You are here: Home / Archives for Renee A

War of the Worlds: New World vs. Old World

November 26, 2013 By

Join us on

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

from 6:30-8:30 pm

for 

War of the Worlds: New World vs. Old World

Exactly what is meant by the terms “Old World” and “New World” wines? What are the differences between the two? Learn about international grapes, explore some of the top wine regions of the world, and taste the same grape varieties grown in different locations to discover regional differences.

at

The Crush Club

65 South Colony Road

Wallingford, CT

$48/person (advance registration appreciated)
To register, click here: WaroftheWorlds
Filed Under: Tastings & Events

Wines for the Holidays

November 20, 2013 By

Join us as we spread some holiday cheer on

Saturday, November 23, 2013

from 3:00-5:00 pm

at

Wines for the Holidays

Enhance your holiday meals and parties with spectacular wine selections. From sparkling starters to sweet dessert closers, there’s a fabulous wine for every dish. We will also give some great tips for choosing the perfect host/hostess wine gift this holiday season.

at

The Crush Club

65 South Colony Road

Wallingford, CT

 

Filed Under: Tastings & Events

A Tasting of Wine & Chocolate

October 31, 2013 By

Knipschildt Chocolatier

and

Wine Institute of New England

present

photo-117

A Tasting of Wine & Chocolate

November 19th, 2013

7:00 – 9:00 pm

at

Chocopologie Cafe

12 South Main Street

Norwalk, CT 06854

Knipschildt Chocolatier, CT Magazine's Best of CT for chocolate, and Wine Institute of New England, CT Magazine's Best of CT for wine appreciation, join forces to bring you the best of both worlds. Accompany us on a gustatory journey to tantalize the senses. 

The evening begins with chocolate-infused hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine, 

followed by a guided pairing of wine and artisan chocolate made in CT.

 

The Hors d'Oeuvres Menu

Seafood Ragout in Wonton with White Chocolate

Tortellini with Mushrooms Served on Dark Chocolate Truffle Sauce

Pheasant Rielette with Lingonberry & Mole Sauce

 

$59/person

This event is limited to 36 people. 

Advanced registraton required.

To register, please visit: 

www.wineinstituteofnewengland.com/wine-food-pairing-events/

or call 860-591-WINE

Filed Under: Connecticut Corkers, Tastings & Events Tagged With: , , , ,

Uncork Your Inner Wine Expert!

October 25, 2013 By

Wine Institute of New England 

presents

Uncork Your Inner Wine Expert!

at

Quattro's Restaurant & Wine Bar

Monday, November 11th, 2013

6:30~8:30 pm

$55.00/person

Our Fall/Winter wine appreciation class series at Quattro's Restaurant & Wine Bar continues with one of our most popular classes. Learn wine tasting techniques in a fun and non-intimidating atmosphere while you try several highly rated wines. We will also share several excellent tips for optimizing your wine drinking experiences. This class will provide the information you need to feel more confident when selecting and tasting wines at home, with friends, or while entertaining clients. If you haven't had your inner wine expert uncorked yet, you must try this class!

To sign up for this class and to see our full schedule, click here: 

https://wineinstituteofnewengland.com/wine-appreciation-classes/

 
 
Filed Under: Tastings & Events, Uncategorized

Fall Flight School

October 5, 2013 By

WINE Flight School

Introducing our Fall Flight School. Wine flights, that is! Each class, we will do a flight of white wine and a flight of red wine. The wines chosen for each flight will be the same grape variety, but from different regions. This is a great way to discover just how much “terroir” plays a role in how a wine tastes. You can register for an individual class or take advantage of our Flight School Special and sign up for all three.

All Flight School classes will cover wine tasting techniques and tips, variety and region information.

In-Flight Service:

  • Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir 
  • September 9, 2013
  •  
  • Chardonnay and Shiraz 
  • September 30, 2013

    Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon 

  • October 14, 2013
  •  
  • First Class Flight (all 3 classes)
Filed Under: Tastings & Events

Tasting Tips for Sipping Like a Pro

September 21, 2013 By

Wine Institute of New England

presents

Tasting Tips for Sipping Like a Pro

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013

7:00-9:00 pm

at The Crush Club

We will review tasting techniques, discuss grape varieties and wine regions, taste several well-rated wines, and reveal six simple secrets to sipping like a pro.

$50/person

This class is limited to 30 people.

 

Join us before the class for a sparkling wine reception to celebrate 

the exciting new partnership between

Wine Institute of New England

and

The Crush Club

5:30-6:30 pm

65 South Colony Road

Wallingford, Connecticut

Entrance is at rear of building.

 

To register for the class, please visit:

www.wineinstituteofnewengland.com/wine-appreciation-classes/

Filed Under: Tastings & Events, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Uncork Your Inner Wine Expert at the Durham Fair!

September 17, 2013 By

Wine Institute of New England 

presents

Uncork Your Inner Wine Expert!

at

The Connecticut Wine Festival

on the Green at the Durham Fair

Saturday, September 28th

and

Sunday, September 29th 

 

Hands Holding Wine

Renée Allen, Director of the Wine Institute of New England and winner of Connecticut Magazine's 2013 Best of CT award for wine appreciation, will be conducting wine seminars during the CT Wine Festival at the Durham Fair on Saturday, September 28th and Sunday, September 29th.  

Renée, a Certified Specialist of Wine, will cover wine tasting techniques and varietal information, and will offer terrific tips that will have you sipping like a pro this fall.

The Durham Fair will be hosting the Connecticut Wine Festival on the town green during the 94th Annual Durham Fair from September 26-29, 2013. For a small additional fee, fairgoers of legal age will be able to sample wines produced in Connecticut from CT grown fruit from seven of our Connecticut wineries. The participating wineries are Bishop’s Orchards Winery, Gouveia Vineyards, Hopkins Vineyard, Jonathan Edwards Winery, Jones Winery, Priam Vineyards, and Sunset Meadow Vineyards.

The Wine Festival will be open on Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 8pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 6pm. The separate charge for entering the Wine Festival is $12 on Friday and $15 on Saturday and Sunday. 28 different wines will be available for sampling. In addition there will be a wine store where the local wines can be purchased, to be picked up once the guest leaves the Fairgrounds.

To complement the Wine Festival, there will be entertainment from the Green Stage and a Cabot Cheese sampling.  Daniel Miramant, President of the Durham Fair Association, expressed his enthusiasm about including the Wine Festival: “This festival is consistent with our focus on education in agriculture this year and we are proud to be hosting one of two State sponsored Wine Festivals at our Fair this year.”

For information, visit: www.durhamfair.com

Filed Under: Tastings & Events

Brave New World Wines

August 12, 2013 By

Join us at Quattro's Restaurant & Wine Bar for a special wine appreciation class

as we explore wines from California to to our own backyard in Connecticut, 

with stops along the way in Oregon, Washington and New York. 

 

August 26th, 2013

6:30-8:30 pm

 

$55.00/person

Quattro's Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

14 Water Street

Guilford, CT 06437

 

To register for this class and for more information:

www.wineinstituteofnewengland.com

or contact us at:

Phone: 860-591-WINE

renee@wineinstituteofnewengland.com

Filed Under: Tastings & Events

Summer Sparkles at Sunset Meadow Vineyards

July 15, 2013 By

Sunset Meadow Vineyards (SMV) in Goshen started summer off with a bang by introducing two new wines to their already impressive lineup. SMV recently took home the 2013 Wine Product of the Year award at the Connecticut Specialty Food Association's 2013 Product Awards Competition for their intoxicating ice wine, Midnight Ice, as well as placed first in the Blush, Dessert and Dry White Wine categories. Always at the top of my list of wineries to watch, I was only too happy to make the trek to Goshen to sample their new offerings. 

RisqueWithLabel-WebSMV Shades of Risqué ~ Since first being introduced to SMV wines, I have wanted to see what talented winemaker, SMV owner George Motel, would do with a sparkling wine. I finally got my wish this year with the introduction of their first sparkling wine, Shades of Risqué, and I was not disappointed. While ultimately it is the quality of the wine that makes or breaks the bottle, it is the bottle itself that first draws us in. The label on the bottle housing this new sparkler is pink and flirtatious, and just begging for attention. Motel never skimps on closures and the long silver foil and black faux mushroom cork topping this bottle are no exception. Opening the bottle may not produce the attention grabbing "pop" often associated with Champagne, but the 2.5 atmospheres of pressure contained within produce a delightfully delicate bubble ballet in the style of an Italian frizzante. In the glass, the elegant elixir just a few shades shy of ruby red sparkles like the arils of a pomegranate. The nose is tickled by a hint of ripe berry aromas that are more fully repeated in the first sip. Flavors of field fresh strawberries are held up by a creamy mousse pillow and linger on the tongue for several pleasurable moments, reminiscent of a bowl of perfectly paired strawberries and cream. As it states on the back of the bottle, "More fruity than sweet, this off-dry wine…(is) equally appropriate as an aperitif or paired with a main course. " I could not have said it better myself. This titillating bubbly is easy to drink and would pair well with many things, including salads, fish and poultry dishes, cheese and charcuterie and, yes, strawberries and cream. Bravo on a sparkling addition to Connecticut wines!

 

Root63WithLabel-WebSMV Root 63 ~ Wine drinkers unfamiliar with Connecticut wines are often dismissive of them as being overly sweet. While the majority of local wines are not overly sweet, there certainly are many sweet wines to be found. So it is an unusual occurrence to have patrons actually request the production of a sweet wine from a Connecticut winemaker. But request it of SMV they did. The majority of SMV's wines fall into the dry and off-dry categories (perhaps one of the reasons I am such a fan). But when customers of SMV clamored for a sweet red wine, Motel obliged them. Well, semi-obliged. Root 63 is SMV's first semi-sweet red wine that is not a dessert wine. The playful name (SMV is located on Route 63) is appropriate for this rather playful wine which is a proprietary blend of estate-grown red grape varieties. The beautifully designed label includes the Western Connecticut Highlands AVA designation. Although I found the wine to be lacking the complexity characteristic of SMV's dry red wines, Motel's ability to produce a well-balanced wine is evident here, too. The straightforward wine is dark pink, almost mauve, and is pleasantly fruity. Motel suggests serving this wine chilled to 51 degrees. An easy summer sipper, Root 63 will undoubtedly please many palates.

Filed Under: Connecticut Corkers, Uncategorized, Wine Reviews

Uncork Your Inner Wine Expert at the 5th Annual CT Wine Festival

July 13, 2013 By

Wine Institute of New England 

presents

Uncorking Your Inner Wine Expert!

at

The 5th Annual Connecticut Wine Festival

Goshen Fairgrounds

Saturday, July 27th  

Hands Holding Wine

Renée Allen, Director of the Wine Institute of New England, will be conducting a wine appreciation seminar at this year's Festival on Saturday, July 27th from 1:30-3:00 pm.  

Renée, a Certified Specialist of Wine, will cover wine tasting techniques and varietal information, and will offer terrific tips that will have you sipping like a pro this summer.

For information and advance ticket sales, visit: www.ctwine.com

 

 

Filed Under: Connecticut Corkers, Organic Wine, Tastings & Events
« Previous Page
Next Page »