Uncork Your Mind
Welcome to another episode of Winephabet Street, where we explore the world of wine one letter at a time! This episode features the elusive and extraordinary Usakhelauri – a rare Georgian grape known for its deep color, natural sweetness, and limited production. Join us as we dive into: ✅ The history and origins of Usakhelauri 🍇 ✅ What makes it so rare and highly sought after ✅ Tasting notes and food pairings 🍷🍽 ✅ How it represents the rich winemaking traditions of Georgia 🇬🇪 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more exciting wine explorations! Have...
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If you missed the live episode of Winephabet Street’s this month we talked all about Traminette, Our guest was Michael Migliore, owner and winemaker of Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery. Michael brought 45 years of winemaking expertise to the table, providing invaluable insights into this fascinating grape known for its floral, fruity, and spicy characteristics What is Traminette? Traminette is a hybrid grape, a cross between Gewürztraminer and a French-American hybrid. It boasts the aromatic intensity of Gewürztraminer while offering the hardiness and disease resistance of hybrids....
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In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of Kopke 1638 Port House with winemaker Carla Tiago. Carla discusses the 400-year history of Kopke, from its German roots to becoming a staple of Portugal’s port wine legacy. She explains the various port styles, including the unique Colheitas, aged solely in barrels and bottled only upon request, preserving their distinct vintages for decades. Carla also shares how Kopke is bringing port into the modern era, with innovative projects like their limited library collection of century-old vermouth and quinine-infused ports. With insights on...
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In this episode of Uncork Your Mind, I chat with Shawn Pearce from Familia Vicente Pearce, a winery with roots in both Buffalo, New York, and Mendoza, Argentina. Shawn shares his fascinating journey from studying wine in college to creating a family-run vineyard with his wife, Celia, in Argentina’s renowned wine region. We explore their sustainable vineyard practices, the artistry behind their wine labels, and their delicious range of wines, including a rare Gamay Rosé and a bold Cabernet Sauvignon. Tune in to hear more about how passion for wine shaped Shawn's path and what makes Familia...
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In this episode of 'Winephabet Street,' co-hosts Lori and Deb welcome guests Jim Quarrella and Larry Coia from Bellview Winery in New Jersey. The discussion revolves around the San Marco grape, a unique variety being cultivated by Bellview Winery in the United States. Jim and Larry share the grape's history, how they imported it from Italy, and its resilience and characteristics that make it promising for New Jersey's climate. The conversation touches on the grape's disease resistance, vibrant acidity, and fruit structure, drawing parallels to well-known varieties like Syrah. As they taste...
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So excited about this episode of Winephabet Street. We are exploring the letter 'R' with one of the wine world's hidden gems, the Rkatsiteli grape. This ancient varietal, which hails from the storied vineyards of Georgia, offers a captivating blend of history and unique flavors that few other wines can boast. Joining us is a very special guest, Meaghan Frank from Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery located in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Meaghan represents the fourth generation of her family's winemaking legacy, bringing both a deep respect for tradition and a fresh perspective to the craft....
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In this episode of Winephabet Street, Debbie and Lori tackle the questions you've been hesitant to ask about wine. Remember, in the world of wine, no questions are considered foolish. Whether you've been pondering about tannins, wine pairings, or curious about corks, now is your opportunity to gain clarity without hesitation. We had such a good show and didn’t get to all the questions, we have a part 2 coming up. I hope you enjoy!
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Welcome to another engaging episode of Winephabet Street, where the world of wine becomes more accessible, one letter at a time. In this episode we're delving into the letter "P" with a focus on Petit Manseng, a varietal that may not be on every wine lover's radar but certainly deserves a spotlight for its distinctive qualities and growing popularity, particularly in Virginia. Lori and I are joined by Lee Hartman from Bluestone Vineyards in Virginia, who shares his deep insights into Petit Manseng. Lee's journey in the wine industry, from his initial reluctance to his aha moment realizing the...
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In December on Winephabet Street we learned about the Orange Muscat grape with our special guest, Andrew Quadi of Quadi Winery. Nestled in Madera, California, Andrew and his wife have been crafting exceptional wines since the late '70s, transitioning from an engineering background to the art of winemaking. Orange Muscat, is a grape variety that boasts a fusion of orange and apricot flavors that fascinate the senses in a surprisingly delightful way. Despite its green skin, the wine reveals a captivating golden orange hue and an irresistible aroma, The winemaking process for Orange Muscat...
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Back in the fall, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Michael Migliore, owner of Whitecliff Vineyard and Winery, at their Olana Vineyard in Hudson, NY. This is a 10 acre site just over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge on the Hudson side, in the shadows of the Olana Estate and on the banks of the Hudson River. Michael established and started farming this land in 2015 with Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, and Chardonnay. The vineyard is situated on land that has a long agricultural history dating back to indigenous peoples who inhabited the area over 3,000 years ago....
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This past weekend I ventured out to some area wineries and took advantage of the nice weather.
Wine tasting is a lot different today. Appointments are needed and you need to think out your route and stops. Gone are the tastings where you belly up to the bar and tasted 5-8 1 ounce pours and dump or spit in the dump bucket. But you know what, I like it this way. It is actually more enjoyable. What I did miss is the interaction with the employees over the wine. You know, where they talk to you about the wine, answer your questions and you can see their face light up with enthusiasm when talking about one of their favorite wines.
I know the wineries are doing their best and they have had to adapt and change many times. This is no way meant to criticize but to show you how tastings have changed and every winery is different. Know the rules set forth at each of your stops. One winery we went to had no time limit, while the other winery had a time limit of an hour and a half. An hour and a half is plenty of time to taste. If you want to camp and picnic make sure the winery allows that.
When making reservations, it’s like making reservations to go to dinner. Make sure you show up or cancel with plenty of notice so the winery can sell that reservation time to someone else. Don’t be surprised if there is a cancellation fee the closer to the time of your reservation. Trust me, coming from owning a restaurant, decisions are made based on reservations. If you cancel an hour before your reservation, that time slot could have went to someone else who was disappointed they couldn’t get in, and they can’t rely on walk in business. OK - I’ll get off my high horse on that subject.
White Horse Winery
Located in Hammonton, New Jersey our reservation was for 1pm. This winery handles reservations by phone and we reserved a fire pit and there was no time limit.
When we arrived we were greeted by their friendly staff who showed us the tasting menu by the glass. I ordered a glass of the Chambourcin and Jenn ordered a glass of Cabernet Franc. While we ordered another staff member went out and lit our firepit #2 and brought a pitcher of water to the area. All tables and firepits are labeled with a wine bottle with a number on it. I could have sat out there all day, it was so delightful.
A second round was ordered, another Cab Franc for Jenn and a 2017 Merlot Reserve for me. At the end of our time here, I went in to purchase a bottle of the Merlot and noticed people ordering flights. I so wish we were told they had flights, because we would have ordered them. All good, we enjoyed our time here.
Bellview Winery
This winery was a 20 minute drive from White Horse and located in Landisville, New Jersey. We made our reservations right off their sight on OpenTable. Beautiful spacious grounds and when making our reservation we had the choice of inside or out. When we got there we notice there were firepits. Upon checking in there was no check from a reservation system or list. The person behind the counter showed us a menu and said we can do a wine by the glass, bottle or get a red or white flight and she would bring it out to us. I did ask some questions about the grapes that were in the rose and the blends, but unfortunately she didn’t know the answer.
We got to pick any picnic table outside and we chose a picnic table just outside the tasting room. After 15 minutes I went back inside looking for our flights. I got the deer in headlights look. They found our flights sitting on the back bar, the server forgot to take it out to us. I get it, things happen.
This is the first time I’ve been out tasting since Covid. The biggest thing I missed was the conversation about the wines, learning about the blends, the grapes, the process and who is behind the winery. I know every experience is different at every winery. I feel Covid has limited that personal information transfer between employee and customer, perhaps for fear of catching the illness.