Indiana Winery Events November 2013

November 9

Wine-A-Ree Join Buck Creek Winery, Butler Winery, Cedar Creek Winery, Chateau de Pique, Ertel Cellars,  Huber Winery, Salt Creek Winery, and Winzerwald at this event in Columbus benefiting Boy Scouts of Southern Indiana.

November 10

Join Harmony Winery for a Tailgate Party with the Indianapolis Colts take on the St. Louis Rams. Potluck dishes and wine will be available to celebrate the Colts strong season. 

November 13

Ladies Night at New Day Meadery. Shop 'til you drop with great vendors, and enjoy regularly scheduled Mead & Knead. 

La Torte Cake party with Harmony Winery at 6:30 p.m. Harmony has worked with La Torte to create wine cakes. Join them for an evening of tasting wine and cake.

November 14

Sommelier Night with Hopwood Cellars. Learn how to pair Thanksgiving foods with wine in a fun atmosphere. Attendance limited to 15 people. RSVP at 317-873-4099.

Wine and Pottery Night with Harmony Winery at 6:30 p.m. One flat fee covers wine tasting and a pottery piece. Reservations can be made by calling The Creative Escape Pottery Studio at 317-569-8656.

November 15

Join New Day Meadery at 6 p.m. for the release of Honey Gobbler, their latest barrel aged release - a carbonated sweet mead aged in Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrels for two years, perfect with you Thanksgiving Day turkey!

November 16

Carousel Winery release of Winter Jewel Wine. This Cranberry-Raspberry will be available in a red Christmas tree bottle, or blue bottle. 

November 16-17

Christkindlmarket- Ferdinand, IN. Indiana wineries like French Lick, Monkey Hollow, Winzerwald, and Carousel Winery will be on hand for wine tasting and gift basket sales. 

November 21

Nouveau Day

Join Satek Winery for the release of its third vintage of Kreibaum Bay Nouveau on Worldwide Nouveau Day. 

French Lick Winery will release two new wines. Pinot Noir- is a medium bodied dry red wine with plum, berry, black pepper and faint oak notes. 

Harmony- a blend of Seyval, Vidal, Cayuga grapes, with flavors of citrus, honeysuckle and green apple. Bright and slightly sweet, this wine will pairs well with fruit and cheese, light meats such as turkey or chicken, or just simply on its own. 

Huber Winery release party of Pop's Reserve from 6-9 p.m. The party will feature tastings of Pop's Reserve, complimentary chili and cheese, and live music. 

November 22-24

Satek Winery's Holiday Open House. Open until 9 p.m. Friday. 20% off all merchandise, gift baskets available, free holiday recipes and wine tasting, and free mulled wine samples. Enjoy a free gift bag with 3-bottle purchase. Wear your ugliest holiday sweater and win a prize. 

November 29

Thanksgiving Blackberry Friday with Satek Winery. Receive a 20% discount on blackberry wine. 

November 30

Zionsville Christmas parade and tree lighting outside of Hopwood Cellars. 

New Albany Jungle Walk will feature an afternoon of tasting and shopping. Visit Winzerwald at the jewelry store for wine and diamonds.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living, travel, food, wine and spirits columnist, freelance writer and photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic for Gotta Go. Read Infused, her spirits, wine & beer lifestyle column, at www.GottaGo.us and www.FoodDigital.com and catch her as Indy’s Personal Lifestyle Adviser on Indy Style, WISH8 (CBS). Gotta Go is published on www.Gottago.us, www.BroadwayWorld.com, and in print. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

February 2013 Indiana Winery Events Offer Chocolate, Knitting, Massage & More

February 2013 Indiana Winery Events

Ongoing

Wednesdays New Day Meadery, Indianapolis,  massages are offered 6-9 pm ~ $10 for a 10-minute massage and a glass of cider or honey wine.

Ongoing

Fridays and Saturdays, Chateau Thomas, Nashville tasting room features live music 7-10 pm. A wide selection of gourmet cheeses is offered to pair with wines.

February 2, 9, 16, & 23

Chateau Thomas, Plainfield, features its singer/songwriters series in February. Musicians play 2-4 pm Saturdays, except for Feb. 16 when the guest musicians play 1-3 pm.

February 2 & 3

Mallow Run Winery, Bargersville, hosts its Soup & Wine weekend. Superbowl Chili and great music will be served.

February 6

New Day Meadery, Indianapolis, hosts Ladies Night 6-9 pm. A night of relaxing, socializing, shopping and massagess.

February 8

Join the new Winzerwald Evansville tasting room for the Mardi Gras Crawl. Nearly 20 businesses invite you for an evening of fun at area restaurants, Winzerwald Tasting Room, the new Tin Man Brewery and more. For details visit Winzerwald Winery Evansville Tasting Room or call 812-423-2427.

February 9

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Grateful Goat Vineyard & Winery, Palmyra. Me and You perform Noon-4 pm. 

February 9

The great Schocolade Celebration fest returns to Lanthier Winery, Madison. Bring your sweetheart for cocoa treats of all types and tastes. Gather friends, family or someone special for a sweet day of chocolate, wine and laughter. Discover this chocolate frenzy just in time for a valentine getaway. Free admission-event open 11 am-3 pm. Winery open 11 am-5 pm. This event is adults only.

February 9 & 10

Mallow Run Winery, Bargersville, hosts Soup & Wine weekend. Mardi Gras Jambalaya and great music will be served.

February 9&10, 16&17

Indian Creek Winery, Georgetown, offers a free chocolate fondue tasting. Enjoy chocolate and wine.

February 9&10, 16&17

Grab your sweetie and swing into Monkey Hollow Winery, Saint Meinrad, for chocolates paired with a selection of our award-winning wines. And just in time for Valentine's Day, the release of the sensational Strawberry Wine as well as the return of bodacious Blueberry Wine.

February 9&10, 16&17 

Madison Vineyards Estate Winery ~ Bed & Breakfast, Madison, hosts its B &B Valentine Dinner Package. Stay 2 nights in the B&B, enjoy wine and appetizers Friday evening, fresh flowers and chocolates in your room, a four-course dinner with wine at the winery Saturday, February 16 or a gift certificate for dinner at a local restaurant on the 9. Advance Reservations Only.

February 14

Chateau Thomas Winery, Plainfield, hosts its annual Valentine's Day dinner Thursday February 14 at 7 pm. It includes a four-course dinner and wine pairing. Reservations are required by calling 317-837-9463.

February 17

Oak Hill Winery, Converse, hosts a free seminar. Appreciating Wine 101, a 90-minute workshop, begins at 4:30 pm, covering basic wine terminology, types of wine, wine regions, reading wine labels and more.

February 21

Wine & Canvas night at Mallow Run, Bargersville, 6:30-9:30 pm. Registration required at Wine & Canvas Bloomington or call (812) 345-1019

February 23 & 24

Mallow Run Winery, Bargersville,  hosts Soup & Wine weekend. Texas-Style Taco Soup and great music.

February 23-24

Oliver Winery, Bloomington, hosts its Barrel Tasting Weekend at the main tasting room on SR 37. Customers can sample barreled wines on a guided tour of the cellar and production space.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living, travel columnist, freelance writer and photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic for Gotta Go. Read Infused, her spirits, wine & beer lifestyle column, at www.GottaGo.us and www.FoodDigital.com and catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published on www.Gottago.us, www.BroadwayWorld.com, an in print. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Emilio Esteves Hosts Live Chat Tonight on "The Way"

Pour yourself a glass of something, get a plate of nibbles and tune in to Emilio Estevez as he discusses LIVE on Twitter about his movie The Way.
The director/actor/writer is also a winemaker and owner of Casa Dumetz in California.

Starring Martin Sheen, my review can be found by clicking GottaGo/TheWay. It includes a trailer of the feel good movie to familiarize yourself before the big chat. What a great use of social media to reach fans and the curious immediately. Kudos to Mr E. for his modern technique of connecting with the public!

Twitter fan chat with Emilio for The Way at 8pm EST/5pm PST.

Emilio responds to Twitter fan questions via his account: http://www.twitter.com/emiliotheway To ask questions, Twitter users simply reply to @emiliotheway & include the hashtag #thewaychat in their note. 

For those on Twitter

Please re-tweet the following message from Emilio: http://twitter.com/#!/EMILIOTHEWAY/status/131414843172454400

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Indiana's Office of Tourism launches new fall travel website

VisitIndianaFall.com features festivals, agritourism venues and leaf updates

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Office of Tourism Development has launched a new travel planning resource just in time for fall. Tour, Taste, Traditions is a promotion that highlights dozens of fall excursions, u-picks and markets, wineries and breweries and festivals throughout Indiana. The information is now available at VisitIndianaFall.com. The new website also features the Fall Color Blog, an interactive tool designed to help track the changing leaves.

Detailed information about some of Indiana's many great autumn getaway options can be found at the seasonal website. In addition, nearby dining and hotel options are showcased alongside each attraction or event listing. The Fall Color Blog provides frequent updates on leaf-peeping opportunities across the state. Naturalists from DNR are among the experts providing content to the blog.

VisitIndianaFall.com is live through November 14. It is linked with VisitIndiana.com, the official state travel website where discounts, trip ideas and helpful tips are easily accessible. Indiana visitor information is also available via Twitter and Facebook.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGO and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Wine Review: Easley Winery Governor's Merlot 2010

I stopped by Easley Winery, 205 N. College St., Indianapolis, the other day to give an out-of-town visitor a view of Indy's downtown winery and to pick up  a few bottles of Monument and Riesling wine. While there, owner Meredith Easley had a bottle of the recently released Merlot for me and asked for my thoughts on their latest red.

Please note that I am not a sommelier, but an everyday, average wine drinker. Easley is aware of that fact as you, if you read my column or blog regularly, know also. With that said, I am always ready and willing to try out a new wine. Although I have been a wine drinker for many years, and written this column (and now blog also) for going on five years, it is my first official wine review.

The Governor's Merlot 2010 is 13 percent alcohol by volume and label-described as "wonderful, mellow, dry, red wine. It was aged in oak barrels that were grown in Hoosier National Forest. It is an excellent wine paired with beef, pork and pasta dishes."
The wine was named after the 5th Governor of Indiana, Noah Noble. The land where Easley Winery sits today was once owned by Governor Noble. Nice homage.

The wine was indeed oak-balanced. Although the label states it is a mellow wine, I would describe it as slightly heavy, rich with earth tones and that marvelous oak backdrop. This is not a wine to sip on the back deck while intermittently playing Frisbee with friends. This is a wine with a serious nature and one which expects your full attention. With its earthy layers, it has a certain agenda in mind and if you ignore that and treat it lightly, you will lose the entire purpose of this drink. Open the bottle and let it breathe while you slip on the appropriate music and fix the correct meal for this not-so-simple vine offering.

My suggestion for the meal: A thick steak, cooked to your liking (which I hope does not go past medium well) accompanied with mushrooms in some fashion. A cheese with this combination might be the Greek sheep's milk cheese, Kefalotiri which complements the Merlot, beef and the mushrooms. If you are not a fan of mushrooms, my choice would be an older Manchego (Viejo), a sheep's milk cheese from Spain. The aged variety has a peppery flavor which would pair well with Easley's Merlot. Both cheeses can be found in a gourmet-style food shop such as Whole Foods Market.

Photo by Bob Burchfield/AroundIndy.com

A central part of my enjoyment with wines is food pairing. However, I don't stop there. I believe that wine is one piece of several which make up the experience. Drinking wine while overlooking a lake is a different experience than that same wine being enjoyed while snuggling in front of a fireplace.

With that in mind, music can detract or enhance the mood and experience as well. For example, Governor's Merlot is not a Beach Boys kind-of wine and would lose the attention deserved to its deep layers if you were singing along with Good Vibrations.
Wine + food + environment + music = great experience. You get the idea.

My choice of music: For this wine, with that meal, I would have to go with music which draws you into it. If you are a Classic Rock listener, go for Turn the Page by Bob Seger or Knights in White Satin by The Moody Blues. If opera is your taste, perhaps try Philip Quast's Javert in Les Miserables. Whichever genre is your favorite, stick with something not too light. Special note: John Lodge, the Moody Blues' bassist and vocalist, just uncorked his own wine label Krisemma.

Bottom Line: Easley Winery's Governor's Merlot 2010 is layered with earthy flavors, balanced with oak and served best with a steak or thick burger. Enjoying a fine cigar with this wine would not be out of line.

For more information on hours, costs, tastings, Groovin' in the Garden, Taste of Indy, and Indy Wine Trail, visit EasleyWinery.com.
Photos: EJMusgrave; Bob Burchfield

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on AroundIndy.com, Twitter @ejmusgrave1 and Facebook.
Gotta Go is published in the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.

Paoli Peaks or Bust

Always ready for something new, I accepted an offer to try downhill skiing at Paoli Peaks. Since it would take care of No. 2 on my Gotta Go Do list for 2010 (try a new sport), I packed up some hot chocolate and drove south.
Situated approximately two hours from Indy, the ski resort was easy to locate and quite busy, breaking attendance records this season. Snowboarding, skiing, snowtubing and hanging out by the gigantic fireplace in the lodge are popular, it seems.
I was left in the capable hands of Mark Jones. Being the ski school director makes him the Top Gun of skiers, right?
For fellow first-timers, I’ve got a few tips.
First, don’t put your skis on while standing backward on the bunny slope. The gentle slope is just that…a slope. Heading backward on a hill is not a great beginning. On the plus side, you do learn the art of falling right away.
Next, when you lean forward like the Olympic skiers do, don’t plant your poles hard into the ground in front of you. It causes a harsh stop; trust me.
And last, never, ever direct your skis toward your very nice instructor before you’ve learned how to properly stop. See where I’m going with this?
Slamming into him is not great for a new friendship. He ends up on the ground, which is bad for one very good reason. Who is going to help you up if he is next to you in the snow? After getting hauled back up on my thin, waxed slivers, I peeked over and he was still smiling. Oh wait; that was a grimace.
Why do you think he was shaking his head?
The chair lift seemed safe, so I agreed. Then Ski Boy told me that I would have to finish going to the bottom of the very long slope to get on the safe looking lift to get back to the top of the mountain.
Really?
All the way to the bottom?
Remember, when you get on the chair to go up, you eventually have to get off. It’s not like a carousel where you can just keeping go round and round. Nope, you’ve got one chance and you’d better land correctly, or guess what?
That’s right, the head-shaking and getting hauled up to your feet again. The sky looked pretty good from where I was laying, but I had to get vertical again.
I opted to leave the outdoors to grab some dinner at 33 Brick Street, a local sports pub and display haven for all things Larry Bird: trophies, jerseys, including his No. 33, and signed basketballs. Their signature appetizer is Philly Chips. Handmade potato chips topped with all the goodies off a Philly sandwich is a great way to finish a day of skiing. You work up an appetite falling down all day.
Arriving at my deluxe cabin at Patoka 4 Seasons, I decided to slip into something a little more comfortable. A Jacuzzi.
Hey, snow bunnies need pampering.
The wood-burning fireplace made the cabin even cozier, even though it was roomy enough for eight people.
The Spa at French Lick proved simple to locate on the town’s main street the next morning. The beautiful resort also has a casino, but my mind was on my aromatherapy massage. The spa offers a variety of services, including hair, nails, massages and baths, tempting me to stay all day.
Aah, maybe next time. The masseuse worked his magic on my muscles, and, revitalized, my thoughts turned to lunch.
Arriving at French Lick Winery, I was pleased to find they had not only wine, but excellent food. Pasta with fresh-made Alfredo sauce, pizza with, you guessed it, fresh-made crust and pan
bigio, Italian country bread. Nick Doty, winemaker, took me on a private tour of the family-run facilities, recently expanded due to high demand for their affordable wines. Tasting-room guru Adrian shared wine samples. My favorite white was Traminette, which Doty feels could take top awards at this year’s competitions.
My last stop was Big Splash Adventure hotel and indoor water playground. The immense size of the water park makes it a destination hotel. With bunk beds in the rooms and a tropical paradise down the hall, it’s easy to understand why this would be a kid’s dream come true.
Driving home, I contemplated where I should venture next. Hmm, snow melts when warm weather comes, making it into water and…oh yeah, water-skiing. Maybe the lake won’t be as hard as a mountain when I fall.
If you have a travel location or event you would like reviewed, e-mail elizabeth @gottago.us. Me, I’ll be right here, looking for my swimsuit and flippers.

Gotta Go Links Guide:

Paolipeaks.com

Patoka.com

frenchlickwinery.com

Frenchlickresort.com

33brickstreet.com

Bigsplashadventure.com

Indianauplandswinetrail.com

This post was originally published under "Gotta Go!" in the West Side Community News in Indianapolis, and the West Indianapolis Community News.

Indy Wine Trail: Chocolate Lover's Weekend February 2010

I hit the Indy Wine Trail this weekend. The event featured chocolate in numerous forms, all of them great.
Stopping in first at downtown’s Easley Winery, I scooped up a bottle of Posey Red to take home and some of their delicious chocolate mousse, which I sat down and enjoyed there. Never put off the good stuff, I always say, and Easley's has that charming atmosphere and urban architecture which makes sitting awhile tempting.
Mallow Run, Bargersville, won the Gotta Go Best in Show by presenting a dessert buffet fit for royalty, including gigantic strawberries dipped and designed with chocolate and creamy-rich berry tarts.
Buck Creek Winery, Acton, was serving strawberry wine-aritas, a frozen delight, along with a fountain of white chocolate paired with dippable goodies.
Ferrins Winery, Carmel, served decadent brownies, topped with freshly whipped cream and strawberries.
For more details on upcoming 2010 events and a trail map, visit IndyWineTrail.com
Image of Mallow Run Winery: Izzy Evans
Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Arts & Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo and Facebook. Gotta Go is published in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.
This post was originally published under "Gotta Go" in the West Side Community News and the West Indianapolis Community News.