Wine-o: American Microbreweries

The USA is the home to several microbreweries.  In New England I have noticed a pride in local microbrews that I didn't detect in Arkansas.    Breweries are very fun to visit, often with a dining room for sampling beer and basic pub fare.  And of course, a ton of retail items such as t-shirts, coolers, hats, dog leashes, etc.  Many breweries also offer guided tours.

The BF's favorite type of beer is IPA, and so this is more often than not the kind of beer in the fridge, and thus the kind that I try.  I am not a huge beer drinker, and my taste is narrow and specific, however I will rank beers on a 100 point scale.  I can detail the fun experiences at the breweries that we visit as well.

Printer Friendly Maps & Cheat Sheets:
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
Connecticut
Rhode Island

For more information about microbreweries, one can watch "Beer Wars" (available on Netflix Instant). This is a documentary about the market share struggle between the "big 3" and microbreweries across the country.  The narrator has a very clear opinion, but the documentary is informative.

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Culture Bit: New Hampshire Blueberries

New Hampshire grows delicious blueberries.  I have become a huge fan since our move.  I have them with my morning cereal, dessert, sometimes alongside a lunch sandwich.  Delicious.  The BF and I decided to take advantage of a local farm that featured "Pick Your Own".  We found this handy information on the NH site: 

Super Acres - blueberries

722 River Road, Lyme, NH 03768. Phone: (603) 353-9807. Email us at:patrice.g.super@valley.net . Directions: Located just south of the covered bridge, or 4 miles north of the Thetford/Lyme Bridge. Click here for a map to our farm. We are open July, August. Our hours are: 8am-7pm daily during blueberry season. Late July through August. Pick Unsprayed blueberries in our 1,200 plant orchard near the Connecticut River and Clay Brook.

Onsite, they provided pints to take your berries home in, as well as picking buckets for customers to borrow.  They also had a handy sign to help us figure out what to do.

1.  Pick Blueberries

2.  Weigh blueberries (arrow pointing to scale right next to sign)

3.  Pay $2.50/pound

Simple, and a fun evening outing.  When we got home I spent an hour or so washing our 7 pounds of blueberries.  A kitchen sieve helped me pick through them, removing small bugs, leaves, twigs, and damaged berries.  Now I am onto the fun part: baking time.  I found two recipes to try:

Blueberry Gallettes from Haniela's blog

Blueberry Crisp from King Arthur Flour (another local feature!)

Wine-o: Il Cuore Barbera

Il Cuore Barbera, 2009, Mendocino County, CA

14.7% Alcohol

This Valentine's Day, what better wine to enjoy at home with those you love, than one from Il Cuore "The Heart" vineyard.  They have a variety of wines from Chardonnay to Cabernet, Barbera and more.  

This is a great dry red wine with a full bodied taste of fruits, (to me, plum and blackberry).  It tasted crisp with medium tannins along the top of the tongue.  The wine had simpler flavors than a Zinfandel or strong California Cabernet Sauvignon.  It paired wonderfully with the amazing gumbo The BF made for us.  It was recommended to me for pairing with wild game such as venison or wild duck (both of which were in the gumbo!)

Described by Dreyer Wine Co. as 

This vintage represents our fifth release of Barbera, the robust wine of the fabled Piedmont region of northern Italy. Long known as a rich, dry red wine it has been consumed at Italian tables throughout this region on an everyday basis. The grapes for the Il Cuore Barbera were harvested from vineyards in Mendocino County. The ripe raspberry aromas and rich cane fruit offers attractive complexity with soft tannins. The wine has dark garnet color with mouth-filling smooth fruit flavor with spice.

Freya's Score: 7

Don't forget to add some flowers to your Valentine's Day, either as a gift or just to spruce up your house!  This year, why not go local and support a small floral business (like the new Bud to Branch in downtown Bentonville)?

Cost: ~ $15 in Southern Missouri, bought from the Macadoodle's location in Pineville, MO.  This is a great deal if you purchase it with the fantastic Macadoodle's case of wine deal.  Try out the Macadoodle's new e-commerce store to have wine and other goodies delivered to you.  

Wine-o: Tasting at Wilson Creek

Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula, California

Assorted red, white, sparkling, and dessert wines

I was first introduced to wine tasting by my father in Temecula, CA.  One of his favorite wineries is Wilson Creek Winery and so he insisted that as many of the family as possible go.  It features a tasting room, restaurant, outdoor gazebo, lawn, and large store.

We tried a variety of wines at the VIP Wine Tasting Bar in the back barrel room since my father is a member of the Wilson Creek Wine Club.  He receives a discount on all purchases and a certain number of cases mixed by his choice every year.

The five of us came to a pretty general consensus as to which wines we felt were the strongest:

2010 "Yes Dear" Chardonnay

2008 Winemaker's Select Zinfandel (the 2009 has not aged enough yet)

2007 Family Meritage

I also enjoyed the 2010 Golden Jubilee.  This wine was a bit too sweet for many in our party and was probably the sweetest I would enjoy now.  It is definitely a summer wine in my mind.  It made me want to sit outside with a huge fresh salad and fish entree.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Rosie Wilson, one of the owners.  She was in great spirits and regaled us about their fun New Years costume party.  The 2012 theme was the 1920's flapper era.  She also had a trusty Golden Retriever in tow; the mascots of the winery.  There were a couple around the grounds lounging and receiving love from many customers (including me!)

Freya's Score: 8 -This vineyard is lovely.  Clean and with extensive grounds, it is great fun for a group trip.  Also, doggy presence gives an automatic score of at least 5 since we love dogs so.

For NWA locals, you can purchase the Wilson Creek Almond Champagne (their signature product) from Macadoodle's, check out their new e-commerce site to make digital orders!

Wine-o: Tontitown Winery Merlot

Decided to take a detour from my California wine tasting and experience something local.  A couple months ago (just after a glorious trip to Napa) a group of us stopped by the Tontitown Winery just south of Bentonville.

They offer free wine tasting and we tried their Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a couple other red wines.  The Bf decided that the Merlot was the best and bought a bottle for us to enjoy at home.  (This is a great activity to do with visitors to the area as you can drop in during their open hours with no appointment.)

This wine definitely needs to be aired.  It tasted vastly better a day after opening.  The wine is very flavorful and dry, described by the winery as "Dry, medium bodied, with earthy flavors."  The vineyard has a very quaint store front and tasting room.  They also produce evening events combining wine tasting with local music in their outdoor area.

Tontitown Winery Merlot
335 N Barrington Road
Springdale, AR 72762

Freya's Score: 5 - expensive for the taste, fun to go local though!

Cost: $14 at the winery - I would purchase again for a tasting party as it is a local wine, however I think that I prefer other merlots.  I encourage people to try local wines as it does have a very different flavor from California grapes that many may prefer

Culture Bit: Bentonville Farmer's Market

The Bentonville Farmers Market is a wonderful Saturday morning treat.  I was excited to go to the final market day of the season.  The fall foliage was definitely at it's peak this past weekend, and the market was bathed in that beautiful golden light I love so much.

This year the Farmers Market had several programs happening to close out the season.  Several vendors were handing out candy for children (and dogs) who were shopping in costume.  The Market also had a campaign "Leave No Vegetable Behind" which had been featured in the local newspaper the day before.  

This movement challenged community members and local restaurants to buy out the Farmers Market produce and send the Farmers home with an empty truck.  I loved the idea of not just supporting a market but also showing your support for the farmers and reducing produce waste.  (How odd that just after this weekend there was the announcement of 7 billion people now residing on this Earth.)

Customers have been thrilled this past season by the new offerings at market including: fresh local cheese, hand milled soap, wood turned products, a variety of baked goods, dog treats, roasted nuts, and more.

Northwest Arkansas may not be known nationally for its food, but the growing season is long and there was a huge diversity of produce.  A large variety of apples were for sale including the native "Arkansas Black" variety.  There is also a large Asian demographic in the area and one can purchase fresh bok choy as well as spicy peppers throughout most of the season.  I took advantage of the butternut squash sale and am excited to make a soup from my favorite recipe blog.  

The Bentonville Farmers Market is organized and produced by Downtown Bentonville, Inc.  This nonprofit organization works in conjunction with the City of Bentonville, Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and many other entities to produce public and private community events throughout the year.

The  Market has gone through some huge changes over the past couple years and sales grew 270% over the past four seasons.  This is due largely because of the attention paid to detail by DBI and increased community awareness.    Additionally, the downtown association focuses energy on urban development and renewal work in the area.

For more information or questions about Downtown Bentonville, Inc. and their programs: info@downtownbentonville.org
www.downtownbentonville.org

UPDATE:  Bentonville was ranked one of the "Hottest Travel Destinations of 2012" by Travel & Leisure Magazine, the only place located in the USA of the top 12!