Trapp Wine Tasting, Always a Great Vintage

We will be tasting new releases of Barbera from the Piemonte, for inclusion on our list. Robert Boehme of Vermont Wine Merchants Company will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, low tannins and high levels of acid (which is unusual for a warm climate red grape). Century-old vines still exist in many regional vineyards and allow for the production of long-aging, robust red wines with intense fruit and enhanced tannic content. The best known appellation is the DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) Barbera d'Asti in the Piedmont region. When young, the wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red and blackberries. In the lightest versions notes of cherries, raspberries and blueberries and with notes of blackberry and black cherries in wines made of more ripe grapes. Many producers employ the use of toasted (seared over a fire) oak barrels, which provides for increased complexity, aging potential, and hints of vanilla notes. Barbera is believed to have originated in the hills of Monferrato in central Piemonte, Italy where it has been known from the thirteenth century. Documents from the cathedral of Casale Monferrato between 1246-1277 detail leasing agreements of vineyard lands planted with "de bonis vitibus barbexinis" or Barbera, as it was known then. In Piedmont, the vine was prized for its yields and ability to ripen two weeks earlier than Nebbiolo even on vineyard sites with less than ideal exposure. This allowed the Piedmontese winemakers in regions like Alba to give their best sites over to the more difficult to cultivate Nebbiolo and still produce quality wine with Barbera that could be consumed earlier while the Nebbiolo ages.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Pico Maccario, “Berro”, Piemonte 2011
Pico Maccario, “Lavignone”, d’Asti 2011
Elio Perrone, “Tasmorcan”, d’Asti 2011
Pico Maccario, “Tre Roveri”, d’Asti 2009
La Spinetta, “Ca’ Di Pian”, d’Asti 2008

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

A benefit for Copley Hospital and The Vermont Foodbank
Support Hurricane Irene flood victims through the Vermont Foodbank and Copley Hospital’s charitable healthcare at The Stowe Wine and Food Classic.
This event is a one-of-a-kind food and wine experience, taking you from farm to table and vine to glass. Not only will you rub elbows with top winemakers and chefs, you will also meet the suppliers these chefs count on daily for fresh ingredients. Enjoy well over 100 wines from around the world along with a grand array of offerings from area restaurants, cheese makers and brewers, all in a casual and vibrant atmosphere. Up-scale meets down-home in an event you do not want to miss!

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We will be tasting new releases of Austrian Grüner Veltliner, for inclusion on our list. The vineyards in Austria cover 51,000 hectares which, for the most part, lie in the east and southeast of the country. Amongst the wines produced here, white wines unquestionably make up the larger portion – cultivated in 70% of the vineyards. Nevertheless, red wine has come to represent 30% of the vineyards in recent years. Austria has approximately 20,000 small wine producing estates, many of whose financial existence is based on the selling of wine directly on the premises. However, more than half of the wine-growing country features estates with over 5 hectares of vineyards, with most of these highly competitive export-wise. Wine estates regarded as large, according to an international standard (consisting of more than 200 hectares), are rare in Austria. Grüner Veltliner’s Peppery spice, fruitiness with a usually dry finish. With a share of about a third of Austria’s total viticultural area, the Grüner Veltliner is the most important variety grown in Austria. The quality spectrum of the Grüner Veltliner is sweeping, extending from light, effervescent wines that are best drunk young – as “Heuriger” – to Spätlese wines that are rich in extracts and alcohol and thus age particularly well. In Austria, however, it is still very much the tradition to drink the wine as young as possible, which is somewhat regrettable; and to drink them with food, which is absolutely correct. Grüner Veltliner is perhaps the single most versatile food wine in the world, often surpassing even Riesling because of its ability to pair with "difficult" foods such as artichokes and asparagus.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Rainer Wess, “Wachauer”, Wachau 2009
Weixelbaum, “Stephanus”, Kamptal 2009
Leth, “Steinagrund”, Wagram 2011
Hirsch, “Veltliner #1”, Niederösterreich 2011
Tegernseerhof, “T26”, Federspiel, Wachau 2012

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

Join us for a very special 3-course Themed Wine Dinner - Celebrate Italy…Cuisine & Wines prepared by our new Executive Chef, Cody Vasek. $60 per person. Menu.

We will be tasting new releases of California Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, for inclusion on our list. John Fagan of Calmont Beverage, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. DNA genetic fingerprinting research at the University of California at Davis has revealed Cabernet Sauvignon to be a cross between the Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The variety is California's most widely planted red wine grape, with 75,622 acres reported in 2007. The Central Coast American Viticultural Area (AVA) stretches roughly 250 miles along the coastline of California, from San Francisco County in the north to Santa Barbara County in the south, averaging about 25 miles in width. A very large AVA, the Central Coast encompasses approximately four million acres, of which 90,300 acres are planted to winegrapes. The region produces almost 15 percent of the state's total winegrape production and is home to about 360 wineries. In California, the main stylistic difference in Cabernet Sauvignon is between hillside/mountain vineyards and those on flatter terrain like valley floors or some areas of the Central Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is a tough-skinned, late-maturing variety that is more impervious to rain damage and disease. Cabernet Sauvignons and blends where the variety predominates are some of the most prized wines produced in California. The grape is also the main ingredient in blends for many of the most famous red wines in the world. Cabernet Sauvignons are dry, full flavored and made to be long lived for many labels. The aging potential can be upwards of 10-20 years, though 5 to 9 years is more usual. Fans of Cabernet Sauvignon are familiar with the wine's common descriptors: berry, currant and cassis or herbaceous, bell pepper and toasty oak aromas and flavors.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Castle Rock, Paso Robles 2010
Foxglove, Paso Robles 2011
Three Saints, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara 2009
Wild Horse, Central Coast 2010
Domaine Eden, Santa Cruz Mountains 2008

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of California Syrah, for inclusion on our list. Syrah is the primary (sometimes sole) grape variety used to make the famous Rhône wines of Côte Rotie and Hermitage and in fact also forms the backbone structure of most Rhône blends, including Chateauneuf du Pape. Although cultivated since antiquity, competing claims to the origin of this variety have it either being transplanted from Persia, near the similarly-titled city of Shiraz or to being a native vine of France. Starting in 1998, combined research of the University of California at Davis and the French National Agronomy Archives in Montpellier proved syrah is indeed indigenous to France. DNA profiling proved syrah to be a genetic cross of two relatively obscure grapes, the white mondeuse blanc and the black dureza. Syrah is a fairly new variety in California, first introduced in 1971. Some of the state's original vines were propagated from Hermitage in the Rhône Valley and some from Australian cuttings. It is also one of California's most rapidly increasing varieties. In 1984, there were less than 100 acres. By 2007,there were nearly 19,000 vineyard acres planted to Syrah, nearly a third of which is less than four years old. Plantings range over all of the state's temperature zones, from the coolest to the warmest, with San Luis Obispo, San Joaquin, Sonoma, Monterey, Madera and Santa Barbara together accounting for more than half the total acreage. Syrah forms intense wines, with deep violet, nearly black color, chewy texture and richness, and often alcoholic strength, with aromas that tend to be more spicy than fruity.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

J.Lohr, “South Ridge”, Paso Robles 2010
Clayhouse Vineyard, Paso Robles 2010
Bonny Doon, “Le Pousseur”, Central Coast 2009
Bedrock, North Coast 2011
Arcadian, “Westerly Vineyard”, Santa Ynez Valley 2006

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of French White Burgundy, for inclusion on our list. Bruce Magoon of Baker Distributing, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. Burgundy wine (French: Bourgogne or Vin de Bourgogne) is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from Chardonnay grapes. The Burgundian village of Puligny and the tiny, 18.5-acre Le Montrachet vineyard, which Puligny shares with the neighboring town of Chassagne. Le Montrachet was – and still is – considered the greatest white wine produced in France. “It should be drunk,” Alexander Dumas said a century earlier, “on one’s knees with hat in hand.” Sadly, the Montrachet vineyard produces fewer than 3,000 cases a year of its intense, golden-green nectar. Fortunately, though, there is more to white Burgundy than Montrachet. From the inexpensive but appealing wines of Mâcon and Pouilly, produced in the southernmost part of the Burgundy appellation, or region, the Bourgogne Blancs or the Côte d-Or, to the elegant, flinty whites of Chablis in the far north, Burgundy produces a wealth of distinctive white wines. The Burgundy region’s climate, which is much cooler than in the Chardonnay zones of California and Australia. Due to that coolness, the Chardonnay grapes harvested in Burgundy have higher acidity and less sugar, yielding wines that are tangier, lower in alcohol and lighter in body than their “new world” (non-European) counterparts.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Joséphine Dubois, Chardonnay Bourgogne, “Grand Reserve” 2009
Raphaël Sallet, Mâcon-Uchizy, “Les Maranchés” 2011
Francois Mercier, Montagny 1 er Cru, “Les Tronquets” 2011
Louis Michel & Fils, Chablis 2011
Joseph Drouhin, Pouilly-Fuisse 2010

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of Columbia Valley Red Blends, for inclusion on our list. Think about the greatest floods ever documented on Earth—about a wave 500 feet high bursting through the ruptured ice dam of Glacial Lake Missoula, sweeping south across Eastern Washington at 50 miles an hour. Think about the brunt of 2,500 cubic kilometers of water rushing with a flow 10 times greater than the combined flow of all the rivers in the world, scouring the land to its bedrock bones—not just once, but as many as 90 times, as the ice dam repeatedly formed and failed, over intervals of 35 to 55 years, beginning some 15,300 years ago—creating an enormously complex geological riddle and hundreds of publication topics for scores of geologists since J Harlen Bretz first realized how the tortured landscape of the Channeled Scablands was formed. The prevailing southwesterly winds, which still prevail and still continue the geologic process, lifted the glacial sediments, the loess deposited by the floods, carrying it back north, distributing it approximately along the floods’ path, relinquishing finally what remained as the thick loess dunes of the Palouse. This windblown silt deposited over the underlying volcanic basalt, layered with the ash of intermittent eruptions of Northwest volcanoes from Mazama to St. Helens—this is the literal grounding of Eastern Washington’s terroir. Washington’s wine regions mostly lie in the flat, rural, southeastern part of the state (the miniscule Puget Sound appellation, with a mere 80 acres of vineyards, is the lone exception). The largest by far is the Columbia Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), which covers almost 11 million acres, nearly a third of the state. Washington’s wine regions mostly lie in the flat, rural, southeastern part of the state (the miniscule Puget Sound appellation, with a mere 80 acres of vineyards, is the lone exception). The largest by far is the Columbia Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), which covers almost 11 million acres, nearly a third of the state. Other AVAs are much smaller—for instance, Red Mountain, an up- and-coming source for some of the state’s best Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots, covers just 4,040 acres. At its most basic, vintners blend wine made from different grapes in order to add more complexity to the flavor and texture of a wine. Both reds and whites can be made from blends of varietals. In some cases, they may even blend whites and reds together in order to create the best possible combination of aromas and flavors. An excellent example of a wine blended from red and white grapes is Côte-Rôtie in France's Rhone region, which blends the red wine grape Syrah and the wine wine grape Viognier. Some wine blends are made from classic recipes handed down from generation to generation. Other vintners create brand new blends in an attempt to produce a new and exciting wine that has flavor characteristics like nothing else on the market.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Columbia-Crest Grand Estates, “Amitage” 2009
Milbrant Vineyards, “Brother’s Blend 2010
Corvidae Wine Co., “Rook” 2010
Hedges Family Estate, “Red Mountain” 2009
Fall Line Winery, “Artz Vineyard”, Red Mountain 2009

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of Austrian Red Blends, for inclusion on our list. Keven Ring of Artisanal Cellars, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. The vineyards in Austria cover 51,000 hectares which, for the most part, lie in the east and southeast of the country. Amongst the wines produced here, white wines unquestionably make up the larger portion – cultivated in 70% of the vineyards are 22 white wine varieties permitted for high quality wine production. Nevertheless, red wine (13 varieties) has come to represent 30% of the vineyards in recent years. There is archaeological evidence of grape growing in Traisental 4000 years ago. Grape seeds have been found in urns dating back to 700BC in Zagersdorf, whilst bronze wine flagons of the Celtic La Tène culture dating to the 5th century BC have been found at Dürrnberg in Salzburg state. Viticulture thrived under the Romans, once Marcus Aurelius Probus (Roman Emperor 276–282) had overturned the ban on growing grapes north of the Alps. Both Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling appear to have been grown around the Danube since Roman times. The major red grapes of Austria are the Blaufranksih, Blauer Portugieser, Saint Laurent (French origins), Blauerburgunder (Pinot Noir) and the hybrids Zweigelt (cross between the Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent) and Blauberger (cross between Blaufrankisch and Blauer Portugieser). Blaufränkisch (German for blue "Frankish") is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. Blaufränkisch, which is a late-ripening variety gives red wines which are typically rich in tannin and may exhibit a pronounced spicy character. Zweigelt is Austria's primary red wine grape and is a crossing of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. This variety was named for the Austrian plant-breeder Prof. Fritz Zweigelt, who created this successful cross of Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. As new wine the Zweigelt has a pronounced fruity bouquet that becomes rounder and finer with ageing. It ranges in quality from a light table wine to be enjoyed in its youth to powerful wines for ageing.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Steindorfer, “Apetlon Rouge”, Equal Parts Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt & St. Laurent, Burgenland 2010
Meinklang, “Burgenland Red”, 60% Zweigelt, 30% Blaufränkisch & 10% St. Laurent, Burgenland 2011
Netzl, “Carnuntum Cuvée”, 40% Zweigelt, 40% Blaufränkisch & 20% Merlot, Carnuntum 2011
Anton Bauer, “Cuvée No. 15”, 60% Zweigelt & 40% Blaufränkisch, Wagram 2009
Hillinger, “Hillside”, 60% Syrah, 30% Merlot & 10% Zweigelt, Burgenland 2011

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of Minervois Reds, for inclusion on our list. Languedoc-Roussillon covers the area on the border of the Mediterranean sea between the west of the Rhône and Camargue to the border of Spain and the Pyrénées mountains. The vineyards of this sunny region are one of the largest expanses of vine growing region in the world. The history of Languedoc wines can be traced to the first vineyards planted along the coast near Narbonne by the early Greeks. Along with parts of Provence, these are the oldest planted vineyards in France. Wine has been made in this region for at least 2,600 years, ever since the ancient Greeks founded the city of Marseille in 600 BC. Throughout the region's history, viticulture and winemaking have been influenced by the cultures that have been present in Provence and the Languedoc, which include the Ancient Greeks, Romans, Gauls, Catalans and Savoyards. These diverse groups introduced a large variety of grapes to the region, including grape varieties of Greek and Roman origin as well as Spanish, Italian and traditional French wine grapes. Minervois is an appellation in the western Languedoc known for its distinctive red wines. The appellation takes its name from the village of Minerve, about 25 miles from the Mediterranean coast and surrounded by the southern French foothills. The Minervois appellation controlee was granted in 1985, resulting in significant investments in winery equipment and improved vineyard management. Which has led to increased praise from critics in France and abroad, for the quality of the wines. The predominant grape varieties used in the red wines are Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, which must make up at least 60% of the blend, with Carignan, Cinsaut and Bourboulenc allowed for the balance.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Clos de Garric 2010
Château Maris, “La Touge”, La Liviniere 2009
Château Sainte Eulalie, “Plaisir d’Eulalie” 2011
Château Massiac 2010
Château Maris, Grenache, “Nouvelles Fraiches”, La Liviniere 2009

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of California Meritage, for inclusion on our list. Stuart Timmons of Farrell Distribution will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. Most wines are varietal wines, named after the grape variety that comprises at least 75% of that wine. For example, a “Cabernet Sauvignon” labeled as such must be made from 75%-100% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Many winemakers, however, believe the 75% varietal requirement does not necessarily result in the highest quality wine. And the generic name for wines with les than 75% of a grape varietal — “table wine” — does not convey quality. Meritage, pronounced like heritage, first appeared in the late 1980s after a group of American vintners joined forces to create a name for New World wines blended in the tradition of Bordeaux. The word was selected from more than 6,000 entries in an international contest. Meritage combines “merit,” reflecting the quality of the grapes, with “heritage,” which recognizes the centuries-old tradition of blending, long considered to be the highest form of the winemaker’s art. Meritage wines are growing in popularity and are currently the second fastest growing wine category in the industry. They are highly regarded for their aging potential, yet are completely approachable in their youth. Many Meritage wines have proprietary names in addition to, or rather than, Meritage. In order to obtain a license and use the term Meritage on a label, a wine must meet certain criteria. A Red Meritage is a blend of two or more of the red “noble” Bordeaux varieties — Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and the rarer St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère. If the blend includes any other grape variety, it is, by definition, not a Meritage. Also, to qualify as a Meritage, no single grape variety can make up more than 90% of the blend.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Cameron Hughes, California 2010
Hayman & Hill, Monterey County 2010
St. Francis, “Claret”, Sonoma County 2007
Cameron Hughes, “Lot 325”, Atlas Peak Napa Valley 2010
Stonestreet, “Fifth Ridge”, Alexander Mountain Estate 2006

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

We will be tasting new releases of Loire Chenin Blanc, for inclusion on our list. The Loire is the longest river in France, the last wild river in Europe, and has been designated a World Heritage area by UNESCO. For much of its 630 miles - from the mountains of central France to the coast of Brittany - the Loire is vineyard country. Total wine production makes up the third largest AOC (appellation d'origine contrôlée) viticultural area in France. It is France’s second largest region for sparkling wine and the leading region for white wine production. The Loire River is the cradle of the French Nation. It is where the cultures of north and south meet. Charles Martel stopped the Saracen invasion of Europe at Tours in 731 AD. Joan of Arc met the Dauphin at Chinon in 1429 and convinced him to fight the English. In the 16th century, kings and nobles built their great Chateaux in the Loire Valley, preferring it to all other parts of France. Loire Valley wines include 65 appellations that include every style of wine – red, white, rosé, still, Sparkling, sweet, dry and everything in between. One reason for this diversity is the size of the Loire Valley. The vineyards grow along a 300 mile stretch of the river, so there are several distinct climates and a wide variety of soils that divide the Loire Valley into 5 distinct regions, each with its own characteristic varietals and wine styles. Chenin Blanc, also called Pineau de la Loire, may have come to the Loire Valley more than a thousand years ago. It was firmly established by the 15th century, and like Cabernet Franc, was also praised by Rabelais, the great epicurean writer. Although widely planted in the United States and in South Africa, it attains its highest and most characteristic expression only in a one hundred mile stretch of the Loire Valley between Blois and Savennières. Unlike any other grape except Riesling, Chenin Blanc can be vinified in a range of styles from austere, mineral, and refreshing to rich, honeyed, and sweet, and its versatility surpasses Riesling in that it also makes excellent sparkling wine.

The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Domaine de Vaufuget, Vouvray 2011
Domaine du Petit Coteau, “L’Etoile”, Vouvray Moelleux 2010
Château Soucherie, “Cuvée les Rangs de Long”, Anjou Blanc 2011
Le Rocher des Violettes, “Touche-Mitaine”, Montlouis-sur-Loire 2010
Château de L’Eperonnière, Savennière 2010

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $20.00 fee per person.

Join us for a very special 3-course Themed Wine Dinner - Celebrate our Garden with Summer Whites prepared by our new Executive Chef, Cody Vasek. $60 per person. Menu will be available soon.