Border Vines

Issue: Fall/Winter 2009

Author(s): Amy S. Eckert

Ontario’s newest wine appellation — Prince Edward County — has arrived. And the region’s biggest fans are hoping no one notices. Midway between Toronto and Montreal, Prince Edward County has escaped travelers’ notice for years, set off from any expressway and outside the view of passers-by. But food and wine lovers are beginning to discover this emerging destination. Prince Edward County’s rocky, limestone-rich landscape, buffeted by bitter winters and cooled by summer lake breezes, presents challenges ...

Reds and Whites in the Bluegrass

Issue: Fall/Winter 2009

Author(s): Marie Catanese

Here’s an interesting tidbit about the state best known for bourbon and thoroughbreds. Kentucky can claim the nation’s first commercial vineyard and was once a top wine producer. Today that tradition returns and Equus Run Vineyards in tiny Midway, Kentucky , is one of the state’s finest. Fifteen minutes outside Lexington, Equus Run is nestled within 38 acres of rolling hills in the heart of the bluegrass region. Tastings and tours are available Monday through Saturday, and the grounds, including a landsc...

Twelve to Try

Issue: Spring/Summer 2009

Author(s): Kelly Curran

You can do the tour in a day — visiting the wineries of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail and sampling everything from a full-bodied Chambourcin at Hedman Vineyard to a sweet Ruvanesque at Inheritance Valley Vineyard. Only minutes apart, the 12 wineries offer a delicious escape in the hills of southern Illinois . But with a backdrop of the Shawnee National Forest and cozy B&Bs, eateries and antiques shops along the way, the best way to experience the trail is over a long weekend, with time to explore the...

Vinifera Vintages

Issue: Spring/Summer 2009

Author(s): Kelly Curran

In the 1950s, sampling New York wines was nothing to get excited about. The area was known for producing only sparkling and sweet wines, and neither exceedingly well. Cold winters kept more elegant vinifera grapes like Riesling, chardonnay and pinot noir from thriving, much to the dismay of local sophisticated palates. But then he arrived. A Ukrainian immigrant with a Ph.D. in viticulture, Dr. Konstantin Frank came to New York in 1951 and forever changed the wine industry in the eastern United Stat...

Wine and Cheese, Please

Issue: Spring/Summer 2009

Author(s): Marie Catanese

Once used as an equestrian facility, Black Star Farms on Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula is much more than an award-winning winery. The property is a 160-acre agricultural destination complete with an on-site creamery, a summertime farmer’s market and an eight-room, plantation-style B&B tucked away amongst the vineyards and pastures. A bottle of the winery’s house red comes with your room. Wake up to a gourmet breakfast including just-laid eggs, fresh fruit, juices, homemade baked goods and granola, t...

Bellwether Bottles

Issue: Fall/Winter 2008

Author(s): Jenny Pavlasek

We’ve heard of people voting with their feet or their wallets, but this year’s unprecedented presidential race has some using their palates to influence the ballot box. That’s good news for Lynfred Winery in Roselle, Illinois — the state’s oldest and largest continuously operating winery. Lynfred’s 2007 Seyval Blanc is among an elite group of wines from Sen. Barack Obama’s home state that made the cut for the “Road to the White House” list being featured at the trendy Oya Restaurant and Lounge in Washin...

Cracking the Case

Issue: Fall/Winter 2008

Author(s): Meredith Beverstock

Just imagine: It’s a rainy weekend, and you and several strangers have been invited to the secluded home of a famed billionaire, only to find that the relaxing vacation has been upset by a murder — and if the case isn’t solved, you could be next. The plot sounds like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, and the setting a grand manor in the English countryside. However, the mystery lies in territory much closer to home: the rich and vibrant viticulture between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontari...

Nights of Wine and Roses

Issue: Fall/Winter 2008

Author(s): Kathy Witt

With towering, timber-frame construction and a green roof with cupolas designed to evoke Churchill Downs, Elk Creek Vineyards in Owenton, Kentucky , was built to elicit oohs and aahs. And it does. From its massive, three-story stone hearth to its polished wood beams stretching up to vaulted ceilings, the architectural styling of Kentucky’s largest winery rivals that found in Napa Valley. The view is pretty spectacular, too. Established in 2003, Elk Creek’s rural property (an hour’s drive from Lexington ...

Pasta With a Twist

Issue: Fall/Winter 2008

Author(s): Amy S. Eckert

Each year on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, satiated diners abandon the turkey leftovers and overcrowded shopping malls and head to northern Michigan for a day of wine and macaroni and cheese. Yes, macaroni and cheese. But this is a dish your grandma wouldn’t recognize, and neither will you. The seven vintners of Traverse City’s Old Mission Peninsula — Chateau Chantal, Chateau Grand Traverse, Bowers Harbor Vineyards, Brys Estate, Peninsula Cellars, Black Star Farms and Two Lads — invite the publ...



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