Becoming a Wino

I brought up wine before in the Dining forum noted previously and it got a bit of a discussion going.

I've found I'm not much for the Sutter Home types, instead preferring something with more body and less bitterness. I had some at a bar last week and it was okay, so I bought a 1 litre bottle at the liquor store for home consumption. Nastiest stuff I think I've ever had! I'll have to double-check to see if I bought the wrong type.

I've become a regular at The Red Barn Winery on Buckley Road in Liverpool (next to North Medical Center), where the young lady there patiently answers my novice-like questions, and normally waives the $1-$2 tasting fee. I haven't yet ventured into the world of reds, but every week my recycling bin has a couple of Wine De-Lite and Destiny bottles!

The Wine De-lite is as it's name suggests a white wine that goes great with everything (even though I haven't really figured out how one type of wine goes with any given food yet), while the Destiny is a rose' (that IS the same as a blush, right?) that goes down well in the evening.
The De-Lite comes in 750 ml and the big 1 liter bottle, but Destiny only comes in 750ml sizes unfortunately. We're taking two of each on our annual trek to the relatives this week.

Apple Picking Time!

Today we meandered down to Lafayette to the Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards to do some good old-fashioned family togetherness stuff. It wasn't too crowded yet because the Lafayette Apple Festival isn't until next weekend.

It was actually a perfect day to get outside and have some fun. While not a true hayride, they do have tractors that drive you into the orchards and bring you back. We took the ride in and each grabbed a bag and headed into the orchards. At some point I heard that the apples cost was $.20/ pound so I figured at worst we'd spend about $8 for four bags full of freshness. HAH! It was more like $33.85 but hey...who's counting? It's only money.

They had the usual fare aside from picking apples; $4 pony rides, darn good apple fritters, face-painting, cider and apple wine too! They also had these little environmentally- green go karts that the kids just HAD to try out!

Yes, I said wine. Something's come over me lately, and I'm not sure how to process it. I tried some hard cider, and wanted more. So, I asked for a sample of their white wine. MMMMMMmm! Not bad! Even my beautiful bride said "hey, this is good"!!! So, rather than just buy it there, we stopped down to the winery on Route 20 to taste the other stuff. We ended up buying a bottle of Sterling Hard Cider and a bottle of Somerset wine to bring home. They also have a little general store with all sorts of good eating inside! Home-made fudge, honey, REAL maple $yrup, and cheeses to name a few selections. They had an apple pie candle that i was going to buy until I saw the $25 price tag. I love the smell of fresh-baked apple pie (who doesn't, right?) but at $25, we could make a lot of real pies!

Anyways, this was a trip I highly recommend if you're looking for something to do for one of the last really nice weekends we'll probably have here in Central New York.