“What is the definition of good wine? It should start and end with a smile” quote by William Sokolin.
That is truly why I am in the wine business…to smile all the time. Not only the people I have met by being in the wine business, but the wine I have had the opportunity to taste just makes me want to smile. I recently took a wine tour to Charlottesville with some wine enthusiasts; the wine we tasted from the barrels with the winemakers and owners was phenomenal. We just smiled the entire weekend.
Corcoran is starting to hop into spring with lots of activities planned for the month of April. First we will be bottling on April 16th, which is always a very exciting event to help with. We even get to enjoy the ever famous “bucket wine” at the end of the day.
Then on Sunday, April 19th we will have our first annual Summer Sizzle Picnic Pairing at Corky’s Pond. Not only will we pair wines with Hot Dogs, Crab Cakes, Chicken BBQ, Slaw & S’mores, but we will have an introduction to the “Power of Herbs with Wines” by sommelier Mary Watson-DeLauder. This will be a fun event, not to be missed. Reservations are required; please check our website for more information.
Finally we will be starting the festival season. On April 24th & 25th, Corcoran will be off to Winchester to be at Apple Blossom and then on the 25th & 26th we are at James River Wine Festival. The fun is just beginning so if you have ever wanted to volunteer for a festival, please send me an email and I will get you on the list.
Cheers!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Trying to decide between a red or a white wine with this weird weather?
This weather is throwing us wine lovers for a loop, especially those that enjoy both red and white wine. So what's the solution? How can we cope until the weather truly turns to spring? Last month Punxsutawney Phil said that we are looking at more winter. Our wood loving creature may actually be a good start for ideas. How about a full bodied Chardonnay? A Chardonnay from the Mersault region of Burgundy would (wood :) ) be full bodied and give you the heavy mouth feel of oak you are looking for during the cold days but also can be served a little colder. Speaking of Burgundy...how about Pinot Noir from the Cote d'Beaune. These Pinots are much more delicate and feminine than those from the Cote d'Nuit so this would be another excellent decision for bridging the gap. Come to Corcoran's class on March 28th and we can have so much fun covering and discussing these neat little nuances of the wine world. Wine Sensations & the Art of Taste
Kim
CTO
Corcoran Vineyards
Kim
CTO
Corcoran Vineyards
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Spring has Sprung!
I feel as if spring is already here with all this warm weather!
I see green coming up out of the ground as my daffodils and tulips are the first to emerge from the winter season. Trees and bushes have full buds, which means our vines are right behind. Pruning the vineyard needs to be finished up within the next week. And then we need to prepare the soil to help keep the vineyard healthy.
I am now preparing for bottling on April 16th (volunteers are always needed!). We will be bottling our whites and possibly our Barbera, which is new to Corcoran. It is a red Italian varietal that, as of 2000, was the 3rd most-planted red grape in Italy. It has low tannins and high levels of acid, but we will put a small blend with it to help balance the acid, alcohol and fruit. I am looking forward to continuing on with this grape.
We have lots of fun events scheduled now that the day is longer and the weather is warmer…
First on the list is March 28th, we are having two wine courses being offered by Kim Smith, CTO at Corcoran. 11:00am-1:00pm will be Wine Sensations & the Art of Taste, which is the story of the Grape, the Crush and the Swirl. Then from 2:00-4:00pm we will be having a second wine course, Varietal Characteristics of Wine. Both classes are $35, reservations required and will include lunch with wine.
Then we move into April which will be a fun-filled month for all Corcoran Wine Lovers. April 19th we are having our first annual Summer Sizzle Picnic Pairing at Corky’s Pond from 2-5pm. Space is limited so make your reservations early.
Cheers!
I see green coming up out of the ground as my daffodils and tulips are the first to emerge from the winter season. Trees and bushes have full buds, which means our vines are right behind. Pruning the vineyard needs to be finished up within the next week. And then we need to prepare the soil to help keep the vineyard healthy.
I am now preparing for bottling on April 16th (volunteers are always needed!). We will be bottling our whites and possibly our Barbera, which is new to Corcoran. It is a red Italian varietal that, as of 2000, was the 3rd most-planted red grape in Italy. It has low tannins and high levels of acid, but we will put a small blend with it to help balance the acid, alcohol and fruit. I am looking forward to continuing on with this grape.
We have lots of fun events scheduled now that the day is longer and the weather is warmer…
First on the list is March 28th, we are having two wine courses being offered by Kim Smith, CTO at Corcoran. 11:00am-1:00pm will be Wine Sensations & the Art of Taste, which is the story of the Grape, the Crush and the Swirl. Then from 2:00-4:00pm we will be having a second wine course, Varietal Characteristics of Wine. Both classes are $35, reservations required and will include lunch with wine.
Then we move into April which will be a fun-filled month for all Corcoran Wine Lovers. April 19th we are having our first annual Summer Sizzle Picnic Pairing at Corky’s Pond from 2-5pm. Space is limited so make your reservations early.
Cheers!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Corcoran's Wine Classes March 28th
Well I have now finished my 1st half of my Sommelier class and boy is my head swimming with information. I thought it would be fun to do some classes at Corcoran for all those people wanting to hone in a little more on the aspect of tasting wine, become comfortable with verbally expressing themselves, learn a little history and just meet other wine loving people.
I plan to do 2 classes that day each about 2 hours long. The 1st class I plan on doing will be a broad spectrum on the history of wine and wine making along with touching on basic food pairings in which we take 6 wines and compare them all to salt, sugar, lemon, a soft cheese & a hard cheese.
The 2nd class will go into more detail about the most popular red and white varietals. We'll talk about the history of that particular grape, different areas of the world it's made, what makes it different, the typical flavors associated with it, etc.
This should be a lot of fun, the class will be small with about 10-12 people so we can bounce ideas, thoughts, etc off of one another, and of course we will be tasting plenty of wine (with the option of spitting if one wants) but we just want people to come out, have fun, and feel like they walked away with some solid knowledge.
You can go to our website at http://www.corcoranvineyards.com/events.htm and register.
Kim Smith
CTO
Corcoran Vineyards
I plan to do 2 classes that day each about 2 hours long. The 1st class I plan on doing will be a broad spectrum on the history of wine and wine making along with touching on basic food pairings in which we take 6 wines and compare them all to salt, sugar, lemon, a soft cheese & a hard cheese.
The 2nd class will go into more detail about the most popular red and white varietals. We'll talk about the history of that particular grape, different areas of the world it's made, what makes it different, the typical flavors associated with it, etc.
This should be a lot of fun, the class will be small with about 10-12 people so we can bounce ideas, thoughts, etc off of one another, and of course we will be tasting plenty of wine (with the option of spitting if one wants) but we just want people to come out, have fun, and feel like they walked away with some solid knowledge.
You can go to our website at http://www.corcoranvineyards.com/events.htm and register.
Kim Smith
CTO
Corcoran Vineyards
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)