Tag: woods

Doing It Big

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My final post (for now) pertaining to events at Wine in the Woods brings us to a new one for me.   And I’m going to safely presume for many others.  This is my sampling and festival debut of the charming and endearing, Big Cork Vineyards.

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Honestly, what initially drew me to them is they were a hidden gem.  And I mean literally hidden, within the multitude of popular wineries that have been attending for years. Those that have built followings and stalwarts at these events hopefully got a chance to visit theirs.

People are creatures of habit.  I’m all about breaking such habits and jumping out of those comfort zones that can hold ourselves back from trying something new, exhilarating, and invigorating.  Ok now I’m being dramatic.  It’s just wine sampling but on a micro level, the situation still applies.

I had no line when I stopped by which was already a plus for me.  And little did patrons know what they did miss.  The volunteers and staff I interacted with were class personified.

My personable volunteer, Linda, was kind of enough to give a brief synopsis of the winery and explain it’s only been in existence for five years.  That’s long enough that I should have at least experienced a wine somewhere by now.   Once again, maybe I have and it didn’t sink it due to inexperience or a lack of appreciation at the time.  Or maybe this is fate and destiny bringing me to try it for the first time.  Either way I feel blessed and like a winner.

Honestly, two of the whites they were pouring did not resonate with me.  And this once again, is not a stab at the wines themselves.   The 2014  Viognier and Vidal Blanc  respectively are wines people around me were digging.  But at this time they’re still not my glass of wine. The latter is something I should as its more full bodied but this is what makes these events fun.  We all don’t like the same wines.  Nor should be.  That would take the fun out of this. And it’s good to discuss and learn about our likes and dislikes.   And that leads me into what I adored.

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Their 2013 Traminette is not something I would have enjoyed before, but the grape itself is something I’ve becoming partial to the past couple of years. There’s personal and familial sentiment in my own life which may add to a bias, which I’m sure many of us have when it comes to particular grapes.  It’s semi-dry and being related to a Gewürztraminer may be part of the charm for me.  It’s a wine perfect for any time of year, but for me, especially around the holidays.

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But the winner for me goes reflects my personal preferences, and that’s the 2013 Syrah. This may have tasted lighter than most Syrah’s I’ve had but considering a festival vibe and the outdoor atmosphere, it only seemed right.  This was jammy and easy to sip from the get go.  I’m almost gulped it off the bat which I didn’t want to go.  The back-end gave me some a whole melange of spices that I couldn’t even begin to describe.  But it was awesome and it’s something I’d consider buying at $24.00.  Yes that may be pricey for some and that’s understandable.

Those labels are beautiful and they mirror the layout of the website masterfully don’t they?

What’s great about these festivals is many wineries don’t overload you with too many to choose from.  If they’re great, like these guys are, they’ll leave you wanting more.  And I want more.  And it makes folks like me explore their collection.   Most importantly for me, it makes me want to take a drive to see them for myself.  And that’s a win for them and a fulfilling one for me.

I could go on all day and I wouldn’t be able to put into adequate words how much fine I had with a brief sample size.  It’s left me wanting more.   If I get the opportunity this Summer to visit, another write-up is coming.

In the meanwhile, I’ll be in awe of their simple yet effective website and the positive energy I’m getting from it.  These links about their story, the vineyard itself, a FAQ, and finally the winemakers themselves should hopefully do the same for you.

Here is my recap from last week and from the week before at Wine In The Woods.

We’ll see ya this Summer.

Best,

Ideen

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Yay Ice Cream, Oh Wait Just A…

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WineCreamMine3

I once wrote about Wine Ice Cream and recalling I had mixed feelings, reviews, and emotions about what I was sampling.  It was out 0f my comfort level but that wasn’t the problem.   I feel I overpaid for something that wasn’t worth it weight in gold or ice cream. It was ok but nothing phenomenal.   For something as inventive and inspiring as this it needs to be special or it’s going to fail miserably.   I will give them another whirl again.

WineCreamBannerThis brings me to WineCream and part two of my experience at this years Wine in the Woods.

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I’ll preface this by saying I know the owner and he’s a good guy.  This in no way was going to sway my opinion one way or the other.   I was hoping for the opportune time to write about this sweet and tasty treat.

Did I just give away how I felt about it?  Well yes I did.    At these big festivals I try not to find out who’s going to be there if I can.  The decision is solely based on keeping me on my toes and adding to the suspense.  I have some idea of the staples and seminal attendees of the event but its always fun to be pleasantly surprised.

This was a pleasant and a wonderful surprise.

I had no idea what I wanted to order, yet the menus were so user friendly.  Everything was accessible.  Since I was a fish out of a water, my friend asked me what flavor I preferred. He then told me to trust him on everything else.  I mean how could I not.  Saying it’s a leap of faith is a stretch but its still fun to say.  And away he went.

The concept of how it works can be found here.

After a couple of minutes he handed me this peach concoction that I decimated in minutes.  What else was in it I don’t know and I may never need to know.  It was wondrous, it was masterful, and it was divine. I honestly didn’t realize how quickly I had trounced this thing until I was at the bottom of my cup.   The deceptive thing for me is how I couldn’t taste much alcohol. Unlike my previous Wine Ice Cream experience, this was consistent and left me wanting more.   Sometimes the best alcohol is when you hardly taste it.   However, if not careful you’ve had one too many and you’re spinning in circles.  Which may not be a bad thing depending on how you look at it.

Ingredients for all their creations are posted above.  I’m assuming mine contained peach wine, epic.

The rainy weather may not have been conducive to enjoying some WineCream but I didn’t care.  No one else seemed to mind either.

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And yes one cup equals one glass of wine, so I wish I could have had a few.  I did see some familiar faces enjoying more than one.  If I had my way that would have been me but I had a responbility at the festival that kept me in check.

Most important fact about all this, was this was on the house.  I felt flattered and grateful. It’s the little things that are the biggest things.  But that’s a detail that will never go unnoticed.

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This will not be the last time I expound on WineCream.  This was a refreshing alternative to the traditional glass of wine.  It’s the present and the future.   And I can only hope the future if unbounded and unlimited.

For more on purchasing their products go here, for our pals in the Maryland area here is their upcoming festival list.    Their faq and contact info can be found here and here respectively.

Finally, here is last weeks post from the same festival.

This is going to be a rocking Summer.

 

Best,

Ideen