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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.

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.

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!

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.

Aragosta 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.

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.

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 of the Week: Biltmore Estate Brut Sparkling Wine

September 28, 2016 in Travel, wine by traveleatlove | 1 comment

On our recent trip to Asheville, we ran out of time to visit the Biltmore Estate and decided to definitely save it for our next trip. We’d heard from many people that it takes at least a few hours to tour properly, and with the extreme heat we enjoyed, we figured we would also have needed to build in rest breaks.

That didn’t stop me from tasting Biltmore wine, however. (You know me better than that!)

Before we checked into our house rental, we made a stop at the local grocery store to stock up on breakfast items and celebratory drinks. I was so excited to see that they sold Biltmore Estate Brut Sparkling Wine. Did you know that the Biltmore Estate has America’s most visited winery?

With the Estate being involved in so many things, I wasn’t sure what to expect of the wine. This sparkling wine was made in the traditional Champagne method, and as such had those yeasty, bread-y notes that I love in Champagne, along with notes of honey, vanilla, and citrus. Lots of tiny bubbles and a celebratory spirit made this wine one that will most definitely stand out in my Asheville memories and makes me want to do a full tasting experience at Biltmore. The tasting notes say it pairs well with seafood, but as a brunch drink, we paired it with salty bacon and eggs. Bacon and bubbly has become my favorite pairing as of late, and I look forward to the weekend for an excuse to enjoy the two.

The Biltmore Estate also has a marathon on property that I may or may not have considered over the past couple of years. . . We’ll wait until after Chicago to see about that!

Tags: Asheville, bubbly, sparkling wine, Travel, wine, wine of the week

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!’

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.