wine tasting

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Austrian wine goes so very well with Summer, and at a recent Rosé tasting at the Wine Bottega in Boston, I discovered a new favorite Austrian wine, 2013 Mittelbach Rosé of Zweigelt.

Mittelbach rose

Zweigelt is such a fun grape, and I am always happy to see it. In this wine, a popping pink color makes way for notes of tart cherries and minerals. It’s a nice and dry Rosé; people don’t believe me when I talk about this, but there are obviously a lot of Rosé wines that are not White Zinfandel (Thank God.).

While I often think of Zweigelt as a winter grape, the Rosé is all Summer, and it paired perfectly with a lobster dinner. I can’t get enough lobster and steamers this Summer. I think the Winter seriously scarred me this year, and I am trying to soak up the season in any way possible.

steamed lobster

What’s your wine of this week?

Tags: Austria, Austrian wine, rose, wine, wine blog, wine of the week, wine tasting, Wine Wednesday, Zweigelt

The Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts is a place I lived for four years, and going back is always a little like going home. While we live in the city, I long to live out in the country (preferably near a coast, ahem, Sonoma). Weekends away in the country are so incredibly rejuvenating, and on our 4th of July trip to the Berkshires, we spent some time in Southampton and Northampton, Massachusetts.

While on a wine trail event a couple of years ago, I tasted wine from Black Birch Vineyards, fell in love with the wine, and have been thinking about it ever since. Luckily we had plenty of time for a slow ride back from Lenox, and we found ourselves gazing out at the Pioneer Valley countryside with glasses of wine in hand, wanting to spend the day there.

Southampton, Mass

Black Birch Vineyards is a small winery and tasting room, surrounded by rolling green hills, vineyards, and horses. The countryside around the vineyard is jaw-dropping, and the wines at Black Birch are as well.

Southampton, Massachusetts

Before and after our wine tasting, we stretched our legs and soaked up the sun by wandering around the area.

Black Birch Vineyard

Black Birch Vineyard

Once we decided to go inside the tasting room, we went straight for wines by the glass, which we took outside and enjoyed on the Adirondack chairs and while checking out the vines. Sipping wine in Adirondack chairs is becoming quite the habit of ours.

Traminette

I came to Black Birch Vineyards for their Cabernet Franc; it’s a favorite grape of mine, and it grows well in places like Long Island and areas of Massachusetts. The Cab Franc at Black Birch has the perfect amount of peppery spice and earthy funk, dried leaves, and a hint of dark berries. It is a beautiful wine.

A new favorite we discovered was the Traminette, a grape that I don’t think I have had before. I am simply in love with this wine. It’s full of rich honey notes but also has nice orange and pineapple notes, the perfect amount of acidity, and a weight that makes you want to swish it around in your mouth. It’s a great summer wine because of the acidity, but the richness means it would lend itself to going well with fall dishes.

Black Birch Vineyard

Black Birch Vineyard

Our visit to Black Birch Vineyards was pure bliss and another reminder that Massachusetts can make great wine. If you’re in the Western part of the state, I definitely recommend a visit!

Tags: Massachusetts, Massachusetts travel, Massachusetts wine, tasting room series, vineyards, wine, wine bars, wine tasting, winery

Still floating along on the great memories (and bubbles) from our North Fork wine tasting trip, we find ourselves trying to relive it with sips of wines we picked up along the journey. As I wrote before, our afternoon at Kontokosta was simply amazing and so memorable, from the scenery to the wines to the people we met. We’ve been slowly opening the bottles of wine we purchased that day, choosing special at home date nights to sit and savor.

One of those nights was the perfect night for grilling and chilling. We sat on the patio, grilled some salmon with BBQ spices, and pulled the cork on a bottle of 2010 Merlot from Kontokosta.

Kontokosta Merlot

Merlot is SO great for barbecues. This wine’s soft, fruity notes open up to become more intense, think stewed cherries and blackberries, with a little bit of herbs and spice mixed in. These fruit and spice notes pair very well with the smoky flavor of grilled meats basted in sweet, spicy, sticky sauces. We drank this Merlot after it had been chilled in the wine fridge, then popped in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Merlot can be great with a little bit of a chill, making it fit right in at your Summer feast.

What wines or 4th of July cocktails do you plan on serving up?

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

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