The Norton Wine Traveler's Wine Journal
| Wineries Visited: 249Journal Entries:  252Photos Uploaded:  0 |  |
| About: Former military pilot and retired educator enjoying life with rhododendrons, magnolias, travels, and Norton wine explorations. Recommended reading of Norton wines is Todd Kliman's The Wild Vine. | ||
Favorite States
| State | Your Reviews | Wineries in State | Percent | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Wineries | 48 | 130 | 36% |  |
| Arkansas Wineries | 6 | 17 | 35% |  |
| Louisiana Wineries | 2 | 6 | 33% |  |
| Georgia Wineries | 15 | 51 | 29% |  |
| Alabama Wineries | 4 | 19 | 21% |  |
| Tennessee Wineries | 10 | 49 | 20% |  |
| Rhode Island Wineries | 1 | 5 | 20% | |
| South Carolina Wineries | 4 | 22 | 18% |  |
| Virginia Wineries | 49 | 270 | 18% | |
| Kentucky Wineries | 11 | 62 | 17% |  |
| North Carolina Wineries | 19 | 128 | 14% |  |
| West Virginia Wineries | 2 | 14 | 14% | |
| Illinois Wineries | 10 | 94 | 10% |  |
| New Hampshire Wineries | 2 | 21 | 9% |  |
| Massachusetts Wineries | 2 | 34 | 5% |  |
| Kansas Wineries | 2 | 36 | 5% | |
| New Mexico Wineries | 2 | 49 | 4% |  |
| Minnesota Wineries | 2 | 54 | 3% |  |
| Maryland Wineries | 2 | 69 | 2% |  |
| Oklahoma Wineries | 1 | 37 | 2% | |
| Wisconsin Wineries | 2 | 75 | 2% | |
| Iowa Wineries | 2 | 83 | 2% | |
| Idaho Wineries | 1 | 45 | 2% | |
| Pennsylvania Wineries | 4 | 190 | 2% | |
| Texas Wineries | 4 | 232 | 1% |  |
| New Jersey Wineries | 1 | 60 | 1% | |
| California Wineries | 16 | 1640 | 1% | |
| New York Wineries | 1 | 252 | 1% | |
Latest Winery Visits
Cameron Hughes Wine (added Dec 08, 2018)
Cedar Creek Vineyards (added Nov 02, 2018)
Wide River Winery (added Nov 02, 2018)
Little Vine Vineyards (added Oct 27, 2018)
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Latest Wine Journal Entries
Layton's Chance Vineyard & Winery (written Jan 28, 2019)
Wine: 
Winery: 
Ambiance: 
And I was wrong update, ~ *two years ago I noted that Layton's Chance Norton may not mature in bottle significantly. Oh, how I missed this badly. With a couple additional in bottle years their 2015 Norton proved to be one of the better eastern produced Norton wines. Though gentle, typical in body, color, style. / The Layton family has been farming corn, soybeans and wheat on this land for almost 100 years, but in 2007 the decision was made to add grapes (Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin & Norton) to the mix. Interestingly, the light Vidal Blanc ($20) was only slightly oaked with French 'chips'. Red blends included other Maryland grown Marquette & Cab Sauv grapes. Their Chambourcin ($20) again included French oak chips in the processing, but their Norton Reserve ($26) was uncharacteristically produced strictly in stainless steel. *With no obvious tannins in this fun to drink now tart Norton, I do not suspect age will enhance this wine over the next few years. I have a bottle set aside to see if I'll be proven incorrect. I applaud Layton's Chance Winery for setting aside two wines specifically for generously fund raising (a light rose United-Chambourcin for the United Way and a Freedom - Catawba, Chambourcin blend for the nearby Harriet Tubman Visitors Center). It will be only a few years and you may find an Eastern shore Cabernet Franc appearing on the scene. It was interesting to learn that the Norton grapes needed fungicide spraying three times a year as compared to the other grapes which needed attention every two weeks. Of course with the addition of the varietal grape, Cab Franc, this spraying could increase to every ten days. A big thank you to the personable owner/vintner, William Layton, who joined us in our visit. It will be fun seeing what directions this winery takes over the course of the near future.
Garvin Heights Vineyards (written Dec 16, 2018)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
This winery sits high atop a Mississippi River bluff in a town which also has an incredible art museum and a river front restaurant with their own version of a Boat House Lucy hamburger. You’ll find here an assortment of Tom Plocher, Elmer Swenson and the University of Minnesota's hybrid, mid-west hardy grape wines. Unlike most other Minnesota wineries, this winery successfully uses Minnesota oak in some of their wine production. Garvin Heights had the absolute best Frontenac Gris we tasted anywhere in mid-western states. Don’t miss trying their La Crescent, Edelweiss, Petite Pearl (a 2012 released hybrid) and Sabrevois wines. The later had a unique charcoal-asparagus hint of flavors not found before in wines which would be welcomed with red meats.
Cameron Hughes Wine (written Dec 08, 2018)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
Ignore the winery & ambiance star ratings since most people, I presume, order rather than visit this location. In their advertisements, Cameron Hughes admits that they do not own a vineyard, but rather search out the best wines from various vineyards and provide these at value prices. And to this end, they do exactly that with an outstanding cross-section of varietals from $-to-$$$ offerings. The wine choices are incredible from CA, OR, WA or imported, specific varietals, best sellers, topped reviewed, new releases and featured wines. They even sport a 'Fab Wines for $15' (or less) web page. I've been impressed with 90% of the wines received.
Wide River Winery (written Nov 02, 2018)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
The hospitality is over the top in this beautiful Mississippi River bluff winery setting. What a combination of sweet wine offerings (Niagara-Brianna, Vidal Blanc-Cranberry, Edelweiss-Niagara, Traminette-Niagara, Norton-Niagara, Norton-Raspberry, etc.). A long, narrow road to the winery, but a fun place to be upon arrival (you may need a drink by then). Very reasonably priced wines to boot. There are numerous locations in nearby cities, to include Illinois, where Wide River wines can be found.
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