Wine Trail - Sunset Hills Vineyard gets an A+

May 28, 2014

Warm weather means it's time to explore the highways and byways as we create our own wine trails. We gave serious consideration to taking one of the guided bus tours but as we still enjoy each other's company after more than twenty years, we know we do better on our own. 

Today's wine trail took us to five places. We laid out a driving loop and headed for Harper's Ferry. We knew of three vineyards we wanted to visit in that area last year but we ran out of time. This year we put them on the top of our list. In the order in which we visited them they were Breaux, Doukenie, Hillsborough, Loudoun Valley, and Sunset Hills.  Sunset Hills proved to be our find of the day. 

We have several pet peeves about about wineries, the lack of paved driveways and handrails for those with physical limitations being the main two. Other folks may not notice, but we do so I mention them as they apply. 

Loudon Valley  Vineyard wasn't open today but we were right there so we decided to drive in and check it out. Not a good move. I drove on the grass because the grass was smoother than the gravel lane. Sorry, folks. My car does not do potholes. You really need to fix the potholes. People notice potholes. Potholes are not a good thing. 

Doukenie Winery - another long and not so smooth lane but no potholes and not too bad at 5mph. The staff was very pleasant and friendly and that sort of offset the nasty lane. They do a lot of events and there was a group there planning a wedding reception.  We bought a bottle of their "every day" wine but even if it turns out we enjoy it, it's unlikely we'll make the drive back the half-mile lane again if they don't pave. Just because I have sturdy suspension on my Charger doesn't mean I plan to abuse it. 

**UPDATE** We opened the bottle and each took a sip. As we never planned to go back, neither of us was sad to pour the entire bottle down the drain. 

Breaux Vineyards - wow! WOW! What a beautiful place. Paved driveway! Paved parking! Handicapped accessible - not so much. There's a lack of handrails and the patio was very uneven which was a bit surprising given the general quality of everything. I'm guessing this past winter caused the tiles to heave and crack. But all-in-all a beautiful, beautiful facility. Definitely the most pricey vineyard I've ever visited and priced well above the per-bottle limit we set for ourselves when we began our wine odyssey. But did I mention the 'wow' factor the place has? 

Hillsborough Vineyards - again not too good in the handicapped accessible department. They didn't even have marked handicapped parking. My partner stayed in the car while I went inside and called him on the cell phone and read the entire wine list to him. The young man behind the counter was very helpful and offered to help my partner make it inside. But the problem was not getting him down the slope, but back up it to the car. I bought a bottle of Carnelian because the nice young man said it was his favorite. I hope it does turn out to be good as it was also the most affordable of our purchases today. Again, I doubt we go back because my partner would be unable to share in a tasting with me. Perhaps if they improve access for the handicapped they'll put that on their website. 

**UPDATE**
We opened the bottle of Carnelian to have with grilled chicken - very simple chicken with just salt and pepper and a touch of honey - and the wine was very good. We sampled half a glass before our meal was ready and it's definitely better with a meal than just sipped.

And that brings us to Sunset Hills and the lovely Jan. The driveway was not paved but it was firm and smooth with signs of regular maintenance. They not only had plenty of parking but handicapped parking and a drop-off point at a handicap access ramp. The steps were more like landings with short rises and good handrails. We stepped inside and Jan immediately - immediately - brought a chair to my partner. 


The "storefront" is in a rustic barn. It's difficult to tell if it's an old barn that was meticulously restored or a new construction. Either way, very nicely done. 

Since we knew this was our last stop of the day, we decided to share a glass of Sunset Rose. It's described as fruity with cherry, raspberry, lemon and melon, mid-palate, and off-dry. I would add there is no aftertaste at all which puts it high on my list of good wines. We asked for a bottle. Then in conversation with Jan we mentioned some of the other wineries we'd been to and some of the things we liked. Jan asked if I'd like a sip of the Cabernet Franc. It's a bold wine with a peppery bite that hits your tongue in a wonderful way and doesn't linger over long. We looked at each other and agreed it would be great with steak and a bottle of that went into the bag. We walked out of Sunset Hills with two bottles and a plan to return. 

**UPDATE** We enjoyed the Rose but decided the Cabernet Franc, while very, very good, wasn't a wine we'd like to sip by itself while relaxing on the patio. But it was good with steak. The Sunset Rose is something we would sip without food. 

We had a great day on our personal wine trail. Sunset Hills isn't exactly nearby, and not even remotely close to Knob Hall or Elk Run, but the next time we have the desire for a Sunday drive in the Shenandoah Valley, it's not too far to go. 

KC Kendricks
http://www.kckendricks.com
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Port.....or Starboard

July 8, 2013

The world is full of interesting and fun facts that don't do a thing to bring about world peace or to end world hunger. Nonetheless, we like them. Our brains are like little sponges and we suck up these tidbits because they make us feel smarter.

Wanna know what tidbit of totally useless information I learned recently? Sure you do. You're at Between the Keys so smile! So here it is. From Wikipedia, the reason why only PORT wine from Portugal can be called PORT: 

Port wine (also known as Vinho do Porto, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌviɲuduˈpoɾtu], Porto, and often simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal.[1] It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine though it also comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties. Fortified wines in the style of port are also produced outside Portugal, most notably in Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, and the United States. Under European Union Protected Designation of Origin guidelines, only the product from Portugal may be labelled as port or Porto.[2] In the United States, wines labelled "port" may come from anywhere in the world,[3] while the names "Dão", "Oporto", "Porto", and "Vinho do Porto" have been recognized as foreign, non-generic names for wines originating in Portugal.[4]

Huh. 

We recently stopped by Knob Hall Winery again and got a bottle of their wine made "in the style of port." OMG is it delicious!

So what do they call it since they can't call it "port?" Starboard, of course! 

KC
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Hitting the Wine Trail on vacation

May 31, 2013

Vacations are marvelous and precious things. A week away from the day job has passed in the blink of an eye, and while I value my employment, I find I'm in no hurry to return. Doing good in the world one person at a time can be rewarding, but it does take an emotional toll. So does dealing with the politically-minded who don't realize they sound like brainless magpies, but I digress. For my last official day of this week of vacation, we went in search of local wine.

I live within easy driving distance of West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Which way to go first was the hardest decision. We chose....poorly. The idea was to go far and work our way back home so we headed out to a new winery, Red Heifer, in the Cascade/Smithsburg area of Maryland. We didn't get to the wine part because...we drove right by the place. Their sign sits back off the road and, yes, I drive a little fast. My honey's nav program on his so-called smart phone was then activated and we turned around and went back.

I hope Red Heifer does well, but it will have to do well without me. We traversed a dangerously rutted and pot-holed gravel lane to a facility that is NOT handicapped accessible. #1 - My car sits a mere six inches off the ground and dragging bottom isn't in the playbook. I had to keep going to the top as there wasn't any way to turn around and go back down the mountain. #2 - My partner scared me to death when he got out of the car on the severely sloped parking area. And once he got down to the side of the parking area, no way in hell could he get back up under his own steam, even with his cane. Yes, I backed my car over their yard to get it to him.

Seriously, I hope you go and support them because I think small businesses are the backbone of this country but be warned - take a four-wheel drive and only people who can walk normally without assistance.

Our spirits somewhat dampened (okay, mine were soaking wet because my partner felt so bad he thought he was about to ruin my whole day out and it was NOT his fault) we decided to head straight to the place we really wanted to visit - Knob Hall in Clear Spring, Maryland.

Knob Hall sits out in the middle of nowhere, which is a plus for a vineyard. Once again, parking the car was a problem - NO handicap parking. Of course, by this point, I didn't give a damn if I ran over things to get him to the front door in any manner necessary to avoid him risking a fall. (Note: this is why handicap parking is so vital - people like ME get PISSED OFF if their loved ones don't have ingress and egress and WE are the ones y'all have to worry about because we're determined enough to take matters under our own four tires. Again, I digress.)

Once we were inside the rustic barn, this lovely blond chickie greeted us and invited us to have a little wine tasting, which we both thoroughly enjoyed although one of us more than the other - please refer back to the mention of a young blond. And I've digressed yet again....

We tried six different wines and ended up buying one bottle each of three of them. It was very instructional as to why we like the wines we do. We were well pleased with the staff and wine, and if the selections are as good with a meal as they were just sipping them on a hot spring day, I know we'll go back and stock up. Their prices weren't bad at all, and once again, I'm all about supporting small, local business. And the little four-bottle carry-all is pretty cool. I'll take that along whenever and wherever I get the next round of wine. I'm not bashful.

The one thing we do regret is not splurging on a bottle of their "port" wine. We'd never tasted "port" before and it had a wonderfully unique aroma and flavor, and had we been dogs, our ears would have pricked up. Another reason to go back to Knob Hall Winery.

We didn't make it to the three places in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, but we will some future day when I'm not stuck at the day job. It's good to have something to look forward to.

So now we've come to the last hours of a Friday afternoon. We're rested from the hours spent driving around some of the most beautiful countryside you'll find anywhere and it's time for us to relax on the patio until the bugs drive us back inside. It was a good vacation. 

KC
http://www.kckendricks.com