May 2, 2014 - Stone Pillar Vineyard

May 2, 2014 - As luck would have it, the same day I was planning to take a half day was also the nicest day of the week.  Friday brought hope that spring was indeed here and the sun shone brightly as we headed to Stone Pillar Vineyard & Winery.  At last year's Winesong at Riverfest event, we had sampled a few of Stone Pillar's wines and were even more intrigued when we realized they were in Olathe, just a 30 minute drive from home.

Once we stopped at the Woodland Road intersection, we saw the Stone Pillar Vineyard sign on their lot corner.

 

Rows of vines were just beginning to bud as we drove up the gravel drive. 

 

The entrance to the tasting room was guarded by Norman. 

Norman followed us inside and was kind enough to lead us to the sampling area by jumping up onto the bar.  Kristen, the winery's wholesale manager introduced herself and told us about the new tasting procedure.  The wines were divided into $8 flights of four wines a piece: Off the Wagon (semi-dry whites), Home Sweet Home (sweet and dessert whites),  Prairie Sunset (sweet reds), and Red Barn Party (dry reds).  There was an additional flight called the Vintner's Choice that was $12.  Each sample would consist of a 2 ounce serving. Kristen also explained that they do offer free smaller samples.  Visitors can choose four wines from a limited assortment of their less expensive varieties.

 

We looked over the choices and reflected upon what we normally enjoy.  Ultimately, we opted to pick a flight of the sweet whites and the dry reds.  For us, sweet whites go well with seasoned poultry or can serve as an apertif while the dry reds complement steak and grilled vegetables.  Taking a cue from Winesong, we asked Kristen if we could share each other's flight.  She willingly obliged and began to pour out the Sweet Riesling.  It was slightly effervescent, but pleasantly so.  It had a smooth, softly sweet flavor with mild apple and pear notes.

Next we had a sample of the Melody.  It had mild/subtle floral aromas and a calming honey smooth taste with a crisp metallic finish.  It was sweeter than the Sweet Riesling, but we thought the Melody might pair well with spicy or Asian dishes.

Kristen then poured out the Vignoles.  It had deep, rich amber color unlike any other Vignoles we had previously seen.  It tasted of peaches and honeysuckle with a watery finish.  The Vignoles was much sweeter than the Melody and reminded me of a Moscato.

Lastly, we sampled the Late Harvest Vignoles from its narrow bottle.  Kristen explained it was harvested as late as possible to allow it to gain more sugars and sweetness.  She also informed us that the Late Harvest Vignoles was 2-3 times sweeter than the regular Vignoles and best enjoyed as a dessert wine.  As we tasted it, the flavors and sweetness were honey-like and provided a mouthful of super sweetness.

Kristen then cleared the glasses and reached for the bottles of the Red Barn Party flight.  She chatted amiably with us about how the Hoff property grows about 6 acres of grapes, but in addition receives about 8 acres of grapes from a farmer in Atchison, KS.  The owners also proudly displayed copies of the original deed for the property from when the family first came to Kansas in 1865.  

Kristen also mentioned that the vineyard was going to restart hosting live music with catered dinners on Fridays, beginning that night.  We declined and indicated that we were going to go out for dinner closer to home.  It would be fun, but we didn't want to be out too late for our babysitters or try to make a drive back on unfamiliar roads.

The Red Barn Party flight began with the Joceaux (pronounced Joe-ko).  It was smoothly smokey on the pallet with vanilla and semi-sweet berry flavors.  Next we sampled the Chambourcin.  It had a grassy aroma and tasted of Merlot-like berries with soft tannins.  The Chambourcin was slightly less sweet than the Joceaux.

Kristen rinsed out our glasses with water and then poured in the Baurenhof Red.  It had a dark, plum color to it and was a blend of Cabernet, Chambourcin, and St. Vincent grapes.  It was smokey on the tongue with a slightly leathery texture that finished with stronger, but not unpleasant tannins.  It was drier and had a tart, bing cherry sweetness.

Lastly we sampled the Prairie Fire.  Kristen explained it was their Syrah-like wine.  It had a flavorful, tobacco smokiness to it.  It was a also a blend, but this time had was a combination of Chambourcin, St. Vincent, and Merlot.  Taking another sip, we noted its  smooth black cherry flavors and its peppery, spicy finish.  Kristen said that she liked to pair the wine with buttered popcorn.  I didn't understand it at the time of the sampling, but in some ways, it might be similar to how some people enjoy eating overcooked microwave popcorn.  Perhaps the smokey, buttery, spicy flavor would be an interesting flavor combination to try.

After finishing the flights, my wife and I pondered which were our favorites.  She picked the Melody, because it seemed to be a less sweet version of Les Bourgeois's River Boat White.  I picked the Prairie Fire to pair in the future with KC strip steaks and asparagus, one of our favorite special meals.  Feeling the effects of the wine, we went outside to the porch chairs and enjoyed the summer weather.

Not surprisingly, after sampling the wine, my wife and I needed to use the restroom before heading home.  Who knew it would turn into an adventure!  Porta Potties were conveniently located on the side of the building in preparation for the evening live music and catering event.  While waiting for my wife, I heard her cry out "Ern, Can you come over here?  There's a wasp in my pants!!"  She opened the door of the Porta Potty a crack and handed me her pants.  I valiantly shook the wasp out and stomped on it, thoroughly grinding it into the ground.  I handed her back the pants and she asked if anyone saw it.  I told her "no," but that I could include the story in my wine blog post.

June 8, 2013 - Winesong at Riverfest Park, De Soto, KS

15 Kansas Wineries, 10 1-oz. wine samples, three music groups, free appetizers including Oklahoma Joe's BBQ and Napa-inspired hors d'oeuvres, and artists displaying furniture, paintings, sculptures all for the first 2,000 people to pay $20.  That's Winesong at Riverfest Park in De Soto, KS.

With nice weather, we opted to take the Corvette.  The drive over to De Soto showcased the range of development in Johnson County.  Fully developed Downtown Overland Park, to suburban stretches of OP & Lenexa with commercial strip malls, crowded 4-lane thoroughfares, giving way to semi-developed west Lenexa, Shawnee Mission Park, and softball fields, and then finally, rural 2-lane 50mph roads.  Pastures, hedgerows, and farmhouses zoomed by as we drove westward.  As the road came down a hill and snaked to the north, a decreased speed limit sign and cluster of homes announced we had reached De Soto. 

Riverfest Park is on the Kansas River on the northwest side of downtown De Soto.  Even though it sits above the Kansas River, the park is in the floodplain.  The engineer in me realized this as we crossed a set of railroad tracks and proceeded down the hill.  Railroads learned by experience where rivers high water levels reached and elevated their tracks accordingly.

We arrived before 3pm and the field quickly filled up with cars.  My wife and I chose to leave our folding chairs in the car and carried in our blanket and tickets.  Pleasantly, entry into the event went quickly as the ticket takers electronically scanned our tickets and we were given commemorative wine glasses.

We walked to the back of the event to survey the grounds and gauge the size of the crowd.  We passed artist tents, winery tents, and strolled through two food tents with music groups starting the play.

 

The Cathy Hunt Trio played a bluesy-rockabilly set.  Easy to listen to and get you moving.

Mistura Fina played Bossa Nova music.  It paired well with the wine and atmosphere.  The third tent had Dan Bliss and Rod Fleeman on guitars.  We missed them, but they typically play around the Kansas City region at wineries and tasting events.

Initially, we had the entrée-type food:  Meatballs in a black pepper sauce, Jasmine rice salad and the summer panzanella.  I was feeling adventurous and sampled the Mexico City cocktail.  Later, we had a melon salad with goat cheese, mini cookies (butter and chocolate chip), and orzo salad.

 

We strategized our approach to the wine tastings.  At the event, you are given a ticket with 10 boxes on it good for a 1-oz. wine sample per box.  We decided that if we each chose a different wine and shared with the other, that in effect, we could try 20 wines.  The other thing we decided was to zig-zag our way across the festival.  While the food tents and sample areas were shaded, the lines were not.  Going into the sun and then tacking away, we began sampling.

First, we went to the Holy Field Winery tent from Basehor, Kansas.  There we tried the Tailgate White and the Melody.  The Tailgate White had a crisp, strong grape smell.  Tasting it gave a semi-sweet, granny-smith apple tartness with sweetness to balance it.  The Melody was not a strong scented wine.  The flavor was also less complex, more mellow than the Tailgate White, but it was a good semi-sweet wine.  Due to the long line, they sold bottles to customers at the sides and back of the tent.

Next we went to the Rowe Ridge tent from Kansas City, Kansas.  They offered white and red wines as well as fruit wines.  We sampled the Chambourcin and St Vincent wines.  The Chambourcin was a semi-sweet red with spicy plum/cherry notes and very flavorful.  The St Vincent was mellow compared to the Chambourcin, but more dry with little sweetness.

Though the banner was hanging from the table and not visible, our hunch was confirmed by the longer line at the Somerset Ridge Vineyard & Winery tent.  There we sampled the Traminette and Buffalo White.  The Traminette although drier than we typically like was still good.  It had a strong, honeysuckle-sweet floral aroma.  Tasting it initially had a tartness to which gave way to a dry, fruity finish.  The Buffalo White had a mild floral scent, almost like lemon grass.  It was a sweeter semi-sweet wine (not as sweet as a Muscat), but with a mellow smoothness to it.

 

 

Before too long, many visitors began to get multiple samples per tent visit.  That is, they would get two or three wine samples at one tasting rather than spreading out their visits.  On the one hand, they wouldn't need to stand in line as long and could picnic with their friends, but they were missing out on discovering a new wine or vineyard.

 

 

Next, we wandered over to Renaissance Cellars wine tent from St. Marys, Kansas.  They produce Mead, a honey-based ancient wine, traditional grape wines, and also fruit wines.  We sampled the Apple Cider and Mead.  The Cider had a strong, Macintosh-aroma.  It was a sweet, dessert-type wine with honey notes and tart, dry finish.  The Mead had almost a lavender scent to it.  It tasted of strong, crisp lavender flavors with a sweet finish to it.  In addition to wines, Renaissance Cellars had a number of non-alcoholic products on sale including t-shirts and mugs. 

Grace Hill Winery from Whitewater, KS (northwest of Wichita) made the trip out.  Peckerhead Red was an apparent favorite of the crowd as by the time we reached the tent, it was sold out.  We sampled the Beach Day Rose' and the Prairie Pink.  The Beach Day had a Catawba-grape scent, but tasted of Bing cherry-tartness, but was very dry.  Their Prairie Pink was very good.  It had a mellow scent, but was pleasantly flavorful and slightly tart with a sweet cherry finish.

We then paused to get a quick bite to eat.  As we made our way through the Cathy Hunt Trio food tent, we noticed that the line for BBQ was the shortest it had been all day.

The Off the Grill food was from Oklahoma Joe's catering.  Grilled vegetables, bruschetta, grilled sausages with spiced relishes and mustard were available as well.  We then laid out our picnic blanket to eat behind the Cathy Hunt Trio food tent.

Next, we made our way over to the Jefferson Hill Vineyards tent from McLouth, Kansas (northwest of Tonganoxie, KS and north of Lawrence.  We chose the Jefferson Red and Raspberry Splash to sample.  The Jefferson Red had a sweet grape aroma.  It was sweet with a slightly tart finish.  The Raspberry Splash smelled of spicy raspberries.  The Splash tasted of spice and raspberries, slightly sweet, but just enough to compete with the spice flavor.  It would probably pair well with chocolate or smoked meats.

While waiting in line, I was recognized by some co-workers.  Surprised and slightly feeling the heat of the day (and effects of the wine), I fumbled their names.  After being amused, Debra, Mary, and Nelda introduced themselves properly to my wife and related how this event compared to last year.  Apparently, the weather was much hotter last year and all the events were packed into one tent.  In spite of that, they indicated they had a really good time and decided to come back this year.  They liked how this year tickets were sold ahead of the event and cut down on the chaos last year caused by a large number of walk ups.  Seeing that I was taking notes, they asked if I was a wine connoisseur.  With a smile, I replied, "No, just a wine enthusiast."

Then we arrived at the Kugler's Vineyard table from Lawrence, Kansas.  There we tried the Vidal and the Norton.  The Vidal had a sweet floral scent and tasted of pears and melon with a sweet, crisp finish.  It would probably pair well with chicken and alfredo pasta-type dishes.  The Cynthiana or Norton had a strong, cherry aroma and tasted of sweet berried with woody notes.  Like most Nortons, it would go well with chocolate and smoked meats.

Next, we stopped by the Wine Barn Winery and Vineyard tent from Kansas City, KS. We sampled the Vidal and the Golden Sonnet.  The Vidal was slightly floral and semi dry with an initial pear flavor which transitioned to a watery melon finish.  It was slightly less flavorful than the Kugler's Vidal.  The Golden Sonnet was a smooth, semi-sweet wine.  It had a stronger flavor than the Vidal, but also had a watery finish.

We hurried over to Stone Pillar from Olathe, KS selected the Prairie Fire and Joceaux (pronounced JOCO).  The Prairie Fire was a 5-wine blend and full of complex flavor.  It had slightly Norton-ish with a dry, cherry spiciness.  The Joceaux was sweeter and smooth with a metallic finish.

White Tail Run Winery from Edgerton, Kansas was our last stop and another great discovery.  We ended our tastings with their Semi-Sweet Seyval.  It tasted of fruity, citrus notes with little tartness and had a crisp metallic finish.  As we later discovered, they can be found also selling their wines Saturday mornings at the Overland Park Farmers Market.

As the day grew late and shadows long, most event goers settled into evening picnics under the cottonwoods along the Kansas river.

We lingered for a bit longer to allow the effects of the wine to wear off.  De Soto Police had left the event early and we figured they were waiting for folks that had a little too much to drink.  We were only slightly disappointed that we didn't fill our tastings cards, but felt like we accomplished a lot in an evening that flew by.  Most importantly, we spent lots of quality time together.

  With the coolness of the evening taking hold, we drove back home with the Corvette's T-tops off, taking home our new discoveries to be enjoyed at a later summer evening.

Mini trip - OZ Winery, Wamego, KS

We were in Manhattan that weekend in January for a couple of reasons: my family got to meet up with some friends from the military and I was there to mentor some middle school teams in a city of the future competition.   On our way into Manhattan, we noticed the OZ Winery billboards on I-70 and thought that if we had enough time that we might make a side trip before heading back to Kansas City.   After spending the day apart, we decided to checkout the OZ Winery.

It took us about 30 minutes from Manhattan on Highway 24 to get to Wamego and just a few minutes longer to reach downtown.  Angled parking is on both sides of the main downtown strip and we easily found a spot in front of the Winery's storefront.

With the two year old asleep on my shoulder, my wife had a seat at the tasting bar and looked over the vast wine menu.  I didn't get too much of a chance to read detailed descriptions of the wines, but I was impressed with the store's ambiance and wider variety of wines they offered.

As I followed the four-year old around the store, I noticed that in addition to Wizard of Oz themed wines that they carried a variety of gifts including cheeses, chocolates, and meats. 

My wife sampled the four wines they had that were Vignoles-blends and after much consideration, she selected "The Yellow Brick Road".  As we drove over the Flint Hills and Wamego disappeared from sight, she described the wines to me.  We agreed that we would definitely have to come back.