SMG Winespeak

09/03/2021

my latest post on my "PA Wine Proud" FB page...here's the link:

Grüner Veltliner got its start on the East Coast in the vineyards at Galen Glen Winery in Schuylkill County. It's beginning to gain traction as a white grape to grow and as an appealing dry still and sparkling wine.

07/04/2021

my latest post on my "PA Wine Proud" FB page!

06/28/2021

you can now find posts on my visits to PA wineries on my "PA Wine Proud" FB page. please check it out and "LIKE" to follow as I explore the fine quality dry wines of southeastern PA wineries!

05/07/2021

today is International Sauvignon Blanc Day! in my opinion, this is the premiere wine producer of Sauvignon Blanc in New Zealand and one of the finest in the world! read and enjoy this post, then go experience the fine wines of Villa Maria from your local wine store.

Friday May 7 marks International Sauvignon Blanc Day; a day dedicated to celebrating one of the world’s most cherished wine varietals and one of our most commended here at Villa Maria.

04/29/2020

it's been quite a while since I last posted anything here and during that time, I decided to change the focus of this page. so going forward, I will feature wines from the East Coast of the USA, the wonderful wines of Italy, as well as wines from the other great producers from around the globe. to kick things off, here we go...

I just had the pleasure of drinking a bottle from from one of New York state's premier producers: "Hudson-Chatham Winery"! the 2017 Seyval Blanc, "Block 1, North Creek Vineyard" is estate grown, produced and bottled by winemaker Carlo DeVito and his staff. this wine opens up with citrus notes and green apples with a clear, straw yellow hue in the glass. there's nice clean, fresh fruit up front, with sour baked apple and a hint of pineapple at the end of the finish! this is a wonderful light, crisp, refreshing wine which would pair well with cheese.

05/12/2019

thanks to Marianne Lieberman, Vintner and owner of "Maple Springs Vineyard" and her tasting room associates, Alex and Justine, for a wonderful tasting and tour yesterday!

having just recently tasted one of the MSV wines (their 2016 Chardonnay) while dining at "Savory Grille", I knew I had to get there! tastings and tours are done by "appointment" only and I just happened to stumble upon this event two weeks prior!

the first thing I noticed (and you will too when you go!) is the tasting room building...WOW, by far the most beautiful of all the tasting rooms I've visited in PA! (and having seen pictures of many more tasting rooms on the east coast, this one ranks right up there!) it is extremely visitor friendly and set up for an ultimate experience which Marianne and her staff delivered!

the estate consists of 80 acres, though only seven acres are planted with vines featuring varietals such as Gruner Veltliner, Albarino, Chardonnay (various clones), Pinot Noir and Syrah! the rest of the estate is filled with unbelievable old structures of stone buildings (many built back in the 1700's) of homes, guest quarters, storage, barns, stables and wooded land. all which create an amazing landscape with a wonderful pool and "party" area to entertain members and guests at the special events held throughout the year!

the tasting included five estate wines: Gruner Veltliner, two of the Chardonnays, Pinot Noir and Syrah! (the pre-tasting, palate cleanser was offered and featured a "sparkling wine" from "Gruet Vineyards" (New Mexico) a personal favorite of winemaker, Jef Stebens. (one which I had previously purchased based on a recommendation from my friend Cindy Negrini when she visited this vineyard while in NM!)

the wines are well made with nice structure from start to finish! I'm a BIG "Gruner Veltliner" fan and was impressed with their offering! the Chardonnays offered are of two styles: "Old World" and "Dijon", both well balanced and not too oaky! the Pinot Noir was well crafted and balanced with nice fruit up front and a smooth finish. lastly, the Syrah was truly exceptional, something you don't really find in PA as it is a difficult grape to grow and produce in this state!

this was truly a wonderful experience and with the weather being almost perfect, it was an exceptional day to be outdoors in the vineyard and taking in all that Maple Springs Vineyard has to offer!

thanks again to Marianne and her staff for a great afternoon and sharing their knowledge and history of the estate and their fine wines!

you can check out their website for yourself at:
www.maplespringsvineyard.com

05/04/2019

thanks to Kim Waltz of "Waltz Vineyards" (Manheim, Lancaster County, PA) for a personal tasting this afternoon. the wines grown and produced by Jan Waltz (Kim's husband) are some of the finest in PA and on the east coast! year in, year out, the quality continues to rise despite the recent battles with difficult growing and harvest seasons!

stay tuned for a follow up of tasting notes on the current releases from Waltz Vineyards...it may well be on my NEW "PA WineProud" FB page in the very near future!

05/04/2019

sorry to have been out of touch the past few months, but due to a somewhat personal tragedy, I'm just getting back on my feet! long story, short: on October 26th of last year, the brownstone apartment building where Brunello and I have lived since June 2015 had a horrific fire and I lost everything, but the most important thing: my life and Brunello!

having relocated back to PA to regroup, gather myself (mentally, emotionally and spiritually) and figure out "what's next?", I'm slowly getting things together and BEING back into the "world of wine"...PA WINE in particular!

I'm currently working on finally launching my NEW and improved focus on the PA wine industry. hopefully in the next few months, you'll be able to visit "PA WineProud" here on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and best of all my NEW website: www.pawineproud.com!

SMG Winespeak will still exist, but will be about the entire "world of wine" with more of a focus on ITALIAN wines and other major wine growing/producing regions throughout the world!

for those of you who've continued to stay in touch, despite my lack of posts I thank you. I will make a more formal announcement and introduction when the "PA WineProud" project launches!

in the meantime, I'll be drinking primarily PA wines and sharing my tasting notes and experiences for anyone interested! I look forward to my NEW venture and hopefully you will too!

07/09/2018

this book was just recently released. co-written by one of my instructors at UCal-Davis, John Buechsenstein! this touches on the ultra-sensitive topic of "TERROIR"! NO, NOT "TERROR"! this is a review by Jancis Robinson one of the world's foremost respected wine minds! I've just started reading this and finding it more than intriguing on a wine industry topic where there are far too many opinions, beliefs, non-beliefs, critical comments and wine-chatter on both sides! read the review and if so inclined, order John's book!

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