Wineries = Enjoying Life's Wine Journal
| Wineries Visited: 116Journal Entries:  96Photos Uploaded:  318 |  |
Favorite States
| State | Your Reviews | Wineries in State | Percent | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Wineries | 4 | 8 | 50% |  |
| Nebraska Wineries | 16 | 36 | 44% |  |
| Missouri Wineries | 46 | 135 | 34% |  |
| Iowa Wineries | 10 | 97 | 10% |  |
| Wisconsin Wineries | 4 | 56 | 7% |  |
| Massachusetts Wineries | 2 | 40 | 5% |  |
| Vermont Wineries | 1 | 20 | 5% | |
| Kansas Wineries | 1 | 33 | 3% |  |
| Connecticut Wineries | 1 | 34 | 2% |  |
| Texas Wineries | 4 | 187 | 2% | |
| Indiana Wineries | 1 | 87 | 1% |  |
| New York Wineries | 3 | 308 | 1% | |
| Virginia Wineries | 2 | 211 | 1% | |
| Illinois Wineries | 1 | 115 | 1% | |
Latest Winery Visits
St. Amant Winery (added May 27, 2017)
Merryvale Vineyards (added May 27, 2017)
Klinker Brick Winery (added May 27, 2017)
Kendall Jackson Winery - Healdsburg (added May 27, 2017)
View all winery visits...
Latest Wine Journal Entries
Nissen Wine (written Jul 31, 2016)
Wine: 
Winery: 
Ambiance:
The winery in a very nice facility. During our visit, our tasting room host put through 12 tastings. We were their first guests of the day and thus their sweet reds and whites came directly out of the refrigerator and were very, very cold. The winery unabashedly specializes in sweet wines. Economics understood but they were just too sweet for us. I also think that given they were so cold, one sweet wine tastes just like the next and last one. There is no food served here but it would be nice if they provided crackers or something to help cleanse your palate between all the 12 wines you can taste for free.
Stone House Vineyard (written Apr 12, 2016)
Wine: 
Winery: Ambiance:
We visited Stone House this past Friday, April 8, 2016 upon the recommendation of The Norton Wine Travelers. Our purpose was to try their Norton wine: Claros. In their review, the Travelers speak very highly of this wine. In other conversations, I judge their opinion of this wine to be higher than their review here.
I don’t know if elegant, refined, subtle are typically associated with Norton. Often Norton wines are big, bold, wild. The best are much more subtle and balanced. Stone House has made a wine that starts with the signature Norton nose and initial fruit taste. However, it quickly moves to a very smooth spicy clove taste and then a very nice balanced, calming finish. If one wasn’t careful it would be very easy to drink too much of this in one sitting.
Like the Travelers stated I am not sure if it would benefit from aging. Frankly, it is difficult for me to imagine it getting any smoother. What would be interesting is to learn if it would pick up additional and more complex flavors over some time.
I rate the Claros Reserve Norton in a four-way tie for the best we have ever experienced. And in some ways, it can be judged to be the best. Not sure how many Nortons we have tasted now. But it would have to be well over 50. The point is this Stone House Norton does stand out. Just a wonderful wine. I would proudly serve it anywhere against any competition.
The winery and vineyard itself is very nice and tastefully done. The Norton is all grown from this seven acre planting. The care and meticulous attention to detail is evident from the vineyard all the way to the tasting room. We only had time on this trip to make sure we got to Stone House. But our bucket list now includes the goal of spending a week touring the wineries in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin. Beautiful land. Not sure a week would be enough time though.
Lightcatcher Winery (written Jul 26, 2015)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
We stopped in on a very hot July 5th. Just wanted something cool so we had a California Moscato. It was very nice and suited the purpose. We had a very nice meat and cheese tray. We also noticed the meals that others were eating from the kitchen. It looked fabulous and you could tell (without staring, ha) that the diners were very much enjoying their fare. Enjoyed the paintings and also the barrel room feel of the room we were in. We will come back the next time we're visiting Fort Worth which we hope is soon.
Homestead Winery at Grapevine (written Jul 26, 2015)
Wine: Winery: 
Ambiance:
My understanding is that several of the wines here are sourced from Lubbock. And several of the wines here had a signature flavor that I will attribute to the terroir in Lubbock that I am still trying to grow accustomed to. Not there yet. However, there were a dry red wines here that I liked quite a bit: Tempranillo, Ivanhoe Knights (with definite green pepper or characteristics of vines. reminded me a little of a Pinot Noir) and there Malbec. They also had a Petite Syrah which was a good representation of that varietal although not one of my favorites. I didn't try any of their whites.
View all wine journal entries...
