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Prairie Berry Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wine

The latest in our series of wineries in places in the United States other than California takes us all the way to South Dakota and the Prairie Berry Winery. At Prairie Berry, as you may suspect by the name, they create a whole lot of fruit wines from fruit such as chokecherries, rhubarb and locally raised honey. They also make wines from new grape hybrids that can grow in South Dakota's colder, drier climate. The winery has had particular success with the Frontenac grape, a variety developed in Minnesota to thrive in colder climates. Their 2006 Frontenac, a light and fruity red which has won several awards, sells for $15. The wines are sealed using the Stelvin screwcap closure. The winery also has a tasting room that is open year-round.

Tags: prairie berry, PrairieBerry, south dakota, wine tasting, winery

Safe Group Wine Tours Rein In Wild Tourists

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

As wine tastings have become more popular, wine tourists have gotten a bit rowdier. Along New York's wine trails the chauffeured limo and bus tours can be the bane of some winery owners existence despite the business they bring. The stories of people showing to the vineyards drunk and then stripping or getting sick have increased with the rise of the bus and limo tours.

Now wineries in the Finger Lakes Region have gotten together to do something about it. More than half of the 95 wineries in New York state's Finger Lakes region are participating in a program to issue "yellow-card warnings" to out-of-control tour groups. For repeated bad behavior the Safe Wine Tours Group will issue red cards and get booted off the region's three wine tour "trails." The program is designed to encourage tour operators to police their customers and hopefully curb some of the fraternity party atmosphere that can invade a winery when a bunch of unruly tourists pull up. Now when will Napa get a system like this?

Tags: finger lakes, new york, safe wine tours, SafeWineTours, winery

Jacuzzi Winery Opens

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I never knew that the Jacuzzi family , famous for the Jacuzzi spa also made wine but they do. In fact they have just opened a lavish new winery in the Sonoma Valley in partnership with the Olive Press. The two businesses are setting up shop on Highway 121 in an 18,000-square-foot Italian stone villa on 190 acres along Highway 121, directly across the road from Cline Cellars. red Cline is the maternal grandson of Valeriano Jacuzzi, one of the five brothers who took part in the creation of the Jacuzzi Spa. Fred and Nancy Cline also own Cline Cellars. The wines so far are from separate vineyards but according to an article in Sonoma News the two labels may share some vineyard sources in the future.

The new winery takes its inspiration from the Jacuzzi family home in Italy and has stone buildings assembled around a central coutryard. One wing is devoted to the Olive Press which makes high-end olive oil. The Jacuzzi winery uses "Green String" biodynamic farming practices with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The winery produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Nebbiolo, Primitivo and others at prices starting around $20.

Tags: california wine, CaliforniaWine, jacuzzi, red wine, sonoma, white wine, wine, winery

Wayne Gretzky Is In The Wine Business

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Celebrity Shopping

The latest celebrity to get into the wine business is hockey's Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky Estate Wines will carry his number, 99 on the label and is a partnership with Niagara's Creekside Estate Winery in Jordan Station. Gretzky launched the new brand at his restaurant in Toronto, Gretzky's. The first three wines are a 2005 Meritage (a red blend), a 2006 Chardonnay and a 2005 Vidal Ice Wine. Gretzsky's wines will be created by Creekside winemakers Craig McDonald and Rob Power. They are priced at $17 for the red, $14 for white and $45 for the icewine (Canadian dollar prices). and are available starting at the Willow Heights Estate Winery. A portion of the proceeds will benefit youth hockey programs. Gretzky is also working on a Wayne Gretzy Estate Winery. Gretzky's not the first hockey player with his own wine but he's definitely the most famous.

Tags: canada, expire-images:2008-6-27, niagara, wayne gretzy, wine, winery

Bennett Lane, The Nascar Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We've talked before about the fusion between Nascar and fine living. Check out this article on Bloomberg about Nascar wines and the Bennett Lane Winery, the first winery to back a Nascar racing team. Former race car driver Randy Lynch is now a successful winery owner. He and his wife Lisa started off in th Napa Valley with a weekend house and a small vineyard but then picked up a nearby winery. The Lynches are part of an overall wine drinking trend in the Nascar crowd with the numbers of wine lovers rising steadily and wine now being sold at concession stands.

If you are looking for a light summer white wine the recently released 2006 Bennett Lane Maximus Feasting White wine is a nice choice. It is a blend of 87% Sauvignon Blanc, 11% Chardonnay, and 2% Muscat. It's a bit fruity but with a nice mineral snap to keep it crisp and refreshing. It sells for $28.

Tags: bennett lane, maximus, nascar, white wine, WhiteWine, wine, winery

The Village At The Vineyard

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wine

Real estate in Napa is at a premium but real estate in Mexico's vineyard land is still reasonably priced. The Village at the Vineyard is a joint venture with Liceaga Winery and will be located in the Guadalupe Valley wine country east of Ensenada. The $40 million development will include a 50-acre winery, a 15-acre Tuscan-style village with 75 homes, a 20- to 36-suite boutique hotel, spa, cosmetic surgery center and wedding chapel. When home owners are away, they can rent their homes. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall and should be completed in 18 months. Sales are scheduled to begin July 15.

Tags: construction, development, mexico, real estate, RealEstate, spa, wine, winery

2002 Gundlach Bundschu Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

I'm a sucker for a pretty label and this one isn't just pretty, it's a work of art, the Salvador Dali painting, "The Ghost of
Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used as a Table." The wine is the 2002 Vintage Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma. It is the 22nd vintage of this limited estate bottling of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, each with a unique label. This wine is part of the Millennium Series of labels celebrates the historic role of wine in culture by featuring a work of art from each millennium of human history. The series began with the 1997 vintage, which celebrated wine's discovery. The 2002 label, named "Inspiration," represents the second millennium AD. Permission to use the image was granted to Gundlach Bundschu by The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. The wine has black plum and black currant flavors. There are just 138 cases of the wine available. The winery is selling six bottles in a signature wooden box for $450.

Tags: cabernet sauvignon, gundlach bundschu, GundlachBundschu, wine, winery

Schnelby Tropial Fruit-Based Wines

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine from fruits other than grapes is often far too sweet and barely worth drinking. Peter and Denisse Schnebly, who have a winery in Homestead, Florida, are making wine from fruits that grow in their tropical climate. The Associated Press reports on the couple who started selling their wine in 2005 to cut the waste from the tropical fruit orchards that they owned for their company Fresh King. Much of their crop was blemished or too ripe, bad for selling but perfect for making wine. The Schneblys' wine has already earned several awards and they are trying to convince the public that fruit wines can be seriously drinkable The Schneblys are also working to make the winery a destination spot for visitors, creating a 5,000-square-foot building as a visitor's center and tasting room. The passionfruit wine, shown here, sells for $17.95 and is recommended for pairing with desserts but the Schnelbys say their mango, guava and carambola wines are all food friendly, especially with spicy and/or tropical dishes.

Tags: carambola, florida, guava, passionfruit, schnelby, wine, winery

Parducci Winery Goes Carbon Neutral

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Parducci winery, part of the Mendocino Wine Company has announced that they are the first U.S. winery to achieve "carbon neutral status." Wine Business News reports that the winery partnered with the California Climate Action Registry to determine their carbon emissions and then took measures to both lessen and offset them. Mendocino Wine Company has had "mitigation" practices such as solar installation, switching to biodiesel in company vehicles and farm equipment, converting from incandescent to fluorescent lighting, and a local tree-planting program. The winery has also purchased carbon credits, supporting projects that focus on methane and biogas capture, wind power and forest projects within its own bioregion. Mendocino Wine Company's vineyards are also certified Biodynamic, Organic, or Fish Friendly Farming and the company's packaging uses tree-free and recycled papers printed with soy-based inks. The winery also participates in reduce-reuse programs including on-site vineyard composting, water conservation and water recycling projects. Want to celebrate Parducci's carbon neutral status, I recommend the 2004 True Grit, a fiesty Petite Sirah-based summer red that goes great with grilled foods. It sells for $24.99.

Tags: biodynamic, carbon credits, carbon netural, CarbonCredits, mendocino, organic, parducci, winery

Col Solare Opens Washington Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Can it be nearly two years since I wrote about the plans for the Col Solare winery? Time flies and the winery, a home for the twelve-year-old brand, a collaboration between Washington state's Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Tuscany's Marchesi Antinori has finally been opened. The winery sits on a 40-acre site in Columbia Valley's s Red Mountain area. The 18,000-case facility will produce the well-regarded Col Solare wine, a silky blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah that retails for $70. The winery has a bell tower and a Tuscan-inspired tasting room. The winery is designed to look, from the air, like the sun with paths cutting through the vineyard like sun's rays. The vineyard has been planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Syrah and Col Solare is building a two-mile water pipeline to bring the vineyard water. If you are interested in checking out the new winery they are releasing the 2004 vintage in July.

Tags: col solare, ColSolare, vineyards, washington, wine, winery

Mandola Winery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

It's been a while since I took a look at a Texas winery. Mandola Estate Winery is a new winery in Driftwood Texas that offers a variety of wines including less well-known grapes such as Nebbiolo and Canto Felice. The winery was created by Damien and Trina Mandola who have owned and worked in a variety of restaurants in the Houston and Austin areas and are seeking to bring a little Tuscany to Texas. The Mandolas have partnered with Drs. Stan and Lisa Duchman, a cardiologist and optometrist respectively, who have a passion for all things wine. The winery is now open for business and they are currently pouring a 2004 Viognier and a 2004 Sangiovese among others. The wines are in the $14 to $20 range.

Tags: mandola, texas, wine, winery

Meeker Vineyards, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Another chance to own your own winery. The Meeker Estate in the area of Paso Robles, California is a168 acre estate, 110 acres of which are devoted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah grapes. The main house is a four bedroom, seven bath, Spanish style home with a very colofrul interior design. The property also includes an office building, a gift shop, foreman's house and an infinity pool with vineyard views. It is listed at $12 million. After the jump, a day without wine is like a day without sunshine.

Tags: estate of the day, meeker estate, MeekerEstate, real estate, winery

Continue reading “Meeker Vineyards, Estate of the Day”

Chateau Elan Vineyard Fest

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Events

You don't have to head to Napa to experience a wine festival at a vineyard this summer. Chateau Elan Winery and Resort is holding their 10th annual Vineyard Fest on Sunday August 27. The event includes tastings of over 100 domestic and international wines as well as food and the sounds of a jazz band. Tickets cost $50 for the day but the winery, in addition to making well-regarded Chardonnay, Riesling, Viognier and Merlot wines, is also a resort with a French country theme. A Vineyard Fest winemaker and chef dinner package includes an overnight stay at the inn, a five-course dinner for two with wine service, buffet breakfast for two, two tickets to the Vineyard Fest and a bottle of Chateau Elan with a special label and costs $519.

Tags: atlanta, chateau elan, ChateauElan, vineyard fest, wine tastings, winery

The Vino-Seal Wine Closure Now In Use

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

As readers of this blog know, I'm a bit obsessed with wine closures. One of the most interesting options comes from Alcoa. The Alcoa wine closure is a multi-layered system that involves a twist-off overcap and then a glass decanter-style stopper. The cool thing about this system is that the wine is easy to reseal and that the glass stopper is far more attractive than having a cork shoved haphazardly back into the top of the bottle. Whitehall Lane Winery recently became the first winery to use the closure. The Vino-Seal closure has been used on 45,000 bottles of Whitehall Lane premium 2003 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and 3,000 bottles of its premium 2003 Leonardini Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. A similar closure, the Vino-Lok, which was developed by Alcoa CSI in Germany, is used by 350 wineries in Europe.

Tags: alcoa, whitehall lane, wine closures, winery

Woodinville Wine Village

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wine

Would you like to live within walking distance of a winery? You may be able to live the dreams at Woodinville Village, a new complex being built in Washington State that centers on the winery lifestyle. The Seattle Times reports that what was once an 18-acre, $52 million project has recently become a 24-acre, $170 million complex with the addition of a new developer. The plans for Woodinville Village includes retail space, a gourmet grocer, restaurants, condos, wineries, spas and a hotel. The four wineries are DeLille Cellars, DiStefano Wines, Brian Carter Cellars and the Washington Wine Co. The village is meant to resemble classic Italian villages with public squares and gathering points.

The condos will sell for $300,000 to more than $1 million. Construction is expected to start this summer with a planned opening next year. Woodinville is already a rapidly booming tourist area with about 500,000 visitors each year. There are 40 wineries in the region making the area an oenological paradise.

Tags: washington, wine, wine village, winery, woodinville village, WoodinvilleVillage

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