Tuesday, October 6, 2009

New Pa. wine blog checks in, flavored by hands-on knowledge of the tasting room


Can I have your attention, everyone. Mind a bit of applause for C.J., who recently gave birth to the Girlfriend's Guide to Vinification blog. OK, maybe giving birth is a little strong. She knows about giving birth, with three boys who sound like they're into a million activities. But you can tell in a couple of postings that she has just the right touch: a blend of education and humor that puts the reader at ease and slowly brings him/her up to speed on understanding many of the basics of the winery and wines.

She's using her experience gleaned from working the past four years at Twin Brook Winery in Gap, Pa., where I've visited numerous times and treated like a friend at every turn. Assistant winemaker Jason Price has been a huge supporter, so have Melissa and Tim Jobe, who have their hands in a number of tasks at the winery. So, I'm delighted to see C.J. venturing into the blogosphere and wish her all the best . . . and recommend you follow along hers as you check in occasionally with mine.

Here's a sample from her newest post, made on Oct. 4. I just copied and pasted this, explaining the reason for the change in the color of the type.

So, getting back on track here - in the grand scheme of things, an evening out at your favorite eatery you will pay on average $8 for a 5oz. glass of wine from a member of the waitstaff who doesn't even remotely like wine and has absolutely no clue of what you should have with your chicken parmesan. At your local winery, you can pay an average of $1 per ounce (at Twin Brook, you will get a one ounce pour each of 7 different wines for $5) and some even pair wines with a cheese, chocolate, or specialty bread. Currently, we have released our Chardonnay Reserve, and are pairing it with a raspberry ale infused cheese. Mmmmm, heavenly! Also, some wineries offer tours for free! Just ask. Locally, about half of the tasting rooms are located on the growing and production premesis. As I said before, we love wine, and we LOVE to tell you about it!

2 comments:

C.J. said...

Fabulous! Thanks so much for the mention, I was greeted this morning @ work with - "Have you checked your email yet?!?"
I was floored!
I must give you some credit, it was not long after I read your blog post about Jason's interview that I had an epiphany - taking too many pics lately, have to start writing info down before I forget (have been asking more technical Q's lately of Tim), and having recently fielded possibly my 100th comment about how entering a local winery can be intimidating.
There is a great injustice there, and I need to clarify that wine tasting is simply to get acquainted with what you like in the first place and why! Blogging seemed the next logical step, so thank you for the inspiration!

Unknown said...

C.J. is awesome, fun and smart! Glad you found her blog and have put it out there for others!