Day 357 Drink: Sapphire Hill 2006 Alexander Valley VLH Zinfandel

Sapphire Hill Vineyards calls Healdsburg, Calif., home. We stopped at their tasting room a couple of years back and this bottle has been safely stored in our wine fridge since that great trip to California.

Sapphire Hill 2006 Alexander Valley VLH Zinfandel pours a dark purple red and gives off a thick grape aroma. The wine is made from single vineyard
old vine zinfandel grapes. The flavor is unlike any other dessert wine you have likely had recently. The zinfandel grapes are left on the vine for weeks after the regular harvest, so the flavors become concentrated. At harvest the grapes were 33.5 Brix and the residual sugar an amazing 8 percent. The result is a wine with a big zinfandel body and a sneaky sweetness that keeps popping up throughout.

Day 247 Drink: Whitehall Lane 2006 Belmuscato

Whitehall Lane Winery & Vineyards is located in St. Helena in the heart of Napa Valley. Whitehall Lane was founded in 1979 and in 1993 the Leonardini Family of San Francisco took control of the estate.

Whitehall Lane 2006 Belmuscato is a dessert wine with a lovely citrus and peach aroma. The flavor is light and sweet. Orange zest, melon and fresh grape roll across your tongue. An affordable luxury.

Day 80 Drink: Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling

Hermman J. Wiemer Vineyard is located on the west side of Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region. Wiemer was born in Germany where his family had a 300-year tradition of wine making. His father played a key role in restoring vineyards along the Mosel after World War II.

Wiemer came to the U.S. and his first vintage in 1979 won awards. He was recognized as a pioneer among east coast vintners and helped spread the use of vinifera grapes. Wiemer is still involved with the operations of the winery, but wine maker Fred Merwath has taken over the wine making process.

Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling is a lively wine with plenty of floral aroma notes and hints of citrus. The wine shows just subtle hints of minerality with opening citrus flavor notes. There is 2.4 percent residual sugar present that shows itself in a fruity finish.

Tuesday Tasting: A Case of Shiraz and Syrah

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste a dozen Syrah and Shiraz wines.

Syrah or Shiraz is a bit of a mystery to some wine drinkers. After all, it is the same grape, but produces wines that go by two names. There is another grape called Petite Sirah, that is a cousin, but not the same grape -- which adds to the mystery.

Where the wine comes from helps determine what the wine is called. If it is from France, it is syrah. Winemakers in South America and the rest of Europe will also use syrah on the label. If it is from Australia, you are drinking shiraz, mate. Shiraz is the most popular grape for winemaking in Australia and vineyards in South Africa and New Zealand are likely to use the shiraz name on their labels, too. In California, you could be drinking either – it depends on the winery. Most of the rest of the U.S. appears happy to side with the French and use syrah.

I recently tasted these wines for my Beyond Beer column appearing in the current edition of All About Beer magazine.

Ty Caton 2004 Field Blend: A mix of petite sirah, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and malbec grapes, this is an affordable luxury with great meritage blended quality that hits all of the Sonoma red flavor characteristics of a more expensive wine.

Clos Du Bois 2005 North Coast Shiraz: This California red has an inviting nose. The coating blackberry flavor has a light spice finish.

D’Arenberg 2002 Vintage Fortified Shiraz: A thick and syrupy Port-style wine, this dessert treat is from South Australia. Very deep purple color, good berry character and a touch of cocoa flavor.

Fetzer Valley Oaks 2005 Shiraz: There is a touch of oak and spice throughout this wine. Plum skins and ripe berries mingle to create an inviting flavor.

Hall 2005 Darwin: This Napa Valley wine is a symphony of rich flavors. A blend of 80 percent syrah grapes with 20 percent cabernet sauvignon. Lush and smooth, very intense fruit that lingers. Starts with a hint of fig and finishes with a wisp of chocolate. Fire up the grill and cook a thick steak.

Terry Hoage Vineyards 2005 The Hedge Syrah: A former Georgia Bulldog football star, Terry Hoage makes wine in Paso Robles, Calif. This deep red 100 percent Syrah wine is rich and round. Plenty of berries, black cherries with a touch of cigar-like tannins.

Jaboulet 2006 Parallele 45: This Cotes du Rhone red has a nice amount of tannins and some peppery spice. Nice light berry nose.

Loxton 2004 Sonoma Syrah: This wine spends 20 months on oak and produces a bold, fruit forward red that delivers a long pleasant flavor profile.

Virgin Vines 2006 Shiraz: This California wine is ruby red with a cassis nose and dried berry flavor that finishes with just a hint of spice.

Wakefield 2005 Promised Land: This Australian wine is 60 percent shiraz and 40 percent cabernet sauvignon. Ripe blackberry nose, straightforward fruit flavor that is rounded out with a hint of cinnamon, spice and oak.

Wyndham Bin 555 Shiraz: This southeast Australian wine is rich and smooth with hints of plum, blueberry jam and a touch of finishing spice.

Wyndham Shaw Reserve 2004 Shiraz: Rich, dry red. There is a moderate amount of oak throughout that balances a solid level of rich, tart fruit.

Montelle Winery 2007 Dry Vignoles Wins Missouri Governor's Cup

Montelle Winery 2007 Dry Vignoles was recently named the Missouri Governor's Cup recipient as the state's best wine.

More than 225 Missouri wines took part in the competition. Judges named 10 Best of Class and handed out 26 gold medals.

Best of Class awards went to:

Dry White - 2007 Dry Vignoles, Montelle Winery
Semi-dry White - Seyval Blanc, Augusta Winery
Dry Red - 206 Original Cynthiana, Blumenhof Vineyards
Semi-dry Red - River Country Red, Montelle Winery
Sweet White - 2007 Vignoles, Stone Hill Winery
Sweet Red - River Valley Red, Augusta Winery
Sparkling - Golden Spumante, Stone Hill Winery
Late Harvest/Ice - 2007 Icewine, Augusta Winery
Dessert/ Fortified - 2005 Port, Stone Hill Winery
Distilled - Peach Brandy, Montelle Winery

Tuesday Tasting: Thousand Islands Winery

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste some wine along the northern border of New York state.

No one will ever confuse Jefferson County, N.Y., with Bordeaux, France. The temperatures often dip well below zero during the winter months. The growing season is short. Dairy farms greatly out number vineyards. Then there is the Thousand Islands Winery.

The winery sits at the base of the Thousand Islands Bridge, which takes you over the St. Lawrence River from the mainland to Wellesley Island and then to Canada. There are a couple of rows of vines outside the winery, but the grapes used are imported from elsewhere around New York.

The wines are pretty easy drinking and lean toward the sweet side. Since the area is a vacation mecca during the summer, these wines fit nicely with outdoor warm weather dining. Here are a few wines to try if you find yourself in northern New York:

Saint Lawrence Red: Deep purple color, slightly tangy nose. This blend of French American hybrid grapes is on the sweet end of the scale.

Thousand Islands Frontenac: Light purple garnet color. Fruit aroma with berry notes throughout the semi-dry flavor.

Wellesley Island White: A blend of Diamond, Catawba and Cayuga grapes this wine has a grape skin nose, with pineapple, pear and honey flavors.

Thousand Islands Riesling: Sweet floral nose, with plenty of honey and pear flavors. The 6 percent residual sugar dominates this wine.

Thousand Islands Niagara: Jammy character, packed with sweet notes. A traditional American style white that works well in the hot weather months.

Thousand Island Raspberry Isle: Loaded with raspberry aromas and flavors, this is a nice dessert wine.

Tuesday Tasting: Six Wines for the Holidays from the Finger Lakes

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we travel to the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York for six wines perfect for holiday meals.

From the full disclosure desk: I work for Eric Mower and Associates, a marketing communications agency (www.mower.com). We developed a program for the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance called the FLWA Vintners' Roundtable. This virtual tasting is conducted via conference call, linking winemakers and food and beverage journalists. I recently played host to a FLWA Vintners' Roundtable attended by several drinks journalists, including Sean Ludford, Bill Dowd, David Falchek, Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng and Michael Cervin. You can check out their reports as they appear to measure the objectivity of my tasting notes.

The Finger Lakes region is best known for its riesling, which regularly takes home medals from various competitons. But the region has plantings from a wide array of grapes. It is interesting to see what various vineyards have in the works. The Finger Lakes were originally the home of native Lambrusca grapes, which tend to make better jam and grape juice than wine. French-American hybrids and classic vinifera are now the main stays of the more than 90 wineries in the region.

Chateau Frank 2000 Blanc de Noirs: The late Willy Frank established Chateau Frank in 1985 as a way to leave his mark on the Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars. He would be proud of this methode champenoise wine. Made using 90 percent pinot noir and 10 percent pinot meunier, this pink-hued sparkler has crisp tart apple flavor notes. One of the best sparkling wines from a U.S. producer.

White Springs Farms 2006 Gewurztraminer: Winemaker Derek Wilbur allows skin contact in this Seneca Lake gewurtraminer. "It's the most red of the white wines we make," he says. The skins allow some tannins to balance the flavor. Slight spicy and minerally flavor profile.

Rooster Hill 2006 Estate Gewurztraminer: From Keuka Lake, winemaker Barry Tortolon decided to mix two yeast strains in this wine and the result is a flowery, spicy and fruity white. A solid wine to serve as a cocktail pour or to match with a meal.

Sheldrake Point 2006 Bunch Select Riesling: Winegrower Bob Madill says the presence of Botrytis Cinerea -- Noble Rot -- allowed Sheldrake to create this wine, the fourth vintage they have pressed whole cluster grapes to create a riesling dessert wine. With 8.8 grams of acid and 6 percent residual sugar, this is a well balanced and flavorful wine perfect for concluding a meal.

Anthony Road 2006 Sweet Dream: Made from vignoles, a French-American hybrid, by German winemaker Johannes Reinhardt, about 40 percent of the crop had Botrytis. Reinhardt notes the thick skins of the vignoles stands up well to noble rot. The acid level in the 2006 is slightly higher than a year ago, balancing nicely to the 7.1 percent residual sugar. This is one of my surprise favorite wines among the dessert wines I have tasted during 2007.

Lakewood Vineyards 2005 Port: The Finger Lakes has a different climate than Portugal and the Baco Noir grape was likely not created to make a Port-style wine, but third generation winemaker Chris Stamp said this is "What happens when you leave Baco on the vine long enough." This is the fourth time and first vinatge since 2001 that Lakewood has turned Baco into a Port. Good raspberry and dark fruit tones, with a touch of cocoa.

Whitehall Lane Makes the Most of Napa Whites and Reds

On the Napa Valley leg of our trip to California, Sandy and I made a stop at Whitehall Lane Winery, located just to the south of St. Helena.

We were given a tour of the wine making operation by Doug Fitzgibbon, tagging along with a VIP group. After seeing some grapes being crushed and workers topping off barrels, we made our way into the tasting room. There we had several very nice wines. Whitehall was founded in 1978 and produces 45,000 to 50,000 cases of wine annually. They have big plans on the horizon, with a new hospitality salon and a chef's kitchen that will allow 30-35 people to enjoy intimate dining. Part of the project will expand Whitehall's high-end wine portfolio.

Whitehall has 160 acres of vines on the Napa Valley floor and also buys from a select list of growers. Some of the wines being made at Whitehall use the Vino-Seal glass cork, which is the latest attempt at solving the industry problem of an average 6-8 percent failure rate of bottles using natural cork closures.

We found Whitehall produces some very nice whites and reds.

Whitehall Lane 2006 Proprietary White: A blend of 62 percent sauvignon blanc and 38 percent semillon, this wine has a grapefruit nose and a honey, citrus and grapefruit flavor profile. Refreshing for a hot day.

Whitehall Lane 2005 Carneros Chardonnay: An oak and honey nose with crisp, green apple flavor notes.

Whitehall Lane 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon: This Bordeaux-style wine is chuck full of fresh fruit notes. There are tart plum skin and dark cherry flavors. A solid Napa Valley value compared to prices from other nearby vineyards.

Whitehall Lane 2006 Belmuscato: This dessert wine is made from 100 percent orange muscat grapes. There is a forward apricot essence with an interesting caramelized creme brulee aftertaste.

Whitehall Lane may not have the name and reputation of some of its neighbors along Route 29, but it is worth a stop on your tasting itinerary.

Olives & Grapes at Pietra Santa

The Pietra Santa Winery dominates the Cienega Valley, which is about 25 miles inland from Monterey Bay. A Spanish mission-style winery building sits in the midst of a a 455-acre estate with grape vineyards and a grove of 5,000 imported Italian olive trees. The nearest towns are San Juan Bautista and Holister, Calif. Pietra Santa is one of only two wineries located in the Cienega Valley AVA.

We were invited to visit the winery as part of writers junket to see how olive oil is produced. We were the guests of the Blackburn family, which purchased the winery a couple of years ago. Winemaker Alessio Carni, who also is in charge of managing the estate olive oil business, hosted a tour of the vineyard, demonstrated the press and ran the group through an extensive tasting of the wines produced at Pietra Santa. The Blackburns, who have been farming almonds in California for many years, were gracious and friendly. It was interesting to pick the olives and see the manufacturing process, then go through a comparative tasting of various olive varietals.

The Pietra Santa Estate Extra Virgina Olive Oil is a blend of 59 percent Franoio, 11 percent Coratina, 24 percent Leccino and 5 percent Italian mix olives. The result is a fresh, somewhat fruity and creamy gourmet oil.

The vineyards at Pietra Santa were first planted ion the 1850s by Frenchman Theophile Vache. Carni, a native of Siena, Italy, has been in charge of the vineyard since 1998. “The limestone soil provides good drainage which helps our vines and we have the mountains and our valley that are perfect for grapes.” Carli says. “The key to great wine is letting the grapes show their true character.”

We sampled the complete Pietra Santa line during our visit, which included a lunch served inside the winery and a dinner at a 100-year-old home on the property. Here are some of the wine highlights from the visit:

Pietra Santa 2004 Sangiovese: Carli uses medium toast French oak barrels to produce a tannin-filled red that has Chianti-like characteristics.

Pietra Santa 2004 Dolcetto: Deep burgundy color, this dry red has ripe fruit and tobacco notes.

Pietra Santa 2005 Zinfandel: A rich deep wine. Medium-dry with cassis and leather notes.

Pietra Santa 2006 Gewurztraminer: Solid floral nose, good level of acidity and citrus flavor notes. Perhaps note as spicy as some gewurztraminers, but very refreshing.

Vache 2002 Pinot Noir: Deep purple from some whole berry fermentation, this wine was aged in French oak and has nice plum and pepper notes.

2003 Signature: A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabnet franc, this wine is spicy with a good amount of oak. Nice ripe blackberry notes. Will likely age well for several years.

Tuesday Tasting: Finger Lakes Riesling

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we travel to the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York for some riesling.

Those of you who know me or who are regular readers of Lyke2Drink know that I work for Eric Mower and Associates, a marketing communications agency (www.mower.com). A client we are doing some projects for at the moment is the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, a voluntary association made up of the more than 90 wineries in the region and grape growers. I work on the business and play host for the FLWA Vintners' Roundtable. This program is a virtual tasting conducted via conference call that links winemakers and food and beverage journalists. I offer this disclaimer because we had one in the series of tastings last week that focused on Finger Lakes Riesling. My notes for this Tuesday tasting come from that session.

Several journalists were on the call including Ronn Wiegand of Restaurant Wine, Sandra Silfven of the Detroit News and Rob Lane of the Finger Lakes Weekend Wino blog. You can check out their reports as they appear to measure the objectivity of my tasting notes.

I spent a good chunk of my life living near the edge of the Finger Lakes so my first experiences touring vineyards was in this region.The region is known as a tough place to grow grapes. However, through the leadership of some early stubborn winemakers and research that takes place at Cornell University, Finger Lakes vineyards have grown in stature. The area is rightfully recognized as one of the best places on the globe to make riesling. For the FLWA tasting we gathered a wine from each of six vineyards that were spread around the region. Interestingly, we had a vineyard founded in the 1960s, one from the 1970s, another from the 1980s, one from the 1990s and two that were founded during this decade.

If you want to know what the "Finger Lakes Riesling Style" is all about, this tasting explained it: it is all about diversity. We had dry to sweet rieslings in the tasting, reflecting the various winemaking styles and conditions. One thing about the wines from the region is that while they can have some high residual sugar totals, they also boast solid acidity totals that tend to balance things out. You get plenty of fruit and soil characteristics with each wine.

Here are the six wines we tasted:

Dr. Konstantin Frank 2006 Dry Riesling: -- ($17.99) This Keuka Lake vineyard was founded in 1962 by a founding father of vinifera wine in the region. It is one of the most decorated vineyards in the east and this riesling already has a trophy case full of gold medals. The wine has 0.7 percent residual sugar and .72 grams of acidity. The nose has inviting fruit aromas. You get a nice mixture of apple and pear flavor notes with a good slate mineral base to the wine. Fred Frank presented this wine and made the point that after harsh winters limited crops in 2004 and 2005, the 2006 harvest was solid and 2007 is looking like another good year. The winery plan to plant more riesling vineyards around the region to keep up with demand.

Hunt Country 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling: ($13.99) Another Keuka Lake winery makes this riesling, whixh has 1.5 percent residual sugar and a .73 acidity level. Winemaker Chris Wirth presented this wine, which is made using 3 yeast strains giving it a round and vibrant taste. There is apricot and a nudge of tropical fruit to this wine that leans towards the dry of the semi-dry chart. Wirth came to New York from California and says winemakers in the region are much more willing to share ideas in the Finger Lakes. "It used to be that way in California 25 years ago," he says.

Rooster Hill Estate 2006 Semi-Dry Riesling: ($15.99) Another Keuka Lake vineyard and a wine that surprised me in the tasting. Owner Amy Hoffman and winemaker Barry Tortolon presented this wine which has 1.6% residual sugar and a .88 acidity. This vineyard was planted in 2002 on an abandoned 35 acre site that was once a vineyard. Rooster Hill spent significantly to improve drainage in the vineyard. The wine is a rich semi-dry style riesling with plenty of fruit and a slight acidic edge that balances each sip. I found a touch of honey and peach in the wine.

Standing Stone 2006 Riesling: ($13.99) From the east side of Seneca Lake, this winery was formed in 1991 on the site of historic vineyards that supplied Gold Seal Vineyards with grapes. Owner Marti Macinski said they have learned that grapes on the land lend themselves to a variety of riesling styles depending on the conditions so the winemakers work to "get out of the way" of the grapes and let them do what they want to do. The 2006 wine has 2.0 percent residual sugar and a .844 acidity level. This wine drinks much more dry than the sugar level would suggest. You get clear tropical notes and a hint of fresh orange in the base.

White Springs Farm 2006 Red Label Riesling: ($12.99) This Seneca Lake winery is not far from Geneva. Derek Wilbur presented this wine, which has a 4.5 percent residual sugar and .89 grams of acidity. Wilbur has been making wine in the region for 25 years and says the 2006 vintage is proof that Finger Lakes vintners have come of age. "We've produced some stunning wines where 20 years ago we would have thrown up our arms," he says. Wilbur says that one year Finger Lakes winemakers making wines like California vineyards and the next they have to act like European wineries, reacting to what the climate serves up. This wine has plenty of honey, peach and apricot notes. While this wine is on the sweet end of the non-dessert wine scale, it could match well with a summer salad or even some pork dishes.

Wagner 2006 Riesling Ice Wine: ($22.99/375 ml) A Seneca Lake winery founded in 1979 it is also the home for a pretty decent microbrewery. Laura Wagner presented this wine which has 11.8 percent residual sugar. The grapes pressed to make this wine are picked and frozen post harvest, which allows the winemaker to control quality, quantity and pricing. The wine has lush pineapple and apricot flavor notes that are perfect for the end of a meal.

Chinese Company Buys Controlling Interest in Ontario Icewine Maker

Tonhwa Grape Wine Co. Ltd. has agreed to pay $6.6 million to purchase a 70 percent share of King's Court Estate Winery of Canada.

Tonhwa's decision to purchase a controlling interest in the Ontario vineyard will enable the Chinese company to tap into advanced icewine producing techniques.

Tonhwa, founded in 1937, is based in Jilin province and already makes icewine.

Wiemer Sells Finger Lakes Vineyard to Winemaker Merwarth

One of the icons of the Finger Lakes wine scene, Hermann J. Wiemer, has sold his winery to his winemaker, Frederick Merwath.

Wiemer Riesling is recognized among the best in North America and the 65-year-old German-born vintner is credited with playing a major part in building the worldwide reputation of Finger Lakes wine. Merwarth, 29, takes over the 15,000-case winery that was started in 1979 at a time when most wines in the region were made from Niagara, Cayuga and other non-vinifera grapes. He has worked with Wiemer for the last six years.

My wife, Sandy, and I were lucky enough to meet Hermann Wiemer during one of our first visits to the Finger Lakes in the 1980s. We were impressed by the quality of his wines, along with his commitment to building a presence for Finger Lakes wines on a world level. His winery is still the most orderly and clean winery, distillery or brewery that I have ever toured.

Besides riesling, Wiemer makes some pretty solid gewurztraminer, pinot noir and sparkling wines. Wiemer Dry Riesling has won the Governor's Cup twice as the state's top wine.

Tuesday Tasting: Rambling Around the Blue Ridge

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we visit three Virginia wineries nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Visiting a winery is one of those great simple pleasures that puts you back in contact with the facts that wine is an agricultural product and that real people work hard to tend vines, harvest grapes, bottle and market a product. Returning to North Carolina from Upstate New York over the weekend, we jumped off I-81 for a couple of hours to visit three Virgina wineries located among the Blue Ridge Mountains not far from Route 151. The setting was spectacular as were a number of the wines.

The Virginia wineries we visited all offered free pours of multiple wines. You could also purchase a bottle or a glass of your favorite and enjoy the wine right on site with a million dollar view of the surrounding vistas.

Our first stop was Veritas Vineyard & Winery in Afton. Veritas offered pours of some classic varietals. We found the Veritas 2004 Merlot to be soft and fruity, with a subtle hint of smoke that made the wine very attractive. The 2004 Claret was an attractive blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. The 2006 Sauvignon Blanc had a crisp apple citrus tone, while the 2005 Harlequin Chardonnay Reserve was a pale golden color with nice pear and apple tones. The Chardonnay was produced from 100 percent Virginia grapes and aged in both French and American oak barrels. The hit of our visit to Veritas was the 2005 Kenmar, a wine perfect for after a meal. There were nice honey and rose elements to the wine, which sells for $50 for a 375 milliliter.

Our next stop was a few miles uphill at Afton Mountain Vineyards. Because we faced a bit of a time crunch and wanted to try to squeeze in one more vineyard, we stuck to the whites at Afton Mountain. The 2004 Tete de Cuvee Brut Sparkling Wine had a nice dry bite with a sharp fruit tone. The Afton 2005 Estate Bottled Chardonnay was aged on French oak and had very nice character. The Alsace-style 2006 Gewurztraminer has just 0.03 percent residual sugar and shows plenty of spice and fruit. Afton's 2006 Kilaurwen Vineyards Riesling was crisp and fruity, with 2.5 percent residual sugar. On the sweet end of the scale, but still very drinkable, was Afton Mountain White, a blend of vidal blanc, chardonnay and riesling grapes that comes in at 4.5 percent residual sugar.

We changed things up for our final stop, hitting Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery in Nellysford. Hill Top is run by the Allen family and produces "True to the Fruit" wines and mead. No grapes are used at Hill Top. During our tasting we tried Virginia Plum Wine, Mountain Apple Wine, Cranberry Table Wine, Little Heeler Blueberry Dessert Wine, Sweet Cherry and two versions of Rock River Cyser, a dry and semi dry. We also got to sample a refreshing Sangria made using the Plum wine as the base, with obvious notes of strawberries and other ingredients in a secret family recipe. These are fun wines that are great for the deck at the end of a hot day or to switch things up on your friends during a meal. We found the Sweet Cherry, made from two different types of Virginia cherries, and the Little Heeler to be our favorites of the visit.

Our quick visit to the area south of Charlottesville convinced us that we need to explore more of Virginia's wineries. It is certainly an up and coming area that will be an important part of the American wine scene in the coming years.

PGA Golfer Mike Weir Launches Icewine

With seven PGA wins to his credit Canada's Mike Weir is recognized as one of the better golfers to ever come out of the Great White North. He's also trying to build a name for himself as a winemaker.

The next step in the process for the Mike Weir Estate Winery is the release of its inaugural icewine during the Niagara Icewine Festival (www.niagaraicewinefestival.com) taking place throughout the region from Jan. 19-28. The Weir 2005 Vidal Icewine, a sweet and intensely flavored dessert wine, will be sampled at events during the festival.

Weir has partnered with NiagaraÂ’s Creekside Estate Winery to a line of premium wines, with proceeds going to The Mike Weir Foundation, which supports various charities in Canada.

No Ice For Ice Wine

You can't make ice wine unless temperatures dip low enough for long enough. For vineyards in the northeastern United States and Ontario's Niagara Peninsula risking riesling, vidal and other grapes waiting for a freeze, it has just been too warm this winter.

The mild winter is bad news for lovers of the sweet dessert wine. Without temperatures in the mid-teens for several hours, wineries cannot harvest frozen grapes and produce ice wine. By freezing over ripe grapes, sweet flavors are concentrated and produce an amazing wine.

Most grapes are harvested in September and October, but grapes earmarked for ice wine are left on the vine until December. Often crews are called out to harvest the precious grapes in the early morning hours before temperatures rise with the sun. In extreme situations, grapes can be left on vines until late January. The yield declines as time goes by as grapes are lost.

Vineyards walk a thin balancing act. The longer grapes stay on vines the more likely they are to become meals for deer, birds and other animals. Warm or wet weather can cause the grapes to rot. Rows of vines produce a limited number of half bottles.

Some vineyards are giving up on producing an ice wine during 2006 and have picked the remaining grapes to make sweet late harvest wines. While it cannot be called ice wine, some vineyards in the U.S. use an artificial method, picking grapes and then freezing them before crushing the grapes.

With all of the problems and the growing demand for ice wine, you can expect prices to skyrocket for the 2006 vintage.

Icewine Gone Wild: $26,000 for a Half Bottle

Icewine is a sweet dessert wine and it appears one Canadian producer wants his cake and eat it, too.

Ontario's Royal DeMaria 2000 Chardonnay Icewine is being marketed at $26,000 per 375 ml bottle. That makes the wine one of the most expensive bottles ever sold. Winery owner Joseph DeMaria said he has already sold one bottle to a buyer in Japan and is in the process of making other deals. Only 60 bottles of the wine exist and DeMaria says he will increase the asking price for the wine as the supply dwindles.

Ontario, Germany and New York's Finger Lakes are the world's best icewine making regions. While the product requires just the right growing and climate conditions to freeze grapes for harvesting, it may soon be a little less rare. Vineyards in China, British Columbia and the Midwest U.S. have begun to produce icewine. Most icewines are either riesling or vidal, so the chardonnay icewine is not common. A very good icewine will typically set you back $50-$150 per half bottle and is a real treat at the end of a special dinner.

DeMaria's wines have won a number of internation awards and he has sold bottles from several vintages from his Niagara winery for thousands of dollars. The asking price for this wine sets a new standard for his winery.

From Blues Brother to Icewine Maker: Dan Aykroyd Launches Ontario Dessert Wine

Dan Aykroyd, the Canadian actor who exploded on the scene in the late 1970s as part of the Saturday Night Live cast and went on to make box office hits such as The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters and Tommy Boy, is now launching a line of wines under his name from Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits. Aykroyd made a $1 million investment in the company last year.

Aykroyd appeared this week at the Niagara Wine Festival to make the announcement. Two different Aykroyd labels will be made at Lakeview Cellars, a Signature Reserve series of super premium wines and a Discovery Series of mid-priced wines. The first wine to be released next year, Dan Aykroyd Signature Reserve VQA Vidal Icewine 2005 is being aged in French oak barrels.

The Niagara Peninsula is recognized as one of the world's best locations for making icewine, a hard to make style that requires vintners to leave grapes on the vine after the normal harvest and wait for freezing temperatures before picking. The result is an intense, sweet wine that is perfect after a great meal.

California State Fair Wine Awards

The California State Fair, which wrapped up earlier this week, honored winemaking with the largest awards competition in the state -- attracting 2,926 entries from 653 wineries. Judges, including wine educators, wine makers, journalists, restaurateurs, retailers, wholesalers and wine collectors, sifted through all of the entries naming V. Sattui Winery of St. Helena as Winery of the Year.

It is the second time in three years that the Napa Valley winery has earned the honor. Even though V. Sattui has been around since 1885, it is a small winery that does all of its sales at the winery tasting room, by mail order and from the company’s website (www.vsattui.com).

Other top award winners at the California State Fair include:

Buena Vista 2004 Syrah, Best of Show Red Wine
Fetzer Vineyards 2005 Gewurztraminer, Best of Show White Wine
St. Amant Winery 2003 Amador County Vintage, Best of Show Dessert Wine
Fetzer Vineyards 2005 Gewurztraminer Valley Oaks, Best Value