Park City’s Park Mammoth Resort, a 2,000 acre property opened in 1964 in the heart of Kentucky’s Cave Valley region, has historically held precedence for its scenic wilderness, 18 hole golf course, 100 room rustic lodge and Lookout Restaurant complete with panoramic views spanning 26 miles over the Mammoth Cave sink hole basin. Most recently, however, Park Mammoth is garnering attention for its world renown Rockcastle Shooting Center- billed as one of the top shooting destinations in the United States.

 Nick Noble noticed the potential the property offered at first sight and, in partnership with his brother, purchased Park Mammoth Resort in 2009. They have worked tirelessly to revitalize the aging complex after years of steady decline and explained that the success of the shooting center represented a slight shift in clientele. Though Noble is adamant about maintaining the traditional charm that has continually lured customers for the better part of five decades, he is taking measures to ensure the resort also caters to a more international crowd.

 It was the intention of creating an international destination that bore the idea of forming Cave Valley Winery. Noble envisioned transforming a portion of the property to include lush trellised vines complete with unique landscape architecture to accommodate outdoor weddings set amidst the vineyard. He wanted to create a wine bar featuring not only Cave Valley’s wines, but also various award winning wines from around the Commonwealth in a unique Kentucky Proud tasting room. Noble has even discussed transforming a disused cave on the resort grounds into a functionally desirable wine cellar in which special events and tastings could be held amongst aging barrels. Noble’s vision, however, contained one glaring obstacle- Park Mammoth Resort is in Edmonson County, a county that had never allowed the legal sale of any alcoholic beverage.

 Noble hit the ground running- quite literally. Through educating the surrounding community of Park Mammoth’s intentions and potential economic impact as well as systematic and extensive local canvasing, a local option election allowing the sale of beer and wine at the resort passed on March 29, 2011. In a ceremony on June 1, 2011, the first legal alcoholic beverage in Edmonson County was sold.

 Progress has remained constant at Park Mammoth’s Cave Valley Winery. The wine bar has since opened, currently serving a myriad of wines from around the Commonwealth, including: Purple Toad, Sinking Valley, Reid’s Livery and Wight-Meyer. Cave Valley Winery will produce their first bottles this year and have recently planted the first stage of their vineyard with Chambourcin and Diamond varieties. A building that once served as the resort’s indoor pool will soon be filled with tanks, presses and pumps as it transforms into Cave Valley’s winery.

 In addition to Cave Valley Winery, Rockcastle Shooting Center and Cave Valley Golf Club, the 100 room Lodge is receiving a complete facelift to include all modern amenities and an improved aesthetic charm while still maintaining a rustic motif. The Lookout restaurant is undergoing changes as well; updating the menu with modernized gastronomic fare whilst conserving Kentucky classics such as Hot Browns and Deep Fried Mammoth Catfish. The Kentucky wine list will be expanding as well to include appropriate wine pairings for every dish.

 Park Mammoth is well on its way to becoming one of the preeminent resort destinations of the Commonwealth and certainly worth a weekend visit. Play 18 holes, shoot some sporting clays, take a hike and enjoy a lovely meal with a glass of Kentucky wine while watching the sun set across the Commonwealth.

http://www.parkmammothresort.us/ 

Wine Name: Taste the Sun

Varietal:  Vidal Blanc

Appellation (if applicable): Kentucky River Valley

Alcohol: 13.5%

Category: white

Suggested Retail Price: $11.99

Retail Locations: 

-Bardstown: Kroger

-Bowling Green: Kroger

-Danville: Liquor Barn

-Frankfort: Capital Cellars, Red Dot Liquors

-Lexington: Big Daddy Liquors, Coliseum Liquors, Corner Wine, Green Tree Tea Room, Kroger, Leestown Road Liquor, Liqour Barn, Liquor Barn Express, Mason Liquor, Unlimited Spirits

-Louisville: Kroger, Liqour Barn

-Mt Sterling: Kroger

-Paris: J&M Liquors

-Prospect: Prospect Party Center

-Richmond: Jillian’s Specialty Gifts & Fine Wines, Liquor Mart, Mike’s Warehouse Liquors

Versailles: Blue Whiskey Store, Kroger

Winchester: Brady’s Hometown Grill, Bypass Liquor, Kroger, Winchester Country Club

 Tasting Notes:

 Full fruit flavors and just a tad sweet, Taste the Sun has been aged in stainless steel to fully express the grapes grown in the rich Kentucky soil.  Vidal Blanc is an aromatic grape variety displaying distinctive floral & citrus-like aromas as well as high acidity that lends a crisp flavor and defined palate structure

 Taste the Sun is delicious when consumed young and fresh, when the flavors are fruity & aromatic, and have a crisp taste.  It matures gracefully due to its naturally high acidity. It therefore retains an enviable freshness that sets it apart from most other white wines and makes it suitable for extended aging, showing secondary honey, toast and floral characters.

Wine Name: Meritage           

Varietal: Cabernet & Cabernet Franc

 Appellation (if applicable): Kentucky

Alcohol: 11.5%

Category: red

Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 a bottle

Retail Locations: River Bend Winery, Cox’s Outlet, Westport Whiskey, Liquor World, Top Hat, Graffs Liquors

Tasting Notes: Wine drinkers wine, classic bourdeaux style, pairs well with a steak, drinks well on its own

 http://www.riverbendwineryky.com/index.php 

Varietal: Black Raspberry
Appellation (if applicable): N/A

Alcohol: 12%

Category: Fruit

Suggested Retail Price: $32

Retail Locations: Reid’s Livery Winery; I65 Liquors; Barren River Beverages
Tasting Notes: This fine wine is the last one we have people taste at the winery. The nose on this wine is truly awesome. The usual reaction to a sniff is “that smells like a bouquet of flowers!”, the first reaction of most people to a taste is “Oh Wow”, we find the best way to savor this wine is first taste by itself, then take a bit of Chocolate, and a second taste. Both the first and the second taste are equally exciting.  We have sold out of this “grown on our farm, 100% Black Raspberry Wine for three years in a row.  Last year we released it in March and after selling out in June, we won Gold at the Midwest International Wine Competition.  Last years Black Raspberry production will allow this years wines to triple in production. This wine is equally enjoyed by sweet and dry wine lovers.  It is not sweet in the sugar sense but the berry flavor is extreme.  You will find a smooth finish that will leave you wanting every drop to savor.

http://reidsliverywinery.com/

Wine Name:   KentuckyCabernet Sauvignon

Varietal:          Cabernet Sauvignon

Appellation (if applicable):    Kentucky

Alcohol:           13.5%

Category:        Red

Suggested Retail Price:           $22.00

Retail Locations:                     Brooks Hill Winery     

Tasting Notes:                        Kentucky Cabernet Sauvignon is a bold red wine made of 100%Kentuckygrapes, harvested from the outstanding vintage of 2008, and aged in Kentucky White Oak barrels for 14 months.  It is a well rounded, complex cabernet with dark berry and fruit aromas coupled with flavors of black cherries, currants and spices.  Pairs well with red meat and marinara pasta dishes. Mike Hatzell, prop.

http://www.brookshillwinery.com/Our_Wines.html

 $10 a person

Includes tasting at the wineries, discounts on wine and chance to win a special Derby Edition T-shirt

Get a Kick out of these SAVINGS! 

Each winery will be offering:

Pick 6 pick any 6 bottles wine and receive 15% off

Pick 4 pick any 4 bottles wine and receive 10% off

Daily Double pick any 2 bottles wine and receive 5% off.

 Springhill Winery  10:00 am – 5:00 pm                                    

Wildside Winery  1:00 pm – 7:00 pm

 Chuckleberry Winery 11:00 am – 5:00 pm             

Forest Edge Winery  11:00 am – 7:00 pm                               

McIntyre’s Winery  9:00 am – 9:00 pm                           

Broad Run          12:00 pm – 6:00 pm

 Horseshoe Bend  11:30 am – 7:00   

 Prodigy                 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

 Chrisman Mill Winery 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

 Reid’s Livery Winery  Begin at Farmers Market 6:30 am – 1:00 pm and at the winery 2:00 pm – until dark

For more information, visit: http://www.bestkywineries.com/

 Just past Newcastle and down a gravel drive off of Drennon Road lies Smith-Berry Winery. At first glance, one could be forgiven for mistakenly questioning if they had unwittingly pulled into a well-maintained dairy farm as opposed to a winery. In fact, not so terribly long ago the large black barn by the parking lot had housed a milking facility for precisely that sort of operation. Now, however, where the cattle once idly stood for their daily milking now stands a line of gleaming stainless steel tanks. A portable state of the art ozone sanitation system sits atop the pristine concrete floors and the back corner of the transformed structure now houses a modern lab. Dozens of new French and American Oak barrels filled with aging wines sit stacked in an adjacent room of the barn which at one time also housed an art gallery.

 Smith-Berry’s owner and wine maker, Chuck Smith, is by no means a novice in his field. With over a decade of experience making wines in the Commonwealth, Smith could be considered a pioneer and one of only a few seasoned veterans in the Kentucky wine industry.  His wines are beautifully crafted with incredible depth, structure and finesse while at the same time managing to capture the unique Limestone terroir of the region. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from a single vineyard in Millersburg, Kentucky, pours a dark garnet and has an enchantingly complex nose of fresh summer berries, clove and just a slight hint of Perique tobacco. The medium bodied wine burst with currant and cherry flavors and has just the right amount of spice imparted from an expert determination of precise time spent in oak.

 Centrally located between I-64 and I-71, Smith-Berry’s winery and tasting room is an easy drive from Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky. This hard working winery is an ideal weekend destination for anyone interested in serious wines in a picturesque setting. It’s not all serious business though; Jennifer Cowden, Smith-Berry’s Marketing/Events Director and general Jack-of-all-trades, couldn’t be friendlier. Despite her hectic schedule, she explains the wines with the fervor and apparent pleasure of someone who is truly passionate about her work and realizes that she’s part of something very special indeed.

http://smithberrywinery.com/ 

Wine Name:       blue blue blue Kentucky Blueberry Table Wine

Varietal:               100% Kentucky grown blueberries

Appellation:       N/A

Category:            Fruit

Suggested Retail Price:  $18

Retail Location: Lake Cumberland Winery, Monticello, KY

Tasting Notes:  Big Blue started from 100% choice freshly frozen blueberries grown in Cumberland County Kentucky by Brush Creek Berries.  Owners at Brush Creek take pride in nurturing blueberry bushes, and handling the fruit during harvest.

I took measure to bring natural fruit characteristics and aroma forward by extending maceration and fermentation using temperature control.  The combined processes exceeded 30 days.  Fermentation and wine aging occurred in stainless steel tanks.

 Everything about this wine says blueberries!  When sharing a bottle with friends, the wine tastes delightful either chilled or at room temperature. Though superb on its own, Big Blue pairs quite well with a variety of cheeses as well as with a slice of fresh pecan pie topped with vanilla ice cream.

Wine p= 3.18

Residual Sugar= 32.0 g/l

http://upthecreekwinery.wordpress.com/ky-blue/ 

Producer:  Baker-Bird

Wine Name:  Vidal Blanc

Varietal:  Vidal Blanc

Appellation: Ohio River Valley

Alcohol: 12%

Category:   White

Suggested Retail Price:  $15.00

Retail Locations:  Baker-Bird Winery, Augusta, KY

Tasting Notes:  A Crisp Sweet Wine with the taste of Pears and Apples.  This Wine is similar in style to a sweet Riesling and was awarded a Gold Medal in 2011 National Competition of the American Wine Society.

http://www.bakerbirdwinery.com/articles/catview.asp?catid=27 

 In 1982, Cottrell became Cornell University’s first Associate Professor of Enology. He is a member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, serving as Secretary of the Eastern Section in the 1980’s and, more recently, as Director. In addition to Kentucky wineries, Dr. Cottrell continues to consult wineries in the Finger Lakes, on Long Island, in Pennsylvania and other parts of the East, Midwest and South.

 For anyone who makes wine, wants to make wine or is just a curious oenophile who’s ever wondered how such a delicious libation came to be, click on the link at the bottom of the page. Dr. Cottrell has provided a list of selected books covering a wide range of topics all about the winemaking process.

 Dr. Tom Cottrell’s Selected Books on Wine