September 2005

Tom Stevenson's 2006 Wine Report. Kinkead Ridge 2003 Viognier/Roussanne named one of the top 100 Exciting New Wines in the World. "Viognier/Roussanne 2003 Kinkead Ridge, Ohio (Atlantic Northeast, US $15). Sandra Silfven, wine writer Detroit Daily News: Crisp, flinty, bone-dry, palate-coating tropical flavours. Starkly clean"
Tom:
"In complete contrast to Domaine du Clovallon, this Viognier has balls: 48 percent Roussanne balls, to be precise. Excellent structure and acidity. Cutting-edge Atlantic Northeast -- I really must pay a visit!"
This wine is

Here's the review of Domaine du Clovallon that we are compared to: "The best Viognier of the Midi -- ripe, unctuous mouth-feel, without being cloying or confected. Rounded with ripe apricot fruit and excellent varietal character." (Rosemary George MW). 
Tom says: Yes it is, but to be sexist for a moment, you have to be female or a bit of a girl's blouse to like most Viogniers, particularly one as soft and highly perfumed as this."

Harvest began September 18, the Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay, September 19 Riesling. The Semillon looks great:

Thanks to everyone who visited Labor Day. The Riesling is now sold out at the winery, and the reds were very well received.  If you are interested in the 2003 Syrah, act quickly. Of the 49 cases available, only 30 remain after our opening weekend.

Next opening will be pre-Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We already have a crew put together for the harvest; if you are interested in picking one row just for the experience, email us and we'll put you on the list. We usually know 2 to 3 days before a pick day, determined by the ripeness of the grapes and the weather. Harvest will begin mid-September and end late October.

September 3 at the winery and vineyard: (click any photo to enlarge it).

If you have tasted our wines and would like to write a mini-review, e-mail them to NBentley@KinkeadRidge.com. We'll publish your comments on the Testimonials page. 

August 14. Kinkead Ridge in the Sunday Cincinnati Enquirer "Sniffing out area wines". 
Click  here.

August 10. Kinkead Ridge in the Columbus Dispatch. Recipes from the Burgundy Room. "Worthy accompaniment... Perfect Pairings". Pan-seared Lake Erie Walleye with Carrot Beurre Blanc and Kinkead Ridge 2004 Viognier/Roussanne.
Why it worked: "The wine has a nice balance of fruit and acid, with subtle tones of orange blossoms and honeysuckle and minerally finish. A good food wine, it is light enough that it doesn't overpower the fish."

We were invited again to pour wine at the Cincinnati Blues Festival.  Last year we poured the 2002 Revelation cabernet blend; this year we brought the 2004 Kinkead Ridge Riesling. Great music and a great crowd of guests and volunteers, in beautiful Sawyer Point park. Missed it? Check it out next year, www.cincyblues.org.

July 26, 2005. We celebrate Ron's birthday at the Murphin Ridge Inn.  Chef Jackson Rouse (formerly of the Iron Horse Inn) cooked us a wonderful meal. Murphin Ridge, in the heart of beautiful Adams County Amish country, is now doing cooking classes. It's a great place for a getaway for you or out-of-town guests,  and a great place for dinner. See www.MurphinRidgeInn.com.

Nancy at the winery July 4

We're in the just published "Ohio Wine Country Excursions" by Patricia Latimer. Available at www.emmisbooks.com or amazon.com. 

May 28 photos at the vineyard and winery.

	Our vineyard guest Meg took this fantastic rainbow photo when she visited the vineyard on Memorial Day weekend. I've taken a few rainbow shots, and this is the best one that's ever been done. To the left is our front tobacco barn. Thanks Meg for such a lovely picture!

The winery is out of space. We had to build a little tiny storage building behind the winery to hold empty bottles, and the crusher and press out of season. Seems appropriate for our theme for the May 28 event, "Fancy a Trip to Wine Country? It's in your back yard. Watch us Grow." It kind of looks like the winery had a little baby!

2004 American Wine Society Competition
Kinkead Ridge, an Estate Winery has won medals for both its entries in the prestigious American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition held November 10-11 in Pennsylvania. 1038 wines were entered from 196 wineries in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Romania, Mexico and Korea; this is the first competition that Kinkead Ridge entered since planting their vineyard in 1999. Both wines that we entered won medals.

2002 Revelation, Silver Medal
2003 Viognier/Roussanne, Bronze Medal

Andrew Jones, international wine writer, reviews the Viognier/Roussanne. Rated 90. 

Our first competition... two entries... two medals! 

Nancy recently received photos from Manfred Lewalter, Dromersheim, Germany, which was the ancestral home of her family. Dromersheim is surrounded by vineyards, and this is one of the harvest photos that was sent, probably taken after World War II. Same happy faces... just the buckets and the transportation have changed.

Brillat Savarin noted two features which distinguish man from beast:
1. Fear of the future.
2. Desire for fermented liquors.

Kinkead Ridge is in the Northeastern section of the Wine Report 2005 by Tom Stevenson. Available at Amazon and bookstores.

Cincinnati, Dayton, and other national and world-wide wine events: 
Check out www.localwineevents.com

We can ship within the state of Ohio to your friends and family.  Visiting Ripley, a charming river town, is also a fun way to spend a few hours with guests. See www.ripleyohio.net for more about the village of Ripley.

Group tasting is available by advance appointment (10 or more), and retail sales are available by advance appointment. We do not have a permit to open on Sunday.  Please call (937) 392-6077 for winery hours, or check this web site. 

Kinkead Ridge featured on Wine on the Web

In 2001, Andrew Jones,  internationally known wine broadcaster and author taped an interview with Ron at the vineyard for his Radio Postcards. We were excited to be featured on Wine on the Web in very important company, including King Estate, Oregon, Chateau Phelan-Segur, Bordeaux, DeLoach Vineyards, Russian River Valley California, Frogs Leap, Napa Valley California, and Frescobaldi Nippozanno, Italy. Click here to read the text of the Radio Postcard.