Work took me this week to the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. My assignment was to evaluate the condition of the wines in the warehouses for the company I work for. They recently invested in a company down there.
The first day we flew from our base on St. Thomas to St. Croix. Balmy weather in February, around 80 degrees F. The warehouses were temperature controlled.
What I found, not only in the warehouses, but on wine lists on the islands were Italian wines…
…the first commercial vineyard in the Capital District." The wine is made from St. Croix grapes which were planted in 1995. The wine was aged in oak in 12 months. As advertised, the wine has a nice cherry profile, and has a nice balance of tannin and spice. A very nice table red.
This is a lovely classic chardonnay. This wine was produced using grapes harvested from an award winning vineyard on Seneca Lake. The wine has the elegant highlights one expects from a quality wine from …
…Ironmaster Reserve was the next wine. This was a dark red, dry wine made with equal parts St. Croix, Marquette, and Corot Noir, aged in local oak! A huge white oak had fallen in their farm, they had it milled into staves and aged them, and then brought the wood down to Jim Beam, to have them made into oak barrels.The only Connecticut winery to use local oak barrels. Very cool. The wine was dark, dry, and red, and very palatable. It had a lot of fruit on the nose, with a nice dry finish. …
- Winerepublic: Algoa FM Teams up With The Wine Show Road Show
- The Wine Spies: 2007 Castello Ducale Pallagrello Nero Terre del Volturno IGT
- Notes From The Cellar: From Washington? From Oregon? From The Columbia Valley
- The Orange County Register - News Headlines : Food: Thai restaurant serves up sweet and sticky menu
- Square Meal – Home Page: Land of Kings festival
- Slate Articles: Hell on Wheels
…Vermentino, Tempranillo, Marquette, Brianna, St. Croix, Norton, Edelweiss, and Vignoles. The table was represented by Missouri Wines , James Arthur Vineyards from Raymond Nebraska, and Fredericksburg Winery from Fredericksburg, Texas. The later was pouring a savory Muscat Canelli and started a trend of nice whites including the McPherson Cellars Rousanne and the Duchman Family Winery Vermentino. These are two clean, food friendly …
- Wine Weekly: Wines for Thanksgiving 2011
- Wine.Woot: Martian Ranch & Vineyard Viognier - $52.99
- CellarBlog: Just Say Viognier!
- On the Road with the Grape Guy: Report from ... Three Greek Estates Over 1 Lunch - May 11, 2011
- The Wine Front: Spinifex La Maline Shiraz Viognier 2009
- My Wine Education: Greatest Hits: Mr Black's Concoction (Shiraz/Viognier)
…Tempranillo grapes before everyone seemed to be talking about them is that any different than trying a St. Croix or Marechal Foch from your local winery?
Is the real answer, my cynical side asks, because "everyone was talking about" the Malbecs and Tempranillos and few, if any, are talking about local wines? Is it because we are snobs - even if we won't admit it - pooh-poohing anything local because it's familiar, and the familiar often doesn't have the same …
- 365 Wines in 365 Days: Charles Smith /K Vintners Tasting
- East Coast Wineries: A HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT WINE
- Off The Presses: The End of the Bar Car
- Elm City Wino: Breaking News -- Not an April Fool's Joke
- Willamette Valley Vineyards: Finds from the Field: with Mandie
- Lyke2Drink: Day 149 Drink: Ithaca Apricot Wheat
Sharpe Hill Vineyards 2007 St. Croix - Silver Medal
Connecticut Valley Winery Chianti (2010) - Silver Medal (the 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages won Bronze Medals)
Jerram Winery S'il Vous Plait - Bronze Medal
Jonathan Edwards Winery 2010 Pinot Gris - Bronze Medal
Miranda Vineyards Goshen Farmhouse Red - Bronze Medal
Some of my favorites from my Rhode Island visits also earned medals: Sakonnet Vineyards 2009 Vidal Blanc, a Gold Medal winner …
- Cortes de Cima: Wine Challenge - 4 Silver, 4 Bronze
- HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog: Israeli Syrah in Decanter World Wine Awards
- Winerepublic: JOURNEY'S END Ends 2010 On A Hong Kong High
- Adirondack Winery's Weblog: Adirondack Winery Lands Four Silver Medals at International Wine Competitions
- Mankas Hills Vineyards: Our latest wine releases and competition awards
- Bordeaux Undiscovered - Nick's Blog: Mathilde de La Fleur Morange Wins Bronze at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong IWS Competition
…British Virgin Islands. Imagine a tourist in the 1920s. "Welcome to beautiful St. Croix! Would you like a Pepsi? We'll put an umbrella and a piece of pineapple in it so you think you're having fun!"
$25/1.75L bottle, 46% abv.
Unlike many spiced rums (I'm looking at you Captain Morgan), this isn't sweet, but rather subtly flavored with a proprietary blend of spices. I get some cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, with maybe a little …
- Off The Presses: Black Tot Day, 40 Years On
Diageo issued a statement today essentially clearing its name. Diageo reiterated that its deal with the US Virgin Islands to build a Captain Morgan distillery on St. Croix was entirely independent and did not involve any member of the US Congress.
- The Wine Curmudgeon: Winebits 130: Chilean blind tasting, wine layoffs, rose wine list
- The Winery Web Site Report: Breakthrough Customer Service In Your Tasting Room
- Wine Blog: Giving a Shout Out to Wine Industry Philanthropy
- Alltop RSS: Quintessentially J&B - deft delivery? (Free for all)
- Sommelier - Harpers.co.uk: On-trade distributors rated in survey
- Off The Presses: Scenes from the Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala
Less than a hundred feet away from my desk a handful of young Frontenac and St. Croix vines are entering their third year here in Salt Lake City, and maybe they aren't the only ones around. A few industrious pioneers and forward-thinking visionaries are betting blood, sweat, and acres on a ridiculous proposition: to create an authentically American, native grape capable of transforming the wine world.
- Grapes and Grains: The Oracle Speaks: the Top 50 Craft Breweries
- My Wine Education: Blood Into Wine: Maynard James Keenan
" St. Croix vines are vigorous and produce medium sized, somewhat loose clusters of grapes. It has moderate to good disease resistance, and is hardy to -28°F or better.
" St. Croix grapes produce medium to full bodied, dry, deep red wines with low tannins, good fruity aromas, and have currant and other dried fruit flavor aspects. Production often employs oak barrel ageing to add even more complexity to the wine's bouquet and flavors."
The 2010 St. Croix was a lovely …
- : The Wines of Maugle Sierra
- WineSpiritsDaily.com - Wine & Spirits Daily: Diageo Says Congressmen Not Involved in Virgin Islands Deal
- Benito's Wine Reviews: Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry