Orchid Cellar Winery was one of our stops on our winery/meadery/cidery/brewery tour over Memorial Day weekend.  When we pulled into the driveway of Orchid Cellar we thought we had made a wrong turn as we approached someone’s home.  Nope!  We were in the right spot.  Their tasting room is right inside the rear entrance to the home and gave it a nice warm, welcoming atmosphere as we were guided through the winery’s tasty offerings.  The mother/son duo were incredibly knowledgable and hospitable during our visit.  Their dog even came out to say hello and play a bit.

Winery Background:
“Orchid Cellar Winery is located in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains in Middletown, MD just between Frederick and Hagerstown. With a few acres under vines, the view here is picturesque. At Orchid Cellar, we are focused on bringing history and tradition together with innovative ideas and technologies to produce the finest quality wines, producing Maryland’s premier meads and traditional Merlots.”

Tasting Notes:
A beautifully deep, golden color, this mead, or more specifically, honey apple wine, greets you with strong aromas of fresh honey and peppery spices.  I think Lumberjack is the perfect name for this because the flavors twist themselves together into a soothing woodsy flavor.  The first tastes that come across are of honey with a slight hint of apple before being taken over by a spicy warming taste and sensation.  Usually meads are way too sweet for me after about a half a glass, but the spiciness of this one definitely helps to balance that out.  At 16-18% it packs a pretty powerful punch and is definitely made for sipping.  Being bottled in 375ml bottles also encourages a more relaxed enjoyment.

This would be best enjoyed on a cold evening in front of a fire.  Perhaps even after a long day of lumberjacking…is that even a word?  Well, you know what I mean.  This would be best paired with cuddling since it gives the warm snuggly feeling on the inside. This would also be really good for a sore throat or the onset of a cold.  You know…in case  you were looking for a medicinal excuse to enjoy something different!

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “Fetch me a flannel shirt and an axe!  Or at least build me a fire and pour me a glass.” Would I buy it again? I’m glad I picked up that second bottle.

Final Grade: A-

Alright, last night was an epic wine FAIL.  How?  See my previous post about the Stella Rosa Sparkling Red.  Follow that up with the bottle of 2007 Weingut Jager Achleiten Wachau White Table Wine that I opened.  What was wrong with this you ask?  I carefully cut away the foil to expose a giant clump of mold now acting as a cork.  I was hoping maybe it was just the top of the cork that had been exposed and that the contents of the bottle were still intact.  No, no no…no no no no…I attempted to put the corkscrew in and the whole cork, or what was left of it, just disintegrated into the bottle.    After that fail I opened up a miscellaneous chardonnay that was so meh it’s not even worth mentioning.

So what is this fixing a fail with a win I speak of?  Well, my shitty wine night paired with my new friends at Naked Wines equals free wine for you!  How?  The first 3 people to comment on this post will win a $50 gift card to Naked Wines!  (Gift card good for $50 off a minimum $51 wine purchase with $9.99 shipping for orders under $100.)  So get to commenting!  And don’t worry, if you don’t win this time around there will be more giveaways in the future!

In other news, I will be volunteering with Terrapin Station Winery this Saturday, September 21st, at the Maryland Wine Festival.  So if you’re headed to the festival stop by and say hi!

Wine Club Notes:

Year in and year out, one of the most popular wines among Vinesse club members is Stella Rosa.

That’s why we secure a supply each time a new bottling is released.  Stella Rosa is grown near the beautiful village of Santo Stefano Belbo in the Piedmont region of Italy.  There, it’s crafted into a bright and refreshing sparkling wine.

Many people are surprised to learn that sparkling wine is made in Italy, and they’re downright shocked when they hear about a red sparkler from Italy.  The northern Piedmont is the sparkling wine capital of Italy, its cool climate being conducive to growing the grape varieties that make good sparklers.

This is the home of Stella Rosa, a red sparkler meant to be served well chilled and enjoyed with fresh fruit, cheese or brunch fare.  Not as “bubbly” as French Champagne, its effervescence is no less enjoyable, and the wine is simply delightful to drink.  No wonder our members love it so much.

Grape composition: 100% Stella Rosa

Grape Source: Santo Stefano Belbo Area of Italy’s Piedmont Region

Aromas and Flavors: Pomegranate, Crisp Red Pear and a Note of Apple-Rhubarb Pie

My Thoughts:

Ok, I’ll be honest, I blindly reached into the back of the fridge hoping to pull out a Pinot Grigio or a Riesling.  I forgot I had this back there.  So when I opened this my immediate reaction was, “shit, how did a bottle of red end up in the fridge?  Dammit.”  Thinking maybe I thought it was a rose or something I looked closer and this definitely poured a beautifully dark ruby color.  Oh what is that?  Bubbles?  Hmm…interesting.  I wasn’t expecting that.  Alright, maybe this won’t be a complete fail.  And then the first sip, that magical first sip where my immediate thoughts were, “what bubbly fucking Kool-aid bullshit is this?”  Nope, I was not impressed.  Even though I was expecting something totally different, my palate was not braced for this.  I glance at the bottle again where the words “semi-sweet” taunted me.  No, just no.  There are plenty of semi-sweet wines that I find drinkable.  This is most definitely not one of them.

Perhaps if it were 97 degrees out and I was at a party in someone’s backyard I could…no…not even then.  Nope.  Sorry.  The syrupy sweetness is just too much for me.  If super sweet red wines are your thing, then by all means, grab a bottle, make some french toast, throw some fresh fruit on that, and enjoy.  Will I judge you for drinking the sparkling red wine equivalent of Juicy Juice?  Absolutely.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “It tastes like a fizzy over-sugared children’s drink and it makes my teeth feel fuzzy.” Would I buy it again? NO.  Just…no.  And if someone ever got this for me as a gift I’d immediately assume they hate me.

Final Grade: C-

So my friend Frankie and I decided to make this past Saturday “-ery” day. We hit a cidery, meadery, winery and brewery. Ok, well Gordon Biersch is technically a “brew pub,” but they make beer, therefore, a brewery.  I’ll give you a brief rundown of our day and will have more in-depth product reviews coming later.

Our first stop was Distillery Lane Ciderworks (www.distillerylaneciderworks.com) where we took a self-guided tour of the orchard.  We were immediately bumped up to VIP status when our self-guided tour turned into a fully guided tour by the director of orchard security, Ruby.  Ruby is a Jack Russell Terrier who is in charge of keeping away deer and other critters from the apple trees.

In the shadow of the Appalaichian Trail, the cidery is home to over 40 varieties of European cider apples, heritage, and other hard-to-find apples.  They produce sparkling, still and premium hard ciders.

Did you know, that prior to prohibition, all ciders had an alcohol content?  During prohibition “ciders” were produced without alcohol.  Before prohibition they were just called “juice.”

Our next stop was Orchid Cellar (www.orchidcellar.com) which was a short drive from out first stop of the day.  We were greeted warmly by a loving black labrador retriever just before a hearty hello from the winery/meadery’s tasting crew for the day.

A fine producer of mead and Merlot, enjoy the meticulous recreation of some old family recipes using modern knowledge of chemistry and microbiology only to understand the process of winemaking, not to interfere with it.

Who would have thought that mead recipes from thousands of years ago would still be mindblowingly delicious?!

After stopping for lunch we took a quick detour through Old Town Frederick, which is a charming little part of Frederick, MD with an abundance of cute little shops and restaurants.  As we were parking we spotted a wine shop called Spin The Bottle (www.spinthebottlewinecompany.com).  I mean, how can you pass by a wine shop with such a cute name?

We knew we had wandered into the right place when we walked in and a mere 27 seconds later we were asked by the shop’s owner, “Are you thirsty?  I have some wines to taste.”  Our response in unison was of course, “yes!”  To which he replied, “Good!  And I think I’ll join you in the tastings.”  Aside from a fantastic wine selection, there was also an entire room dedicated to craft beers.

Our next stop was Viniferous (www.viniferous.co), also located in downtown Frederick.  We walked in to a huge area with hundreds of styles of wine from wall to wall.  We were welcomed by the owner and a moment later a tall long haired gentleman, who I now refer to as Wine Jesus, emerged from the back room and invited us back for a tasting of some beer and wines he had chosen to sample for the day.

I chose a bottle of Malbec that needed to come home with me before we left Viniferous. If you find yourself wandering Market St. in Frederick, MD definitely pop in and say hi.  They are ridiculously knowledgeable.

The last major stop on our tour for the day was The Winery at Olney (www.thewinderyatolney.com) where Dale expertly guided us through our round of tastings…and our second round of tastings…  A tasting here consists of choosing 5 wines from their list of 54984651.  Ok…it was a list of 25, but still, it was a lot to choose from and I was suffering from wine choice overload.

Frankie is friends with the owners of Noni Bacca Winery (www.nbwinery.com) in Wilmington, NC, who helped open The Winery at Olney.  So in a six degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way she was kind of a big deal when we got there.  She struck up a conversation with their winemakers while Dale helped us work our way through their extensive tasting list.

Such a fun little place and who would have thought that a winery in a strip mall could produce such fantastic wines!  Definitely a neat place to stop by if you are passing though, or if you live locally and you’re doing your grocery shopping go ahead and take a stroll across the parking lot and grab yourself a glass of goodness before finishing the day’s errands.

Notes from the Winemaker:
The quintessential red wine grape from Spain, Tempranillo (temp-rah-NEE-yo), the little early one, adapts well to varied growing conditions. We think of this Tempranillo as Pinot Noir in blue jeans.

Tasting Notes
Intense ruby red colour with violet-blue undertones characteristic of young red wines. This is a classic Tempranillo, showing intense flavors of earth, plums and violets over a hint of orange peel. It is full and luscious in the palate, rich in ripe fruits and fine tannins, with a great balance and lingering finish.

Food Pairings
Tapeña Tempranillo is truly a food-friendly wine pairing well with a broad spectrum of dishes. Try it with paella, grilled lamb skewers, garlic prawns and broiled salmon.

Accolades
Best Buy – Wine Enthusiast, July 2012
Gold Medal – 2011 Monterey Wine Competition

Analysis
Appellation: Tierra de Castilla, Spain

Composition: 100% Tempranillo
Acidity: 3.3 g/L
Alcohol: 14%
Vintage: 2011
– See more at: http://www.tapenawines.com/tempranillo-spanish-wines.html#sthash.EtkkBuM6.dpuf

My thoughts:
I was surprised at the deep deep red of this wine as I poured it. So dark I couldn’t see my fingers wrapped around the opposite side of the glass. I took a deep sniff and was greeted with a strong yet pleasant blend of super ripe grapes, spices, plums and a slight hint of citrus. The first sip brought…hang on…the first couple of sips….wait a minute…the first half a glass had strong notes of freshly picked fruits with a hint of…give me a second…what is that?! I can’t quite figure out what that lingering flavor is in the finish. But it has a very flavorful finish that lingers without being overpowering.

I initially paired this with penne in a homemade summer vegetable sauce. Freshly picked zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, fresh garlic and extra virgin olive oil with a touch of cane sugar. When I finished off the bottle I found it also paired well with some Tangy Zangy Twisties – Sour Wild Fruit Gummy candy. Judge all you want. I love gummy candy.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “It still bothers me that I can’t quite pinpoint those last couple of flavors, but this is quite tasty and easy to drink. A little bold for the beginning red wine drinker, but for someone who is rapidly learning to love reds, a definite try.” Would I buy it again? I’d pick up another bottle.

Final Grade: A-

Wine Club Notes:

Wine Club Notes:
When we think about Spanish wines, we most commonly think “red.”

But Spain produces some very tasty white wines as well, including the 2011 Macabeo from La Villa Real. It’s a wine that the winemaker for La Villa Real particularly loves. “We select our best Macabeo grapes from our oldest vineyard to make this smooth, long and aromatic wine,” he tells us. “Simply, we make this special wine with all our love and knowledge so people can enjoy an excellent and traditional wine from Spain.”

The processes and procedures include night harvesting, a slow fermentation, aging in stainless steel vats to protect the delicate fruit flavors, and a gentle filtering to preserve the nuances of the grapes, the vintage and the winemaker’s style. The finished wine pairs perfectly with seafood paella, Manchego cheese, and white-meat chicken. It’s a delightful bottling that just may make you think differently about the wines of Spain.

My Thoughts:

After an extremely busy and exhausting weekend and a Monday at work that felt like an eternity, I was ready to come home, reach into the wine section of the fridge (which encompasses the lower third of my refrigerator) and pull out something satisfying, yet light in flavor and aroma. It’s been a long day, I have no desire to deal with anything over complex.

Blindly grabbing the first bottle my hands came across proved to me a successful gamble. I glanced at the bottle before uncorking and noticed the soft, subtle, pale blonde color of the wine. I decided that so far, visually, this wine would suit my needs for the evening. I poured the first glass and was able to detect very subtle hints of pineapple and citrus aromas along with maybe a slight hint of apple. I can’t really nail that last aroma down. I let the first sip roll around in my mouth for a few seconds to see if I could pick out the different flavors. The only flavor that immediately hit me was a strongly metallic/acidic blend with a hint of pineapple in there somewhere. It isn’t necessarily a bad flavor combination, but I think I expected a more fruit forward wine. Served well chilled it is definitely refreshing and doesn’t leave any sort of heavy aftertaste.

The more I sip on this the more I feel like this wine would really be complimented by food. A sharp cheddar with grapes and garlicky crackers, or a light fish or chicken with a mango salsa would really help to bring out the flavors. I’m thinking some pan seared scallops with grilled pineapple would be perfect with this. Neither the wine or the food would over power the other or be entirely reliant on the other, but perfectly compliment the subtlety of flavors each had to offer.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole bottle” I would give this a “I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. I can’t decide if I like it. Let me pour myself another half glass or so to decide…” Would I buy it again? Eh, probably not, but I wouldn’t totally count it out. Maybe if I was going to make scallops with grilled pineapple…

Final Grade: B

Hold on haters. Before you get all judgey about boxed wines sip on this: At least 50% of wine produced and/or sold in Australia comes in a box. I mean what is there to hate? Cheaper to box vs. bottle. Better for the environment. Cheaper to ship/transport. More comes in a box. It doesn’t break if you drop it. Better wines are getting boxed now! Did I mention cheap? 5L in a box…that’s 5 bottles of wine for $12.99 – $14.99. Just saying…

Notes from the box:

A new beginning – Teresa Franzia, my grandmother, planted her first vineyard along the road to Yosemite in 1906. Her family survived Prohibition by selling these grapes to home winemakers back East.
When prohibition ended, my father and his six brothers and sisters rebuilt the winery brick by brick, barrel by barrel… everyone pitched in. After the war, my uncle’s new advertising slogan, “Make Friends with Franzia,” introduced a new generation to wine.
As we enter our second century of winemaking, we strive to uphold Teresa’s legacy of quality, freshness and value. Not just by winning competitions around the world but more importantly, by helping to bring the enjoyment of good wine to your home each night.
Franzia’s box goes on to boast that they are “the world’s most cost and carbon efficient wine.” They are 50% more carbon efficient than 750ml glass bottles. Lighter than heavy glass bottles, Franzia “WineTaps” require fewer trucks to deliver the same amount of wine resulting in less emissions, less pollution, less cost and less greenhouse gasses. (*Boxed wine allows for more room for packaging notes. So much more room for activities!)

My Notes:

There is nothing quite like opening up a brand new box of wine and tapping that first glass. It’s like embarking on the first steps of an epic journey. A nice light straw color greets you as you approach the lightly aromatic wine. Nothing overly powerful or immediately discernable, but a pleasant aroma, as you go in for the first sip. Perfectly chilled, you are greeted with a smooth, crisp blend of…well…crisp white. I think that’s the beauty of this wine. It’s simple, refreshing and requires zero thought to enjoy.

Modify it! Don’t be scared. It averages out to be about $3 for a 750ml bottle. That’s cheaper than a beer out at a bar. Throw some frozen grapes in there! Maybe a couple of strawberry slices. Hell, throw an ice cube in it. It’s great extra cold. No one is going to get offended if you “personalize” it. It’s not a $180 Cabernet Franc or anything.

My recommendation? Half a glass of Franzia Crisp White with a half a glass of San Pellegrino Limonata. Yes, the sparkling water with 18% lemon juice. Don’t be cheap and get the lemon flavored Perrier. That’s just disgusting. I mean come on now, splurge a little. You already paid next to nothing for the wine. They have other flavors too that are fantastic, but I’m drinking the limonata right now. Holy mother of (insert deity of choice here) that is tasty and refreshing! It’s like a white wine Radler! If you aren’t familiar with Radlers it’s beer mixed with sparkling lemonade and popular in Germany. I highly suggest reading this post for a more detailed explanation of my most recent beer fixation: http://thewinegetter.com/2013/05/16/radler-the-solution-to-my-beer-dilemma/

This wine pairs well with some good spicy Indian food, good company and funny movies. I had the pleasure of all three when I opened up this box. It would also compliment chicken and shellfish dishes as well as grilled veggies and a backyard gathering.

On a scale of “this tastes like piss” to “oops, I just drank the whole box” I would give this a “Katie and I put a serious hurt on this box the night we opened it. I’d maybe say we killed half of it. I like to think this wine went over well.” Would I buy it again? I’d keep this on standby/regular rotation especially during the summer months.

Final Grade: A (bonus points for customizability)