Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Warwick Vally Winery & Distillery

It was a beautiful day last Saturday for the Pasta Primo Vino event, a far cry from last years rain. Our first stop was Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery. They have done some renovations to the winery and bakery area since last year. The big doors leading out to the patio were open giving the outdoor café feel.

We tasted tasted 5 wines during our visit here. The first was a Merlot, which was also used in the pasta dish. This Merlot was crafted from 100% Merlot grapes which were picked at peak ripeness. It was then aged in French Oak for 24 months. We felt it was a light bodied wine with hints of cherry and cassis.

We then tasted the Riesling. This Riesling had a wonderful floral nose with hints of apple and pear. It was a Semi-sweet wine with a light mineral finish. These types of wines go great with spicy food. I like them with Thai food.

Next up was the Black Dirt Blush. This was grape jelly in a glass. If you grew up with Welches or Smuckers grape jelly, this smell of this wine will bring you back to your childhood. These grapes were made from the Vincent and Delaware grapes.

Then it was onto the Hard Cider…Doc’s Hard Cider… I’ve had the Apple before, which is very good, so I decided to try something different. I tried the Black Currant Cider and Paul tried the Pear Cider. The Pear Cider was very dry. It is made from Bartlett and Bosc pears. The Black Currant Cider is made from pressed NYS apples and fermented with Champagne yeast and local black currants. Both ciders are very good and will quench your thirst on a hot summers day.

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