The East Coast has always paired well with fall. The beautiful trees fighting off winter with one last fiery burst of color turns our attention towards warm and earthy flavors. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, apples, and pumpkins all make their way into our thoughts and cuisine. But just because fall is upon us doesn’t mean our drink selection must become a never-ending parade of apples. Consider pairing our wines with some of your traditional fall desserts.
Typically we don’t think of pairing fall desserts with wines, but when done right, many wines match up as well with pumpkin pie as sweaters do with falling leaves.
Harvest Ridge offers many varieties to try at your fall gatherings. While it may be easy to know what to serve with your appetizers and main course, don’t pack up your corkscrew once the dessert plates come out.
Try pairing our Chamfort with any of your cranberry desserts. The rich sweetness of this elegant dessert wine balances out the tartness of cranberries. This wine is also an outstanding way to end a meal. If you have ever needed a digestif on which to sip at the end of a meal, it is Thanksgiving!
Another great choice to carry you from the fall dinner table to the dessert bar is our Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. The creamy buttery vanilla finish is the perfect complement to the rich nuttiness of a pecan pie or a southern pecan pound cake.
The smoky complexities and full bodied flavors of the Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot make for a surprisingly perfect pair for black currant bread pudding or your dinner time cranberry sauce.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different wines and your favorite fall desserts. To help get your creative (grape) juices flowing, we have included a great guide for matching wines to some traditional fall desserts.
From here start branching out; if your favorite wine pairs up with pumpkin pie, try it with pumpkin cheesecake or maple cinnamon sweet potato bread. If you have a sauternes but don’t feel like apple pie or bananas foster, try it with a banana bread pudding or apple cinnamon rolls. This is just a jumping off point for you to start your fall wine tasting adventure.
While the summer may be coming to an end, the fun is just beginning. If you find that one of our wines pairs perfectly with your favorite fall dessert, please let us know! We would love to hear where your fall tasting adventure leads you.
If you haven’t heard, we have some pretty big news. We are thrilled to announce we are expanding and will be opening a tasting room in Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania (in between West Grove and Kennett Square). The township has officially approved this and now we are working on the building permits. While we don’t have a definitive opening date (YET), we anticipate opening our doors before the end of this year.
As a winery, we at Harvest Ridge pride ourselves on providing our customers with an authentic, unique approach to wine. After growing as a brand for the past four years, it seemed only appropriate to begin offering vineyard tours that allow guests to experience Harvest Ridge and its grapes up-close and personal. For only $20 a person, our customers now have the opportunity to do just that with an extensive, intimate tour of our vineyards and facilities.
If you’ve ever wanted to know how to tell a Viognier grape from a Chardonnay grape, this tour is for you. Our professional tour guides will walk you through the vineyard and identify the different grapes that make up each of our wines. Being able to differentiate between specific grapes allows the experienced wine-drinker to expand their palate….and brag to their friends about their sophisticated taste buds!
On the other hand, if you don’t have a care in the world about what grapes you’re tasting in a Vidal Blanc versus a Pinot Gris, this tour also is worth your time. During your experience behind the scenes, you will be given the chance to taste 8 of our delicious wines. Each wine has a character of its own, and your tour guide will describe them to you so that you get the full effect.
We are so excited to share the heart and soul of Harvest Ridge with you through these exclusive Behind the Vines tours. A great opportunity to spend time with family, friends, coworkers, and your other circles, our first two tour sessions on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 from 12-2 p.m. are now available for reservation at https://squareup.com/store/harvest-ridge-winery-de. Please consider our 14-person limit on groups when reserving, and as always, we hope you enjoy yourselves!
We have begun using square to sell tickets to our events as well as merchandise. We are excited because we will now be able to sell tickets to events directly to you without going through another site that charges a fee! We will continue to add both events and merchandise for Harvest Ridge and Rebel Seed.
Take a look at what is already up there and available for purchase!
We are excited to celebrate our newest wine- Blue Line White. This wine was named by a member of our Facebook community, Beth Rosebrooks, in honor of fallen Delaware State Police Officer Stephen Ballard and other law enforcement.
Because of the significance of what this name means and who it represents, we are hosting a special release party to celebrate.
This family-friendly community event will be an opportunity to meet area law enforcement, enjoy food and music, and purchase this limited release wine. Only 250 cases! $1 of each bottle purchased will be donated to the Stephen Ballard Memorial Fund. If you purchase a full case of the wine, we will double the donation — $24/case.
Come out, enjoy some wine, spend time with your community, and help us honor and support local law enforcement.
Last month we asked our loyal Facebook followers to help us with the very important task of naming our new white wine blend. With over 40 submissions, the decision was not an easy one, but one name surfaced that demanded attention: Blue Line White.
A week before we announced our new white wine blend, Delaware State Trooper Stephen J. Ballard was shot and killed in the line of duty outside a Wawa in Bear, Delaware. Officer Ballard was not only a State Trooper, but a devoted father and husband. He had a family. He had a life.
Beth Rosebrooks stumbled upon the Harvest Ridge Facebook post during a very grey day. It was May 5, her birthday, and also the day of Officer Ballard’s funeral. The entire week had passed surrounded by an air of sadness and time for grieving. Rosebrooks’ husband, a member of the State Police’s truck enforcement unit for 20 years, was shaken by the passing of Ballard. Beth described the Delaware State Police as a family, and that family had just lost one of their own.
As Beth read through some of the other wine name suggestions, she couldn’t help but feel like everyone was missing the mark.
“I’m seeing all the names and it’s blue this, blue that, and it literally just popped in my head,” she said. “And I’m like, well Blue Line, hello? What’s wrong with you people! Do you know what’s going on right now? You know, it engulfed our lives for over a week.”
Although Rosebrooks never personally knew Officer Ballard, she had only ever heard positive things about him. Coincidentally, Rosebrooks’ daughter had also worked with Ballard at Best Buy while he was still studying at Delaware State University. She had two connections to this wonderful man, and could feel how much his death affected not only her loved ones, but so many others.
“He impacted so many people,” she said. “He was a member of everyone’s community. He wasn’t just a friend of my husband, he wasn’t just a friend of my daughter, he was a family member.”
Rosebrooks was of course thrilled when she heard the news that we had chosen her submission as the name of the new wine. The name Blue Line White serves as a reminder of the value of our law enforcement officers, and how much they mean to our communities as they protect us and everyone we care about.
When I told Rosebrooks that her hopes for giving back were being made into a reality, her excitement was contagious.
“I’m so happy that [the winery] latched onto it like that and it’s going to benefit so many people,” she said. “And that’s the Stephen way.”
To further honor the memory of Officer Ballard as well as all local law enforcement, Harvest Ridge will be holding a special release event for Blue Line White wine with a portion of wine sales going to Officer Ballard’s family. Learn more HERE.
Welcome back guys and gals, its now June which means its time for another update for Harvest Ridge Winery through the eyes of Damon, the Cider God. A lot of cool happenings are going on right this minute but first let me catch you up on what’s gone on since the last update.
We had a pretty busy end to the month as we bottled like crazy. On one day alone, we knocked out 2015 Cab-Merlot and Merlot. The next week we bottled 2016 Chardonnay and the week after that we bottled Blue Line White. Blue Line White you ask? I’ll explain…
Blue Line White was a nameless white blend we made. We were unsure of a name and left it to our Facebook family– you guys– to name this blend. Submitted by Beth R. and with the honor of law enforcement in mind, Blue Line White was determined the best and most honorable name. Stay tuned for more details on when this will be dropping and how to pick it up.
With the calendar hitting June, we prepped for a release of our newest wine, Cab-Franc Rosé. We released it on June 2nd as well as kicked off our Gourmet Burger Fridays from Chesapeake Culinary Center.
This Cab-Franc Rosé has a very pronounced, floral aroma with a smooth, yet complex mid palette with a dry finish. Limited quantities of this are available so get some while you can!
Bringing it back into the production building for a minute, I’d like to share how we determine what blends will work, which ones don’t and how we reach such a determination. Our Winemaker, Jason, likes to say that if you don’t rely a bit on trial or experiment in winemaking, you’ve already lost the battle and wont make it in the industry very long. Bench research and trial is vital in winemaking. An example of the trials we do involve many barrels for reds and white wines.
Now just because we have all these in barrels, no two barrels will produce the exact same flavor, finish, etc. We use barrels with light toast, medium, and heavy toast. The heavier the toast, the more “oaky,” smoky taste you SHOULD get in your wines. Mostly true but like I said, your outcomes vary. With that being said, when its time to blend or take them out of barrel, the production team sits down and goes through every single barrel to do tastings and determine which barrels might work well with another.
With that, we turn to trials… sitting in the lab working on a small scale with our wines attempting to find what fits our style and what we think the consumer will like. We are thinking about you guys, yes. From the vines to the bottle, you are on our minds. When Jason and I pick our favorites, keeping consumer in mind, we then turn to fellow staff to try some. If the winery owner, Chuck, is dropping in, we’ll let him have a taste and see what he thinks as well as give the tasting room staff a try. We take all of it into consideration. From there we work on getting them out of barrels and into tanks for blending and preparation for bottling. There’s a full team effort here at Harvest Ridge.
Upcoming events and happenings– we kicked off our inaugural Premium Wine Tour experience on June 3rd and 4th. We would like to offer a much more immersive experience for those who want to learn more, see more, and taste more. Our Premium Wine Tour will give customers this opportunity. Before launching these tours to the public, we gave a preview to our wine club members. I attended the first class for the wine educators and I left the meeting with my head spinning, in a good way of course. There’s so much information to gain and so much fun in seeing all the happenings in the winery and vineyard. We take you from vine to bottle. Stay tuned for when we will be opening these tours up to all.
The 2nd Annual Rebel Seed Run The Vineyard 5K to benefit Operation Warm Heart of Dover AFB is June 17th. Tickets are $40 a person, come out and run or support the runners on hand and be sure to stay around afterward as there will be multiple vendors on hand as well as a couple food trucks. Muhammad’s Caribbean Cuisine and Southern Momma’s Funnel Cakes will be on-site. There are still some spots open and you may register online.
Father’s Day is coming up. We’ll be running specials for Pops all day on the 18th. Bring Dad in and treat him to a couple glasses and hopefully leave with a couple bottles as well. Look out for details on the specials on Facebook and Instagram.
I’ve got some labeling to get back to. Let me get back to it before they have me outside power washing or something. See you next month!
Damon here for Harvest Ridge Winery.You know, some wineries may provide fans and consumers with winemaker’s notes. Well I’m here to give you the Cider God Chronicles. Who better to give you the news than someone that’s in the trenches each and everyday working to give the people what they want, right?
April was a great month for us here at Harvest Ridge Winery. It kicked off with our illustrious Food Truck Competition to Benefit Disabled Vets and the Hero-Hunts Foundation. We shattered expectations thanks to all who provided their services and came out to support us. With all your help and fundraising we were able to purchase a new transport vehicle for the DAV. Hope to see you again for future events and thank you all again.
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We also received a number of awards for our wines at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. 2015 Cab-Sauv was awarded Silver as well as Portella and Chamfort. 2015 Chardonnay and Chambourcin were awarded Bronze medals along with our 2013 Meritage. I speak on the behalf of everyone that has put in many of hours and a lot of overtime to bring you the art that is Harvest Ridge Wine and say that we are very proud and very eager to push out an even better product each vintage for our customers.
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You can’t really keep moving forward if you are always looking back so let me clue you in on what’s going on this month. May 3rd, we bottled our Cab-Franc Rosé (yes, I said that correctly), Cab-Merlot, and Merlot. The Rosé will be released for wine club members this month. If not a wine club member, stop in and ask a staff member in the tasting room about signing up. The release of Merlot and Cab-Merlot are on the horizon as well so check back here or on our Facebook page to see when you can grab a bottle.These smooth and velvety reds are begging for your companionship. When you stop in, tell them I sent you.
May 13th is our Wine Club Pick Up Party. Wine Club members know the deal. You come in, are treated to some great food and entertainment, and leave with 3 great wines for you to take home and enjoy.
National Police Week kicks off May 14th and runs through the 20th. $2 off glasses of wine or cider and 20% off bottles all week. We will be honoring all law enforcement officers. Tell the brave boys and girls in blue to drop in!
Wrapping up this month is another Wine and Spirits event with local medium Deanna Fitzpatrick. Tickets are $30 per person. I’ve heard stories from some of the staff members that have been on hand for this event and I’ve been told we have a little spirit friend that likes to hang around and play tricks on us. I don’t know how comfortable I am with having a little buddy around here messing with me but if you are cool with it or have someone you’d like for her to communicate to, come on in. They are a hit!
Last but not least, don’t forget, Final Friday this month with our local star from Turnbridge Point, Chef Steve Konopelski. He will be here with free snacks. Trust me, you don’t want to miss him. (I personally love his breads that he brings in.) He usually brings a li’l bit of everything so stop by, grab a glass and live a little out at The Ridge.
Many people may not know that wine is often used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes, including appetizers, main courses, and desserts. It gives food a rich flavor and aroma, making it popular amongst chefs all over the world.
Cooking with wine doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, this recipe is about as simple as it gets and can be made from the comfort of your own home, using only a few ingredients and common items found in most kitchens.
If you’re a fan of wine and ice cream, you will definitely love this dessert that combines the two. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Ingredients you will need
Sweet fruity wines work best in this recipe because they blend well with the berries that are also included. You can use either red or white wine, depending on your own personal preferences. Some fantastic wine choices include our 2014 Merlot, 2015 Chambourcin and Country Bloom, to name a few.
You will need a one cup serving of the wine that you choose. Because we are making ice cream, you want to use chilled wine. You can either chill a bottle in an ice bucket or grab one from your wine freezer (as a side note, check out these reviews if you are on the lookout for a wine cooler that can store both red and white wine at different temperatures).
Together with the wine, you will also need:
a cup of granulated sugar
two cups of cold heavy whipping cream
two tablespoons each of corn starch and dry milk powder
a teaspoon of salt
the scrapings from two vanilla pods (or 5 drops of vanilla essence)
a cup and a half of mixed pureed berries (fresh or frozen)
Preparation method
Place the wine, sugar, corn starch, milk powder, salt and vanilla into a bowl and use a whisk or spoon to stir everything together. This should take a minute or two, after which you will be left with a homogenous liquid.
In another large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream so that it becomes nice and fluffy. To this, add the wine mixture and pureed berries. Use the hand mixer once again to thoroughly combine the whole lot of ingredients together.
Finally, pour this mixture into an old ice cream container or other plastic container and allow it to cool overnight in your freezer.
And that’s all there is to it, your homemade wine flavored ice cream will be ready for you to enjoy the next day. This ice cream is an excellent dessert to serve at parties and get-togethers, so be sure to share it with friends and family, especially those who love wine!
Feeling adventurous? Want something cold to drink while watching the football (but not interested in beer)? Try mixing up a Calimocho.
Calimocho is a mixture of red wine and Coke. It’s a Spanish concoction, so you can tell your friends that you are cultured and exotic while sipping it.
It’s refreshing and light. With caffeine and less alcohol than a full glass of wine, you can have several and stay awake to see the whole game.
The best part? There is no wrong way to make it. 2 readily available ingredients that you can mix in proportions that please you.
Try making a Calimocho for the big game. Let us know how it goes!
On New Year’s Eve, my husband and I opened a bottle of wine that we had been saving for 10 years. Truth be told, we don’t actually LOVE cellared wine, but can’t help but enjoy the romance of buying something to save and open in several years. There is something about that whole “delayed gratification” thing.
What is not romantic is when you open this very special bottle only to find out that it is corked. (Our kids can verify. They said it smelled like “old basement.”) Let’s face it. 2016 was not a stellar year. It annoyed me to think we would be starting 2017 off on this foot.
When this happens, one has several options:
a- Cry
b- Pour it out
c- Drink it
d- a and b
e- a and c
Because we had been holding on to it for so long, “b” just wasn’t an option. Even if it didn’t taste/smell good, we were determined to work with it. I messaged one of my wine educator friends to see if she had any suggestions for our sorry situation and she gave me a tip to try that was new to me: decant the wine and put a ball of plastic wrap in it for a couple of minutes. (Now, she is a very smart lady. I don’t know if she had actually tried this method or had just heard of it. But at this point, she could have told me to jump around in a circle 3 times and stand on my head and I would have given it a shot.)
So we did as suggested. Pouring the wine into a decanter, stuffing a ball of plastic wrap in there. (I think we got bonus points because it was green wrap. Festive.) We sniffed it after about 7 minutes and took a sip.
Verdict: It greatly reduced the amount of “wet mop” smell. Upon sipping, it didn’t taste bad. But it did taste weird. Not sure if it was because the wine was corked, because of the plastic of the wrap, or a combination of the 2.
Was it the best bottle of wine ever? No. Was it the romantic experience we had hoped to have with this special bottle? Um, no. Did we feel ok about our decision with not pouring the bottle down the drain? Yes.
Who doesn’t love performing experiments on wine on New Year’s Eve?? At least we learned something from the experience, though I’ll be happy if we don’t have to experiment again next year.
Interested in reading more? Check out these links that explain the science behind it. (And while I don’t wish corked wine on anyone, don’t be afraid to try this out for yourself if ever in this unfortunate position.)
desserts. 
