Hosted by the San Francisco Chronicle, this is the largest competition of American Wines in the World and is recognized for its participation by the most distinguished judges in the country.  More than 60 judges, including winemakers, sommeliers, wine educators, bloggers, and members of the media, evaluated more than 5000 wine entries.  Judging for this prestigious wine competition took place from January 8-11, 2013 at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in Sonoma County, CA.  For more information, visit http://www.winejudging.com/.

Smith-Berry winery was awarded a total of six medals; a Double Gold for our Blackberry wine, a Gold medal for our Cheviot Blanc, Silver for our Bluegrass Blush and Petite Sirah. We received Bronze medals for our John Harley and Drennon Creek.

“I could not be more proud of the wine produced from our farm over the years and I am honored to receive such prestigious recognition from this reputable competition. “ Charles Smith says of this recent accomplishment.

Along with making their award winning wines, Smith-Berry Winery also hosts a Dinner/Concert Series annually and boasts 400-500 tickets sold for each event. Smith-Berry Vineyard and Winery is located in New castle, KY about 34 miles East of Louisville. All wines are available for sale and tastings in our tasting room.  For a list of retailers that carry Smith-Berry wines, please visit our website.

Hours of operation:  Monday – Saturday   10 – 6    and     Sunday   1 – 6

www.smithberrywinery.com           888-845-7091 /   502-845-7091

Wine Name: 2011 Seyval Blanc

Varietal: Seyval Blanc

Alcohol: 13%

Category: White wine

Suggested Retail Price: $16

Retail Locations: In Monticello, Kentucky at Lake Cumberland Winery or online at upthecreekwinery.com from the “Buy Our Wines” page

Tasting Notes: Starting with fresh grapes from Up the Creek’s vineyard below the cabin, our 2011 Seyval Blanc became a traditional wine with a smooth passion on the finish.  Very crisp and refreshing, this wine exhibits notes of floral, green apples and tropical fruit.

Wine Name: Estate Lemberger

Varietal: Lemberger

Appellation: Kentucky

Alcohol: 12.5%

Category: Red

Retail Price: $20.75

Retail Location: Brooks Hill Winery

Tasting Notes: This medium bodied red wine handcrafted from grapes grown at the Brooks Hill vineyard and barrel aged 14 months in Kentucky White Oak.  This variety of grape is native to Austria, Germany and other areas of central Europe where it is also known as Blaufrankisch and Blauer Limberger.  It has aromas and flavors of dark cherries, pepper, and blackberry and finishes with a hint of earthiness and firm tannins.  A special wine to be paired with your favorite grilled meat, BBQ or pasta dish

http://www.brookshillwinery.com/

Wine Name: Chambourcin

Varietal: Chambourcin

Appellation: Kentucky

Alcohol: 12.5%

Category: Red

Retail Price: $21.99

Retail Locations: Prodigy’s Tasting Room or online: http://prodigyvineyards.com/news/?page_id=313

Tasting Notes: Dry, medium- bodied with tones of blackberries and cherries wrapped in an herbal bouquet. A nuance of licorice, tobacco and oak on the finished. Barrel aged 9 months.

http://prodigyvineyards.com

Christmas has presents and Independence Day has fireworks, but Thanksgiving is all about the meal. It’s an eclectic mix of traditional American foods with a vast array of flavor profiles- savory, sweet, salty, etc. Due to this wide range of flavors and the natural propensity to enjoy multiple dishes in one serving, wine pairing for Thanksgiving Dinner can prove rather challenging. Fortunately, one rule reigns supreme when selecting a wine to pair with food: If you enjoy it, serve it!

Every person has distinct physiological traits that dictate our sensory sensitivities and a wine that I may perceive pairing perfectly with a particular food may provide little or no pleasure for someone else. Having said this, there are a few guidelines to follow when selecting wines by looking at the main flavor profiles of the food they will accompany. The impact food will have on wine is nearly entirely determined by the balance of the primary taste of the food in question:

-          Sweetness: Sweet foods will increase bitterness, acidity and astringency in wine while decreasing body, richness and sweetness. What’s this mean? Basically, don’t drink a dry wine with very sweet foods. Dry wines will seem thin, harsh and lacking in flavor. A good rule of thumb when pairing a wine with a sweet dish is to always ensure that the wine is sweeter than the food.

-          Acidity: Foods high in acidity (think mustard, vinegar, any sort of citrus, etc.) will increase richness and sweetness in wines while decreasing acidity. This most often results in the wine tasting flat and bland. To counterbalance the acidity in the food, select a wine high in acidity- i.e. dry white wines fermented in stainless steel.

-          Salt: Foods high in salt will decrease the bitterness, acidity and astringency of wines while increasing richness and smoothness. Because of this, wines with natural high acidity and wines with high levels of tannins pair well with salty foods.

So, based on the aforementioned guidelines and my personal preferences, which Kentucky wines will I be passing around the table tomorrow?

-          Unoaked Kentucky Chambourcin (Dry): A French/American hybrid of unknown parentage, Chambourcin is widely planted throughout Kentucky and produces wines that range from light-medium body and from dry to semi-sweet. Slightly earthy with ripe cherry aromas, soft with a touch of acidity and a hint of spice, a dry Kentucky Chambourcin will pair wonderfully with roasted turkey as well as quite a few of those casseroles your grandma spent all day preparing.

-          Seyval Blanc: Another French/American hybrid varietal that is well suited to Kentucky’s unique climate and soil composition. Seyval produces a crisp, refreshing wine with citrus fruit characteristics and racy acidity that will contrast and balance those more savory dishes such as green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and pickled beets.

-          Semi-Sweet Vidal Blanc: A perfect accompaniment to Pumpkin Pie, Lemon Meringue , Fruit Tart or soft cheeses, Kentucky Vidal Blanc’s typically display a medium-full body with notes of fresh cut flowers, ripe pineapple, grapefruit and melon. Sharp acidity cuts through the finish to balance the pleasantly lingering sweetness.

Wine Name: First Vineyard Reserve

Blend: Chambourcin/Norton/Cabernet Franc

Appellation: Kentucky

Category: Red

Retail Price: $17.99

Retail Locations: http://www.chrismanmill.com/our-wines

Tasting Notes: First Vineyard Reserve is a full-bodied red wine, similar in style to a fine Chianti Classico, this wine is produced from a blend of Chambourcin, Norton and estate-grown Cabernet Franc grapes hand-selected on the crush pad each fall by our winemaker. The final blend is assembled and aged for 12-16 months in Kentucky-coopered American oak barrels.

http://www.chrismanmill.com/

Wine Name: Barrel-Fermented Chardonel

Varietal: Chardonel

Appellation: Kentucky

Alcohol: 12.5%

Category: Dry White

Retail Price: $19.99

Retail Locations: Prodigy’s Tasting Room

Tasting Notes: An off-dry style with extended less contact. Full fruit flavors, nuances of vanilla and toast on the aroma with a nutty, pecan-hazelnut finish.

http://prodigyvineyards.com/

Wine Name: Night Heron

Varietal: Norton

Appellation: Kentucky

Alcohol: 12%

Category: Red

Retail Locations:  http://www.harknessedwardsvineyards.com/contacts.html

Tasting Notes:  A beautiful deep garnet in color fading to shades of ruby at the rim; Night Heron is brimming with aromas of black cherries, ripe plums and kirsch with undertones of cloves, cinnamon and white pepper.  A dry red with firm tannins, good structure and flavors full of fresh blackcurrant, raspberries and just a hint of spice.

http://www.harknessedwardsvineyards.com/

Elk Creek Vineyards of Owenton will release the first of its True Blue Legends wine bottle series in honor of Prince, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in the 2000-2001 season, on Friday, Sept. 21, at the Elk Creek store at Fayette Mall in Lexington. Prince and Agriculture Commissioner James Comer will be on hand for the festivities.

“Tayshaun and Elk Creek have come together for a great cause – encouraging Kentucky’s children to eat right and live a healthy lifestyle,” Commissioner Comer said. “Funding from sales of this commemorative bottle will help us in our efforts to end childhood obesity in Kentucky. We’re grateful to Tayshaun and Elk Creek for their generosity.”

Elk Creek, Kentucky’s largest winery, will release 21,000 limited-edition bottles of its best-selling Kentucky Blue Riesling for $21 per bottle in honor of Prince’s uniform number at UK. The bottles will feature graphic artwork by Chris Rosenthal Design bearing Prince’s likeness and signature.

Part of the proceeds from sales of the commemorative bottles will go to Eat to Win, the department’s official “Healthy Habits” program. Prince, an Olympic gold medalist and star for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, is the official spokesperson for Eat to Win, a nutritional education initiative aimed at teaching Kentucky students about the benefits of eating locally grown fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle. To find out more about the Eat to Win program, go to www.eattowinky.com.

The Fayette Mall launch and bottle signing will take place from 6-8 p.m. EDT Sept. 21. Prince also is scheduled to appear for bottle signing events at the Elk Creek store at the Mall St. Matthews in Louisville on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 1-3 p.m. and the Elk Creek store at Crestview Hills Town Centre in Florence on Sunday, Sept. 23, from 1-3 p.m.

Bottles in the True Blue Legend Wine Series will be available for purchase from Elk Creek’s website, www.elkcreekvineyards.com, and at all Elk Creek Vineyards retail locations. Collectors may pre-order bottles in advance online and pick them up for Prince to sign at any of the Sept. 21-23 events. For more information, contact Brad Allnutt at Elk Creek Vineyards at (502) 484-5456.

Wine Name: Vignoles

Varietal: Vignoles

Appellation: Kentucky

Alcohol: 12%

Category: White

Retail Price: $14.99

Retail Locations:  http://www.acresoflandwinery.com/wine-locator

Tasting Notes:  Clean, floral aromas abound.  Full of crisp flavors of lemon, grapefruit and pineapple.  Soft on the palate with an enticingly tropical finish. Pair with shellfish, North Indian Curries and pastas with cheese sauce.

http://www.acresoflandwinery.com/