Heston Farms Winery (and Pinchgut Hollow Distillery), Fairmont, WV

I saw a billboard for this winery as I was going down I-79 to visit a friend in West Virginia last September, and on a whim, I took the exit (Pleasant Valley, exit 135). Although the billboard and the signs leading you off the exit promise that Heston Winery is just down the road, it isn't quite that simple - it's quite a ways out there (check out the directions on the website which include "Veer right at the fork in the road" - lol), but the wine was phenomenal. I sampled most of their offering and bought 4 bottles - my favorite was the Prudence & Penelope Sweet White Wine. I didn't sample or purchase anything distilled... maybe next time. They also have a restaurant upstairs that I'll make time for next time.

http://hestonfarm.com/

Wilcox Winery

Wilcox Winery now has a store at Settler's Ridge... just down from the movie theater.

http://www.wineryatwilcox.net/

Which Wine Geek Are You?

Wine Lovers - and Geeks

Wilcox Winery Spiced Apple

Visited the Wilcox Winery again in early October (visiting camp one last time this year - beautiful leaves!) and sampled their Spiced Apple... good as is but incredible when heated and mixed with the winery's spice packet... we bought a couple of bottles to help keep us warm this winter ;)

Spiced Apple

"A spicy apple wine with hints of cinnamon and cloves, great chilled in the summer months and also a tasty treat mulled in the winter while next to the fireplace."

Wilcox Winery

Visited the Wilcox Winery in Wilcox, PA last Saturday with my sister-in-law and her father. I've always been a fan of their Clarion River Red - it's a very sweet wine, but I like it and it's available at most State stores as is their Wedding White which is also nice. The girl informed me that they're opening a new location in Settlers Ridge! Woohoo!

We sampled:

• Autumn Leaves - beautiful red with a crisp, light, refreshing taste. I bought a bottle.
• East Branch Sunset - semi-dry, semi-sweet beautiful taste for those looking for a White Zinfandel. I bought a bottle for my mother.
• Peach Mist - very sweet sparkling wine with a delicious peach flavor - I bought a bottle.
• Lucia - in a pink bottle! (special of the season) - very different flavor / effect - couldn't pick out anything specific. We weren't impressed, so I didn't buy a bottle.
• Pinot Colada - immediately tastes like coconut rum... so tastes just like a Pina Colada - I bought a bottle.

4 out of 5 - not bad ;)

http://www.wineryatwilcox.net/

Snooth

Great wine website:

www.snooth.com

Elmo Pio Moscato

Elmo Pio Moscato, 2009, Italy

This is my friend Jen's favorite wine... she brought over a bottle last Saturday and I fell in love. I think I'll be buying another one this week...

I found it to be sweet, but refreshing. The bottle says "It exhibits a bright, refreshing flavor reminiscent of fresh peach and strawberry."

www.elmopio.com

3 Blind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon

3 Blind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, California

I'm not a Cabernet fan, but I liked this one - not too dry. Nothing really stood out for me - I probably won't specifically look for it again but would drink it if someone else did.

The bottle states it has "delicious" flavors of apple, citrus and oak.

$9.99 at the Center Twp. Wine & Spirits store.

www.3blindmoose.com

Gnarly Head Pino Grigio

So I'm continuing on my Gnarly Head journey...

Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio, 2008, California

I can't say anything remarkable about this particular variety of Gnarly Head except that I enjoyed it. I think any pinot fan would appreciate it. I would try it again when I'm in the mood for a pinot.

The back label states that it starts with flavors of ginger and pineapple, then crisp flavors of pear, apple and stone fruit and then it "kicks out" with style & grace. $12.99 at the Center Twp. Wine & Spirits.

www.gnarlyhead.com

White Cat

Posted Red Cat a while ago - loved it. Found that my friend had liked the White Cat so I picked up a bottle and I love it too - sweet wine - delicious - just a really good grapey flavor.

White Cat Finger Lakes White Wine
Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Winery is located on the eastern shore of Seneca Lake.
www.hazlitt1852.com
Purchased at Wine & Spirits Center Twp, PA - something like $13.00 a bottle I think.

I think Jen mentioned that she had tried this a couple of weeks ago and liked it as well.

Funny Vodka

Not about wine I know, but I saw this ad in the Spring/Summer 2010 Wine & Spirits Quarterly and had to share the funny name.

It's an ad for the Dutch 'Effen' Vodka. The slogan is 'Effen Rocks... Effen is a five-letter word'.

http://www.effen.com/

Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel

Twisted Old Vine Zinfandel 2008 California 1.5L Wine & Spirits $13.99
www.twistedwine.com
Also available in a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Grigio.

"Twisted Zin is truly an unrivaled experience! Does an explosion of blackberry jam, chocolate covered cherries, spicy nutmeg, and luscious ripe plum sound appealing? We thought so.

This Zin is just as comfortable flying solo as it is paired with saucy short ribs, BBQ chicken, hearty chili, or even dark fudge brownies."

Again, I don't think this is one of my favorites / the kind of wine I usually enjoy, but it was definitely good and I recommend it. Dry, but not too dry. It comes in a 1.5L bottle, so it lasted me almost a week - it went well with pizza, popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, and Reuben casserole.

Things To Do With Bad Wine

The Wine Miser's Crappy Wine Tips:

#1 Make it a spritzer, add Sprite or 7 Up until the wine is palatable.
~
#2 make Sangria with it. Add Lemon and Fruit Juice to taste.
~
#3 Cook with it.
- Make Coq au Vin
- Wine Vinegar
- Risotto
- Poach with it

Zweigelt 2008- Austrian Cherry
Since I like the German wine so much I asked for assistance on something comparable since they are out of Dornfelder and will not get any in before summer. They rotate regions where they buy the wine. The woman at the store recommended Zweigelt 2008- Austrian Cherry 12.99/bottle

Label-TASTE Deep ruby red, dark cherry already on the nose, full

and juicy on the palate; round, dark cherry fruit, some spice

tones and smooth tannins, compact, round body.

FOOD Fascinating to steak, but also perfect to good pasta

and pizza!

GRAPE Zweigelt has pronounced fruit aromas: cherry and

sour cherry, a variety of berries plus a discreet spiciness.

This grape variety was raised in 1922 in Austria and remains

the most important grape for Austrian red wine.

My opinion- I did not like this at all. Not sweet enough for me. I really expected this to taste like Dornfelder and was disappointed.

Recent Purchases!!

Bought 3 bottles of wine from your recomendations, and I can't wait to try them. Darn vertigo is hindering the process and Glenn had a bad cold--so it would have been hard to rate the sleepiness factor (Glenn/Glass).
I brought home: Fat Bastard Pinot Noir, Dornfelder, and BV Cab Sauv.
Also, another bottle of the yummy Pazzo--love that stuff! Pazzo by the way, means 'crazy' in Italian--hmm, maybe that is why i like it...

Big House Red 2006

This is a nice inexpensive wine--around $8.00. It has a homemade wine taste rather than a smooth one. Fruity. It has a rating of a Glenn/Glass--those familiar with the Man/Truck theory will understand this. One glass and Glenn fell asleep--potent stuff.

The back of the bottle is too long to type in but it says this is a blend of about 5 or more different grapes. It also has a handy screw top if you don't have a fancy bottle topper.

Shelton Vineyards

If you need a refreshing sweet wine for Brunch or a lite lunch, this is a good choice. My Father and Mother-in-law (Marv and Carol) brought this back from one of their favorite stop-overs to Florida. The Hampton Inn in the Yadkin Valley has wine tasting and Wine Bar. The wine is a Reisling and claims to be 'Light-Bodied' and 'Slightly Sweet'. It was really tasty with our brunch of ham, potato salad, and straberry shortcake. Of course, it passed my junk-food test also, by going well with potato chips!
http://www.sheltonvineyards.com/?shelton=41

Sutter Home

Sutter Home Merlot California 2008

I would call this wine a dry wine. It did not taste bad, however it would not be my first choice. I like my wine more on the sweet side, with that said the more of it that I drank the more I didn't mind the dryness in it.

Beaulieu - BV Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Beaulieu - BV Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
Point# 92
Price: $19.99

ONE of my Favorites

A Bordeaux blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 0.5% Malbec and 0.5% Petit Verdot.

The symphony of aromas and flavors in our 2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Napa Valley cabernet Sauvignon comes from vineyards located in diverse regions of the valley. With each swirl and sip, velvety layers of blackberry, ripe Santa Rosa plum, chocolate, violet and mineral are revealed. Each vineyard's clone, soil, mesoclimate, exposure and cultivation techniques contributed to the wine's complex fruit expression, while barrel aging added soft oak naunces.

Critical acclaim:
No one else in Napa Valley could produce a Cabernet of this pedigree, at this price, besides Beaulieu. They bring their century of experience, as well as their vineyards, to produce this fine, dry wine. It reeks of classicism, from the purity of structure to the refined, Bordeaux-like black currant and cedar flavors. An AMAZING accomplishment.