Chamard Vineyards, Clinton, CT - 06/19/2010

This vineyard is right off of 95, next to the Clinton Crossings Outlets.

Its a very picturesque vineyard to visit.  There was actually a bachelorette party and a rehersal dinner going on there on different parts of the grounds. 

Entrance

Driving in

A pond on the grounds...

...with a fountain!

The buildings and grounds are very inviting, which made it so dissapointing when the wine was less than good.  I'm not going to beat around the bush, so we'll just move on to the tasting:

Chardonnay - This was the only white that was drinkable.  It was slightly citrus-y, but there was still a lot of oak-y notes.

Estate Reserve Chardonnay - Too oak-y.

Cabernet Franc - Alright for a red, but it definately didn't have a flavorful taste like I was expecting from the description.

Merlot - This definately had a licorice taste too it.  I almost had to hold my nose to get it down.

Sangria - Not on the list and for good reason.  This tasted like drinking potpurri.

Our overall experience here was very poor.  The workers were rude and unattentive.  The wine wasn't even mediocre.  We also did not get a logo glass, although I'm not sad about it.  I wouldn't recommend visiting this place, but if you choose to and also have a bad experience, there is always retail therapy nearby to recover.

Bishop's Orchard, Guilford, CT - 06/19/2010

This place reminded me of Lyman's Orchard Apple Barrel.  Its kind of like a farm stand type of store. There is a tour that is not on the site that costs $10 per person. We didn't participate in the tour, just the tasting.

For $6 each, we chose 6 wines and got an etched wine glass.  This is where traveling in a couple really came in handy because we got to try 12 out of the 14 wines they offer.

Wines:

Circle 1

Stone House White - A pretty good table blend, although nothing to write home about.

Whitfield's Pearadox - The pear flavoring in this was completely overpowering. I could barely get through this one, although my husband like this better than the Stone House White.

Circle 2

Celebration - This reminded me of the White Menage a Trois (my favorite by Folie a Deux) without most of the notes I like.

Faulkner's Spiced Apple - Definately not a fan.  I don't really like apples so this didn't do it for me. Very heavy apple taste.

Circle 3

Farm House Hard Cider - I couldn't distinguish between this one or the New England Hard Cider. All I know is, I'm not a Hard Cider fan.

New England Hard Cider - See notes above. Not worth repeating.

Circles 4 & 5

Honey Peach Melba - I could definately taste the honey flavor, but the fruits in these wines seem to take on an almost rotten taste and really wreck the flavoring that could be there.

Apple Raspberry Blush - This was alright, a little drier than the Honey Peach, but kind of dull.

Blushing Beauty - Pretty clean, although too sweet for me.

Amazing Grace - Definately too sweet and overly fruity

Circle 6

Strawberry Delight - Basically tastes exactly like strawberry jam.  The woman working suggested using this on a dessert instead of drinking it. I could see that would be an acceptable use for it because it was way too much to drink.

Hyland Red - Went well with the chocolate that was in my mouth, but alone was too sweet.  The woman working said this was probably the least sweet of all the sweet wines, just an fyi.

You can browse the store to take home some farm fresh goodness after you are done tasting.  They sometimes serve samples so you might be able to fill up before you go on to your next adventure.

Gouveia Vineyards, Wallingford, CT - 06/19/2010

Exit 14 off 91 South

We kicked off our summer wine tours with this lovely vineyard in Wallingford, CT.  It was $7.50 for each of us we got to taste 5 wines that they chose and then we got to pick one to taste.  We also got to take home an etched wine glass with the vineyard's name/logo. 

Picnicing on the hillside

The grounds are very pretty and there is a good view from the hill it is located on.  The inside of the tasting room/bar/restaurant is simple and elegant.  People had brought tables and picnic lunches and were sitting outside enjoying some wine.  You can also order food here.  You CANNOT bring your own beverages.  I would definately consider going back here to try a few more wines as well as enjoy the scenery.

Before I get into the wines, a few more notes for the wine scene in general:
-It is good to go as a couple or with someone you are comfortable sharing drinks with... this way you get to sample more wines if you both pick different offerings.  We took full advantage of this.
-Some of the vineyards are offering tours. Sometimes they cost extra, sometimes they are free. Unless you are doing a tour or planning on eating a meal there (whether you picnic or order), your trip to the vineyard will probably be really short.  It only takes about 20 mins max to sample 5-20 wines.  I would recommend planning to visit more than 1 a day.
-If you are planning on buying bottles of wine, the cheapest you will find is around $15.  Take note that most of these wines aren't worth that, let alone more than that, so you might end up dissapointed if you thought it would be a good opportunity to stock up.
-I tend to like wines that are dry to semi-dry, so most of this will be biased to those kinds of wines.  You will probably notice that I have bad reviews for a lot of wines because around there they tend to make the sweeter varieties. If you like that kind of thing, then these tours might be for you!

Ready to start tasting!

Ok, on to the wines!
Seyval Blanc - It was crisp and smooth.  Nice table wine for the summer. This happens to be the only bottle we bought the whole day (06/19).

Chardonnay Oak - Very oak-y with a buttery finish, 2 things I don't like in my white wines. 

Cayuga White - Simple white wine, not very notable.

Whirlwind Rose - A typical rose, but much too sweet for my liking.

Stone House Red - Clean finish, light on the palate.

Cabernet Franc - Popular blend in CT.  It was alright, but nothing really sticks out about it.

Epiphany Reserve - A dark dessert wine.  It was supposed to be fruity, but it was just overpoweringly sweet.

They also have Chardonnay Steel, Stone House White, and a Merlot that we didn't get to try.

My glass and passport

Our Summer Activity

Giving you all an update!  The hubby and I have decided to tour the vineyards in CT as our fun thing to do this summer.  There are 29 vineyards here now and a wine festival July 31 and August 1.  We set off for our first adventure this past Saturday and boy was it a fun day.  I will be giving you guys more details and a review on the wines we tasted in seperate blogs to give you something to read, as well as give you an idea of if you would like to go to the places we have gone. 

For more information, you can go to http://www.ctwine.com/ for a partial list ( I think they have 21 vineyards listed there), however, when you visit any of the vineyards, there is a passport that you can pick up and get stamped at every vineyard you go to.  It has the full list. AND, if you get 16 vineyards to stamp your passport, you can enter it into a drawing for a 13 night trip to Spain!  Sound pretty great, right????

So get your butts to CT and be a wine-o! And let us know if you are coming because we will gladly visit one with you!

Semper Fiesty!

Today I am writing all of my pen pals in the service (from Adoptaplatoon.org). I have 5 of them! I think they are all in the army but I am not sure. I know they aren't Marines or Sailors because of their addresses, so its Army or Airforce.  Anyway, if anyone out there reads my blog and is in the service and wants a pen pal, just email me at mlmerrel@gmail.com and I will be happy to oblige! Its really the only thing that I can do to support our wonderful service members out there!  Thank you for all that you do!

On another note, here are some pictures of our little "Devil Dogs".  If you get the Marine reference great, but I call them that when the camera causes a glare in their little eyeballs.  I find these pictures hilarious and I hope you do too!

I believe you have seen this one before

Devil Dog Roodle

A very Devil Christmas

I like to call this one Jellybean Eyes

Whatchu looking at, Devil Dog?

Ain't no one in here but us Devil Dogs

And that concludes this post! Much love to you all on this Tuesday!

New Roommate

Happy Monday, y'all!  Ok so its not that great to be back to work after only 2 days off, but we are here so we might as well make the best of it, right?

So my cousin moved in with us this past week because she needed a place to stay for the summer so we offered. We have basically spent the past 3 days just hanging out and having fun!  From races in the pool to games of Life, all in all we've had a pretty fun weekend.  And while we didn't invite her to stay to help with the dogs, she has been great with them too!

Other than that, not much new is happening. Currently, at work, I'm waiting to get my new computer with SolidWorks 2010 and dual monitors!  Woohoo! Any day now!

Alright, have a great week!

Needing a Change of Pace

I'm not sure if its the summer weather we've been having lately or having been at the same job for 3 years now, but I am in dire need of a change. 

I know, I know, you are probably saying things like "but you just got married", "moved in with a guy", "moved out of your parents", which is all fine and well while it was new, but we are now settled into a routine.  Its time to mix it up!

I want new experiences, to see different parts of the country and the world, not to be stuck in a grey cubicle day after day.  And the politics of being at a place for too long have just become unbearable here.  I know I have a job and its a rough economy out there. I should be thankful for what I have.  And I am, at least for what I have outside of work.  But here, I can see the days dragging out the same way they always have, year after year, with no hope of ever advancing... and that is something I cannot stand for too much longer.  I need to be able to grow! I've worked too hard this far to be stifled!

Let's hope God has something great planned for us soon!