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.