Elk Creek Vineyards

Are you looking for something different for you and your friends to do on Friday and Saturday nights?  Are you tired of going to the same places every weekend and need a change of scenery?  Well then Elk Creek Vineyards is just the place you’re looking for.  Every Friday and Saturday night from 5:00 to 8:00pm in the Winery there is live music entertainment by some really amazing local musicians.  From folk, blues, country, jazz, to electic rock and a variety of acoustic sounds, there is something for everyone to enjoy.  If you’re hungry you have to try the sandwiches or salads from the Cafe.  They are absolutely delicious!

Maybe you have an anniversary or birthday coming up and would love to spend some quality time with your loved one?  Well, the Winery is the perfect spot.  With the warm southern hospitality, wonderful wine and cozy atmosphere it’s the ideal place to take someone special.  All you have to do is sit back, relax and enjoy each other’s company. 

My husband and I went with a group of friends last Friday night and had a wonderful time.  It’s such a nice change of pace and everyone really enjoyed themselves.  The worst part of the whole night was trying to decide on which award winning wine I liked the best!  Now, that’s a problem anyone would love to have!

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and if you believe in the title of this blog, “If Mama’s Not Happy, Nobody’s Happy”, then you better start thinking about what you’re going to do for your mom on May 11th.  It’s one day a year that we really honor and celebrate motherhood and in my humble opinion (being a mom myself), it’s not enough!  However, besides the fact that you should be nice to your mother everyday, we’ll happily accept the one day a year where we get the national recognition that we so deserve.

For Mother’s Day, most mother’s just want a day off - from cleaning, cooking, working, being a chauffeur and referee and the dozens of other things moms do.  A day of pampering is the perfect “thank you” to any mom and Elk Creek Vineyards is just the spot!  We have the perfect way to give your mom the recognition she deserves.  This year show her how much she means to you by giving her a week-end of pampering.  Quiet dinners, soothing massage and wonderful wine in a down home southern atmosphere - what more could a mother ask for?  It’s the perfect Mother’s Day gift!

If a weekend trip isn’t in your schedule then don’t worry, Elk Creek Vineyard’s Mother’s Day Dinner on Sunday May 11th at 6:30pm is just for you.   Chef Matt Falcone of Bayou Bluegrass Catering will be offering an amazing four course dinner with a different wine served with each course.  Now what mother wouldn’t love that?

This Mother’s Day make Mama happy by taking her to Elk Creek Vineyards - remember, “If Mama’s Happy, Everybody’s Happy” - and believe me, she’ll be happy!

Has anyone ever said to you, “Go fly a kite?”  Well, on Saturday May 10th at Elk Creek Vineyards you can do just that!  Pigs Aloft Kite Club of Cincinnati will be on hand to help kids and adults experience the fun in flying kites.  Did you know that Pigs Aloft stands for “People interested in getting stuff” aloft - pretty cool huh?  I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon then with my family enjoying beautiful weather outside flying kites, listening to great live entertainment and treating myself to some fine eats!

Not only will there be kites flying but some great live bands will be playing on our outdoor Amphitheater as well.  There will be music for everyone’s taste:

• Owen County High School Band 
• Wiley McDermott and the Roadrunners playing rock-n-roll
• Garrick Howell AND Highway 330 Band playing country
• Bowling Middle School chorus

With all that entertainment you can’t go wrong!  Plus if you don’t want to fly just any kite but love the idea of making your own, you can do just that!  For only $10 you can design and make your own kite to fly and it all benefits The American Cancer Society, Relay for Life.   Believe me your kids will love making their own kite and you’ll love knowing you’ve helped a great cause!

So grab your calendars and on the date Saturday, May 10th write “Go fly a kite at Elk Creek“!  Oh, and by the way … you can also sample the Elk Creek Kentucky Wine too.

At Elk Creek Vineyards our most precious commodity is of course, wine.  So when a new and wonderful “nectar of the Gods” comes along we can’t wait to share it with everyone!  So get your friends, family and neighbors together and join us at Elk Creek Vineyards to celebrate the release of our Sangiovese.  The party is Saturday May 10, 2008 and Chef Matt Falcone of Bayou Bluegrass Catering will be preparing a spectacular meal that will be served on the mezzanine level of the winery in our gallery.

What better way to spend a Saturday night than getting together with old friends, eating a wonderful meal and toasting the release of a magnificient bottle of Sangiovese that by the way, won the silver at the Kentucky Derby Festival.  Come see for yourself what all the talk is about!

Since we loved them so much last year, on Saturday May 24th the A1A Band is back on the Elk Creek Vineyards outdoor stage!  If you didn’t get to see them last year, now is your chance to make up for missing out on one of the hottest and most entertaining shows we’ve had.  The A1A Band was dubbed “The Official and Original Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show” in 1992 by the folks at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Records.  Wow, you can’t beat that!

Of course you can’t have a Jimmy Buffett Tribute Show without a little “Cheeseburger in Paradise” Carribean dinner to go along with it.  The A1A Band jamming, cheeseburgers grilling, Fins to the left, Fins to the right - what more could you ask for?  And at our Outdoor Amphitheater, there is no such thing as a “bad” seat.  Whether you’re relaxing on our winery deck, situated under one of our rental tents or just stretched out on blankets you’ll have the best seat in the house! And don’t forget there will be plenty of Kentucky wine available too.

 See you in Margaritaville!

Why does the date Saturday, May 31st ring a bell?  Because that is the day everyone who is lucky - and smart enough - to be at Elk Creek Vineyards will be enjoying the biggest and best Blues Festival this side of the Mississippi Delta.  The 2008 Elk Creek Vineyards Blues Festival will feature the unbelievable five-time Grammy award winner Buddy Guy along with one of the “hottest blues bands ever heard” Roomful of Blues and the amazing Sonny Moorman Group. 

Ok, so let’s take a moment and say that maybe “blues” isn’t really your thing?  Then that’s the perfect reason for you to head to Elk Creek and give this Festival a try.  Believe me when I tell you that by the time this Festival is over, you will not be able to get to your Ipod fast enough to start downloading the Blues!

Buddy Guy -  ”The best guitar player alive,” Eric Clapton;  “Without Buddy Guy there would be no Stevie Ray Vaughan” Stevie Ray Vaughan; “Heaven is lying at Buddy Guy’s feet while listening to him play guitar” Jimi Hendrix.    Need I say more?

Roomful of Blues - Their winning combination of jump, swing, blues, R&B and soul remains their calling card as does their ability to fill the dance floor.  “This is a band on top of its game, sliding easily from big band jazz-blues to guitar drenched urban-blues…let the party begin”, Chicago Sun Times

Sonny Moorman Group - “Pounding, high-volume blues/rock that opens the throttle”, Living Blues Magazine.  They recently won the 2006 Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Blues.  This is one band that you don’t want to miss!

So what are you waiting for?  Grab some friends and head on down to the Elk Creek Vineyards 2008 Blues Festival on May 31st!  Amazing music, great food and good friends - what more could you ask for?…Oh yea, wine - lots of Kentucky wine!  

The winery at Elk Creek Vineyards is a great place to come with family and friends to do a little “wine tasting“.  It’s so much fun!  You can stop-in for a wine tasting any time that we’re open.  You know what I always say, the more the merrier - that goes for friends and wine!

Our wines at Elk Creek continue to win wine competitions around the country.  Just recently we are happy to announce that eight of our wines placed at The Kentucky Derby Festival.  This is just one of the many exciting events that takes place in Louisville, Kentucky in the weeks preceeding the historic running of the Kentucky Derby in May.  I think everyone has heard of a little horse race called the Kentucky Derby, also known as the “Run for the Roses”?  The Kentucky Derby Wine Festival takes place this year on Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30, but the actual competition and judging of the wines took place just recently.  Congratulations to Elk Creek Vineyards for winning eight awards!

• Gold medal - Syrah 2006
• Silver medal - Vidal Blanc 2006
• Silver medal - Pinot Grigio 2006
• Silver medal - Petite Syrah 2005
• Silver medal - Sangiovese 2005
• Silver medal - Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
• Bronze medal - Concord 2007

If you’re going to be in the Louisville area partaking in all the Derby fun, you don’t want to miss stopping by the Derby Festival WineFest.  Once there not only will you get to see the distinguished medals displayed on the Elk Creek Vinyeard wines that won, but more importantly you’ll be able to taste the winning wines as well. 

In addition to the Kentucky Derby Wine Festival, Elk Creek won four medals in the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and five medals in the Florida State Fair International 2008.  To see a listing of these and all of our award winning wines, click on the link “wine awards” from our homepage.

Remember, don’t take our word for it - let our awards do all the talking for us!! 

Wine…to love or not to love, that is the question.  And of course it is my absolute opinion that the answer is an astounding “to love”!  Follow along with me as I take you down the dusty grape-filled venue of Kentucky’s largest (any my personal favorite) winery, Elk Creek Vineyards.

But first, let me take a moment to introduce myself.  My name is Lexie and I will be your very own “Elk Creek Connoisseur”.  I’ll talk about everything we have to offer from our award winning wines to the many wonderful services that will suit your every need.  My husband, John and I have spent many a night sitting under the stars listening to some great bands at the amazing outdoor amphitheater and enjoyed real southern hospitality at it’s best while spending an evening at Elk Creek Lodge. 

There are so many fun and exciting things going on here at Elk Creek Vineyards and I’m looking forward to sharing all of it with you!  So raise your glass for a toast;

“Here’s to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship and the gate of pleasant folly” - W.E.P. French 

Welcome to the Elk Creek Vineyards blog.  In the coming weeks and months we’ll be providing valuable insight into wine making in Kentucky.  We’ll also share some thoughts and comments on upcoming events here at the winery. 

Now that the vines have been put to bed for a few months and the heavy lifting associated with harvest is done, our focus has been on coaxing out the character of each of the grapes to produce distinctive wines. Developing the flavor profiles of each individual grapes is one of my favorite parts of the winemaking process. We’ve also installed several large-format ovals that will help to preserve the intensity of the fruit in our complex reds.

Two varietals will be introduced in the next few weeks - our 2006 Syrah and 2006 Riesling. Elk Creek Syrah has rich bramble fruits, hints of raspberry, chocolate, and a pleasing oak complexion that gives way to a warm and full-bodied finish. Pefect for these winter months. The 2006 Riesling is brilliantly straw-colored. Abundant ripe apple, citrus notes and undercurrents of vanillan give it a light sweetness and a clean, crisp finish. When they’re bottled, we’ll post information here on our website. Or, you can send us an email or call us at 502- 484-0005. We’ll let you know when they’re bottled.

On a seperate but very related note, we recently received four awards at the 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Held on January 7th, the sixty professional judges representing the trade, education, media, retail and restaurants from throughout the U.S. evaluated over 4,000 wines that were entered by over 1,500 wineries. Our Vidal Blanc garnered a Silver, and the Petite Syrah, Merlot and Blush took home bronze awards. We’re pleased that a left coast competition has recognized our efforts!

Ben O’Daniel