This last weekend of February / First Weekend of March we will have another one of our little ol' "Out Front Ring Fires." Festive atmosphere!!  It's a relaxing day for enjoyable conversations around something that creates a lot of mental peace -- fire. I love the snapping and crackling and the smell. Just the entire sensation of controlled fires.... And the tent has it's walls up, the heaters are inside of it and the floor is now insulated on the deck too!  Toasty!!! And I'll open a Blast From the Past wine or two too!  

More enjoyable times at Turtle Run Winery this weekend. Sunday's weather looks great for lighting the fire rings, always a popular gathering spot. Saturday, storms, so no fire. But..... With limited time to put together our Wine Appreciation Classes, on Saturday at 5:00, I'll be discussing the science of our "flavoring" subconscious and the physics of wine glasses. I will completely shatter (pun intended) the notion of "red wine glasses" and "white wine glasses." I don't know if I will do this in the winery or the tent. I suppose attendance will determine that. Probably an hour's time. Just the standard tasting fee applies. I'm not really taking reservations, but I probably should?!?! Perhaps I should say, if you are interested, send me a message or a comment on this post.  Just go on Facebook Cheers, Jim

Great tastings at Turtle Run Winery today, plus I'll light at least one fire ring! A little cooler to start off the day. Chardonnay anyone? Today, we'll taste 3 chardonnays, our 2024 which has been a hit on the list, and we'll compare it to an oldie as well as the pictured Chardonnay, bottled this week. A blend of 2023 and 2025! Huh? Call it classic old school Burgundy blending. The 2023 brings a sharp fruit flavor and has been a backbone for blending. The 2025 is fully aged on the lees, the spent yeast cells, and the grapes from these two vintages come from two very distinctively different vineyards. I quickly figured out two parts 2023 to one part 2025! Enjoy! Synthesis is the newest white wine label. Assisting Country Heritage Vineyard last fall from Fort Wayne, we picked up LaCrescent and Brianna grapes. The LaCrescent for this blend came from barrel fermentation, barrel 62. Brianna comes from tank fermentation and this wine was the wine I "De-iced" in January to remove frozen water to increase the flavor concentration. Softened with a little 2025 Chardonnay and bingo, here we go. Fire, warm weather, two new wines, two older chardonnays and today should be fun! Cheers, Jim