Karl Hambsch of Loving Cup Winery is 2019 VVA “Grower of the Year”

by Richard Leahy | Feb 22, 2019 | News/Announcements, Regions & Terroir

At the annual technical meeting of the Virginia Vineyards Association meeting at the Omni in February, Karl Hampsch, proprietor of Loving Cup Winery in North Garden was named “Grower of the Year” for 2019. The award was presented by Bettina Ring, Virginia...

My First Taste of 2017 and 2018 Virginia Wines

by Richard Leahy | Dec 27, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits

So first, let me take back the complete and total write-off I made of the 2018 vintage in Virginia recently. Nobody will dispute that as far back as we can remember, this vintage was the pits, for the inches of rain and crop loss either due to poor fruit set in May or...

Finger Lakes Tasting Tour #2: The Light, Lovely Wines of the 2017 Vintage

by Richard Leahy | Nov 12, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Winery Review

Part 1: Keuka Lake As I explained in my previous blog post, these are notes on my second trip this year to the Finger Lakes of central New York. It gave me a chance to visit wineries I’d missed on my previous trip, and also to taste the early releases of the lovely,...

VA and MD Wines on the Way North, 10/18

by Richard Leahy | Nov 3, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits

Regular readers may remember I did a marathon tasting tour of the Finger Lakes of New York last June. Since the region has about 200 wineries, I couldn’t get to each one. In mid-October, I returned and visited places I had missed on the previous trip, and I’m pleased...

NY’s Finger Lakes Region Voted “Best Wine Region” for 2018 by USA Today

by Richard Leahy | Oct 9, 2018 | News/Announcements, Regions & Terroir

The scenic Finger Lakes region of central upstate New York was voted “Best Wine Region” by USA Today “10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards” for 2018. The region competed for reader approval with nine other U.S. wine regions over 28 days....

Enjoying Wine (and the Lake) Country of the Lake Michigan Shore

by Richard Leahy | Aug 27, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits

I spent a few days in southwest Michigan this week in the town of St. Joseph/Benton Harbor. St. Joseph is at the edge of a deepwater port on Lake Michigan, at the southern end of what is described as the “Midwestern Riviera”. The town, with its rectangle...