Home and Away

Following a lovely week in Mallorca, Spain, we are back in Ohio and are now enjoying brilliant blue skies and delightful temperatures. Taking advantage of the nice weather, we set out earlier today to check out the Ohio WineFest, and we spent a couple of hours sampling locally produced wines, in addition to picking up fresh bread, maple syrup, and Amish cheese. Like most wines from the Northeast, Ohio wines are generally sweet and fruity, normally not to our liking. However, we did try a nice Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir from St. Joseph Vineyard, located near Lake Erie, and we also enjoyed a Vin de Rouge from Henke Wine near Cincinnati.

This afternoon, we opened one of our Mallorcan wines (D.O. Binissalem): Macia Batle blanc de blancs 2005 (7.90 Euro, around $10-11). This white wine is a blend of Chardonnay and Prensal/Moll, a local grape. Spanish wines are becoming well-known in the States, and it's very easy to find wines from Rioja, Rueda, Rias Baixas and Penedes. However, Mallorcan wines are seldom exported, and while they don't have the same excellent reputation as Rioja does, the region is known for producing decent table wines at reasonable prices. Hence, we stocked up while on vacation.

And what did we think? Striking color - warm gold without a greenish tone. No discernible aroma. It is semi-dry with low acidity. No one particular flavor popped out when we tried it. Kath thought she tasted the tiniest hint of melon, but Daryl noticed nothing. It is pleasant and simple. A nice, clean table wine - perfect for summer!

A quick note: This Saturday, we elected to write about wines with limited availability. Ohio wines are usually only found within the Buckeye State; it is our understanding that, at present, Mallorcan wines are solely available on the island. By focusing on this category of wines, we hope to encourage our readers to find and support small, local wine producers, whether they are next door or halfway around the world. We have enjoyed finding and trying different wines from Ohio, Spain, Canada, New Hampshire, etc. True, these wines might not necessarily be the most sophisticated or spectacular, but we always look for them because they remind us of where we have been. Wine can be a special memento from home or a unique souvenir.