InMyCups

Love this creative bottle stopper I found over the weekend at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, MA.  Definitely a conversation piece.

Russell’s is a great destination for pick-your-own fruits (currently harvesting raspberries and blueberries), baked goods, local crafts (handmade soaps, art, etc.) and ice cream.  They also have a library of fruit wines and hard ciders made on the premises using predominently their own fruits.  The wine tasting table was very busy, so I didn’t have a chance to sample any of the wines this time around.  But I’ll definitely be giving them a try on a future trip.

Mr. Cups and I spent a fantastic weekend at the beautiful Inn at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate.  More on that in a separate post.

I’ll let the caption speak for itself…

What’s everyone drinking this weekend?

I’ve always been a bit intimidated by Rieslings.  I’m a dry white gal.  Sweet Rieslings don’t float my boat.  And I’ve too often been either fooled or outwitted by the Riesling bottles.  Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trocken.  Huh?  I always try to remember which is which…and fail.  (For the record, German-speaking Mr. Cups is no help here.)

So I’ve got to love an idiot-proof bottle that reminds me that trocken = dry.  And I’m not disappointed by the 2008 Sybille Kuntz Riesling.  It’s a dry Spatlese and, as the label attests, great either as a before dinner wine or compatible with light cuisine.

The wine’s a gorgeous lemon/green color in the grass, with flavors of pineapple and apricots.  It’s round in the mouth, with a nice long-lasting finish.

I’ve been going the discount wine price route lately, so I’m sure this wine was sub-$20.  Look for it in your local liquor store.  You won’t be disappointed in this terrific food-friendly summer white.  It’s made me *this* much more inclined towards experimenting with Rieslings for the next few months.

Save your pennies (or maybe your $20s is more apt): famed Cabernet Sauvignon creators, Silver Oak Cellars, is taking its iconic tower on the road for a US road trip.  And the @SilverOakTower will be making a stop in Boston on June 29 and 30.

On the 29th, lucky oenophiles willing to shell out $195 can enjoy the Tower Tour 2012 Wine Dinner at Del Frisco’s in Boston’s Seaport District.  Dinner starts at 7 p.m. and reservations can be made by calling Jamie Benge at 617-951-1368.

Still plotting for how I could possibly rationale the price tag.  The Tower Tour will be available for photo opps on June 20.  That may be more my speed – and budget.

Here’s what sounds like a fun night out for those of us who love good food and good beer:  “9 at The Harpoon Brewery” event.   And to make it easier on peoples’ schedules, they’re hosting two evenings: Monday, June 11 and Monday, June 18 between 7:30-9:30 p.m.

9 at Home, Barbara Lynch’s catering company, will kick off the summer season by hosting two pop up tasting events at The Harpoon Brewery (306 Northern Avenue, Boston). The events will feature sweet and savory stations offering seasonal bites of beer-friendly dishes, paired with complementary tastes of selected Harpoon brews. Eat, drink, and learn more about the art of pairing beer and food!

Tickets are $55 per person and may be purchased by calling 9 at Home at 617.423.4200 on Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 9:30 pm and on Sundays from 12:00pm to 8:30pm.

I was beyond excited to discover that my beloved Red Sox are now serving up Dark n Stormys for the masses in the stands.  For the uninitiated (including the beer vendor whom, when asked where I could purchase the drink, asked if a D&S was “two beers mixed together?”), a true D&S is a mixture of Gosling’s Bermuda rum and ginger beer.  Yum – summer in a glass.

After dragging Mr. Cups along, I finally located the “Gosling’s Dark n Stormy Tavern” in the right field concourse area.  (This “tavern” descriptor is true hyperbole – don’t be disappointed, readers.)  While other Fenway mixed drinks are $8.50 a pop, this marquee beverage commands an additional $1.50 – making this a $10 whopper.

So, my review?  I was *very* apprehensive when the vendor opened the fridge behind him, pulled out a can and popped open what turned out to be both rum and ginger beer in one container.  But it wasn’t bad.  Quite passable in a pinch, if you don’t compare it to the wonder a bartender like Steve @80thoreau might serve up.  (I might have ratcheted this review up to a solid “B” if there had been a squeeze of lime available.  Picky, picky.)

Wine Gal is scheduled to join me for a game in the coming weeks.  I’ll be keen to get the second opinion of someone with a more sophisticated palate than mine.

And in keeping with tradition, Mr. Cups and I adjourned in the 7th to Island Creek Oyster Bar (@ICOBar), for a dozen tasty bivalves.  All in all, an excellent Memorial Day.  And another shout out to our troops, whom #FenwayPark did an excellent job of honoring throughout today’s game.

My friends at @Corkcicle reminded me that today is National Wine Day.  Not that we ever need an excuse to pop open a bottle on a Friday night.  But this gives us even more of a reason.  (I think I’m zeroing in on a lovely Ridge zin I’ve got in the wine rack).  So let’s raise a glass and toast all the great wines we enjoy throughout the year.  And while we’re at it, let’s clink to the men and women who serve our country, and those special to you, this Memorial Day weekend.  Drink responsibly, everyone, and Happy Wine Day!  What will you be drinking??

Chardonnista clued me in to Banshee Wines not long ago.  As Banshee says on its site, the winery “owns no vineyards of its own (yet!) but works in lock-step with high-end vineyard owners and wineries to produce wines of depth, purity and balance.  We spend ridiculous amounts of time working on finalizing each blend to make them just so and then we try to convince people that it’s ‘a tough job but someone’s gotta do it.'”

I haven’t yet been able to find bottles in my local liquor stores, but the wonderful 80 Thoreau restaurant (@80Thoreau) in Concord, Mass. offers Banshee’s 2010 Sonoma County Pinot Noir by the glass and bottle.  Pinot Egregious and I treated ourselves to a bottle recently.  It’s a big Pinot Noir, with a wonderful berry aroma and a long finish.

Banshee describes the wine as such: “The initial aromas have a certain lift and definition highlighted by small wild strawberries, cranberry, and rooibos tea.  On the palate one finds Ranier cherries, jasmine, plum, cranberry and again that wild strawberry note floating on a silky structure.  It’s lines are cut like a Varvatos suit.  The bass note is provided by a subtle framing touch of brown baking spice.”

Give it a try – and if you see a bottle of Banshee on the shelves, grab it.  These wines are crafted from grapes from some of the premier vineyards available.  You’ll enjoy a great quaff at a good price.