What's Happening Wednesday- Wine

I have been interested in wine for many years, but on a trip to Florida a few years ago, my family and I visited a wine shop which featured wine made from everything EXCEPT grapes. Since I never realized that was even a possibility, it not only surprised me, but it truly intrigued me. After several tastings, we chose a nice sparkling champagne made from mangoes for my Son's engagement, but really loved the taste of the white sangria, a 5 wine mixture too. Of course the blueberry was a favorite of mine as well, but since it contains a lot of potassium, the nurse in me worried that I would want to drink too much of it, which could cause me some  heart issues, so I had to pass on that one. 


Wine first appeared about 4500 BC, and was quite common in ancient Rome and Greece. In fact, both cultures even had gods that represent wine. While Dionysus was the Greek god representing wine, and Bacchus the Roman equivalent, wine continued to play an important role in religion throughout history. In fact, the drink is still used in modern day Christian services to represent the Eucharist, and in the Jewish Kiddush ceremonies as well.


Wine is made from fermented fruit juices which, to spite my introductory statements, is usually made from grapes because of their natural chemical balance, which allows them to ferment without the addition of sugars, enzymes, acids, or other nutrients. Grape wine is created by fermenting the crushed grapes using various types of yeast. The yeast consumes the sugars contained in the grapes and converts them into alcohol. The different varieties of grapes, as well as different strains of yeasts, produce different types of wine.


Wine that is made from fruits other than grapes, is usually called the fruit they are made with (such as elderberry wine), generically called fruit wine, or they are called after the specific fruit from which they are made (such as elderberry wine). Actually, wine can also be made from flowers and vegetables as well. All home-made wine is generally referred to as "country wine". Country, as in "not the city", because presumably the ingredients originally came from the Earth/the countryside. Don't dismiss the country wine that you come across simply because it is home made, it can be just as good, or even better as any store bought bottle. And they are for sure less expensive than their store bought counterparts. 


Actually, because of the additives needed, non-grape wines may be technically more difficult to perfect, however they do not command the popularity, distinction, or the price that most grape wines do. This is probably also true of other wines, made from starch based materials like barley wine or rice wine (sake). In fact, these wines actually resemble beer more than they do wine. In these cases, the term "wine" refers to the higher alcohol content they posses, rather than the actual production process. Interestingly enough, the word "wine", as well as its equivalent in other languages,  is protected and defined by law in many jurisdictions.

Wine is not only tasty, but is very interesting. So interesting in fact, that I know several people who do not even drink, that are into making their own wines. While I kind of think not tasting your product is a little odd, as long as I get a glass to try, who am I to complain? Lol

If you are interested in possibly making your own wine, you may find this video  helpful.  And this site offers several references that will help to get you started. It provides material lists, articles about issues you may run into, introductory directions as well as more detailed and experienced ones, and even descriptions of various wine types. 

Kirkwood Winery Grape Festival

Sorry it has been a while since I posted something, but I have been busily preparing for Christmas, yes I know it's early but I have to have my items for Christmas at the Cabin ready by Oct. 15! And, I was also making items for the Grape Festival at Kirkwood winery in Summersville, WV.

The Grape Festival was this past weekend, and it was quite interesting! I only do a few shows a year, and have not done an outdoor festival in eleven years, so it was quite an experience for me!

It was a two day event, the first being sunny, hot, and quite busy. The second day was overcast, and cloudy, gusting wind at times, and an occasional spit and sputter of rain right up until a half hour before closing, when it became sunny and hot without a breeze to be felt! It is always lovely to pack up while sweating, lol! The weather however didn't derail the fun. There were bands playing, cloggers clogging, square dancers square dancing, guests stomping grapes, kids playing on a giant inflated slide, shoppers shopping and of course a LOT of wine tasting going on!!

This truly was a fun event and different from anything that I have ever attended. To get to winery you have to drive back a windey, country road. The kind that has to be two lanes when another car is coming, but really is only big enough for one car. The West Virginia mountains rising all around you, the drive alone was worth the trip. Then you get to this small clearing and find the winery in the field. There is an empty house in front, then a drive that leads to the office and the retail store (with the owners in residence above the store). A large wrap around porch leads you to a path that goes to the distillery that is on the premises. They offered tours, but unfortunately I wasn't able to leave my space long enough to see it.

This is an annual event, and people came from all over to attend. You certainly could tell that it wasn't their first time to plan such an event. They had a stage set up opposite the store for the bands, and the dancers all performed on the pavement in between the store and the stage. They also had a wine tasting station by the store, where visitors gathered all day long trying every wine that the Kirkwood winery produces. When visitors entered the festival they received a wine glass (the entry fee was $6.00) and a wrist band that entitled them to free wine tasting all day long. My unofficial poll showed a tie between peach and blueberry wine being the female crowd favorite and ramp being the male favorite. I personally thought the Currant, the Blueberry, the Niagara and the Merlot were all tops!!!

To see more pictures from the show, visit my flickr account http://flickr.com/uniquegarden later on tonight and click on the collection link for the Kirkwood Grape Festival.

I had a great time and truly appreciated being invited to attend. If you ever visit West Virginia you should try to include the Kirkwood Winery in your plans! They offer tours all the time, just give them a call, but for a great time you should plan to attend next years festival!