Blueberry Pinot

  Last weekend I was out doing some site seeing.  I was not planning on buying any wine.  My wine rack is flowing over and I made a promise to myself I needed to open a few more bottles before I add another.  We  ventured to National Harbor right outside of Washington DC.  Fortunately for us there was a little open air market going on.  We walked around, picked up some amazingly yummy tomatoes and nectarines.  Just as we were about to head to the car, we saw a small tent offering wine samples.  Well, I don't know about you, but when I see wine samples...I'm like a moth to a flame.  I cannot walk away.

  The winery was Solomon Island Winery.  This is a local Maryland vineyard located in Lusby, Maryland.  This day they were offering their Island Mist collection.  I sipped Kiwi Pear Sauvignon Blanc, Mango Symphony, Watermelon White Merlot and last but not least Blueberry Pinot Noir.  I liked all of them, but the Blueberry Pinot Noir stood out.  

  It is labeled as a sweet wine.  Compared to many sweet wines that I've had the pleasure of tasting I did not come off as a sugary sweet wine.  Instead, it was more of a strong blueberry pinot noir.  It is recommended to be served chilled.  I don't typically like my pinots cold.  To me, if a wine is too cold it loses a lot of the flavor.  I tried this chilled and room temperature and both were absolutely delish!!  I must admit slightly cool is my favorite.  Will I purchase another bottle?  No.  I will pick up a case next chance I can!

Where to buy?

Spiced Apple Wine-Our Kinda Wine

This week on #winechat the theme was local wine. I was looking forward to this. I'd been wanting to find a wine that I could enjoy with my hubby (my drinking partner). Since he loves sweet, I thought of this as an opportunity to pick up a semi sweet flavored wine. I decided upon a bottle of Berrywine Plantations Spiced Apple wine from Linganore Winery.


Linganore Winery is a local Maryland wine. Located in Mount Airy, Maryland, this family operated vineyard is rich in beauty and history. From their website:

Berrywine Plantations / Linganore Winecellars is a family operated vineyard and winery nestled on 230 acres of picturesque rolling countryside, 4.5 miles northeast of historic New Market, Maryland.
Established by Jack and Lucille Aellen in 1971, our first 6 acres of vineyards were planted in 1972 and the winery opened in 1976 in the lower half of a 19th century post and beam barn which previously housed the farm’s dairy operation. Using Lucille’s father’s hand winemaking equipment, we processed 6 tons of grapes our first year. In 1977, we held Maryland’s first wine festival as a way to introduce our first vintage to the public. In 1978, to meet consumer demand, we introduced the state’s first semi sweet grape wines, an off shoot of our German-Swiss winemaking heritage. With the knowledge and experience in the production of these lighter style wines came the introduction that same year of our honey and pure fruit wines.
By the early ‘80s, the winemaking responsibilities were taken over by Jack and Lucille’s son Anthony. Also in the early ‘80s, new experimental grape varieties from the grape breeding program at Cornell University were planted in test plots in our vineyards. The success of many of these new hybrids has been shown in expanded acreage and dedication to winery production.

I've had the pleasure of tasting their wines in the past at local wine events. I knew when I walked into my wine store that I would find something fantastic from them. A wine that was sweet, but not too sweet. Spiced Apple Wine is just that. Having tasted quite a few apple wines in the past I was thinking this would be similar to those. Previous apple wines have been extremely tart. I often felt as if I was biting into a crisp green apple, with those wines. Berrywine Plantations Spiced Apple Wine, is no crisp green apple. First sip, it reminded me of biting into a slice of warm apple pie, and then allowing yourself to savour all those flavors. I tasted cinnamon, nutmeg, and baked apple. Yes, it is sweet. But I didn't feel as if it was too sugary or syrupy. I wasn't sure how my husband would feel. The bottle suggests to serve it warm. I knew he didn't care for warm wines that often. For me, leaving it room temperature added to the warm apple pie taste. The hubby, after one sip, smiled, looked at me and said, "This is my kinda wine!" I could not agree more. I will buy this again. I'm thinking a case may be in our future. I'm looking forward to pairing this with warm apples and pears! Please try and share your thoughts.

You can purchase their wine here.

To Club or Not to Club

I currently belong to two wine clubs and just spent a very large part of my morning debating if I should join another. I joined the wine clubs before I began my blogs. I wanted to try new wines and figured the clubs would be the best way to get great selections. I still believe it is a fantastic way for a newbie to try wines. But I don't think it's the best way to learn about wine.

Just the other day I went into my local wine store looking for some local wine. After browsing for awhile and picking up a bottle off my shopping list, I asked the sales clerk if he had a Viognier. I had read some reviews of local wineries and their Viognier and I wanted to try it. He did point me toward a Viognier blend and then we began talking wine. From this very knowledgeable sales clerk, I was quickly given a lesson in wine. He explained tannins and some other wine lingo (a very definite future post) and asked me a lot of questions about what I like and why I liked it. From that, he said what I was holding was great and he'd keep an eye out for some new things for me.

When you are first learning about wine and what you like versus what you don't like, reading reviews, blogs and tasting are all important. But what is vital to the learning process is to have a conversation. I know I posted a teasing post the other day about "experts", but those experts do serve a purpose. I also understand it can be intimidating to ask someone. I know I was. Yet, I am so happy I did. I can't wait to go back, pick up something from my list and whatever my new wine "expert" suggests.  While you may get great deals and superb wines from a club, nothing beats face to face interactions with quality people.

If you ever find yourself in Maryland, stop by JP's Fine Wine & Spirits. They are helpful, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Not only will you be able to pick up a powerball ticket, you will also receive some great wine advice.