Honeymaker

A while back I had bought a hard cider at a local wine shop and instead of picking up the Rhubarb wine that I was going to get I found some mead by Maine Mead Works. I figured, how cool, wine and honey rolled into one and from a local company. I was a little let down by this mead but I am sure it is not due to the drink but to my expectations. I was looking for something sweet (but not as sweet as the ice wine). Maybe I shouldn't have started out with the Dry Hopped Mead, I don't know. It was good, but it was dry and tasted much like a regular white would taste. For Christmas I did get a bottle of Semi Sweat Mead from HoneyMaker so I look forward to uncorking the mead for another go.

Hard Cider

I was looking through Yankee magazine and was reading an article on a hard cider brewery in New Hampshire when I decided that I just had to get me some. I looked online at Farnum Hill Orchards but couldn't find any local retailers. Sure, I could order some from a place in upstate New York or from New Jersey, but I decided to look a little more local. Blacksmiths vineyard is just up the road a bit in Casco. I have always wanted to check them out but never got around to it. One of my interns this month is from Casco and gave their Rhubarb wine a great review for a novice wine drinker. I went to their website and, sure enough they have a hard cider that they brew. They sell at all the local supermarkets but also at The Good Life Market up in Raymond. This market is an upscale sandwich shop, local food mart, and wine retailer. Mel and I went in for sandwiches and I came out with a bottle of Blacksmiths Rough Cut Cider. This stuff is good. Sweet, and clean and still very much a wine. Not dry or tart like many wines can be or overly fruity like many fruit wines make themselves into. I will definitely be looking for more local hard ciders.

Ice wine

wine critique 2

The other wine that I bought while in Canada was an ice wine. Hernder estate Iced Strawberry to be exact. It is labeled as a sweet fruit wine. It tasted like the frozen drink mix before adding water to it. It was good but very sweet, almost thick. I don't think I would get this again or if I did I would mix it with frozen fruit and ice to thin it down.

quick review

time flies and alot has happened and i'll try to remember everything. Mel and I have started to donate plasma and have been in twice. It takes a little longer than we had hoped it would and we can't bring Strider into the place. I went to Toronto with Mike and Rob and we went on the whirlpool jet boat in to whitewater on the Niagara River, but doesn't really count as whitewater rafting. While I was up there I did by a Stephen Hawking book A Briefer History of Time and I bought two different types of wine from the Niagara region, but again, I have to read the book and drink and critique the wines in order for them to count. We did see a Blue Jays game so that counts towards the professional sports games.
Today I chaperoned with Jaren to the Cumberland Fair with school. It was a lot of fun and we had a beautiful sunny day.

I think I got everything, it is hard to remember what has been going on without writting daily. I will try to keep up.