Check out this blog where Berl uses our '08 Cab Franc.
This Staff Picks blog comes from our newest addition at Chatham Hill Winery: our summer intern Kellie. Kellie is a senior Hospitality Major at ECU with a concentration in Food and Beverage. She is active in the ECU Greek system, but she is spending most of her free time getting ready to be a bridesmaid in her sister Amanda's upcoming wedding. Kellie is pictured with her two sisters (Kellie's in the middle) and also has a brother. Kellie is a Raleigh native and considers herself lucky to be interning with a local company (that's us!). Of course, we are delighted to have Kellie joining the Chatham Hill family and look forward to her fresh and innovative ideas!
Kellie's favorite Chatham Hill Wine is "any" of the Sweet Carolina fruit infused wines. She uses the Sweet Carolina wines in a wine cocktail that she enjoys with her friends as a weekly treat on "Champagne Tuesdays". Kellie will pour half a glass of any flavor of Sweet Carolina wine and top the glass off with a sparkling white wine. This is a pretty—and tasty—evening cocktail or a nice accompaniment to brunch. Try it, and then leave us a comment below to let us know what you think.
Cheers!
Welcome to another new feature of our blog. At Chatham Hill Winery, 2011 is Wine Club Member Appreciation Year. Each quarter we are thanking and spotlighting a handful of our long-time Wine Club Members. While we appreciate all of our guests and club members at the winery, the wine club members that we are spotlighting have been with us through thick and thin (and years and years!), and we want to take a special moment to thank them. Additionally, we are asking them to share with us a fond memory they have of the winery.
Our first spotlighted club members are Lisa and Jeff. Below, read in Jeff’s words what he and Lisa have gotten out of their wine club membership, and also, their ambassadorship of North Carolina wines to others. Lisa has included a tried and true (and totally yummy sounding) recipe she makes that features our Sweet Carolina Wines; this will be a perfect Memorial Day dessert! To Jeff and Lisa, we thank you for your continued support and your friendship!
Chatha
m Hill Winery has been, and remains, a special place for Lisa and I since that day in 1999 when we walked in the door of the original tasting room that wasn’t much larger than a closet. Perhaps it was the tight confines of that little tasting room that fostered the special bond we have always felt with the winery staff and the very talented winemaker. Even those staff that were hired long after the Winery expanded into much larger quarters and even later into its current location, we just enlarged the bond to encompass the new arrivals. The winery and its people occupy a special place in our hearts. Lisa and I have visited hundreds of wineries throughout the country and have enjoyed tasting delicious wines and meeting enthusiastic staff at nearly every winery we have visited but none compares to how we feel when we walk through the doors of Chatham Hill. It is our home winery and the source of many good wines that are consumed in our home with our family and friends and just between the two of us when there is no family or friends present. On those quiet evenings, it is fun to reminisce about our early experiences at Chatham Hill, when we were wine novices, and think about how much we have learned about wine, all the many different wines we have sampled at Chatham Hill in the years since, and how much more enjoyable and fun it is to appreciate good wines. Each time we walk through the doors, it is like coming home from an extended trip – it feels good to be home!Jeff
Lisa's Sweet Carolina Wine Dessert
1 cup Chatham Hill Strawberry Wine
1 cup sugar
1 small package strawberry Jell-O
1 to 2 lbs fresh strawberries
Heat 1 cup wine (do not boil) add the sugar and Jell-O – stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat, add fresh berries.
Spoon over sliced pound cake or angel food cake – serve warm.
Serve remaining wine as you your beverage.
Refrigerate any leftover, and reheat just enough to make Jell-O liquid again.
Can also be served over pancakes for crepes for brunch; we serve remaining wine mixed with champagne for brunch.
Variations:
Raspberries, Raspberry Wine, Raspberry Jell-O
Blueberries, Blueberry Wine, any red Jell-O
Blackberries, Blackberry Wine, any red Jell-O
For winter time – substitute frozen berries for the fresh berries – our favorite is the mixed frozen blackberry/raspberry/blueberry.
It is quick, extremely easy and always a crowd pleaser!
Cheers!
Lisa
As you may have noticed, I have not blogged in a number of weeks. I would like to blame this on my continuing education, but the semester has been over for while. FAIL.
Our newest “Staff Picks” comes from Megan McReynolds, Chatham Hill’s Special Event and Wine Club Manager. Megan just celebrated her three year anniversary with us at Chatham Hill. She joined us in February of 2008 with over 6 years of Wedding and Catering/Event Coordination in the Triangle. After belonging to the Wine Club for a few years, her relationship with Jill grew organically over time, and one day she was asked to come on board! She moved into the role of Private Events Manager where she stayed for two years before the birth of her son in March 2010. Megan is now working part time and is concentrating her work on Chatham Hill’s Wine Club. She is married to her awesome husband Justin—who makes an occasional appearance around the winery to help out—and their son, Carson, just celebrated a milestone: his first birthday! A few of Megan’s favorites: “grilling out on the deck, Martha Stewart Living Magazine, my baby's giggle, my yoga pants, cooking with new recipes, vacation—anywhere, date nights!” Here is what Megan says about her favorite wine: “I really love our Riesling, mostly because it is unexpectedly dry. The Chatham Hill Riesling is crisp, delicious, and perfect for the warmer months ahead. At home, I pair it with a Cilantro Lime Tilapia. It’s also really yummy to have on hand when we order in Pei Wei!
