Many of us from New England associate Maine for its beautiful coast, light houses and of course lobster, but how about wine? Below, you will find some information that might surprise you. If you get to visit any of these wineries, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Cellar Door Winery and Vineyards
One of the few wine makers in Maine growing their own grapes. The vineyards are set on 68 acres of rolling fields in the coastal town of Lincolnville adjacent to the north boundary of Camden Hills State Park. Cold weather grapes are pressed and cellar-aged to create varieties of white and red table wines. The winery also makes a Maine blueberry wine. Stroll through the vineyard or visit the gift shop and tasting room.
Bartlett Maine Estate Winery
For more than 20 years this winery has specialized in sophisticated fruit wines made with native flavors. Bartlett uses locally grown apples, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pears and peaches to create distinctive aperitifs, whites, reds, and sweet dessert wines that capture the essence of Maine. The winery is located in Gouldsboro on the scenic Schoodic Peninsula east of Mount Desert Island. A tasting room and retail shop are open May through October.
Blacksmiths Winery
This winery in the town of South Casco near Sebago Lake produces a wide variety of wines with local fruits and hand picked grapes from the state of Washington. Blacksmiths offers a cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay,merlot, pino grigio, sangiovese, vidal blanc, and sparkling blueberry and cranberry among other selections. The tasting room and gift shop are open year round.
Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery
On a working farm in the midcoast town of Union, Elmer and Holly Savage grow eight varieties of hybrid wine grapes and their own blueberries. This year will be the first vintage for Savage Oakes, and with grapes like marechal foch, leon millot, Cayuga white, and seyval blanc, the wines should be a treat. The winery is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday mid-May through the fall.
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wondering how to start a wine collection of your own?
I''m not sure about you, but whenever I try to start a wine collection, I seem to open and enjoy the bottles faster than I can collect them, but David Icken, Managing Partner and Wine Director of The Capital Grille in Burlington, MA. offers suggestions to beginners on how to start their own collections.
In building a wine list for the new restaurant, opened on March 26, David sampled hundreds of selections, aiming for a diverse, value-conscious wine list. He whittled down his choices to 350 unique selections from around the world.
So, how should the wine enthusiast begin to build his own collection? David offers the following advice:
Explore Spain: Wines coming out of Spain’s Priorato region provide an excellent value because they are often still produced by small farmers rather than large estates. A $40 Rioja will often drink like a $100 bottle.
Discover Germany: The Mosul region produces some phenomenal wines for exceptional value. David especially enjoys Dr. Fischer wines, which are elegant, sweet Rieslings that balance well with seafood, such as the restaurant’s popular pan-fried calamari.
Head South: Try the Southern Hemisphere. David looks to Mendoza, in Argentina, and the Maipo Valley, in Chile, for the region’s most enjoyable wines. In Australia, David looks beyond the typical Shiraz for Pinots and Rieslings, several of which appear on the restaurant’s “Wine by the Glass” menu.
Think Beyond Napa: While David’s collection for The Capital Grille, Burlington, includes several bottles of 1999 and 2000 Napa Cabernet, two of the area’s best vintages, he also recommends Cabernet from all over California, such as from Paso Robles.
Enjoy Your Collection: While prize bottles are nice, a wine collection is a waste if it languishes in the cellar. Be sure to include plenty of $10-15 bottles you can enjoy on a regular basis.
In building a wine list for the new restaurant, opened on March 26, David sampled hundreds of selections, aiming for a diverse, value-conscious wine list. He whittled down his choices to 350 unique selections from around the world.
So, how should the wine enthusiast begin to build his own collection? David offers the following advice:
Explore Spain: Wines coming out of Spain’s Priorato region provide an excellent value because they are often still produced by small farmers rather than large estates. A $40 Rioja will often drink like a $100 bottle.
Discover Germany: The Mosul region produces some phenomenal wines for exceptional value. David especially enjoys Dr. Fischer wines, which are elegant, sweet Rieslings that balance well with seafood, such as the restaurant’s popular pan-fried calamari.
Head South: Try the Southern Hemisphere. David looks to Mendoza, in Argentina, and the Maipo Valley, in Chile, for the region’s most enjoyable wines. In Australia, David looks beyond the typical Shiraz for Pinots and Rieslings, several of which appear on the restaurant’s “Wine by the Glass” menu.
Think Beyond Napa: While David’s collection for The Capital Grille, Burlington, includes several bottles of 1999 and 2000 Napa Cabernet, two of the area’s best vintages, he also recommends Cabernet from all over California, such as from Paso Robles.
Enjoy Your Collection: While prize bottles are nice, a wine collection is a waste if it languishes in the cellar. Be sure to include plenty of $10-15 bottles you can enjoy on a regular basis.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Villas for Rent in Napa and Bordeaux
Sharon Harris, Wine Lover and Francophile, Restored and Built Two Luxury Wine Villas
Available For Rent - One In Napa, One In Bordeaux
While her husband, John Harris, was busy building Napa Valley's Amici wine brand, Sharon Harris took on the formidable task of building, restoring and furnishing two lavish wine villas -- one in the Napa Valley and one in St. Emilion in Bordeaux.
She rents both villas to fine wine lovers all over the world; those who really appreciate luxury and beauty in every detail and can afford the $25,000 to $36,000 a month rent, depending on the season.
The villa in Calistoga, at the North end of the Napa Valley, is not just Tuscan inspired, but has a view that rivals any in Tuscany -- beautiful vineyard-covered hills and only one other house in sight. The 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom beautifully furnished house has every amenity
including two pools and expansive outdoor living where you can sip fine wine in the evening and watch the sunset glow on the surrounding hillside.
The Bordeaux villa has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms and can sleep 8. It is right in the heart of great wine country in St. Emilion, one of the most famous names of Bordeaux. "We wanted to keep the old world charm of the villa but combined it with modern luxuries that international wine lovers would appreciate." It is unique for Bordeaux. You can sip Bordeaux
wine in the garden while overlooking vineyards known in Roman history. Restaurants, wine shops and classes, galleries and shopping are within an easy walk.
Harris's keen interest in wine has led her to France many times starting with a passion for France and French culture when she was still in high school. To prove her interest she took a year in college at the University of Bordeaux and had her first tastes of great wines. After
graduating UCLA in International Economics, she took a bottom rung job at a two star restaurant in Bordeaux, St. James with Jean Marie Amat. She worked from 4 a.m. to late at night but perfected her French in a hurry along with large portions of humility.
In 2004, now married and with her company sold, she and her husband enrolled in a famous wine course given at the oenology department at the University of Bordeaux. She graduated the difficult course, given entirely in French. So with her love of wine, Napa and Bordeaux, in 2005 Harris decided to build and restore the Napa and Bordeaux villas. She says, "I love talking to people about Bordeaux and Napa, helping wine lovers fall in love with these two great wine regions. Mostly, it is about making personal connections for people, creating personal experiences for people around wine, food and friends. Bordeaux has changed drastically in the last 25 years; it is now a beautiful city, welcoming wine lovers
from around the world."
Available For Rent - One In Napa, One In Bordeaux
While her husband, John Harris, was busy building Napa Valley's Amici wine brand, Sharon Harris took on the formidable task of building, restoring and furnishing two lavish wine villas -- one in the Napa Valley and one in St. Emilion in Bordeaux.
She rents both villas to fine wine lovers all over the world; those who really appreciate luxury and beauty in every detail and can afford the $25,000 to $36,000 a month rent, depending on the season.
The villa in Calistoga, at the North end of the Napa Valley, is not just Tuscan inspired, but has a view that rivals any in Tuscany -- beautiful vineyard-covered hills and only one other house in sight. The 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom beautifully furnished house has every amenity
including two pools and expansive outdoor living where you can sip fine wine in the evening and watch the sunset glow on the surrounding hillside.
The Bordeaux villa has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms and can sleep 8. It is right in the heart of great wine country in St. Emilion, one of the most famous names of Bordeaux. "We wanted to keep the old world charm of the villa but combined it with modern luxuries that international wine lovers would appreciate." It is unique for Bordeaux. You can sip Bordeaux
wine in the garden while overlooking vineyards known in Roman history. Restaurants, wine shops and classes, galleries and shopping are within an easy walk.
Harris's keen interest in wine has led her to France many times starting with a passion for France and French culture when she was still in high school. To prove her interest she took a year in college at the University of Bordeaux and had her first tastes of great wines. After
graduating UCLA in International Economics, she took a bottom rung job at a two star restaurant in Bordeaux, St. James with Jean Marie Amat. She worked from 4 a.m. to late at night but perfected her French in a hurry along with large portions of humility.
In 2004, now married and with her company sold, she and her husband enrolled in a famous wine course given at the oenology department at the University of Bordeaux. She graduated the difficult course, given entirely in French. So with her love of wine, Napa and Bordeaux, in 2005 Harris decided to build and restore the Napa and Bordeaux villas. She says, "I love talking to people about Bordeaux and Napa, helping wine lovers fall in love with these two great wine regions. Mostly, it is about making personal connections for people, creating personal experiences for people around wine, food and friends. Bordeaux has changed drastically in the last 25 years; it is now a beautiful city, welcoming wine lovers
from around the world."
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