Kris Chislett

Top 10 Facts About North Carolina Wine!

  10. The first cultivated grape in the nation is the Scuppernong, which is the official fruit of the state of North Carolina.     9. The annual economic impact of the North Carolina wine and grape industry is $813 million with 5,700 workers employed.     8. Medoc Vineyard in the town of Brinkleyville in Halifax County was the first commercial winery established in North Carolina and led the country’s wine production in 1835.

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Coriander Dusted Roast Beef Stroganoff with Biltmore Century Red Wine

  I think the last time I had Beef Stroganoff was in England over 10 years ago! I worked a lot of banquet catering events, and “Beef Strog” was always the menu item of choice. I’m guessing mainly because it can be hot-held over a long period of time, with the one minor drawback being that the beef always ended up tasting like boiled leather. This Beef Stroganoff however tastes nothing like my English experience…

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Biltmore Estate Chardonnay Sur Lies 2008

Grape 87% Chardonnay, 5% Viognier, 3% Malvasia   Facts The wine is named “Sur Lies” (pronounced lees), after the dead yeast cells (lies) which settle to the bottom of fermentation tanks. If these cells are agitated (usually by the winemaker stirring the vat), the wine will take on some of the qualities of the yeasts, giving additional richness, complexity and a toasty quality. Only one third of the wine that goes into the final blend…

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Introducing Biltmore Estate Winery!

  The first vineyards at Biltmore were established in 1971, and to this day the Estate remains the most visited winery in the United States. Around 1 million annual visitors stop by the North Carolina based Biltmore Winery to sample their award-winning wines each year. The winery currently produces everything from an Estate Viognier, to a Limited Release Malbec, right through to a Champagne-style Blanc de Blanc, all hand-crafted by the winemaking team of Bernard…

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The Oldest Known Winery?

This will surely piss off the French!!! A research team from UCLA says it has found the world’s oldest winery, in Armenia! "It’s the oldest proven case of documented and dedicated wine production, stretching back the horizons of this important development by thousands of years," said Gregory Areshian, co-director of the excavation for University of California Los Angeles’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. Areshian states that the clay pots and vats recently discovered in a cave…

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Domaine de la Reuilly Pinot Gris Rose 2009 with Poached Salmon Salad with Lettuce and Asparagus

  The Mrs.and I have been on a little bit of a healthy-eating kick since the start of the year. We didn’t make a formal resolution, we stopped doing that a while ago. Everyone seems to more-or-less make the same promises to themselves each year, and normally end up breaking them after just a few weeks. All that I’m personally looking to achieve is to lose a few pounds through healthy eating and exercise, whilst…

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Sulfites – The Source Behind the Red Wine Headache?

  Sulfites are the salts of sulfurous acid, which are naturally occurring in grapes which nature uses to prevent microbial growth. They are found in onions, garlic, and many other plants. Sulfites have been known to cause severe allergic reactions in certain individuals, (please note the word “severe”). Through my wine studies, I once read that “If sulfites want to bother you, they will, possibly by triggering your untimely death!” Sulfites are actually the only…

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Dr. ZenZen Dornfelder Ice Wine

  Grape Dornfelder (you’re forgiven if you’ve never heard of it before).   Facts Dornfelder is a hybrid red grape of Germany that has been achieved by crossing the obscure grapes of Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe.   The grape does well in conditions that are usually more suited for white varieties i.e. the cold climate of Germany. Dornfelder is the second most grown red wine grape variety in Germany behind Pinot Noir (known as Spatburgunder).  …

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The No Sediment Bottle?

  According to The Guardian online, a celebrated Spanish chef claims to have invented a wine bottle that captures sediment. Martín Berasategui, (three Michelin star chef), has added a chamber to the bottle to the bottom of the bottle ensuring that no sediment reaches your glass when poured. Berasategui also claims the shape of the bottle could do away with decanting. "The bottle itself acts as a decanter thanks to its special shape," Berasategui wrote…

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