Wine Tasting Tip: Clear Your Palate

“A meal without wine is like a day without sunshine.” Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, ‘The Physiology of Taste’ (1825)

As wonderful as wine can be with food, did you know that during a wine tasting it is actually best not to have anything to eat? The reason for this is because ideally you need to have all your senses free of any influence besides the wine. Even the meal you had several hours before your wine tasting can potentially affect your experience.

Of course, this isn’t surgery and we’re not going to ask you to stop eating 24 hours before you visit a winery. Your sense of taste is not going to change so drastically just because you had that onion bagel for breakfast. But here are a few pointers to consider for your next wine tasting.

Many wineries offer some type of food at their tasting room. Some offer crackers to absorb any lingering flavors, but you want to stick to something bland so as not to distract from the wine.

Some, like Hawk Haven, offer cheese plates. We love a good cheese plate with a glass of wine. Generally speaking, wine and cheese are a wonderful combination; however, cheese during a wine tasting can clog your taste buds and suppress the flavors in the wine. Also, not all wines will pair well with all cheeses. Some cheese can make even the best wines taste terrible. A better choice would be to go through the wine tasting and afterwards have a glass of your favorite paired with a cheese plate.

And have you ever had a drink of something right after brushing your teeth, especially fruit juice? Tasted horrible, right? Its best to avoid chewing gum and mints before a wine tasting.

But the wine tasting experience involves much more than just your sense of taste. Your sense of smell is very connected to your sense of taste, and there are many aromas in wine. This is another reason why food can be distracting during a wine tasting. You might also want to go light on the perfume/cologne or any other strong aromas.

These are just suggestions, so please feel free to enjoy your wine tasting however you like, with or without food. The point is to have fun, get a taste of what we’re offering, and hopefully find something you like. Cheers!

Crafty Corks

So you finished your Christmas shopping for the adults on your list ahead of time by buying a case of local wine. Awesome job! So… where is it? Oh you drank it all. Great.

Not to worry! Dig those corks out of the trashcan– its time to get crafty.

You’ve probably seen all sorts of clever decor made of out wine corks, and maybe you even wielded a hot glue gun to fashion a delightful wreath for your front door.

And who hasn’t seen the cork cork-board, the cork hotplate, or even the decorative vase filled with corks? You want something new, something fresh! You want something that would make Martha Stewart, who I’m pretty sure doesn’t own a trashcan, weep with joy at your resourceful craftiness!

Well, let us know when you come up with something. In the meantime, we’ve scoured the web for some of the more unique cork creations, and we hope you will enjoy pinning them to your “Crafts I Will Probably Never Do” Pinterest board.

Crocheted Cork Toys – “Oh no, mommy’s drinking again.” –Said no kid ever who has an army of cute little cork ninjas! While you’re at it, make a sweet cork house or castle for the little guys to hang out in. And little cork boats, and cork cars… you could make an entire village for the tiny cork people! On second thought, just give your kids some yarn, glue, and a bag of corks and let them handle it while you go have another glass.

Cork Stamps – Since this involves a craft knife, we would like to encourage you to save this one for a day when you didn’t drink an entire bottle of wine by yourself. If you don’t feel like carving images, just dip the plain cork in some paint and make polka dots. Everybody loves polka dots.

Cork Jewelry – Nothing says, “I am a classy and sophisticated individual,” like a pair of Sutter Home cork dangling earrings. Make a set using Hawk Haven corks and wear them next time you’re in the tasting room. We’ll give you a FREE high five.

Cork Armchair – You should probably get started right away.

In all seriousness, the world could do with a bit more recycling. It is always fun to think up new ideas for everyday objects. Send us your favorite cork crafts, and we’d love to see pictures of your creations!

Best Wine Destinations

TripAdvisor recently released their 2012 Travelers’ Choice Best Wine Destinations with four different categories including the United States, Europe, South Pacific, and all over the world. Missing from this list: the great wine regions of New Jersey!

The Garden State has long been overlooked as a grape-growing region, and many people are often very surprised to learn that award-winning wines can be found in places outside of Italy, France, and Napa. If you’ve ever visited our tasting room, you’ve probably heard us talk about the sandy soils, cool ocean breezes, and long growing seasons here in Cape May County. In fact, this area has been recognized by several wine experts as one of the best wine regions on the East Coast.

Hawk Haven wine has won many awards since it opened in 2009.

The history of grape-growing and wine-making in New Jersey can be traced back as far as the mid- to late-1700′s, with the first commercial wine-making operation, Renault Winery, established in 1864. The industry was greatly hurt by the Prohibition era starting in 1919, and production remained small even after Prohibition ended in 1933, but by the early 1980′s more and more wineries began popping up across the country.

South Jersey earned an American Viticulture Area (AVA) in 2007, known as the Outer Coastal Plain. This was a significant development as it meant this part of New Jersey would be officially recognized as a grape-growing region. Almost half of New Jersey’s vineyards are located within the Outer Coast Plain.

New Jersey’s various AVAs.

Today there are over 40 wineries in the state which have produced around 1.72 million gallons each year, making it the seventh highest wine producing state in the country.

If you visit TripAdvisor.com and look through the ratings for each New Jersey winery, you’ll see plenty of four- and five-star reviews. People love New Jersey wines and love visiting their local wineries. So why isn’t New Jersey a Best Wine Destination? This is where you come in! If you haven’t already, visit the site and leave a review for the wineries you’ve visited (you can find Hawk Haven’s TripAdvisor page by clicking here). Tell TripAdvisor what you love about New Jersey wine and why you believe the Garden State is the perfect wine destination.

Let’s make 2013 the year that New Jersey is recognized as one of the greatest places in the world for fine wines!

Recent Awards

In the last few months we submitted several of our wines to a few different competitions/wine reviewers and we wanted to share with you the results.

We’ve already mentioned The Judgement of Rittenhouse where our 2010 barrel-fermented Chardonnay was given the opportunity to go up against a French wine of the same vintage and varietal. It didn’t win but it did get the silver at New Jersey Monthly’s wine competition. Some wine competitions award medals based on a point system; they aren’t compared to each other so multiple wines might receive the same type of medal (gold, silver, bronze) depending on how many points it got. At this competition, only one of each type of medal was awarded, so we were especially proud of our Chardonnay for getting the silver.

World Wine Championship

You’ve probably been to the wine section of a liquor store and seen the various ratings in front of the different wines and wondered who exactly assigned them. One of them is the Beverage Testing Institute on www.tastings.com. We submitted four of our wines to their World Wine Championship this year and here are the results:

2009 Merlot: 88 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Ruby red color. Aromas of plum pudding and tomato chutney with a chewy, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a nice kiss of vanilla and peppery spices on the gentle finish.

2010 Chardonnay: 88 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Golden yellow color. Aromas of roasted pineapple and toasty meringue with a fruity-yet-dry medium body and a honeyed apple, lemon mousse, fruit salad, and delicate brown spice accented finish. Tasty.

2010 Gewurztraminer: 87 Points “Highly Recommended” Silver Medal
Golden color. Lush fresh baked peach strudel and orange sorbet aromas with supple, fruity medium body and a honeyed golden raisin chutney and apple-pear cider finish. A nice late harvest style gewurz.

2009 Northern Harrier Red: 84 Points “Recommended” Bronze Medal
Ruby color. Aromas of cranberries and tomatoes on the vine with a soft, dryish medium body and a tangy, tangerine and sun-dried tomato accented finish.

This competition features wines from all over the world including California, France, and Italy, so we are always happy to see our wines place.

American Kestrel White- Bronze

2010 Chardonnay- Silver

2009 Merlot- Bronze

2010 Pinot Grigio- Bronze

2009 Talon- Bronze

2010 Viognier- Bronze

2012 International Eastern Wine Competition

2009 Talon- Gold

2010 Viognier- Bronze

2010 Chardonnay- Bronze

2009 Northern Harrier Red- Bronze

Coming Soon: Saturdays on the Crushpad 2012

Last summer at Hawk Haven Vineyard we introduced a new event called Saturdays on the Crushpad to bring more enjoyment to your weekend in Cape May County. With live music, wine, and freshly made gourmet food, Saturdays on the Crushpad was a great success and we are happy to be starting it earlier than ever for 2012.

On Saturday, May 26th we will kick off the first of many Saturdays on the Crushpad which will continue through the fall. We are so excited that we wanted to give you a sneak peek of the new fresh gourmet menu from The Red Store in Cape May Point, a new culinary delight run by the owners of Quahog’s Seafood Shack in Stone Harbor.

So here it is, give or take a few changes that may inevitably occur, and pricing to be determined. Try not to lick the screen.

Winemaker’s Selection Cheese Plate
A tasty selection of four cheeses from our local cheese shop with wine pairing suggestions for each.

Seasonal Quiche
A delectable creation of spinach and goat cheese brought to us by local French baker Michel Gras Atelier of La Patisserie. Served with a side salad of greens picked fresh from Hawk Haven’s own gardens.

Seasonal Gazpacho
Chilled white soup of grapes, almonds, roasted garlic, and cucumber.

Sandwiches

Napa-Style Ham & Cheese Sandwich
A favorite of Hawk Haven owners Todd & Kenna, this sandwich is the perfect pairing to any glass of Hawk Haven wine. Ham, cheese, cornichons, sweet cream butter, and Dijon mustard served on La Patisserie Vienna bread.

Red Store Roast Beef Sandwich
Tender roast beef and sharp cheddar cheese topped with fresh tomato, cucumber, and onions, served on La Patisserie Vienna bread.

Salads

For additional amount add lump crab or grilled chicken

Seasonal Salad
A fresh selection of locally grown lettuces, seasonal vegetables, and fruit with house-made vinaigrette.

Goat Cheese and Beet Salad
A sweet and savory combination of roasted local beets, goat cheese, and candied walnuts over arugula with house-made vinaigrette.

Caesar Salad
Romaine hearts, local cherry tomatoes, shaved manchego cheese, radishes, croutons, and house-made Caesar dressing

The Music!

All Saturday bands play 2-5pm
No Cover Charge!

May 26th Marnie & Nate 

June 2nd TBA

June 9th Gordon Vincent

June 16th Jon Thompson

June 23rd Dale of Hennesey & Jack

June 30th Marnie & Nate

July 7th Gordon Vincent

July 14th John Nesbitt

July 21st Dan Brown Duo

July 28th Dale of Hennesey & Jack

August 4th Tamara DeMent & Jim Maher

August 11th Dale of Hennesey & Jack

August 18th Gordon Vincent

August 25th John Nesbitt

Sept 1st TBA

Sept 8th Gordon Vincent

Sept 15th John Nesbitt

Sept 22nd TBA

Sept 29th John Nesbitt

Oct 6th TBA

Oct 13th John Nesbitt

Oct 20th Kate Delaney-Chew

Oct 27th Kate Delaney-Chew

Check back often for more official menu information and updated schedule of live music. Hope to see you here!

The Judgement of Rittenhouse

If you’ve been following our Facebook page you may have seen our posts about the Wine School of Philadelphia conducting a blind wine tasting in which three New Jersey wines were compared to three French wines. Of over thirty wineries in the state, Hawk Haven’s 2010 Chardonnay was personally selected by the founder of the Wine School, Keith Wallace, to compete against a French Chardonnay.

Does any of this sound familiar? If you’ve read The Judgment of Paris by journalist George Taber or seen the 2008 movie Bottleshock you might recall similar events involving a certain Californian winery in the ’70s. Events that made a huge impact on the wine industry and changed the reputation of Californian wines for the good.

We didn’t win like Chatuea Montelana in George Taber’s Bottle Shock, but we will not lick our wounds, we will celebrate them! We will stand tall, stick out our chests and strut our stuff! For this was a lion’s fight, we are lions and will live to fight another day.

ROAR!!! …ahem…

Well we spoke with Keith after the tasting, and he said that New Jersey did well and that we earned his respect which he admitted, “isn’t an easy thing to do.” Furthermore, our Chardonnay went on to receive a Silver medal in New Jersey Monthly’s first wine competition, and a Bronze medal in the International Eastern Wine Competition. Take that, France!!!

Please feel free to post on our Facebook page your suggestions on which famous actors and actresses should play each member of the Hawk Haven staff in the Bottleshock sequel.

Events at Hawk Haven

What’s happening at Hawk Haven? Take a look and find out!

Our Tasting Room is open daily year round offering wine sales, wine tasting, wine by the glass and wine themed gifts.

OPEN EVERYDAY, ALL YEAR FOR TASTING!

HOURS:

Now through May 25th 12:00 – 5:00 pm

May 26th - September 30th  11:00 am - 7:00 pm

October 1st – November 30th 11am – 6pm

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Sangria Sundays May 27th – September 9th

Saturdays on the Crushpad May 26th – October 27th

Friday Night Supper Club & Wine Bar June 29th – September 7th

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Starting in May: Saturdays on the Crushpad

Hang out where all the magic happens at harvest, on The Crushpad.  Enjoy wine by the glass and bottle.  Grab something to eat from our gourmet lunch and early dinner menu.  Live music every Saturday.

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Sangria Sundays

May 27th thru September 9th

As if our award winning wines weren’t enough to get you here!  Come check out our Funday Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  Tropical White Sangria, Red Wine Sangria, our famous frozen strawberry Rosarita and wine by the glass & bottle.  Grab something to eat from our gourmet lunch and early dinner menu, presented by Seaside Cheese Co.  Live music every Sunday 12 to 7pm.

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Starting in June:
Friday Nite Supper Club & Wine Bar

Join us in the Barrel Room for a casual dinner buffet every Friday night.  Enjoy a wine flight or wine by the glass and bottle with dinner.  Live music every Friday 6 to 9pm.

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KEEP CHECKING THIS PAGE FOR MORE EVENT UPDATES

What’s In A Name?

How much do you know about Merlot?  Before you start quoting Sideways and say you’re not drinking any, let’s take a closer look at the third most grown wine in the world.

Our Hawk Haven Merlot Grapes

Merlot wine is a varietal made from the Merlot grape, which is also used in any number of blended wines.  The name Merlot is thought to come from the Old French word for “young blackbird.”  This was either because of the grapes gorgeous dark-blue color, or from the delight that blackbirds find in eating the grapes.

Merlot may be an offspring of the Cabernet Franc grape, and is a sibling of Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes are identified by loose bunches of large berries with a thinner skin, fewer tannins and a higher sugar content than a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The softness of the Merlot grape, along with its earlier ripening, makes it a good choice for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon, which ripens later and tends to be higher in tannin.

There are three main styles of Merlot.  You can either have a soft, fruity, smooth wine with very little tannins, a fruity wine with a medium tannic structure, or a brawny highly tannic style made in the profile of a Cabernet Sauvignon.  Some of the fruit notes commonly associated with Merlot include cassis, black and red cherries, blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, mulberry and plum. Vegetable and earthy notes include black and green olives, cola nut, bell pepper, fennel, humus, leather, mushrooms, rhubarb and tobacco. Floral and herbal notes commonly associated with Merlot include green and black tea, eucalyptus, laurel, mint, oregano, pine, rosemary, sage, sarsaparilla and thyme.  When Merlot has spent significant time in oak, the wine may show notes of caramel, chocolate, coconut, coffee bean, dill weed, mocha, molasses, smoke, vanilla and walnut.

Hawk Haven Estate Merlot

Our own Hawk Haven Merlot was such a hit that we completely sold out!  Our 2007 Estate Merlot was an exceptionally balanced wine, with a delicate harmony of soft, rounded tannins and rich concentrations of fruit.  The lush plum flavors and notes of blackberry and cherry lent themselves to a smooth and velvety finish.

So what are we doing telling you about a wine that’s sold out?  Besides starting some deep cravings for a delicious Merlot, we want to get you all geared up for the release of our 2008 Merlot!  On August 13^th we will be releasing our new Merlot, and every indication is that it is going to be just as good as last year.  Visit our website and sign up for our email newsletter for more information on this and other events at Hawk Haven.

Don’t Miss the Wine Pairing Dinner With Chef Barry Sexton

Photo Courtesy of OpinionatedPalate.com

Don’t miss your chance to snag one of the few remaining seats for this weekend’s fabulous wine pairing dinners hosted here at Hawk Haven!

This Saturday, July 24^th, Hawk Haven has the pleasure to host celebrity chef Barry Sexton!  Chef Sexton was classically trained for more than a decade under the tutelage of Master Chef Jean Pierre Tardy, who was the Executive Chef of Le Bec Fin, in Philadelphia, for seven years. Chef Barry worked closely with Jean Pierre, keeping the creative process alive by combining his imagination with the best and freshest ingredients.  He even created several signature dishes at Jean Pierre’s Restaurant in Newtown, Pennsylvania, known locally for its French cuisine.

In 2004, Chef Barry Sexton launched his own culinary project, Opinionated Palate Catering, as a way to share his love of food and entertaining. With over 30 years of experience in the culinary arts, Barry brings an undying passion for creating beautiful, flavorful food to his catering venture. Barry enjoys scouring the markets for new and unusual foods, and combining them with his signature creativity and flair for his customers and their guests. He is grateful for the confidence of customers who trust Opinionated Palate Catering to make their event not only a success, but the best day of their life.

Chef Sexton will prepare a four-course dinner in the vineyard on Saturday, July 24^th. Each course will be expertly paired with a Hawk Haven Wine. Seating is limited, and those remaining spots are going fast! For more information call Hawk Haven at (609) 846-7347, or visit http://hawkhavenvineyard.com/events.aspx to order your tickets online, and take a sneak peek at the evening’s menu!

The Five S’s

If you attended the wine pairing dinner on June 19^th then you got an education from Dr. Gary Pavlis about how to properly taste your favorite wines.  If you did miss out on the dinner, don’t worry, we’ve got all the information you need right here.

Dr. Gary Pavlis, Rutgers Cooprative Extension

To properly taste a wine you just need to follow The Five S’s

SIGHT: Go ahead and take a good look at the wine you’re drinking.  Look at the color, from the deep red of a cabernet to the buttery yellow of a chardonnay.  Notice the clarity of the wine, and look for any sediment that might be swirling around in your glass.  It’s also worth checking out your wine’s legs.  That’s the trails that the wine leaves down the side of the glass after you swirl it around.  Speaking of swirling…

SWIRL: Giving your wine a nice whirl does a lot to enhance the taste.  Agitating your wine releases the esters, ethers, and aldehydes that combine with oxygen to yield the bouquet. In other words, swirling aerates the wine and gives you a better smell.  The bouquet is an important part of the taste, so if you wine hasn’t had enough of a swirl it won’t taste as good as it could!  That brings us to…

SMELL: Many people say that this is the most important part of wine tasting. We can only perceive four different tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salt. That may not seem like a lot, but the average person can smell over 2,000 different scents, and wine has over 200 of its own. What does the wine smell like? Often you can describe the smell of the wine by comparing it to other scents.  Look for red fruit scents, like raspberry and blackberry, in red wines and pear and pineapple scents in white wines.  Doesn’t talking about all these delicious things make you thirsty?  Well then…

SIP: The people who don’t say that smell is the most important part of wine tasting are probably a little more concerned with this part. But don’t rush into it!  Take only a small mouthful of wine, and make sure to move it around your whole mouth.  If you don’t bring the wine into contact with your taste buds, how are you going to actually taste it?  Don’t just gulp it down, even if it is that good!  After you’ve gotten all the flavor out of your first sample sip it’s time to…

SAVOR: Now that you’ve swallowed the wine, take a moment to evaluate your experience.  Think about the lingering taste and texture of the wine.  This is called the finish, and it can be just as rewarding as going back in for another sip.  See how long the wine’s taste lasts in your mouth, and try to determine the different tastes.

After you’ve gone through the Five S’s once, simply repeat until your glass is empty.  We recommend lots of practice!

If you want to make sure you don’t miss out on the next great Hawk Haven event, just check out the Events section of HawkHavenVineyard.com!  This weekend, the 17th and 18th, is our “Walk In The Vineyard” event. Click here for more information.