Sunday, November 19, 2006
Rainbow Hills Ohio Traminette
Man, it's been a while since I've had time to sit down and write. I've been extremely busy with this fall's winemaking season. My attempt to make 9 wines from grapes this fall has led to some very busy days, nights, and weekends. I've also been busy bottling older wines to free up some carboy space. My wife has been rumbling about the cost of the extra carboys that I've bought this fall, so I am trying to use what I have instead of running to buy more. And in between all the wine stuff, I've been trying to get some replacement windows installed and finished before winter sets in.
Anyway, I have been diligently drinking during all the work. One of the bottles that I opened was the Rainbow Hills Ohio Traminette that I picked up earlier this year. Rainbow Hills is located in eastern Coshocton County near Newcomerstown in southern Ohio. If you're looking for a small winery in the middle of BFE--Rainbow Hills is you're kind of winery. My wife and I stayed at the Hampton Inn at the Newcomerstown exit on I-77 on our way to the Outer Banks, NC and picked up a pamphlet for Raven's Glenn Winery. We needed to get on the road long before they opened, but since we were going to be coming back the same way, we decided to stop in on our way home. We visited Raven's Glenn (a story for another day) and discovered that another winery, Rainbow Hills, was just down the road (or so it seemed). After following the directions, we found ourselves on a one-lane gravel road winding our way through the southern OH hills. We finally found the winery and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Rainbow Hills is a small operation tucked in a narrow wooded valley. They don't have a website, but if you're looking for more information: http://www.ohiowines.org/Wineries/rainbow_hills.htm. Don't let the barking dog scare you, she's really a pussy cat at heart and begging to be petted. I forget the winemaker's name, but we spent over an hour talking with him and wine tasting. Lovely setting. Mostly sweet wines that were too sweet for my tastes, but I did purchase their estate Traminette.
Very floral nose with a hint of sweetness. Very light-yellow color. Tastes of papaya and strawberries with buttery overtones. Almost tastes like the wine underwent at least partial malo-lactic fermentation. After taste had some hints of barnyard that weren't very welcome. I remember the wine tasting much better at the winery--perhaps I got a bad bottle. My wife was making chinese stir fry that evening and the wine went fairly well with the meal with the sweet finish somewhat able to balance the spiciness of the stir fry. Honestly, I wouldn't purchase the wine again.
Regards,
a Wine Student
Anyway, I have been diligently drinking during all the work. One of the bottles that I opened was the Rainbow Hills Ohio Traminette that I picked up earlier this year. Rainbow Hills is located in eastern Coshocton County near Newcomerstown in southern Ohio. If you're looking for a small winery in the middle of BFE--Rainbow Hills is you're kind of winery. My wife and I stayed at the Hampton Inn at the Newcomerstown exit on I-77 on our way to the Outer Banks, NC and picked up a pamphlet for Raven's Glenn Winery. We needed to get on the road long before they opened, but since we were going to be coming back the same way, we decided to stop in on our way home. We visited Raven's Glenn (a story for another day) and discovered that another winery, Rainbow Hills, was just down the road (or so it seemed). After following the directions, we found ourselves on a one-lane gravel road winding our way through the southern OH hills. We finally found the winery and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Rainbow Hills is a small operation tucked in a narrow wooded valley. They don't have a website, but if you're looking for more information: http://www.ohiowines.org/Wineries/rainbow_hills.htm. Don't let the barking dog scare you, she's really a pussy cat at heart and begging to be petted. I forget the winemaker's name, but we spent over an hour talking with him and wine tasting. Lovely setting. Mostly sweet wines that were too sweet for my tastes, but I did purchase their estate Traminette.
Very floral nose with a hint of sweetness. Very light-yellow color. Tastes of papaya and strawberries with buttery overtones. Almost tastes like the wine underwent at least partial malo-lactic fermentation. After taste had some hints of barnyard that weren't very welcome. I remember the wine tasting much better at the winery--perhaps I got a bad bottle. My wife was making chinese stir fry that evening and the wine went fairly well with the meal with the sweet finish somewhat able to balance the spiciness of the stir fry. Honestly, I wouldn't purchase the wine again.
Regards,
a Wine Student
