One Day in Maine – Scavenger Hunt in Portland

Our one-day trip to Maine was a summer vacation for the two of us, but as noted in the lead-off post it did have several underlying purposes. We had several missions on the trip, and something specific at each location. We didn’t complete our Portland mission. We were unable to find a Riesling wine made in Maine, but we did accomplish the other items, including having beers at Sebago, getting a birthday present for my Dad, exploring more of the Old Port area and otherwise enjoying our time in the shops and on the streets with all the tourists.

I’ve done a little research on the wine and it turns out that at least two Maine wineries do make a Riesling making my search pretty specific. Cellar Door is one of them and their Viognier was a bottle I brought home to try. It appears I can order their wines online and may just do that to get some of the Riesling in hand to finish my Summer of Riesling party. Bar Harbor Winery is the other Maine producer of Riesling, but as far as I can tell I’d have to go there, or near, to get it.

Portland’s Old Port area spreads out over a tightly packed set of streets adjacent to the ferry terminal and fish docks. We’ve been in the area several times for a ferry trip to Peak’s Island so we had some expectations from poking around on those trips. I made the wine the primary task and we set out to Maine Beer & Beverage to see what we could find. We did find a number of wines made in Maine with a significant number of ciders and meads in the mix. The majority of the wines are fruit based or made from hybrid grapes, which is not surprising at all given the climate. Unfortunately many of the bottles lookws like they might have been there some time and I wasn’t that interested in taking much chance on styles I hadn’t come for. I did pickup a bottle of Kenebec Hard Cider (Winthrop, ME) which I look forward to trying soon.

Maine Beer & Beverage is a store within a store, inside the Public Market House, and to get there you have to pass the cheese cases, including one with just cheese from Maine in it. The Buy Local sticker in the inside of that case pretty much sums up our plan for the day. We didn’t buy any cheese on the count of the huge breakfast and the day still being early.

From there we walked back down to Fore Street and wandered in and out of shops. We checked out Cool As a Moose, Life is Good, City Beverage, Maine’s Pantry and several others. We also walked out towards the docks and checked out the wares at the Harbor Fish Market.

Our last retail stop was at Downeast Beverage where I found the Cellar Door Viognier which is made in Lincolnville, ME. We also picked up a bottle of blueberry soda and some local pickles. The blueberry soda was pretty damned interesting. I’ve had peach, grape and cherry sodas from the South that really make the fruit flavors sing, and I’d say that Bar Harbor Soda got the same punch of out the berries for this soda. It was refreshing on a rapidly warming day, and so Maine!

The fresh fish at the Harbor Fish Market looked like it would be well worth the trip!

Our final stop in Portland was intended to be a relaxing one, and one with a bit of refreshment available. Sebago Brewing just recently moved to the corner of Fore and Franklin with floor to ceiling windows on both sides of the corner, and seasonal outdoor seating. It is a beautiful space with lots of light and will likely quickly become a pretty popular space. We decided on the beer sampler and some pub pretzels for what would be lunch on our already food-filled day.

Our beer sample included the Hefeweizen, Saddleback Golden Ale, Frye’s Leap IPA, Runabout Red, Boathouse Brown, and the Lake Trout Stout.

Our favorites were the Frye’s Leap IPA and the Lake Trout Stout. I’ve enjoyed IPA several times before and really was taken again with the huge and pleasing hop aromas of this beer. Margot gave the stout the once over as is typical these days. Both of us found lots of chocolate and roasted nut aromas and flavors.

I spotted a huge jug on the back bar with what looked like and drink being made. It turned out to be a watermelon sangria, which Margot ordered to give it a refreshment test on a warm summer day. Margot told me that it was sweet, but not sickeningly so, with flavors of clove. She added that the chunks of watermelon were very tasty and overall the drink was very refreshing.

I finished with the Grand Cru, a blend of their Bourbon Barrel Aged Full Throttle Double IPA, Barleywine, and fresh Frye's Leap IPA, which is served in one size and in a tulip type glass. The nose is huge on this beer with fruit, baked goods and spices. In the mouth it is moderately malty, hoppy and just a bit sweet. Some coconut tumbled through in a few of my sips. I almost ordered a growler to go, but remembered I needed to save my $$ for my remaining missions!

In my next post I will share the blueberry search from the North Berwick Farmer’s Market.

Cheers!

Jason

Four Star Cheese Straws

I made the cheese straws again. This time I used Grafton Village Cheese Four Star Cheddar which I bought as bulk ends at the factory store in Brattelboro. There is nothing like getting a great product at a fantastic price. It didn’t need to look pretty because I was going to cook with it!

I made both a rosemary and a red pepper version this time.

Four Star Cheese Straws

12 ounces chopped Grafton Village Four Star Cheddar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary (batch 1)
or
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (batch 2)
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Set the oven to 350°F.

Place everything but the cream in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Add the cream by the tablespoon and process until the dough forms a ball.

Flour a rolling surface and a rolling pin. Separate the dough into two pieces and form each into a ball. Roll the first dough ball into a rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1/3 in strips along the short edge of the rectangle, making as many as can be. Carefully transfer the strips to a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Bake the straws on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

We served these at our Relay For Life charity wine tasting and of course they were a huge hit again. I tried them with a couple different wines. The rosemary version was quite nice with my homemade un-oaked chardonnay. The red pepper version found a good partner with the Shiraz that our new winemaking friends Dave & Robin brought to share.

Cheers!

Jason

Rosemary Cheese Straws

A few months ago Margot and I were watching an episode of Drink Up on Cooking Channel and saw a segment where one of the guest chefs made cheese straws to pair with a featured beverage. We remember the cheese straws, but can’t recall what type of beverage the show profiled in that episode. Oh well, we remember the important part!

We both agreed to tuck the idea in the back of the head for our next wine tasting. When the planning for that occasion rolled around we decided that having all the snacks be cheese themed would add a nice spin to our typical tasting food free-for-all. And, that we would make cheese straws for our contribution.

( How can you go wrong with a big pile of shredded cheese? )

“To the cloud” as the commercials go, in search of a recipe. In the first few search results popped up Cheese Straws from Smitten Kitchen. I knew of this blog through other food bloggers I read so I was sure I would use this recipe. Knowing your source to be a reliable origin for well executed recipes with great pictures always helps.

I doubled the recipe, swapped rosemary for chili flakes and used wheat flour for 1/3 of the flour. I did increase the liquid a bit based on how it came out during the work with the food processor. I used Cabot Private Stock Sharp Cheddar for the cheese. This cheese is one step down from the fresh wheel-cut sharp cheddar you can get in the farmstands all over VT where play on the weekends. I wanted a very rich, super sharp cheese to make the straws pop, and with lots of experience with the Cabot cheeses I was pretty sure it was going to work as expected!

Rosemary Cheese Straws

12 ounces grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary (frozen fresh from my garden)
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Set the oven to 350°F.

Place everything but the cream in food processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs appear. Add the cream by the tablespoon and process until the dough forms a ball.

Flour a rolling surface and a rolling pin. Separate the dough into two pieces and form each into a ball. Roll the first dough ball into a rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut 1/3 in strips along the short edge of the rectangle, making as many as can be. Carefully transfer the strips to an parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. Repeat with the second dough ball.

Bake the straws on the middle oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

( Golden brown and with a super cheesy aroma! )

These didn’t last long at the tasting. I paired them with several of the wines and found they were best with the Petit Verdot and Chateau-du-Roi (Rhone blend) from my collection. They also went well with the Rodney Strong Chardonnay brought by our friend Wayne.

( And now for your close-up. )

I would definitely make these again and would vary the herb/seasoning to use them in different ways. You could definitely add more rosemary to this recipe. Flavors are subject to individual preference and the I amount I used definitely suited a range of tastes. I can't wait to try the chili flake version and can also envision using Indian spices, sage, and chipotle for other interesting variations.

Cheers!

Jason

Our Family Meals in Provence

This past week has been filled with new and exciting experiences for Margot and me. Late last year we accepted an invitation to a wedding that would be held in Le Thor, France. It was with great affection and honor that we made our plans to travel to Europe for the very first time. The love story behind the people and the wedding will be featured in my next post.

We arrived in France early Thursday morning after what was briefly our longest direct flight ever (the flight home is longer), weary from our travels. The flight on Air France was most certainly a much improved air travel experience than our domestic carriers offer. With good-tasting hot food, wine and free entertainment on-board our flight was that much less uncomfortable. But I digress.

Our hosts live in Le Thor which is east of Avignon where we would travel to next by train. The TGV (high-speed train) is most certainly an excitement in itself. You have no idea just how fast you are going as you zip through the French countryside. The view is best from the upper cabin and alternates between farmland, vineyards, small towns, cities and the mountains in the distance.

Arriving just before noon we were promptly greeted by Eloy and Francoise, who were so happy to see us after their short visit with us at Christmas. We were whisked off to our vacation home for the week and to the very beginnings of the large group of family and friends we would be sharing our meals and social time with during our stay.

A couple notes for those that might be confused as they read my trip posts. We didn’t eat any restaurant meals and had limited involvement in preparing what we did eat. I also didn’t take a lot of food pictures. Both the size of and our unfamiliarity with the group of people just didn’t support it. The hospitality provided to us was beyond our expectations and with nearly 40 people to feed on one of the nights, preparations were going on behind the scenes, at other locations and while we were out of the house. I could say I was disappointed, but then again I did get to be on vacation! What I have to share are my impressions of what we ate, but more importantly of the community at the center of these family meals in Provence. I am going to break out a separate post on the wines I tasted while I was there.

Arriving just in time for lunch we made quick work of introductions while we set the table for our group of 11. Francoise had spent the morning preparing roast pork covered in an earthy mushroom sauce. And green beans. A couple things that you must quickly acclimate to in Provence (and I would imagine more broadly in France as well) are that bread is on the table at every meal and wine is available at both lunch and dinner. I would imagine folks that have to go back to work don’t over indulge, but when on vacation there is room for enjoyment! While there were plenty of remarks made about the food from those who were experiencing the local cuisine for the first time, the conversation centered around the occasion, where folks were from and the plans we would make to visit local sights.

If you have never experienced the famous cheese course after typical French meal you would have been in luck this past week. A tray full of cheese appeared after each lunch and all but the largest dinner gatherings. The eighty guests at the wedding were also lucky enough to indulge in their love of cheese! Goat cheese, blue cheese, Brie, Camembert, many different unnamed hard cheese and several styles of young soft cow’s milk cheeses all made appearances in different combinations. Oh, and more bread with the cheese course! I am a sucker for cheese so this ritual went a long way in securing plans to be back real soon.

Breakfast was the same each day, and at least in Provence is without much fanfare. That really isn’t a problem based on the other stuff we ended up eating the rest of day. Bread, butter, homemade jams and cereal were all available with milk, juice and coffee. A jar of Nutella appeared on the second morning and when paired with a hearty slice of Brioche, Margot found a winning breakfast.

For our first dinner we enjoyed Raclette, a Swiss tradition of melted cheese, potatoes, pickles and cured meats. We did use a modern Racelette grill (several actually) with individual melting dishes for each person. God, I love European sensibilities!

I was lucky enough to catch Francoise making Aioli that was to be paired up with steamed fish and veggies for lunch on the second day. She used the word reporter when I started taking pictures. That is pretty accurate in the broad sense I guess.

( Mashing up the garlic. )

( Adding the olive oil to the garlic and dijon mustard. )

( Looking for just the right balance. The hard part! )

( So simple, but so delicious! )

The food on Saturday (the day of the wedding) came in waves. Lunch, the wedding social and finally the wedding reception. Margot and I were looking forward to tapenade and weren’t at all disappointed when it appeared during the wedding social. There was also a savory cake that contained cheese, olives and ham that disappeared in record time. There were all sorts of appetizers, rice and pasta salads, zucchini tarts and probably some things we enjoyed but have already forgotten.

( When feeding 40+ people paper & plastic is universal! )

( Marie-Claude was not really moving that fast, but she sure looked like it all week! )

( People everywhere! )

( Smiles say it all! )

The wedding reception offered up a wonderful mix of foods. The first course included foie gras, an eggplant tourine and a fish tourine, the latter not being something I could eat more than one bite of.

The second course included a wonderfully marinated and gently cooked duck breast with an eggplant salad that contained onions, olives and capers; a Provencal classic. There was of course cheese and bread to follow the main course. There was wedding cake for dessert, but no ordinary wedding cake, rather a croquembouche! A croquembouche is a cone of caramelized sugar decorated with cream puffs. It was amazingly beautiful and so delicious.

( Was your wedding cake that cool? Mine wasn't! )

The remainder of the weekend’s meals were based around eating different combinations of leftovers from the days before with, wait for it, bread, cheese and wine. It never got tired and I am not quite sure where all the food was hiding!

And with all of those meals was the communion of a cast of characters that were coming together as family. You might have heard Annabella (Jose & Carla’s daughter) playing to the audience with here cute quips or Margot telling a family story or Marc talking about an adventure somewhere in the world, but one thing was quite obvious. The food brought the people together and gave us the time to get to know each other. As a food blogger I found this story to be a true joy to be part of.

Cheers!

Jason

A Virtual Visit to Tuscany

( Colline del Chianti  )

I’ve started hitting the geography books, wine geography that is, in preparation for the introductory sommelier exam sometime in 2011. The first exam isn’t about tasting or serving wine, it is about how it’s made, but primarily WHERE it’s made. But I digress.

I started with Italy because I know the least about it's wine and winemaking. As I was reviewing central Italy, Tuscany stood out. While I have had Tuscan wines before I never took the time to evaluate them. I recall enjoying them, but that just isn’t good enough!

Grape growing and winemaking in Italy and the region of Tuscany go back so far it isn’t really worth putting a date on it. One date you might see be highlighted is 1716, which was when the Chianti wine-area was first defined. Tuscany at large has a long storied cultural history and has been the home to notable historical figures such as da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante and Galileo to name a few. The regional capital of Florence evokes visions of sculptures, paintings, architectural masterpieces, music and theater. Tuscany is known for its wines with Chianti, Brunello and Montelpulciano being several of the most widely known.

( This is what we were trying to recreate at home! )

With my newly acquired (from the reading) knowledge about the Italian DOC system and the region/sub-regions Tuscany encompasses I thought I might acquire a few under-$20 bottles to sip and review. It also made sense to pair these wines with some Italian meats, cheeses and olives for a broader sensory experience. (Note: we had this tasting on October 6th 2010, the night I started feeling off which ultimately led to my near death and a four day stay in the hospital. I assure you it was not the wine or the food. That event is also why it took me so long to post this, the memory is bittersweet because I knew I didn’t feel well but didn’t think a doctor’s visit was required. Wrong!)

I picked up mixed marinated olives, potato bread, a piece of Il Saggio (aged goat’s milk cheese), a block of Fontina cheese, Prosciutto, Coppa (spicy) and Sopressata at Salumeria Italiana on Richmond St. in Boston’s North End. The shop owners were extremely helpful answering all my questions and they even thought my project was and exciting way to experience the wine and food of different places around the world. My visit ended after tastes of aged balsamic vinegars (one was 25 years old!) and some house olive oils, both of which you can buy directly from them. I added some homemade basil pesto to the mix. It is just so good!

( Get ready to eat! )

I selected the following wines which represent two very different styles of Tuscan wine you can easily find,

• Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico 2006 (90 pts, $19, available from Wine.com)
• Villa Antinori Toscana Red 2004 (90 pts, $20, available at NH Liquor stores & Wine.com)

The Castello di Bossi had a nice ruby color and we did note a slight brown shift. At a little under 4 years old my guess would be that it wasn’t well warehoused. The tannins were moderate and we found flavors of dark cherries and a bit of smoke. The aroma of dark fruits was quite obvious when we first approached it. The finish was smooth and had a good length.

The Villa Antinori had a deep red color with a huge aroma of berries. The oak influence was apparent in both the aroma and flavor. We picked up flavors of chocolate and what I said was leather but could have been another combination of earthy flavors. The tannins were potent but not overpowering, and the finish was silky and smooth. The finish lingered and was immensely enjoyable. We have had this wine before and picked it specifically to give it a proper review. I would buy this again and recommend it as a good, accessible Tuscan IGT wine. IGT is a newer designation for wines from Italy that was specifically created so that the Super Tuscans, blends of Sangiovese and typical Bordeaux grapes, would have a category for quality control and marketing.

Because I wasn’t feeling so great my notes on the wine and food pairings are very light and don’t make good sense.. My vague recollection is that both wines paired well but not necessarily with the same foods. The cheese pairings were excellent and of course the meats when paired with the wines offered all sorts of nuances.

Cheers!

Jason

Picture citations

(1) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chianti-colline2-2.jpg

(2) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salumi_e_vino_lucchese.JPG

(3,4,5) Our own

Homemade Macaroni & Cheese w/ a Beer Pairing

Margot is the mac & cheese aficionado in the house. Since college I haven’t been a big consumer of pasta or noodles. No aversion, just a lower than average desire to eat it.

After last weekend’s open house there was leftover cheese. I tend to squirrel this away in the fridge so I can eat it for the next week, but I really didn’t want to do that this time. My first inspiration was mac & cheese in the crock pot. It’s easy and something I could do in parallel with a day of work at home. Margot was quite surprised at the idea, but wasn’t going to turn it down! She actually took the opportunity to the fullest and switched her offering for her holiday pot-luck at work so she could share it with them. I also think getting out of the work of cooking played a part in that decision!

I had a good idea of what would go in it and that I would be keeping it simple. Lots of cheese wrapped around elbow macaroni.

Ingredients
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked to below done
8 cups shredded/diced assorted cheeses, divided (6/2 of cheddar)
2 cans (24 oz) evaporated milk
3 cups milk
4 eggs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ tsp dry mustard
Breadcrumbs & paprika for garnish

Directions

Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat eggs with milks, and spices, pepper and salt. Mix in cooked macaroni and cheeses. Transfer to slow cooker and cook on high for one hour, strirring frequently. Sprinkle remaining 2 C. cheese and turn down to low. Cook for 2-3 hours or until flavor and consistency is as desired. Serve garnished with some paprika and bread crumbs.

Margot has made a similar recipe for me in the past and I have always enjoyed it. The mix of cheese used this time, cheddar (mild and sharp), dill havarti, jalapeno, swiss, parmesan/romano and horseradish, really killed it! The aged cheese flavors are easily accessible and since it wasn’t baked there aren’t any burnt or dried out edges. Margot’s co-workers were happy and my work-time lunch on Thursday caught the attention of a few noses.

On the night I made it I tasted a new beer, the Sam Adams Infinium. Serendipity created a beer paring that I was not expecting to experience.

This newly released beer was made in partnership with the Weihenstephan brewery, the world’s oldest. The goal was the making of a Champagne-like beer using traditional ingredients and processes as approved by a 1516 German beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot.

The beer is golden/orange in color with sweet yeasty aromas. The carbonation was definitely reminiscent of Champagne with thin columns of small bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. The flavors of sweet bread are blended together expertly with a nice long finish of malty grains. I enjoyed each sip and could see this style of beer being a great aperitif or a closer for a meal. For everyday drinking it is a beady heady, and at $20 for a 750ml bottle it is pricy, but worth a try. The sweet flavors blended extremely well with the rich cheese and creamy macaroni & cheese. The slight acidity in the mac & cheese was carried along in the finish with the beer extending the pairing. Exceptional!

I hope that made everyone sufficiently hungry. East coast, lunch is on! West Coast, only a few hours to go until you can enjoy some for lunch.

Cheers!

--Jason

NH Live Free & Wine Festival – June 13, 2010

On June 13th, 2010 fifteen of New Hampshire’s commercial wine and cider makers and over two dozen related vendors set up their tables at Flag Hill Winery in Lee, NH. The NH Live Free & Wine Festival was sponsored by the New Hampshire Winery Association a group of local wine, cider and mead makers of which we have been members in the past. With 700+ tickets having sold out in advance I’m sure each proprietor was well aware of how long of a day they were in for.

We arrived at right about noon for the beginning of the event, hoping to avoid a line and potentially not being able to taste popular wines that hadn’t lasted as long as others. The logistics for an event like this can sometimes be an issue, but we found the parking and organization of the event to be flawless. There was live music, a food court and beautiful views of the vines on the Flag Hill property. For your $15 admission you received a souvenir glass and 10 tickets for tastings. Additional tickets could be purchased or $1 each. Margot and I took a quick scan of the room to prioritize how we would sample wines from the new faces and of course from our friends at some of the NH wineries. We took tasting notes on each of the wines we tasted and ended up finding a wonderful wine and cheese pairing that we passed along to the cheesemaker.

(look at Margot's wine fueled grin!)

Sweet Baby Vineyard – Kensington, NH
Marechal Foch – fruit with a little residual sugar and the signature grape leaf aromas.
Blueberry – strong blueberry aroma, semi-sweet and lacked the “weird” flavor I have always tried to figure out in blueberry wines I have had before.

Walpole Mountain View Vineyards – Walpole, NH
LaCrescent - wonderful floral perfume aromas, dry with some light spice on the finish.

The Sandwich Creamery – Sandwich, NH
Incredible smoked cheddar smoked over maple wood. The Caerphilly was slightly tart and went fantastically with the Jewel Towne Rhapsody in Blue Vidal Blanc dessert wine.

(lots of thirsty attendees!)

Flag Hill Winery – Lee, NH
Cayuga – Margot said the aroma was like cutting into a peach, off-dry with some pear flavor
Flag Hill White – a white blend with light oak. The oak was apparent on the nose and the wine was dry with some citrus and Granny Smith apple flavors.

LaBelle Winery – Amherst, NH
Riesling – off-dry, steely & minerally on the nose, excellent flavors of peach and citrus. A truly excellent representation of a Riesling.
Jalapeno – dry and spicy, and very drinkable as a cordial or as part of mixed drink.

(Cesar & Amy entertaining guests)

The action over at LaBelle was catching lots of attention. Everyone who tasted the Jalapeno had to hold a fiesta sign and got their picture taken and Cesar would ring the cowbell. Surviving the Jalapeno wine was the daily sporting event!

Stone Gate Vineyard – Gilford, NH
Stueben – wonderful floral aromas, off-dry with white grape flavors.
Marechal Foch – aromas of grape leaves and cherry, medium-dry with a finish of cherry flavored cigar. It tasted “purple” if you can taste a color.

Haunting Whisper Vineyards – Danbury, NH
Cranberry – smelled of Sweet Tarts, dry with very pronounced cranberry flavors.
Leon Millot – medium dry with, red raspberry flavors and a nice smooth finish.
Blackberry – blackberry & citrus, like eating the ripe fruit and NOT something made with it!

Candia Vineyards – Candia, NH
Classic Cab – leaves/grass and black pepper on the nose and light tannins.
Sauvignon Blanc – fruity nose with citrus flavors and light acidity.

Fulchino Vineyard – Hollis, NH
Barbera – spicy nose and flavors, the empty glass smelled of raisins.
Zinfandel – some residual sugar, fruity nose with lots of berry. Not a typical Zin. Al Fulchino explained that the 2008 Zin had such high sugar numbers and alcohol that he had to let it age longer than expected to let everything integrate.

Jewell Towne Vineyards – South Hampton, NH
Rhapsody in Blue Vidal Blanc Ice Wine – mild nose with flavors of candied pineapple, dried fruits. Plently of sweet with a good balance of acid. We found a good pairing for it in the Sandwich Creamery Caerphilly cheese, some of which came home with us for closer study.

Silver Mountain Ciders – Lempster, NH
Honey Apple Cider – smells of apples of honey, small bubbles, medium dry with rich honey/mead flavors. Margot decided that she doesn’t like sparkling ciders because it makes it hard to taste the flavors. I had decided this years ago when I first started making cider. I only make a style with no carbonation to allow the delicate flavors to come through.

Olde Nutfield Vineyards – Chester, NH
Landot Noir – light in color and body with aromas of berry jam. The burnt rubber aroma and flavor was present and whether this was a flaw or not I am not sure.

Our tastings were fun and listening to other attendees talk about what they had tried and who had what was entertaining for sure. We visited the table where Chris and Nancy Obert, wine friends of ours going back a few years, were signing and selling the book “The Next Harvest” about their adventures touring some of the wineries in New England. Chris and Nancy have invited us to their house on a number of occasions and asked us if we would bring our homemade wines to share with their friends and family. This is something I happily do and the feedback has always been a great honor. At the same time we also met Paulette Eschrich the new wine writer for the Hippo Press. As weekly readers of the Hippo for their local food and wine columns this was exciting. We’ll be sure to send her a link to our review of the NH Live Free & Wine event!

(me, Bob from Candia, Chris & Nancy)

Wandering out of the wine & cheese tent we took a walk up to the area where the band was playing and additional food & craft vendors were setup. We tried some hot sauce with sausage, and stopped in at the table of Grab Your Bag Travel where I met Lynn from the Manchester Area Wine Lovers Club from Meetup.com.
 
Tom Zack from Zorvino Vineryards was playing away on the guitar as part of the Spaceheaters band who were entertaining a considerable line of attendees waiting to be admitted. After a quick conversation with Frank Reinholdof Flag Hill we understood why. He explained that the fire marshal limited them to 250 people in the tent at any one time and running it by the book was smart business. He further mentioned that all the wineries were also under a lot of pressure to run things by the book since there were at least 4-6 liquor commissioners and enforcement officers in attendance at the event. This was the first, and hopefully not the last annual event, and getting a chance to do this again would only be possible if things were done correctly.

(it was worth a wait)

Margot and I struggled to pick wines in different categories to highlight, but if you don’t get the opportunity to try all these wines in a setting like this you might want to know what NOT to miss.

Best Red Wine – Marechal Foch from Stone Gate Vineyard
Best White Wine – Riesling from LaBelle Winery
Best Dessert Wine – we only had one, but the Rhapsody in Blue from Jewell Towne is out of sight!
Most Interesting Wine – Blackberry Wine from Haunting Whisper Vineyards
Surprise of the Day – Blueberry wine from Sweet Baby Vineyard
New Wine from a Familiar Face – Sauvignon Blanc from Candia Vineyards (we actually bought one of these to take home)

Cheers!

--Jason