wine tasting

You are currently browsing articles tagged wine tasting.

Travel Tuesday: Santa Maria La Palma Sardinian Wine Tasting

October 18, 2016 in events, Tasting Room Series, wine by traveleatlove | 2 comments

You may have noticed that I tend to like boats and wine quite a bit. A few weeks ago, I got to spend the afternoon on a Stellar Yacht Charters yacht as a guest of Santa Maria La Palma wine.

Santa Maria La Palma is out of Sardinia, a dream travel destination of mine, and it was fun to combine their delicious wine, my wanderlust, and our beautiful Boston Harbor for a day of wine tasting and education with a fun group of people.

wine cruise

Front and center we have Igor, who was in Boston representing Santa Maria La Palma. He was charming and knowledgeable and so passionate about the wines.

wine and food pairing

  The boat itself was appointed with classic luxurious detail, and the crew was phenomenal. A huge spread of food for pairing with the wines was available to us, including lots of seafood like sushi, mussels, and shrimp, perfect with wines from Sardinia.

We were treated to quite the lineup of wines, mostly white and rosato, one red, all special and memorable and celebratory. The primary grapes making up the wines were Vermentino and Cannonau, which grow very well in Sardinia and reflect the island’s terroir in every sip. We all remarked that we wished we had these wines in front of us all summer long, but that they’re also perfect for sunshine and island dreaming throughout the winter.

What did we taste? You’ll see below the full lineup on the tasting sheet. I of course left my notes behind, but I most definitely had a few favorites.

wine tasting

 

Aragosta Vino Spumante  Brut NV– Sparkling wine from Sardinia is a treat and might be replacing some of the other sparkling wines that often grace our table. One of the things I love about being able to attend wine events like this is the spirit of discovery!

Aragosta Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2015 – Vermentino is fun and flavorful. I got a nice bit of tartness off of this, lemons and Granny Smith apples and would love this wine with oysters. . . or even as part of a granita mignonette on top of oysters!

IMG_8921

Akenta Underwater Spumante Extra Dry – Just check out that bottle! This wine is aged under the sea in water that is part of a national park in Sardinia. Under the pressure of the sea and in the darkness, the bottle grows sea life on it! This was just another fascinating detail and part of the sense of place that these wines brought to the table.

wine bottle with barnacles 

aragostaAragosta  Rosé –  First of all. this wine has a lobster on the bottle and its contents are pink, which made me love it immediately. I know we shouldn’t judge a book bottle by its cover, but for th coastal living obsessed, it just makes a cute addition to a beach or boat party or a beach house themed home.

The wine is delicious, offering up beautiful, strawberry and watermelon note, fruity but not sweet. Summer in a glass and absolutely a new favorite rosé wine.

I also loved the not-pictured La Bombarde Cannonau di Sardegna DOC, a very light red wine with notes of cranberry and light cocoa, light enough for a humid boat day but warm and cozy enough for cooler weather. It would be a great Thanksgiving wine.

stellar yacht charters In addition to the wines being spectacular, the event itself was also really something special and well thought out. It was a small enough group that we all got to chat with each other, and the Captain had a pug named Junior! We had an overcast but warm fall day, lots of delicious food and wine and an opportunity to learn about the gem that Sardinia is for wine production and travel.

wine tasting on a boat

wine event

Boston skyline from a boat Life is good.

Thank you to Cantina Santa Maria La Palma and Wine & Co. for a great day!

Tags: blogging, boating, Boston, events, luxury, luxury travel, Sardinia, wine, wine blog, wine blogger, wine tasting, yachts

Wine Wednesday on the North Fork

July 20, 2016 in Tasting Room Series, Travel, wine by traveleatlove | 3 comments

I’ve covered Sep’s Farm, Little Creek Oysters, and Lavender by the Bay, but I couldn’t wrap up my trip to the North Fork without sharing some photos of two of my favorite North Fork wineries, Bedell Cellars and Kontokosta Winery. I’ve visited both wineries before and was excited to have them on our press trip itinerary.

bedell cellars Our first winery stop was Bedell Cellars, which had its nicely air conditioned tasting room set up for us, a nice bit of relief from the heat outside. I love the Bedell Cellars building and grounds. More photos can be found on my last blog post about the winery.

Bedell Cellars

North Fork wine country

Bedell Cellars

We were a little behind schedule so took a quick few minutes to wander around inside before tasting. I knew I loved Bedell Cellars wines and was excited to taste the latest Taste Rosé blend which was as delightful as past rosé blends. That 55% Cab Franc makes it! I love a rosé of Cab Franc so much, and the North Fork grows some fantastic Cab Franc.

Bedell Cellars

Before we left, I snuck out to the winery porch for a quick photo. How stunning is this space? I could have sat here all day, but we had more North Fork to explore!

Bedell Cellars

Later in the afternoon, we rolled into Kontokosta Winery. The last time I visited Kontokosta it was pouring rain, so arriving with gorgeous blue skies and bright sunshine made for an entirely different experience. The winery building and interior was as beautiful as I remembered, and I was excited to see General Manager Polly again. This time we were also welcomed by Michael Kontokosta, one of the owners of the winery, who was incredibly warm and hospitable.

Kontokosta WineryNorth Fork vineyardKontokosta Winery Michael tasted us through a number of Kontokosta’s wines, and the Viognier and Cab Franc ended up being my favorites. Viognier is another grape that grows beautifully on Long Island. These two grapes really reflect the North Fork terroir. When I open a bottle at home, it’s like I am right back there!’

Kontokosta Winery   Kontokosta Wine

bluff bar Kontokosta With a glass of the Cab Franc (oh so peppery, with notes of earth and dry leaves and dark berries, amazing) in hand, I raced down to the bluff to soak up some sun and snap photos while I sipped my wine. The wine at Kontokosta is outstanding; the views are unforgettable. For someone who loves the sea and wine as much as I do, this place is pretty much heaven.

Kontokosta Winery

IMG_6290

Thank you to Kontokosta and Bedell for hosting our group! I can’t wait for my next trip to the North Fork.

Tags: Long Island wine, Long Island wine country, North Fork, press trip, Travel, travel blogger, wine, wine tasting, Wine Wednesday

South African Wine Tasting with Cape Classics

May 25, 2016 in events, wine by traveleatlove | 3 comments

Well Happy National Wine Day to you! In this space, we like to celebrate that holiday every day, but it’s always nice to have an extra special day to celebrate, don’t you think?

I celebrated wine big time last week at an absolutely beautiful South African wine tasting and Braai with Cape Classics.

What’s a Braai, you ask? It just means a meal cooked over an open fire outdoors or a casual get-together where food is prepared over an open fire outdoors. The Boston Harbor Yacht Club on a breezy but blue-sky day was the perfect location for the Braai, and the wine was definitely flowing.

wine tasting

I drank a lot of South African wine in Tanzania, and South Africa has long been at the top of my wine travel list. In fact, long ago a colleague offered up his vineyard property for our wedding. We decided that logistically it would be impossible for our families to all fly there, but wow was that tempting. . . 

wines of South Africa

This event was a pour-your-own-wine setup with many, many wines to taste. It got crowded fairly quickly, so I focused on just a few, getting to know new favorite wines while taking breaks to enjoy the grilled feast happening outside.

wines of South AfricaExcelsior Chardonnay

Excelsior Chardonnay – Reminded me a little of a lighter, more refreshing Viognier, with peach notes as well as some tart plum and mouthwatering citrusy acidity.

Indaba Sauvignon Blanc

I tried several Indaba wines, including this Sauvignon Blanc and a Chenin Blanc, and I really enjoyed them and their very easy drinking nature. Once I found out the philosophy behind them, I loved them even more:

Indaba wines are crafted in the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest, yet most diverse of the six plant kingdoms. The look and spirit of Indaba reflects both South Africa’s position as a leader in sustainable production and the handcrafted approach found in the country’s art world. A commitment to social responsibility has always been a key part of the Indaba philosophy. A portion of the brand’s global sales is allocated to the Indaba Education Fund, a fully accredited 501c3, which supports early childhood development by providing infrastructure, learning materials and teacher training at schools established for wineland workers’ children.

Indaba wines offer great flavor and value, are bright and fruit-forward, and perfect for festive occasions and with food. Yum.

DMZ Cabernet Rose

DMZ Cabernet Rosé 2015 – Like many of the wines at the tasting, this rosé had some beautiful mineral notes, along with flavors of juicy strawberries, perfect for celebrating summer, of course. These wines, also like many of the others, are a great value.

Kanonkop Pinotage 2013

A Kanonkop vertical tasting of five vintages of Pinotage, along with their exclusive, amazing Black Label was one of the highlights of the tasting. Pinotage is definitely not a grape I am super familiar with, but I want to get to know it more! It’s a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and Kanonkop is a pioneer of making incredible wines with it. Think dark berries, cedar, cocoa. . . perfect for a cool day, though I bet really nice slightly chilled on a warm day as well.

I wish I had taken better notes as I tasted through! Wine tastings are always a juggling act of tasting, note taking, photos, mingling, and in this case, pouring. I need more hands for these events!

Kanonkop Pinotage

Outside of the yacht club, the Braai was ablaze with plenty of meat being cooked for wine tasting attendees. If this is how South African’s do a BBQ, I want to visit even more. The smoky grilled meat paired well with every single wine I tasted. With the whites, the mineral notes played along nicely with the spices and flavors, and wines like the Pinotage had that nice bit of smoke, perfect as a BBQ wine. I also tried a Cabernet Franc that I absolutely fell in love with; so much spice, but I didn’t get a photo or mark it down. Hopefully I will be able to retrace my steps somehow. . .    

Braai Braai

   

The yacht club was a beautiful spot for a wine tasting, combining two of my favorite things in one. The variety of wines was an education for sure, and a yummy one at that. I know I will be seeking out South African wines for summer boating and BBQing.

Thank you to Cape Classics for inviting me to this event and sharing their beautiful portfolio with all of us!

Tags: Boston, Boston blogger. BBQ, events, South Africa, South African wine, wine, wine blog, wine tasting

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera