Tomorrow starts the month of May and that means only two months until we leave for Napa, the excitement is starting to build. Although, this year I am trying hard to go slow with the planning and keep the excitement level down just a bit so I don’t let my summer slip by with my thoughts all caught up in the trip. Trust me; it is hard as I am always excited when a Napa trip is on the horizon. We normally start picking out wineries brand new to us, and make appointments to visit, but as it stands now we have yet to make any new tasting appointments. We do however all agree on some return visits for this trip. Venge Vineyard is at the top of the list, along with some others. We had such a good time last year tasting some excellent wines and... »View More
Added Thursday, April 30, 2009
in Napa Times
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Villa Milagro Vineyards is holding a Wine & Cheese Tasting at the Villa, 33 Warren Glen Road, Finesville, NJ. The tasting will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26 from noon to 5:00pm.
Enjoy locally handmade cheese made from goats raised organically at Flint Hill Farm and artisan cows milk cheeses. Taste delicious European style blended wines made from the wineries own organically grown grapes. A $5 fee includes the wine and cheese tasting, gift monogrammed wine glass and a wine/cheese pairing chart. For more information or directions visit the website www.VillaMilagroVineyards.com or call 908-995-2072.
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Added Thursday, April 23, 2009
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Mother’s Day Festival
Sunday May 10th 12:00 – 5:00PM
Enjoy food, wine tasting, music, crafters, children’s activities and more. An event the entire family will enjoy. The Voodudes will provide the music, a mix of jazz, rock and zydeco. Kids can enjoy face painting, sand art, pony rides and the moon bounce. Take a horse drawn ride through the vineyards or a hot air balloon ride (weather permitting). Admission and parking are free, wine tasting will be available all day for $5.00 per person along with an etched Alba glass you get to keep. Food will be available to purchase or bring your own picnic lunch. By law only Alba wines may be consumed on the property if you want to include wine in your picnic lunch.
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Added Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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We recently had a visit from a good friend of mine who many years back was my mentor and vice president at a major soft drink company we both worked at. Over the years we have kept in touch, at times there have been some gaps, yet we always managed to reconnect. We have both been through some major life changes, and no longer work in the industry. He has since moved several times and is currently living in the mid west. While still having relatives living here in New Jersey, he occasionally returns for visits, and we always try to fit in a visit or at a minimum a phone call. This trip was one of those special times we managed to visit in person. We both have a long standing love of wine going back to the soft drink days when our company purchased... »View More
Added Monday, April 20, 2009
in Entertaining With Wine
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Building a wine cellar is an exciting prospect and can be anything from a small rack in a damp cool corner of your cellar to a state of the art custom built cellar, but basically it should be what suits you best. Now as you know we have a 980 bottle self contained wine room, that was somewhat “prefab” meaning we purchased the whole room and just had to assemble it upon delivery. Well, we inspired our staff writer “beer guy on wine” to build his cellar. He will tell you all about it, step by step from the beginning, but we were invited to assist in the final phase, the racking set up. How exciting! Well, actually if I were to be honest, the men built the racks while us women discarded the packaging paper and crushed... »View More
Added Monday, April 20, 2009
in Wine Babble
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Many a wine drinker has pondered this question. Well, the real answer is, whatever you feel comfortable paying. Whether you want to admit or not, the amount of money you pay for a bottle of wine has a lot to do with your perceptions of how good it really was or will be. But, at the end of the day, does it really have anything at all to do with it. There are so many things that go into pricing a bottle of wine . . . I don’t profess to know any of it from an industry point of view. Although, I think I have figured some things out from experience.
Generally speaking, a bottle of wine that costs less then $5 is going to be in all likelihood, swill. Face it; in today’s economy does anyone really think it is possible to produce something... »View More
Added Friday, April 17, 2009
in Beer Guy on Wine
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Springtime is such an exciting time of year, the plants and trees come alive, the flowers bloom and the grass turns from winter brown to deep lush green. Well, at least in some parts of the country that experience winters as we do. Of course with that come the rains, while it is much needed rain, I tend to wish we could do without it. I keep reminding myself of that old saying, “April showers bring May flowers”. Spring is also alive with many holidays and occasions to celebrate. A fun time to select your wines and food for each occasion, a task any wine lover is sure to enjoy. There is Easter and Passover almost upon us, Mothers Day right around the corner as well as plenty of Communion, Confirmation and Graduation celebrations. ... »View More
Added Tuesday, April 7, 2009
in Entertaining With Wine
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As you know if you visit our site, I am a wine lover through and through. You also may recall that last year for my birthday I was given some really great wines by my wife. This year she also picked up some birthday wine for me, but left it in her car on a rather warm afternoon, almost cooking it. An episode that still makes me laugh. Well, as luck must have been on my side, I did get some other wine as gifts for my birthday. Some really good wines, I must say. My wine tasting partners aka brother in law and sister in law picked me up some pretty amazing labels. First there is the Chappellet 2006 Signature Cabernet; Chappellet’s flagship wine for several decades. This wine has double meaning, besides being an age worthy premier wine blended... »View More
Added Monday, April 6, 2009
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April 16-19 Pebble Beach Food and Wine
The second annual Pebble Beach Food and Wine presented by American Express Publishing will take place April 16-19. With 250 invite only wineries and 50 award winning chefs, it is the premier wine and food event of the year. To be held at the famous Pebble Beach Resort which sits along one of the most picturesque strips of coast line in the world. With detailed cooking demonstrations and some of the most sought after wines being poured, this event will be the ultimate wine and food experience of its kind. Tickets start at $165 and should be purchased in advance. For more information visit the web site at:
http://www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com/
April 18-19 – April in Caneros
A Celebration and Wine Education:... »View More
Added Sunday, April 5, 2009
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Having been a beer guy for so many years you probably wouldn’t expect such a person spending a significant amount of vacation time and money on trips to Paris, France. Paris, Texas maybe – but not Paris, France. Be it, as it may, due to a collision of work assignments and passing interest in art and architecture combined with an appreciation for almost anything old, I had come to grow very fond of Paris. On one of our vacation trips there, I decided to investigate The Hotel Ritz (pre-Diana fame) and one of its infamous haunts within, The Hemingway Bar. Infamous, because lore has it that upon the news of Paris’ liberation from Nazi rule, Ernest Hemingway bought the bar a round and toasted by firing his sidearm through the ceiling. Pssst,... »View More
Added Saturday, April 4, 2009
in Beer Guy on Wine
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