Nothing says summer more than ice cold, sweet, juicy watermelon.  Enjoy this wonderful Sangria recipe this holiday weekend with family and friends.

Watermelon Sangria

2 cups watermelon, balled or cubed, reserve juice
1 cup strawberries, quartered
2 cups white grapes

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pkg unsweetened Watermelon Kool Aid drink mix**
1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup Strawberry Flame
1 750ml bottle Hummingbird Red 2010
1 liter club soda, chilled

Watermelon slices w/ rind for garnish

Remove stems from strawberries and slice into 4 pieces.  Pluck grapes from stem.  Place grapes and strawberries in freezer.  Mix Kool Aid, water and sugar in a pitcher to make a simply syrup.  Stir until sugar is dissolved completely.  Add watermelon pieces, reserved juice, Strawberry Flame and Hummingbird Red.  Chill 2 – 24 hours.  To serve, pour Sangria mixture into a large bowl and blend with club soda.  Add frozen grapes and strawberries. Serve in tall glasses (with or without ice).  Garnish with watermelon wedge.

Enjoy!

Great concert on Saturday.  The Concrete Canyon Cowboys entertained the crowd from 4-8pm with a little Skynyrd, a little Hank, and a whole lot of good ol’ boy music.  Thanks to Hugh, Marty and the rest of the band for a great afternoon.  (Forgot to check the batteries in the camera before leaving home so there’s only one picture from Saturday.)

Our next musical group, The Chosen 6ix, was on hand at various times throughout the concert to support their teacher (and CCC drummer), Marty Hublar.  This youthful group will perform in the gazebo on Saturday, June 22.  The concert will also be a MDS fundraiser.  The “Jonesin’ for a Cure” team will be cooking up burgers, chicken, and more.  A portion of the wine sales for the day will also be donated to MDS.

So, even if you’re not a wine drinker, stop by for some good music and help support a great cause.  Remember to bring you chairs to sit on the lawn and as always children are welcome when accompanied by a responsible adult.

Concrete Canyon Cowboys – In Concert 4-8pm

Join us on Saturday from 4-8pm as Hugh Bir and his band start off our concert season with a bang.  Bring a picnic basket and sit on the lawn for an enjoyable afternoon of great music.  Children & young adults under 21 are welcome when accompanied by a responsible adult.   We’ll have our small ($7) and large ($12) cheese trays back along with our signature Chocolate Cream Cheese ($5).  Plenty of cold wine and Sangria will also be on hand for those over 21 to enjoy and we’ll have soft drinks and water available for the younger crowd.

Vintage Indiana

Thank you to everyone who defied Mother Nature last Saturday and ventured forth in Indianapolis at the Vintage Indiana Wine Festival.  There were a few sprinkles in the afternoon but otherwise, you couldn’t have asked for better weather.  The volunteers helping us to pour wine were great.  We hope everyone had an opportunity to try out the Strawberry Cupcakes in the Yours Truly Foods tent with Diana and Betty.  Those scrumptious pink treats were made with our own Best Vineyards Strawberry wine.

Thank you to everyone who visited out booths at the Newburgh Wine & Jazz festival, the Nicholasville Wines & Vines, and the New Albany Farmer’s Market on Saturday, May 18th.    If you missed us last weekend, don’t worry.  We’ll be out and about again on Saturday, May 25, at the New Albany Farmer’s Market from 8-1pm and at the Southern Indiana Uncorked Festival in Corydon from 3-9pm.  Be sure to stop by at Uncorked and check out some of the spectacular savings available during our “Event Only Wine Sale.”

Here are a few pictures of the bud break in the vineyard from a few weeks ago. Everything is greening up nicely.

April 13th, 14th, 20th & 21st are the dates for another 2 weekends of fabulous food and wine on the Indiana Uplands Wine Trail.  This year Best Vineyards is doing Japan.  So come on out and see what you think of our selection of tasty goodies this year. 

Tickets are on sale now at http://aroundtheworld2013.eventbrite.com/ or you can buy them at any winery on the trail. 

Check out http://www.indianauplands.com/events/around-the-world-in-the-indiana-uplands/ for the complete details.

Hope to see you there!

Let’s celebrate that magnificent red grape known as Chambourcin during the entire month of March. This grape is a French-American hybrid grape variety used for making a wide range of wines.  While its exact parentage is uncertain we, at Best Vineyards, have embraced this grape and made it part of our growing family of wines.  Try our selections made from this wonderful grape such as Chambourcin (dry red), Nouveau, Hummingbird Red, Blitz’s Best, and our newest release, Bifrost, a faux Ice-style wine. (In Norse mythology, Bifröst is a burning rainbow bridge that reaches between Midgard and Asgard, the realm of the gods.)

Chocolate Lover’s Weekend

February 9-10 and 16-17

Selections available this weekend at Best Vineyards will include:

Chocolate Cherry Coconut Macaroons
Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Biscotti
Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Icing
Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Ganache & Candied Bacon
Chocolate Coated Candied Orange Peel
White Chocolate Coated Candied Lemon Peel

Also, watch you television on 2-12 for very special announcement about the Indiana Uplands.  If you miss the “news” event, stop by any one of the Indiana Uplands wineries this weekend to find out what it’s all about.

Meet the newest ladies to take up residence at the winery. Henny Penny and several of her family members have moved in the Black Raspberry patch this winter to help us with our ever growing weed problem.  As a result, they are graciously supplying us about 25 to 30 dozen eggs each week.  While the occasional egg sandwich or omelet is great, their output far exceeds our maximum usage.  Therefore, any customer purchasing 3 bottles of wine has the option of taking a FREE dozen eggs home with them as an added bonus, while supplies last.  Or our guests may purchase additional farm fresh eggs at just $2.00/dozen.  For those fans of Dr. Suess and lovers of ham, we do have the occasional dozen of green eggs.  (Only the shells are green, the yolks are still a beautiful orangey-yellow color).  Stop by and get yours today.

Winery will be open on Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st from 12-7pm.

This is your last chance to save before the holidays.  Avoid the rush at the malls.  Stop by our tasting room Dec. 21 thru 24th to get your last minute gifts and save a bundle.

Save 15% on the purchase of 3-5 bottles, or a whopping 25% on 6 or more. Also check out our selection of large selection of holiday gift bags, wine glass charms, gourmet chocolates, corkscrews, cheeseboards and more. You’re sure to find something for everyone left on your holiday list.

And, don’t forget to listen to Louie 104.3 weekdays for your chance to win an After Hours Wine Tasting Party for 12. And 103.2 the Max for a chance to win one of the “Ice Bag” gift packs or the gorgeous cheeseboard (shown below) and gift certificate.

Our Holiday Hours are:

December 24 Noon to 6pm (Christmas Eve)
December 25 Closed (Christmas)
December 31 Noon to 7pm (New Year’s Eve)
January 1 Noon to 7pm (New Year’s Day)

Have a safe and Merry Christmas Everyone.