Celebrate National Drink Wine Day on the Canandaigua Lake Wine Trail
National Drink Wine Day is nearly here, and wine drinkers across the world are lucky enough that this year’s edition falls on a Friday! Our winery members are celebrating the occasion with a delightful mix of special deals, events, and more. Here’s what you need to know to prepare for February 18.
Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars | Naples, NY
Hazlitt’s Bramble Berry is their February Wine of the Month. This lush black and red raspberry flavored wine offers a “berry-licious” sensation! It’s the perfect wine to serve chilled or over ice with club soda to make a fun wine spritzer. For a special sweet treat, use this wine to create your own Bramble Berry Brownies! Just replace the water in any brownie recipe with the equal amount of Hazlitt’s Bramble Berry wine.
On National Drink Wine Day, Hazlitt has a special offer to kick off the celebration. Buy a flight in store and receive a 20% off coupon to use in their retail shop! The coupon received will be valid that day only (2/18/2022).
Hazlitt is also having a President’s Day Sale on February 21. This sale includes 15% off any wine and merchandise, both in store and online. Hazlitt Hard Seltzers are not included in this sale. Two great deals you do not want to miss!
Song Hill Winery | Victor, NY
Our friends at Song Hill Winery are featuring a 2015 Chardonnay Sur Lie et Bâtonnage for the holiday. This wine was made using a Burgundian method, allowing the wine to both ferment and age in barrels with yeast.
This special Chardonnay was tended to weekly by hand stirring the barrels to release flavors of yeast. The grapes used include 70% from Anthony Road’s Nutt Road Vineyard and 30% from the oldest Chardonnay vines in the Finger Lakes planted by Vince D'Ingianni in 1963. Song Hill is offering a sale on this Chardonnay now for $14.99!
Song Hill’s 2015 Chardonnay Sur Lie et Bâtonnage
Inspire Moore Winery | Naples, NY
Over at Inspire Moore Winery, the spotlight shines bright on their Amphore Riesling, made from an ancestral method using a large, cement, egg-like vessel. It allows for a spontaneous fermentation and the wine has more contact with lees, or old yeast cells, which tends to give it more texture.
This Riesling has a dry and earthy taste with fruit undertones. First released in 2019, Inspire Moore says it tastes unlike any other Riesling they produce due to its smoother taste from being bottled and stored for several months.
Later this year the 2021 vintage will be bottled, which winemaker Nate Moore is extremely excited to see the results!
Inspire Moore will be at Vintage Vines and Valentines during the weekend of February 12-13, offering 2 for 1 tastings on wine, beer, and spirits with a fudgy brownie included! Inspire Moore will also be offering a 22% discount, for the year 2022, on any bottle purchases of their "Love" Semi-Dry Riesling.
Winemaker Nate Moore inspects grapes during harvest
Arbor Hill Grapery & Winery | Naples, NY
After you’ve enjoyed a glass with dinner on National Drink Wine Day, our friends at Arbor Hill hope you end the evening with their Joyful John Dessert Wine. Named after winemaker John Brahm, it was his final masterpiece. The release of Joyful John coincides with the 6-month anniversary of John’s unexpected passing in March 2019.
This delightful dessert wine has been nurtured in bourbon barrels for six years outdoors in the Finger Lakes’ climate. It is a blend of Traminette and Valvin Muscat grapes, from John’s prize vineyards. The flavors will likely remind you of smooth butter, caramel, nut, and vanilla.
Arbor Hill will also be participating in Vintage Vines and Valentines on February 12. They are featuring six wine tastings paired with six Valentine confectioneries for $10. Oh, the tastes you will discover! For a guaranteed pairing make a reservation here. While visiting, you can also sign up to win a very special bottle of Arbor Hill wine that has been dipped in Sweet Expressions chocolate!
Joyful John was created by Arbor Hill’s founder John Brahm