North Fork

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Wow is the word for this wine. Earlier in the week we debated on whether or not to open one of our beautiful new white or rose wines and decided against it because it was cold, windy, and raw. We reached into our cellar and found one of the last bottles from our North Fork Long Island wine trip, a 2008 Merlot from Lenz..  It was a very good choice, but now I want more.

Lenz Merlot

Garnet in color, this wine is a rare gem, with round bursts of black and overripe plum, a little bit of dust, earth, and black pepper. It is absolutely delicious. It’s the kind of wine to help that transition between winter and reluctant spring, and it would be perfect with a slow cooked meal like pulled pork or a hearty soup.

If you have read this blog in the past couple of years, you know I love Long Island wine and wine country, especially this time of year. For information on a spectacular North Fork Long Island wine country getaway, check out some of these posts from the archives:

Greenport, NY – Harborfront Inn, Noah’s, and Blue Canoe

Cross Sound Ferry to the North Fork – a delightful way to travel for a weekend getaway from the Boston area

Kontokosta Winery

Wine Tasting in Long Island – Sparkling Pointe, Shinn Vineyards, and Croteaux

Harbes Farm

Touring and Tasting at the Beautiful Bedell Cellars

Tags: Greenport, Long Island, merlot, North Fork, Travel, wine, wine blog, wine of the week

I sometimes think that if it wasn’t for this blog, I wouldn’t remember half of the things we do in a year. I love going back and being able to remember exactly what we did, ate, and saw during a certain time of year. It’s been the most consistent journal I have had in my adult life, and hopefully making it public has been entertaining and informative to others! As I sat down to start writing this post, I thought to myself that we didn’t do too much in 2014, but going back made me realize what a full year it was from the very start and just how much good happened.

2014 was an interesting year. We spent a large chunk of it legally chasing after a shady plumber who took lots and lots of money and did a hack job on our house. We hoped to leave that in 2014, but the legal system had other ideas. You can really get away with anything if you’re slimy enough, we’ve learned. If you’re looking for a plumber in the Boston area, feel free to contact me so you know who NOT to choose.

That situation has been tough, but this year has been about so much more. We saw our families a ton, with two visits to Ireland and multiple guests from Ireland, as well as a nice long visit from New Jersey family and lots of short trips there. We got to help out in our first Sonoma grape harvest, had many boat dates, and genuinely grew closer to many great people in our lives. It was a full, rich year, and we have so many memories to be thankful for.

Below are some of my Best of 2014 moments in food and travel. Please share one of yours in the comments!

 

Aniar –  My belated birthday dinner in Galway was definitely the best meal of the year. Service, ambiance, and local Irish ingredients make it easy to see why this restaurant has a Michelin star. How many ways can I tell you to get yourself to Galway, then go to Aniar?

Aniar Galway

 

Red Fish Grill, Coral Gables, Florida – We kicked off 2014 with a trip to Miami. With the winter we had, it turned out we needed every second of warm sunshine we soaked up while there. We stayed at the Sonesta in Coconut Grove (highly recommended, full disclosure, I work for Sonesta Hotels.)

Red Fish Grill

 

Owenmore Restaurant at Ballynahinch Castle – You know how I feel about the Irish countryside, if you’ve been reading for any amount of time. There is an indescribable beauty and sense of calm; it changes me in the best ways ever. We got to spend a day in the country, followed by a delicious dinner and overnight at Ballynahinch Castle, a place my husband’s family has been visiting for years. They knew so many people it felt like home, and I will always remember relaxing by the fire into the wee hours of St. Patrick’s Day morning.

Ballynahinch Castle

Ballynahinch Castle Owenmore Restaurant

 

Wine Country Weekend Lunch at Davis Family Vineyards – A year is not complete without a visit to Sonoma County. Through blogging about wine and travel, I have met some great people and had amazing opportunities, and this year was no different. We kicked off this wine country trip with a glorious wine lunch at Davis Family Vineyards. Sonoma Wine Country weekend has so many great events (including our starlit night of dancing at Rodney Strong), and I would definitely recommend checking one or two out if you happen to be there during the events.

Davis Family wine

 

Sonoma sunset

 

The Girl and the Fig and all the Sonoma County wine tasting – Okay, pretty much every moment of our Sonoma trip was my favorite. This post summed up some of the food and wine experiences we had in Napa and Sonoma. Our Flipkey wine country cottage is really worth checking out too.

Girl and the Fig, Sonoma

Travel to Long Island Wine Country – From tasting by the ocean in the beautiful Kontokosta Winery tasting room to chilling out at Noah’s in Greenport, having copious quantities of oysters and bubbly at the Blue Canoe, and feeling at home at Bedell Cellarsour getaway to the North Fork was one of my favorite weekends of 2014.  The North Fork is so easy to get to from Boston, and we are definitely planning a 2015 visit.

Kontokosta Winery, North Fork

As we look back at 2014, we are planning our 2015 travel, including the biggest trip of our lives. . . a 12 day safari in Tanzania! I have been to Africa once before (Tunisia during college), but this is going to be very different. Sleeping in a tent amongst lions and elephants and other animals? SO exciting and so very far out of my nerve-laden comfort zone! It will definitely be an adventure!

 

Your turn – what was your favorite food/travel moment of 2014? Do you have any 2015 travel plans or dreams?

Tags: best of, California, cocktails, Connemara, Dining out, Food, Ireland, North Fork, Sonoma, Travel, wine, wine country

Let’s take it back to the North Fork of Long Island for this Wine Wednesday, shall we? The Wine of the Week is perfect for a tailgate, and since it’s that time of year, even though I don’t watch football, I can play along with football food and drink, especially if it includes good wine.

Our summer felt like it began in April when we visited the North Fork  for some wine tasting. We got to spend time by the sea and at farms and at wineries; it was exactly the tone I wanted our summer to have, and we succeeded.

Castello di Borghese Merlot

We took a really fun winery tour at one of Long Island’s oldest wineries, Castello di Borghese, where we got to see where the wine is made and stored as well as where the grapes were grown. We also got to take away some beautiful dried lavender, an inspiration for my own gardening. We recently cracked open a 2010 Reserve Merlot from Castello di Borghese, and we were speechless. Time had passed since our trip, and we had forgotten how beautiful this wine is. It’s super velvety smooth and elegant, exhibiting notes of berry and cocoa, perfect for sipping slowly and pairing with food like a chipotle chocolate chili or a really good BBQ. See? I told you I could bring wine country to football food.

Castello di Borghese

Castello di Borghese is a must-visit winery on the North Fork; if you find yourself planning a trip definitely leave yourself some extra time to be sure you take the tour and taste through all of their wines. I think a North Fork trip would be perfect in the fall, with fewer crowds, cozy fireplaces, and lovely foliage. I just wish I had more free weekends for all of the fall travel I want to do!

Happy Wine Wednesday!

Tags: Long Island, Long Island wine, merlot, North Fork, wine, wine of the week, wine tasting, Wine Wednesday

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