Madison – The Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley are pleased to announce their premiere tasting event, “Cask 1012”, on September 15th from Noon-5 p.m. Join Debonné Vineyards, Ferrante Winery & Ristorante, Grand River Cellars Winery & Restaurant, Laurello Vineyards, and St. Joseph Vineyards for this drive yourself tour. The wine tasting, which includes the limited release of the Cask 1012 red wine, will be paired with food samples to compliment the wine perfectly.
The cask project was a joint effort of the 5 different wineries to each purchase a 500-gallon cask barrel, using oak from different countries. Each location then put only regional red wines from their winery into the barrel, resulting in wines that are smooth, dry, and full of flavors. The first vintage in the barrel was in 2010 and a second vintage was added in 2011. This blend was bottle in 2012, thus the name Cask 1012-the year the project started “10” and the year the wine was bottled “12”. Each year, 100 gallons will be bottled from these amazing barrels, making room for the next years harvest.
All five participating wineries are within 10 minutes of each other, making this a very convenient excursion for travelers. Each winery will feature their cask wine and another regional wine paired with an appetizer. The cost is only $6 per person at each winery.
“This is a perfect opportunity for us to showcase our dry red wines from this region,” says Cindy Lindberg, owner of Grand River Cellars winery and event coordinator. “We have been talking about this project for years and now it is finally time to release it to the public. If you appreciate good red wines, this is the perfect event for you.”
After much discussion the group decided to host the event in mid-September which is also right in the middle of their harvest season when they are all very busy. “It seemed fitting for our group to have this event during harvest,” says Art Pietrzyk of St. Joseph Vineyards. “The focus of the winegrowers group is to showcase locally grown, quality wines and the cask wine is our premier wine.” Patrons to the event are likely to also see grape pickers in the fields and grapes being pressed at some of the wineries. The smell of grapes is sure to permeate your senses as you drive around to the different wineries.
While visiting the area the group encourages travelers to take a mini-vacation and spend their weekend in wine country. There are lots of shops to visit and beautiful covered bridges to check out in the area. For those looking for other things to do in the area contact the Ashtabula County Conventions & Visitors Bureau (www.visitashtabulacounty.com) or the Lake County Conventions & Visitors Bureau (www.lakevisit.com).
The Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley formed a group several years ago when they began to realize how quickly their wine region was growing. The Grand River Valley Wine Region is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the United States and has the quality wines to prove why. Member wineries have achieved national and international recognition with award winning wines. These wineries must adhere to strict standards.
The Cask Tasting is just one of a series of events The Winegrowers of the Grand River Valley host each year. Other events include the ever-popular Ice Wine Festival and The Turkey Trot.
