite wine that I tried was the Rushmore White. It is a sweet white very similar to an Edelweiss wine (it is made with Edelweiss grapes that grow very well in the Midwest).

Overall it was a very fun experience doing a wine tasting with two people who had never done one before and sharing the little knowledge that I have gathered during my own adventures.

Valiant Vineyard Winery Specs:

6 tastings for FREE

Fun wine related items available in gift shop

Souvenir wine glasses available for $5

Wine under the Pines: August 6, 2011

Remember when I said that if you are doing the wine tour with a friend, make sure one of you is really good at finding out times and events to make your experience better? Well this is a great example of that and why Jessi is the perfect planner for our quest.

She had found out on Kimmel’s website, I think, that they were having grape stomping the day that we were planning on being there! How freaking awesome would that be?! We could recreate one of the most iconic I Love Lucy moments ever! Our original plan was to dress in peasant tops and skirts complete with head scarves so we could really get into the part but we could not find the clothes necessary in time.

Well, the grape stomping turned out to be on of the offerings at the event that we discovered while we were at Arbor Day Farms.

Wine under the Pines is a fundraising event at Kimmel where they invite vineyards, wineries, and breweries from around Southeastern Nebraska to raise money for various organizations. This year all proceeds went to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief to help with all the flooding that they had been fighting in the area.

After our tasting, we ventured back outside where we paid our $10 donation and got a wristband, 4 tickets for tastings, and another glass. They were just finishing up the wine and food pairing demonstration when we got there so Jessi and I (Wendy and company came later) wandered around and got our first tastings. Mine was a beer from a local brewery (I know, I know, it was supposed to be a wine weekend… but I really wanted a beer) and Jessi got some wine. We settled ourselves down on a straw bale to await the grape stomping and the arrival of my sister.

Wendy found us right around the time that the grape stomping began. They had a large cattle tank set up on a platform and they had fastened thin cedar planks to the outside to make it look like a barrel. The organizers called for any kids who wanted to stomp to come up first, but none showed up so one by two, adults jumped in. Jessi and I primed our cameras and waited for a spot to open up so we could join in on the fun.

We also played photographers for this fun couple who later returned the favor for us. Wendy finally joined us as we were jumping in the tank so we passed off the cameras (one to her, one to the couple) and squished our way into Lucy-dom. The grapes were cool, sticky, and tended to explode when we stepped on them.

It. Was. AWESOME!

Jessi had to pull me out to give some of the other people a chance, but she promised that we could get back in later. She was such a trooper. She scratched the hell out of the top of her foot on one of the cedar planks but she made good on her promise. We did go in later… after a few more wine tastings.

8 Crazy corks: August 6, 2011

After a quick stop back at Wendy’s house to eat some real food and get our poop in a group, we headed out to Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard, the place that started it all.

Last summer, Jessi and I had ventured to Nebraska City to visit Wendy and she took us out to Kimmel because Jessi wanted to pick an apple. As we wandered around the grounds (and picked our apples), we ventured into the main building to check out what they had to offer, we were also after apple doughnuts because Wendy said they were awesome. We were attracted by a bar set up at one end of the building so we moseyed over to check it out… and discovered wine tasting. As we were told about the tastings and wine, the nice gentleman behind the bar told us about the Nebraska Wine Tour. We took passports, with our very first stamp in it, and made a goal of attempting the entire tour the next year when we could start as early as possible.

Full circle.

So, Jessi, Wendy, and I parked ourselves at the bar once again and got down to business. Kimmel had many of the same wines as Arbor Day Farm but there were enough for us to pick mostly new choices and extra tastings of the ones we enjoyed. The lady behind the bar had just started out at Kimmel and we had fun telling her about our experiences so far with the tour and giving her some tips on different wines that she might like.

I enjoyed most of the wines that we tried with my favorite being the Vignoles, which seems to be showing itself as one of my favorite types of wine.

After we finished with the tastings, we wandered around the shop a little (still haven’t gotten any of those apple doughnuts) before heading out to the event that we had found about earlier in the day.

Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard Specs:

      4 tastings for $5

      Apples and other fruit products for sale

      Fruit picking and vineyard tour

      Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

Lucky 7th cork: August 6, 2011

It is rather advantageous for our wine tour adventure that my sister, Wendy, lives in Nebraska City. The majority of the stops are within an hour’s driving distance from either Lincoln or Nebraska City so we have somewhere to stay while hitting multiple places.

When my weekend plans fell through, I planned a trip to Lincoln and Nebraska City… well, I planned on driving the two hours to Lincoln, Jessi had the rest of the weekend plotted out…. Potentially seven places in two days!

Random Bit of Advice: If you are doing the wine tour with a friend, make sure one of you is really good about planning stops, getting business hours, and finding out awesome events going on at potential stops to enhance your experiences. I would not have had half the amount of the fun on this trip if Jessi hadn’t been awesome at all of the above.

Our first stop of the whirlwind weekend was going to be back out to Glacial Till for the Blessing of the Harvest Festival… until we found out that it was $25 and an all day affair. It is something that we would love to go to some year but with all the stops we had to do, there was no way we could fit that and everything else in. So, we hit the road to Nebraska City to hook up with my sister and venture to the real first stop, the tasting room at Arbor Day Farm.

The poor lady behind the counter was just getting slammed with people wanting tastings so we didn’t get a real chance to talk to her about the wines, but we did get to try some new ones. The surprise one for me was the de Chaunac. It is a dryer red but they had accidentally chilled it so it was much more palatable to us than the de Chaunac we tried later that was room temperature. They had some great fruit wines (not a surprise since Nebraska City is the birthplace of Arbor Day and it is all about trees) but my favorite for the stop was the Morton’s Reserve.

When we finished with our tastings, we got to try some awesome sangria that they made with their apple wine and cherry cider (I’ll put the recipe up later).

We did not take advantage of the tour of the orchards and other offerings of Arbor Day Farm, but while we were there, we found out about a festival that was happening that day at our next stop so we were more than ready to move on.

Arbor Day Farm Specs:

      4 tastings for $5

      Apple and other fruit products for sale

      Tree and orchard tour

      Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

First 6-pack of corks down: July 15, 2011

When we found out about Cedar Hills Vineyard in Ravenna, Jessi and I were rather upset with my roommate, Puffy. He grew up in Ravenna and didn’t even mention to us wineauxs that there was a vineyard in his hometown (which is a long half hour from Kearney so the closest by far). Jessi was coming to town for a visit so we asked Puffy if his mom and grandma would be interested in going to the vineyard with us. He asked for us and found out that his grandma would be if she wasn’t busy that evening.

Jessi picked me up from work and we headed straight for Ravenna as fast as her little Rav4 would go, but it wasn’t fast enough. Grandma Liz beat us there. Come to find out, she is friends with the owners of Cedar Hills and was enjoying a glass of wine with them when we arrived.

She helped the one of the owners explain to us how the tastings go and we settled in to try their wines. The owner brought us some homemade foccia bread and olive oil dip to enjoy with our wines before joining us at our table. They offered the most fruit wines that I have seen so far and during our conversation with them, Jessi and I found out that all (or almost all) of the fruit for the wines was grown on the property. They also had a full kitchen for meals and amazing pies (go for the strawberry rhubarb).

Toward the end of our list, Jessi and I struck up a conversation with Paul (Cedar Hills is owned by Paul and Joyce Sears) about the different sangrias he had been making and different vintages of wines they were planning. He was mixing their different wines with various fruits that they grew (his favorite was one made with La Crosse and blackberries) plus thinking about trying a strawberry-rhubarb wine for next year. Jessi and I jumped with both feet into the conversation and I suggested a strawberry-rhubarb sangria with their rhubarb wine and strawberries. He loved the idea and I think it’s something that Jessi and I will have to try on our own sometime.

After we finished our tastings, Joyce offered us a piece of her strawberry-rhubarb pie. Jessi and I shared a piece and enjoyed it with their rhubarb wine… something I suggest everybody try! Cedar Hills was one of my favorite stops and while I liked so many of their wines, my favorite was one I tried on Grandma Liz’s recommendation, Rossa Dolche. I also recommend trying their Elderberry wine. It is like nothing I have ever tried before and I totally agree when they say that elderberry is an acquired taste.

Cedar Hills Specs:

                  5 tastings for $5

                  Homemade Pies and other great food for sale

                  Fruit picking during the summer

                  Wine gift baskets made to your specifications

My Favorite Sangria

I told you that I would share my favorite sangria recipes with you. Here is the first and my favorite by far.

We discovered it at our first Wine and Jazz Festival, it was offered by George Spencer Vineyard of Gibbon as one of the things we could sample. Jessi and I, still being young in the wine world, thought that it was a type of wine that we could buy, so when I went to purchase a bottle, I was informed that it was not for sale but if one purchased a bottle of their white, it came with a copy of the recipe.

         White Peach Sangria

       2-Bottles Pinot Grigeo (any white would work but you'll want a semi-sweet that is on the drier end of the scale so the sangria is not too sweet)

       1-750 mL peach schnapps

       ½- bottle of white grape peach iuice

       ½- cup of vanilla sugar

       Sliced fruit-oranges, lemons, limes, peaches

Mix it all together and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to overnight so all the flavors meld together.

If you don't know what vanilla sugar is (I sure didn't the first time I made it), it is sugar infused with vanilla. At first, I just used a half a cup of sugar with a few drops of vanilla which worked but not as well as the real deal.

You can make it by putting 2 cups of sugar into an air tight container with a vanillia bean that you slice down the length of and scrape. Mix the scrapings with the sugar, bury the bean in the sugar and store in a cool place for 1-2 weeks. Shake every couple of days to mix up. (recipe from Good Eats w/ Alton Brown).

Or you can buy it. The only place that I have found it is at Savory Spice Shop in Denver but there are a lot of places that sell it online (including Savory at http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/).

Sláinte!

Chilled is one thing....

There has been more than once in my short time as a wineaux that I have purchased a bottle of wine from the grocery store and wanted to drink it as soon as I got home. I am not a huge fan of room temperature beverages (which is probably one of the reasons that I don’t really care for dry reds) so the wine usually finds its way into the freezer to speed up the process. On the should-be-rarer-than-it-is case that I had more than one bottle that needed to be chilled (usually one of Jessi and my’s wine and cheese nights), they would both go in the freezer and we would drink which ever one chilled fastest first.

This lead one poor innocent bottle of strawberry wine to meet a horrible end.

After our first Wine and Jazz festival, Jessi and I popped our two bottles into the freezer to drink as soon as they were chilled. We managed to get to her bottle that night, but my strawberry wine was forgotten. It wasn’t until the next morning that I remembered the bottle in the freezer. I raced to the kitchen and threw open the freezer door to find the remains of my wine.

As the wine froze, it expanded, pushing the cork through the foil and completely out of the bottle. Amazingly, it didn’t break the bottle, but it did make a mess of frozen, slushy wine all over the bottom of the freezer. I reverently pulled the bottle out of the freezer and set it on a paper towel on the counter and set out to clean up the mess… I might have wiped away a tear or two during the sad project.

It was a sad, sad day in the life of this wineaux, but looking back, it was rather cool to see. I would have put money on the bottle being broken when I found it.

“What did you do with the wine after it thawed out?” you might ask me. Well, I did what any good wineaux would do… or maybe it’s more of what anybody who hates wasting alcohol would do.
      
We drank it. It wasn’t good. Lesson learned.

The 5th cork makes a team: July 8, 2011

A random little jaunt on our tour led us to the WunderRosa Winery in Roca. Jessi had called ahead and the owners were kind enough to open a half an hour early so we would have enough time for the tasting before meeting my sister to bring me back to Kearney. We got there shortly after a larger group of older wine lovers and set up shop at a table by a window that looked out over the vineyard. We snatched wine lists and picked out the ones we wanted to try.

Jessi and I kind of kept to ourselves while the larger group did their tastings, only leaving our table when they had gone back to the seating area they staked out before we arrived. They got done with their tastings before we did and settled in to enjoy a glass of wine and the bruschetta bar.

This is when we got down to what we do best. Jessi and I parked ourselves at the bar and chatted with Brandy, the intern, about the winery. We also told her about our wine tour stops and the plans for the rest of our adventure.

We found out that she had been visiting Nebraska vineyards/wineries and tasting rooms also and blogging about them on her own site (amoradevine.tumblr.com if you want to check it out). Another group of visitors put the kibosh on our conversation, but as Jessi and I retreated back to our table with our glasses of wine, we continued to talk about the idea of blogging about our adventure. This blog is, of course, the result of that little chat over a glass of WunderRosa wine… I believe mine was my favorite of the tasting, the HR Blush 2010.

We had a good time at WunderRosa. The conversation was very enlightening and the environment was comfortable. Jessi gets to go back soon, but I’ll let her tell about that adventure.

WunderRosa Winery Specs:

      4 tastings for $5

      Glass of wine $5

      Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

4 makes a cork-tet-May 10, 2011

Our final stop on the first leg of the Nebraska Wine Tour came with a trip to the Windcrest Winery in Raymond. This stop was full of perfect timings and great conversation.

When Jessi and I pulled up, we did not see anybody around, but there was a sign on the door that said “I am out in the vineyard, call (this number) and I will come up.” We were standing there trying to decide what to do when the door opened and the owner stepped out to invite us into the tasting room. He had been working and came up for a quick break when we pulled up (we found out later that Windcrest was a one man operation except when the owner’s daughter helped him when she was home). Not two minutes later, another couple (who were about the same age as Jessi and I) arrived for a tasting also.

The owner (a very personable older gentleman who reminded Jessi and I of farmers that we knew growing up) gave us each a wine list and a glass and began telling us about the wines and the winery. He also gave us two options for tastings. We could do the posted way which was 6 tastings for $5 that were slightly larger samples, or we could do it his way which was slightly smaller samples of all 12 of the wines. Of course we all chose to do things his way. He lined up all the bottles from driest to sweetest and told us about each of them before he poured. He also had of suggestions of food pairings with many of the wines.

His list had the most fruit wines that Jessi and I had encountered up to then and we were impressed with how good they were. I think my favorite was the Edelweiss (which is nothing new, I love almost all Edelweiss) but one other sticks in my brain. The Cherry Nectar wine was very good just to drink, but the owner had all of us try something rather different. He told us to take a drink but to not swallow right away. Instead, he had us slosh it around in our mouths until it was foamy and then swallow a few times. Doing that, it tasted just like cherry pie ala mode.

When we were done with the list, we had him stamp our passports while Jessi and I told the other couple about the Nebraska Wine Tour and convinced them to start their own wine adventure. After they left, Jessi and I acted like crazy people and convinced the owner to take a picture with us, but he was a good sport about it.

Windcrest Winery Specs:

      2 options for tastings: 6 for $5 or His Way for $5

      You can only purchase their wine at the winery

      Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

3 corks are a crowd-May 10, 2011

As we tried cramming as many stops into our two days as possible, we headed to the James Arthur Vineyard in Raymond after a quick lunch break in Lincoln. We arrived shortly after another group of ladies so we grabbed a couple of wine lists and staked our claim on a table near the cold fireplace to pick out the wines we wanted to taste. Jessi and I each picked out three or four of them before going to the bar to get our first tastings and some oyster crackers to… well, I’m not sure on the exact purpose for the crackers.

At first, I thought it was so we weren’t drinking on an empty stomach, but then I realized how much they cleansed the pallet so the flavors did not mingle in your mouth. It is probably a combination of both.

While Jessi and I swirled, sniffed, and sipped our wines before trading glasses and repeating the process, we discussed the other wines we wanted to try and how our wine adventure was doing so far. We also discussed future stops and general wine related topics.

At JAV, we tended to stick to ourselves unless we were going to the bar for our next tasting until the other group left. Then we did what we had done at the From Nebraska Gift Shop and planted ourselves at the bar so we could pick the brain of the lady behind the counter. We found out that her father was James Arthur and her husband was the master winemaker for JAV. We could not have been more excited. We spent quite a while talking to her about the vineyard, wine in general, competitions that their wines had entered (and won), and about her trips to the wine county both in Napa, CA and the Finger Lakes region of New York (I have a whole other post about that so I’ll hold off for now).

Then she brought up the topic of Port. According to wikipedia, port is a wine that has had “neutral grape spirit” added to it to stop the fermentation process and to keep a lot of the sugar in it. It also usually has a higher alcohol content and is usually drank in small quantities in place of a dessert after dinner and is strictly made in Portugal (if it is made somewhere else, it has to be called something else, much like champaign is only made in the Champaign region of France and a similar beverage made elsewhere is often times called sparkling wine). Port is something that I have always been afraid to try because I am slightly afraid of super dry wines. She talked us into having a taste of their port-like wine, Tropasti (read the name backwards and smile). Jessi and I were both pleasantly surprised. It was not at all what I imagined and I rather liked it.

Now, I do not consider myself a wine critic at all and I know that everybody has their own taste in wines. With that being said, I did not care for many of the wines that JAV offered. I recognized the quality of the wine, but most did not fit into what I look for in a wine. My favorite wine from James Arthur was the 2010 2 Brothers, and from the extra marks I put next to it on the page, I think I really enjoyed it!

James Arthur Specs:

            2 options for tastings: 4 tastings for $4 or 6 tastings for $5

Great wine-related items for sale in tasting room including costumes to dress up wine bottles, decorated decanter and glass sets, and wineaux t-shirts

You can purchase their wines at the vineyard and all over Nebraska

Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

Misadventures with Mead

I have always been fascinated with Medieval Europe (mostly Medieval England) and one part of that is mead which is a wine made from honey instead of grapes. As I’ve said before, my mom has been making wine for as long as I can remember and I didn’t think it would be much harder to make mead. I extensively researched different mead-making techniques (which means I googled “making mead” and trudged through the thousands of results until I found a simple recipe that I could make in my kitchen) and began gathering what I would need:

                  Honey

                  Spring Water

                  Oranges

                  Raisins

                  Yeast

                  Balloon

                  Gallon Jug

                  Cloves and cinnamon sticks (optional)

 I probably should have known better than to use the recipe I went with because it said that I could make the mead in the plastic gallon jug that the water came in. This would lead to my ultimate defeat… but more on that later.

I had been planning on making the mead for a while before I actually started the process so in the meantime, I ordered a dozen Bordeaux bottles and corks from cabelas.com (I work for Cabela’s so the discount was nice) in addition to enough bottle sterilizer mix for all of those bottles plus more. When everything arrived, I bought all of the other items that I would need and set out to create my honey wine.

            It all started with dumping about half of the gallon of water into a bowl and adding the rest of the ingredients to the jug. The honey and raisins were easy, the oranges were a little difficult to get into the jug. (Here you could add the cloves and/or cinnamon sticks for a stronger flavor.) The raisins, I found out, were not for flavor but to give the yeast something to eat since honey does not contain the kind of sugar that yeast likes. Then I poured enough of the water back into the jug to fill it up before stretching the balloon across the mouth of the jug and taping it on. Then I had to prick a little pinhole into the balloon so it would not blow off during fermentation.

            The initial part of the mead making would take about a month, after which you can drink it (it wasn’t good) but it is a better idea to strain it (helps clarify it later) and bottle it in wine bottles. (Here you can add the cloves and/or cinnamon sticks for a lighter flavor.) Then you let it sit for 6 months or more, the longer it sits, the better it gets.

            The recipe also had an option that after the first month, you can simply remove the balloon, replace the cap and let it finish aging in the jug. I fully intended to rebottle it, but I never got past the “replace the cap” step. I did write the date on the bottle so I knew when it would be done so I guess I was proactive there.

            The jug got pushed to the back corner of my counter and there it sat for the next month or so. I had noticed a bread-like smell in the kitchen on more than one occasion (my roommates noticed it also) but I never put two and two together… until I noticed a sticky brown liquid start seeping across the counter. My mead!

            I dug the bottle out from behind everything else on the counter and found out that it had leaked all over the place. I moved the jug to the sink and proceeded to scrub the sticky goo off my counter. When I got a chance to examine the jug to see how it was leaking, I discovered that the pressure that built up during fermentation forced one of the seams in the handle apart, allowing the young mead to leak out and spoiled the rest of the batch in the process.

            I sadly dumped the remaining liquid down the drain and threw everything else away. This failure still chafes me a little (I was so excited to try something different!) but I think I will be willing to try making mead again in the future… but you can count on one thing. I will be using a glass jug next time!

2 corks make a pair- May 10, 2011

Our second stop on the Nebraska Wine Tour was the same two day stretch as the first (we fully intended for day one to have a bunch of stops in it but that did not work out so well). We set out from Jessi’s apartment early to run some errands and reach our appointment at Glacial Till Vineyard in Palmyra (they only do tastings by appointment at the vineyard but they also have a tasting room in Ashland). It was probably one of the best experiences that I have had on the tour so far. We were slightly confused when we arrived because there was no obvious door to enter, but once we were pointed in the right direction by one of the owner’s sons, we were on our way to a great time.

From what I could gather (but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong), Glacial Till is a family owned operation that a lot of the day to day workings of the vineyard are handled by the owner’s three sons. The oldest was the one to point us correctly, the middle son was the one who gave us the tour, and the youngest was busy bottling wine while we were there.

Jessi and I were greeted by Zephyr, the smiling dog mascot of the vineyard (who now has a wine named after him) and taken on a tour of the operation. We got to see the tanks where the wine ferments and ages and the holding tanks where it waits to be bottled. We were then taken outside and shown the grape vines and taught a little about growing and harvesting before being taken back inside and handed wine glasses.

Our guide gave us samples out of the holding tanks of the wine they were bottling that day and also out of the three tanks of wine that was not quite done yet. He was very knowledgeable and very willing to answer any questions we had. At the end of the tour, we were led upstairs, (past a beautiful, hand-made, wall-sized wine rack that I tried to talk them into building me one) to what I can only describe as a lookout tower that made up the central part of the building. Our guide gave us menus of wine to try while he told us more about the local wine scene as we enjoyed our tastings and the view of the entire vineyard and valley below.
Jessi and I usually pick all different wines so we can try each others and get the most bang for our buck and of all the wines we tried at Glacial Till, I do not think there was a single one we did not like. My favorite of the stop was the Frontenac Rose (probably the only Frontenac that I have truly enjoyed).
Glacial Till is a vineyard that Jessi and I fully intend on visiting again, something that is made easier by all of the events that they have during the summer (which you can find on their facebook page and website).

           

Glacial Till Specs:

            6 tastings plus tour for $10

            Glass of wine for $5

            You can purchase their wines at the Ashland location and at HyVee in Lincoln

            Souvenir wine glass included with tasting

A difference in taste

I've been meaning to post this for a while but we've been having Internet issues in our new apartment so I am sitting in BK right now posting! I will get a few up now to make up for the last week and for however long it will be before we get internet back!

All of what I say about the vineyards/wineries, wines, and tasting rooms are all my opinion. I will never tell anybody to not visit one of them because I had a bad or less than perfect experience. I encourage everybody to try as many wines and visit as many vineyards and tasting rooms as they possibly can! That is the only way you will find that perfect wine for you!

My tastes tend to run to sweeter wines that are not too dry, too tart, or especially sweet, but I am forcing myself to try drier and drier wines at every stop. I want to expand my knowledge of wine so I can really appreciate all that comes to me in the future. If your tastes tend to tread into the drier (like my sister Betsy) or toward the more tart (like I'm beginning to think Jessi) then of course our opinions will be different. I will never try to convince you what wines are the best if you never try to convince me!

Cheers!

It all starts with the first cork-May 9th, 2011

Our Nebraska Wine Tour Journey began with an impromptu trip to Lincoln on my part.
The stars managed to align just right to give me two days off of work in a row so I thought a trip to visit Jessi was the perfect way to spend my free time. It was her idea to use this fortuitous gift for the beginning of our epic wine quest. She got online to check out the passport and places that were close enough that could visit more than one in a shot. We plotted our path and set out.
The first stop on our journey was the From Nebraska Gift Shop. Neither of us really knew what to expect from a tasting room since we had only been to a few vineyards before. We walked in and I think the lady behind the counter could sense our trepidation because she left us to our own devices after greeting us. Maybe it was because we looked like two college students who were just window shopping in the Haymarket, but once we let our desire to begin the wine tour known, she was wonderful to talk to. She gave us the list of Nebraska wines we could try, let us pick out the ones we wanted to try, and offered her opinions on the wines offered. She also told us about some of the local vineyards and some of the events that they offered during the summer.
Jessi and I also told her about some of the vineyards that we planned on visiting during our two days and she gave us some great advice to make our quest more efficient.
After our tastings, we wondered willy-nilly through the rest of the shop checking out the products that they sell that were all (mostly) made in Nebraska. One in particular caught my eye. A tin wine bottle holder that looked like a medieval knight. There was no way I could pass that up ($17? are you kidding me?!) and he became our unofficial mascot for the wine tour. Sir Drunkalot now sits atop my bookcase, guarding our journey from afar.
The first stop on our tour was fun and we could not help but think that it was a good omen for the rest of our tour... and thus far, we have not been proven wrong.

From Nebraska Gift Shop Specs:
6 tastings for $5
Huge selection of Nebraska Wines including wine gift packages with glasses (they even ship!)
Fun wine related accessories including wine glasses, corkscrews, wine glass charms, wine racks, and more!

Haters

Well, here I am. Sitting in my new apartment, avoiding unpacking now, and drinking a powerade to replenish the electrolytes that I lost while moving in 95 degree heat.
A conversation that we all had (and by 'we' I mean my roommate-Puffy, friend-Joey, and fellow wineaux-Jessi) while taking a breather in the old apartment today triggered an idea for a new post. Somebody brought up the subject of wine, I don't remember who exactly but it probably came up when Jessi suggested we go get more powerade and I suggested we grab a bottle of wine, also.
Wine as a topic usually induces the same reaction in Puffy and Joey, one of hatred. They shudder at the suggestion that they try some with a face screwed up in a nasty expression of disgust and a "bligh" sound from their mouths. Then Puffy usually reminds us all of when he tried a drink made of the cheap sangria that you can get a gallon for $8 mixed with coke.
Jessi and I usually have the same reaction to that mixture that they have to straight wine. We also usually add a comment of "blasphemy!" or "tragic!" to it. (I tend to get a little more dramatic and act like it hurts my heart to do something like that to wine) In my opinion, the only thing that wine should be mixed with is stuff to make a sangria (I have a fabulous white sangria recipe if anybody wants it).
These two are just a few of the people I know who I have begun calling haters. They may or may not have tried wine before, but they refuse to try it, even while under the guidance and tutelage of a wineaux. One does not have to be a wineaux to enjoy a nice glass of wine once in a while. One guy actually said to me that wine was a girly drink, that it is not something that a "man" drinks. This is probably one of the worst argument against drinking wine that I have ever heard. I laughed in his face and walked away, putting him in the "lost cause" column.
Hating all wine is like hating all pizza. There are far too many different options to choose from to say you hate all because you didn't like the one you tried.
Majority of fledgling wine drinkers lean toward sweeter wines because they are the easiest to drink, probably because they are closest to fruit juice to the pallet. I used to be one of those. I could really only drink sweet wines like miscatos and rieslings, not venturing past pinot gregio on the dry/tart scale. As I tried different wines in my adventures to vineyards, wineries, tasting rooms and events like the Wine and Jazz festival here in Kearney my pallet has matured, allowing me to, if not enjoy, at least appreciate drier wines. It just takes practice and determination to find the right wine for you.... a willingness to experiment doesn't hurt either.
As usual, talking about wine has made me crave some so I think Jessi and I are going to crack into the bottle of Buzzard's Roost that she got earlier. Na zdrowie!

Change of Scenery

I am sitting here drinking the rest of my Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, avoiding packing up the last 2 1/2 years of my life, and thinking I should go get a glass of wine so it's one less thing I have to move. It's one of those huge bottles of cheap yet decent wine you can get for 10 bucks that doesn't fit anywhere in the fridge except the entire bottom shelf.... hang on. I've talked myself into a glass.
Ahhh.... hit the spot.
Now to the point. I have come up with the perfect theme to decorate the kitchen in my new place! Ready? Wait for it... WINE! Such a stretch for me, I know.
I already have wine bottles decorating the top of my cupboards here so my favorite of those are going to follow me to the new place. The oodles of used corks that Laura and I have collected really have no home yet. I think they would look fabulous as wall art but since I am not that artsy, I may have to think that through a little more. Jessi, being the bestest best friend in the world, got me a pair of awesome wall plaques that boast the phrases "Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to the lask of wine." and "I never drink wine unless I'm alone or with somebody!"
I think the only things that would really top it off would be like a wine bottle or glass form out of wrought iron hanging on the wall and a great sign that says "In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas" (In wine there is truth, in water there is health)... I'll add that to the list of stuff my dad needs to make me, right behind the wine glass holder.
Is it possible for a room to be an enabler? Because if so, I think my future kitchen would fit into that category. I may have a problem, but we've barely seen the top of that particular iceberg.
Hmmmm... I should probably get back to packing up my life, but there's still wine in my glass. I think I'll just enjoy the rest of my moscato and go to bed, rise with the sun and keep going in the morning.

Strange Beginings: an Epic Adventure

I've always thought I have good ideas and that everybody should hear them. This is probably why I have been considered rather talkative since I was young. As I got older, I found out (to the frustration of my friends) that this chatty part of my nature is amplified by alcohol. So, when my bestie, Jessi suggested writing a blog about our adventures in wine (shameless plug: she has a blog too-frombeneaththecork.blogspot.co​m-it's awesome, check it out!) I thought "What better way to combine my need to over share with my love of wine?"
So here it is: Strange beginnings: an epic adventure.

In the beginning, there was wine.
Growing up, wine was not a stranger in my house... but it was usually something that my mom had made out of Welch's grape juice in a glass gallon jug with a balloon on it on top of our refrigerator. You want a drink that will knock you on the floor before you realize it, this is it. (I've been meaning to try making some using her recipe but I haven't worked up the nerve yet)
My parents were never ones to deny us a sip, but only a sip... (probably to deter us from drinking until we were old enough to realize that there was alcoholic drinks out there that actually tasted good) and up until college, this was really the only experience I had with wine. Then, I was introduced to the wonder that is boxed wine...ugh! I tried it once and I will probably never try it again unless forced to drink it at gunpoint.
Sometime in the middle of this, my older sister Betsy introduced us as a family to quality wine, wine that was more than $8 a bottle and proved to us why you should pay more than $8 a bottle. I enjoyed a glass with my family but I didn't really get hooked until I moved to live with my other sister, Laura.
One of Laura's old college professors owns a vineyard outside of Lexington, NE. She started drinking his wine and introduced me to Mac's Creek. It was amazing... and I was addicted. The problem was, Laura didn't share my blooming love affair with the vine, she was more of a one-night stand wine drinker. But Laura also introduced me to my future bestie, the aforementioned Jessi.
Jessi and I started irregular wine and cheese nights, quickly learning what wines we liked and what to pair them with (we still don't have it perfect but we're improving).
It was during our novice wineaux years (2009-10) that we heard about the Nebraska Wine Tour, and while it was too late to get a good start at it, we decided to attempt it in 2011. Jessi kept an eye on the website and we attacked that passport with a corkscrew and cheese knife as soon as we heard it came out.
Now here I am, writing a blog about wine and my adventure into the Nebraska wine scene. We are hoping to hit all of the vineyards/wineries and tasting rooms on the list while trying to convince anybody who will listen to try the tour themselves. I have high hopes for our adventure and many to come.... and if all else fails, we got to drink a lot of wine along the way!
My dad once said that the thing he loved most about me was that I can find the silver lining in almost any situation. Well, Dad, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't see the silver lining... I see the bottle half full.