Welcome to Maryland and Boordy Vineyards!

My latest wine experience brings me to Boordy Vineyards in Maryland.  This wine was a gift from my future sister-in-law Lauren and her wonderful parents.  As I had stated earlier, in December we went to an engagement party for my brother-in-law (Lou) and his fiancée. We are very excited about the coming nuptials.  Now getting back to the wine, the bottle that I received was a bottle from Boordy's landmark series. Maryland is known for a lot of things. It is one of the original 13 colonies to revolt from the British, the inspiration for Francis Scott Key's (and our National Anthem) Star Spangle Banner, the Mason-Dixon Line, one of the first capitals of the United States (Annapolis), and much more.  Who would have thought that Maryland would be a place for wine and grape growing too.

Boordy Vineyards is one of Maryland's oldest family owned vineyards.  Located just outside of Baltimore, Boordy currently offers three distinct categories of wine: the Landmark Series, the Icons of Maryland, and the Just for Fun Series.  The Landmark Series features Maryland grown grapes and is considered to be the finest wine, and is marked by vintage year. The wines that can be found in the Landmark Series are: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Landmark Reserve, Eisling, and Veritas.   The vintage year that I received was a 2008 Merlot.

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The 2008 Landmark Merlot is a full body dry wine.  Though I have found that my palate does enjoy a more semi dry wine, this bottle of wine had a nice finish and was not as dry as I had expected it to be.  The Merlot was very interesting because it was well balanced and did not overpower you by having a heavy oak taste, even though the aroma of the Merlot was oaky.  You could smell the oak right away and it smelled earthy.  The color of the wine was a dark ruby color and barely translucent.  I could taste the earthiness to the wine and I noticed that the wine did not have a lot of tannins to it, which is something I was expecting from a dry wine.  The finish of the wine was nice and long lasting.  It did not just hit hard and run away, and overpower you with the tannins and oak from the aging process.  I found this wine to be very enjoyable and I would highly recommend it.  As for food parings I would recommend this with Eggplant Parmesan.  I also soaked my Eggplant in about 2ozs of this wine and it made my eggplant very good.  I also made sauteed mushrooms and onions in a tsp. of the wine with a tsp. of olive oil.  and it made a very nice taste in my sauce.  If I was serving steak or lamb I could just see how placing my sauteed mushrooms and onions on top of the meat would be delicious and paired perfectly with the wine.  This wine is great on a cool spring, or fall day and as a winter treat.  I am not sure how this wine would be in the heat of the summer as I believe it may be too rich for the summer.  However, it is an excellent wine for cool days.  

If you would like to learn more about Boordy Vineyards or would like to order a bottle of this to try for yourself.  There are three options:  The first options is if you are on your way  Florida (trying to escape the winter blues) Take a side trip into Maryland, stop at the vineyard located at 12820 Long Green Pike,  Hydes Maryland.  The wine tasting room is open daily at 2pm to 3:30pm and their store is open daily from 10am to 5pm.  Your second option is to visit their website and order your wine.  Check to see if you live in one of the states they deliver too. The third option is to check to see if it is at your favorite wine shop. If not see if they can order it for you.  Enjoy!

The Wine Journey Came to Me Part 2

In my last post I had posted about wine coming to my door via Wine Insiders.  I had purchased 4 bottles of wine for $15.00 which is a great deal!  In my last review, I reviewed the Maddalena Riesling from Monterey California.  Today's review is the Myth Chardonnay. This wine is another California wine and I must say a great find on Wine Insiders.  I must admit that my favorite wines are white, and  semi dry to a light sweet.  If you only like sweet wines, Wine Insiders may not be the place for you to order.  They specialize in dryer wines; however, with that being said I found this Chardonnay to be one of my all time favorites.  While some of the reviews I have seen about this wine have all stated that it is the quintessential summer wine, I would have to say that this wine is also very good on a brisk spring or fall day.  The Myth Chardonnay has a rich, smooth, and refreshing taste.

The Chardonnay grape makes an absolutely delicious wine which would explain why it is the most widely planted grape in the entire world. Chardonnay wine has become America's most popular selling white wine and boasts a very impressive range of flavors from smooth buttered oak overtones to sweet fresh fruit flavors. While the debate over which (if either) is better, many believe the very best Chardonnay wines are those with a smooth buttery taste. I found the Myth Chardonnay leaning more toward the sweet fresh taste but with a hint of the smooth buttery oak flavor. This Chardonnay is a great combination of the two and it create a nice flavor for any pallet. This Chardonnay pairs well with grilled seafood, chicken, and pasta dishes. It also pairs well with roasted chicken and pasta alfredo.




While this bottle of wine was only $3.20 it was a great bottle of wine, don't let the price fool you. If you live in an area where wine can be delivered to you, check out Wine Insiders and experience a variety of different wines from California. Sign up for their deals, because they do send you some great deals on wine. Enjoy!

Where did you go?

Our new home in Frankfort, Kentucky

On a ride at Chuck E. Cheese with Miriam and Elizabeth.

Hello fellow wine lovers!  I am so sorry that I have abandoned you for the last few months.  However, a lot has happened in my life.  In October I had hand surgery and was not able to type that well.  December came and went with some excitement.  We celebrated Elizabeth's 1st birthday, had an engagement party for my brother-in-law and his new fiance, plus my husband got a  job offer in the state of Kentucky.  January was super busy as we had to move quickly to Frankfort, Kentucky.  The month of February went by fast with Abigail's birthday and getting settled into our new home.  It is now March and I am now able to get back to writing about wine and some new adventures as well.  While wine will be the major drink of choice on my blog.  I will from time to time feature some of what Kentucky has to offer.  Our area of Kentucky holds a rather large Bourbon trail and it seems as though chocolate is big here too. Also our area features a wine trail that I will be visiting.  I have recently learned that in the city of Frankfort there is a store called Capital Cellars Wine and Spirits Cafe Market where they offer Wine Education classes.  I cannot wait to check this gem out and sign up for the class.  Plus they offer free wine tasting every Thursday and Friday from 4pm to 7pm.  So come back and join me for a wine lovers experience.

Abigail's Surprise Birthday Party