A Woman On WineWine Educator Lisa Cunningham shares her thoughts on wine, and everything gourmet.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99602752006-03-16T21:24:40ZBlogger
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trueEditor2006-03-16T02:09:00-05:002006-03-16T21:24:40Z2006-03-16T07:12:41Ztag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9960275.post-114249316183145253The Tasting Season is Upon Us!It’s that time of year again when the calendar is full of trade tastings and other wine related events. I just received my forms for the 2006 <a href="http://www.in.gov/iwc/about/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Indiana State Fair</span> <span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Wine Competition</span></a>. This is one of the largest wine competitions in the United States and I have been privileged to be a judge for the last 6 years. It’s a great opportunity to taste wines from all over the world and to talk with other “wine people”. Last year we tasted almost 3700 wines from more than 17 different countries. I’m looking forward to this year’s competition.<br />This past Monday I attended the <a href="http://www.nwscorp.com/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">National Wine & Spirirts</span></a> Spring Wine Trade Tasting at <a href="http://www.themontage.info/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">The Montage</span></a> which is a beautiful catering facility in Castleton, <a href="http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/indiana_map.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Indiana</span></a>. Lots of great wine and great food. I found a few things for my wine list at <a href="http://www.oakleysbistro.com/pages/1/index.htm" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">OAKLEYS bistro</span></a> and got the chance to see some old friends. One of the wineries that I really enjoyed was <a href="http://www.cherryhillwinery.com/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Cherry Hill</span></a>. The winery is located in the <a href="http://www.gonorthwest.com/Oregon/willamette/Willamette_Valley.htm" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Willamette Valley</span></a> in Oregon; home to some of the best <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_noir" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Pinot Noir</span></a> in the continental U.S.. I chose the <a href="http://www.puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/papillons.htm" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Papillon</span></a> Pinot Noir. The label sports a picture of the winery owner’s dog, Daisy.<br /><a href="http://www.awomanonwine.com/uploaded_images/_MG_0633%5b1%5d.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.awomanonwine.com/uploaded_images/_MG_0633%5b1%5d.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.cherryhillwinery.com/people.shtml" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Mike Sweeney</span></a>, the winery owner was there to pour and talk about his wines. It’s one of the greatest things about these trade tastings. You get first hand information about the weather, the crop, the<span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)"> </span><a href="http://www.thewinemerchantinc.com/educational/Blending.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">blending techniques</span></a>, etc. for a specific vintage. As I have said many times before, I love the family owned and operated wineries. When they put their name on the label, they must be proud of what’s in the bottle.<br />Another new discovery was the <a href="http://www.goldschmidtvineyards.com/brands/ff/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Forefathers</span></a> wines. This is part of the <a href="http://www.goldschmidtvineyards.com/home.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Goldschmidt Vineyards</span></a> owned by Nick Goldschmidt, executive winemaker for <a href="http://www.allieddomecq.com/en/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Allied Domecq</span></a>. The Forefathers wines are, in essence, the best of the best. They have a <a href="http://www.cellarnotes.net/sauvignon_blanc_grape.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Sauvignon Blanc</span></a> from a 19 acre block of vineyards in <a href="http://www.destination.co.nz/marlborough/wine_&_food/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Marlborough, New Zealand</span></a>. This is one of the most highly regarded regions for that particular varietal. The other wines are a <a href="http://www.winediva.com.au/grapes/shiraz.asp" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Shiraz</span></a> from a 15 acre vineyard in <a href="http://www.vinodiversity.com/mclaren-vale.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Maclaren Vale, Australia</span></a> and a <a href="http://www.cellarnotes.net/cabernet_sauvignon_grape.html" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Cabernet Sauvignon</span></a> from a 5.5 acre plot in the Alexander Valley in <a href="http://www.napavalley.com/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Napa</span></a>, California. We had a chance to have John Helfrick, director of sales and marketing for Goldschmidt Vineyards and Forefathers in the restaurant for a wine tasting with our guests. Thanks, John!<br />Next on the calendar is the Pinnacle “New Wineries” tasting at the end of this month. The tasting is to be held at the <a href="http://www.iyc.bz/" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: rgb(255,153,255)">Indianapolis Yacht Club</span></a>. I’m looking forward to this one. Hopefully, I’ll find some new favorites.<br />Bottom Line:<br />Research in the wine world means taste, taste, taste and then taste some more!<br /><br />L. Cunningham<br />A Woman on Winefalse