chardonnay

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I’ve been going on and on for years about how great some Massachusetts wines can be. Longtime readers and friends know I recommend Travessia every chance I get, and I have also enjoyed many trips to Westport Rivers; their Farmer’s Fizz was our bubbly of the summer last year!

I knew little about Connecticut wine though, and this weekend while visiting Mystic and dining at the Harbour House, I learned CT is making some excellent wines.

 

Saltwater Farm Vineyard

We spent part of Sunday visiting two Connecticut wineries, which included a relaxing stop at Saltwater Farm Vineyard. Surrounded by salt marshes and countryside, the vineyard was beautiful and serene, a lovely place on a cloudy spring day, so I can imagine it would be gorgeous in the summer.

 

Saltwater Farm Vineyard

The winery building is an old airplane hangar with high ceilings, beautiful wood, and lots of nice little touches. A wedding the night before had left their lights strung up, and it added a twinkly magic to the afternoon. Or maybe that was the wine? 🙂

Saltwater Farm Vineyard

We did a tasting of all of the available wines. After our night at the Inn at Mystic, I was very familiar with the Saltwater Farm rosé of Cabernet. This wine is right up my alley, super dry and crisp with fresh strawberry notes.

 

Saltwater Farm rose

Other favorites included the Gold Arc Estate Chardonnay, barrel aged for toasty coconut notes with a lemony background. Connecticut, like Long Island, can be great for growing Chardonnay grapes.

Saltwater Farm Chardonnay

Ever being a lover of Cabernet Franc, I was a huge fan of Saltwater Farm’s Cab Franc – Merlot, mixing spice and earth with juicy berries for a beautiful wine and new favorite. You better believe a few bottles were tucked away for us to add to our collection.

wine tasting at Saltwater Farm Vineyard

Saltwater Farm is a great stop along a Mystic getaway, and the wines, scenery, and friendly staff make it well worth the visit. Cheers to #WineWednesday!

Tags: chardonnay, Connecticut, rose, rose wine, vineyard, wine, wine travel, Wine Wednesday

There was a lot of South African wine poured along our journey in Tanzania. A lot. The weather was blissfully hot, in the 90s  every afternoon, and after dusty days bumping around in a safari vehicle, all I wanted was a cold glass of South African white wine by the pool. Thankfully, I got my wish pretty much all the time.

Robert's Rock Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay

After four days camping in the Serengeti (more to come on that, lots more) I wanted cold white wine and the pool more than ever before. This Robert’s Rock Chenin Blanc/Chardonnay blend has a little bit of everything I want in a summery white wine. It’s bright with dry mineral notes, flinty, I would say, but with bursts of tropical fruit and a gentle toasty coconut-vanilla finish. For a value wine, there’s a lot going on. This is a great food wine, and as we experienced, a great pool wine.

Ngorogoro Farm Valley Lodge I have always wanted to visit South Africa for a safari and wine tasting, and my time in Tanzania, both my love for the landscape and people and my love for the wine, made South Africa even higher on my must-visit list.

If you could visit any wine region, what would it be?

My other two top wine region trips are Mendoza, Argentina and Sicily.

Tags: chardonnay, chenin blanc, South Africa, South African wine, wine, wine of the week

Next to Sicily, Mendoza and Buenos Aires Argentina are at the tippy top of my travel must-visit list. I love wine from Argentina, and Mendoza looks like heaven from photos I have seen.

Bodega Norton Chardonnay

This week’s Wine of the Week comes from Bodega Norton in Mendoza, and it is a cheerful, bright, and delightfully tart value Chardonnay, perfect for stocking up on and drinking with friends.  This Chardonnay is 100% fermented in stainless steel tanks, meaning it is not at all oaky, and there is no trace of the buttery notes that come with malolactic fermentation. It’s super crisp, light, acidic, and summery with notes of lemon and green apple. It is yummy. It would pair great with seafood or spicy food; we had Afghani food the other night, and I think this would be a perfect match.

Through wines from afar and dreaming of warm travel to places like Argentina, I am trying to stay out of a weather-related funk, but it is hard. Are you as over the snow as I am, if you are stuck in an area that’s been hard hit?

Tags: Argentina, chardonnay, Mendoza, value wine, white wine, wine, wine of the week, wine tasting, Wine Wednesday

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