Newsletter - 2013 - June

Blagodarya vi !

Thank you to Friend of AWS Milko Miladinov of Winebow for a fascinating evening!  Through the wonders of wine and food, and the expertise of our presenter and our cooks, we travelled to Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia without ever leaving Millvale! 

We sampled (and sampled, and sampled. . .) sausages, cheese pie, beef in onion sauce, potato soup, roasted vegetables, and baklava thanks to members Mary Ann Hirt, Carole Katelan, Mary Eld, Brittany Altimus, Karen Kostishack, Dennis Trumble, Kevin Dering, Geri Danchek, Phil Colavincenzo, and Terry Germanowski.  Thanks, also, to Leeanna Ryba for organizing the team of experts.  The food was absolutely fantastic, and we really appreciate the effort involved in providing that bounty for the tasting.  What a great way to send us off into a summer season that we hope will be filled with more wine, and new adventures.

Speaking of new adventures (what a great segue!), I received this note from our Secretary for Life, Carol Kristofik.

YADKIN VALLEY WINE TOUR

Matt and I are planning a wine tour to the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina, June 13 through 16.  It been two years since we’ve been down as a group, and the winemakers are eager for our return.

The Yadkin Valley is an easy seven hour drive from downtown Pittsburgh and is probably the fastest growing wine region in the US.  When we first visited in 2001, there were less than a half-dozen wineries in the area – there are now over 50!  Both the Yadkin Valley and Swan Creek areas have been designated AVAs.  Our first welcome to the valley winery visit will be at 4:00 PM on Thursday at Round Peak Vineyards located in Mt. Airy.  In addition to sampling their award winning wines, we will also have an opportunity to taste the beers brewed in the adjacent micro-brewery.

Our first stop on Friday hopefully will be a visit to the Surry Community College’s Shelton-Badgett North Carolina Center for Viticulture and Enology.  This school illustrates how the Yadkin Valley has embraced viticulture and is dedicated to educating students in all aspects of enology and viticulture.  I think everyone would enjoy this side trip and I hope that we can make it happen.  The first winery we will visit will be McRitchie Winery and Cider Works, followed by Dobbins Creek, Laurel Gray and Shadow Springs. Saturday starts with us stopping at RayLen Vineyards, where after our tasting, we will have a North Carolina Pulled Pork lunch prepared by Snooks, rated by Saveur Magazine as one of the state’s five best bar-b-que shacks.  We will then travel to Junius Lindsay, Flint Hill and end at Cellar 4201.

At this time, I don’t have all the particulars in place for the winemaker’s dinner.  Tom & Linda King have again, graciously, invited us to their home for a pool party and cookout so be sure to pack your swim suits and towels. The cost for all of this is $235 per person which includes all tasting fees, lunch both Friday and Saturday, the cookout at the King’s residence, the winemaker’s dinner, and all taxes and gratuity.  Motel and travel costs are not included in this price. If you are interested, please e-mail me at kristofik432@comcast.net as soon as possible.  Due to the size of some of the wineries, we are limiting the number of attendees to 25.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give me a call at 724 339 4234.

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Our next formal meeting will be in September for the National Tasting of Rhone wines.  Of course, there is still the possibility of the Summer Picnic.  Make sure that you check back often for updates! 

I hope that your summer is filled with fun and discovery.  Remember, as Ben Franklin once said, "The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars."

F.L.