Wine & Boating

Last weekend I spent Saturday on the Hudson River. It was a beautiful day to go boating. Good thing I have friends with nice "toys."

I brought with me a bottle of Marques de Caceres which I had purchased Friday. This was a crisp and fruity dry white wine from Rioja Alta region of Spain. It was made with 100% Viura grapes and was fresh and clean with slight floral aromas and a silky finish. This was a first for me, with this type of grape. I am listening to my own advice and trying something new and I liked it!

It was very nice wine and went perfect with the baba ghanoush and focaccia that were purchased in the morning at the Hyde Park Farmers Market.









View of the CIA from the River

Vocabulary

Resveratrol, a natural compound in the skins of red grapes. Its presence in red wine has been linked to health benefits such as fighting cancer, aging and heart disease.

The Wine Purchase

On Friday I did what I said and stoped at Viscount and purchased 12 bottles of white wine.

The purchase:
Babich Sauvignon
Bonterra Viognier
Bonterra Chardonnay
Toasted Head Chardonnay
Marques De Caceres white table wine
Edna Valley Chardonnay
Simi Chardonnay
Marques de Caceres- Rioja Spain
Natura Sauvignon Blanc
Cline Viognier
Gruner Veltliner - White table wine from Austria
Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Yesterday while boating on the Hudson we had the Marques from Spain. I'll let you know more about it tomorrow...stay tuned.

OH NO...Out of White Wine

Can you belive it. I have a wine cellar that holds 300 bottles of wine and we drank the last bottle of white last night. I can't remember ever running out of white wine.

Since I will be in Fishkill today, I am going to stop at Viscount and see what selections they have. I am going to take my advice and think out of the box. I am going to head for Sauvignon Blancs, but I must purchase some oaky Chards for my hubby.

Stay tuned for the purhases............

Picking a summer wine

My favorite summer white is a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Lately I've been trying some Chilean and South African Sauvignon Blancs that are very good. Or stainless steel fermented Chardonnays. They are usually much lighter than the buttery, oaky Chardonnays.

For reds...try a Gamay Noir slightly chilled. Yup, I never thought I would chill a red wine, but this one needs it. It's light and refreshing. ( Served warm is like drinking a luke warm glass of milk...yuck! ) The Gamay will also pair nicely with Salmon.

Millbrook Vineyards offers a Wine Blending Experience

I received a note in the mail from Millbrook Vineyards Saturday about a Wine Blending Experience & Dinner. Sounds like a great evening. One catch..you have to be a member of their Case Club. That's very easy to do.

The evening will begin with a tasting of your blending components; Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as well as some blends winemaker, John Graziano has created. Then after John explains the inner workings of blending, you become winemaker by creating your own master blend. Once you determine your favorite blend, they will bottle and cork it for you and package it with a personalized wine label.

After your hard work as winemaker, you will be treated to dinner paired with Millbrook wines. The cost for this experience is $115 per person (plus tax)

This is going to be a fantastic experience. When I attended the wine blending at Whitecliff Vineyards, I found it quite educational and enjoying. You will find the experience at Millbrook the same.

For more info on Millbrook Vineyards Wine Blending Experience and Dinner call 845.677.8383 ext 17. Tell them the Hudson Valley Wine Goddess sent you .

Trivia Answer

Sangiovese is the grape in which Chianti is made from.