They say that wine is a lot like people . . . or is that people are a lot like wine? We developed this quiz to reveal which Greenvale vintage best reflects your personality.
So what are you? A Chardonnay? Cabernet Franc? Skipping Stone White? Take this quiz to uncork the answer!
We’re proud to announce that Greenvale was named Woman Owned Business of the Year by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce! Business innovation, customer service, growth, industry leadership, and community service were among the factors weighed by the award committee. We are thrilled to be recognized among all the fine businesses in Newport County.
Congrats to our fellow winners and thank you to the Newport County Chamber of Commerce!
Micro-Business of the Year: Marketing & Events
Small Business of the Year: Newport Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Medium Business of the Year: Tallulah on Thames
Large Business of the Year: Hotel Viking
Business Entrepreneur of the Year: Newport Biodiesel
Non-Profit Business of the Year: Child & Family
Below is a photo taken at the awards ceremony on Monday at the Newport Officer’s Club. Mother-daughter team, Nancy Parker and Nancy Parker Wilson, are standing sixth and seventh in from the left.
Join us for our 14th Annual Restoration Celebration and enjoy live jazz, tractor rides and food samples from local food producers! In conjunction with National Preservation Month, we celebrate the Restoration of Greenvale Farm and Vineyards’ beautiful stable-turned-Tasting Room. We’re opening our doors for an intimate tour of the standing stalls, restored “tack room” and cow barn foundation which have earned us several awards for Historic Preservaton and Adaptive Reuse.
Tacos and Kabobs (New This Year!): Vineyard Manager, Hever Ortega is teaming up with neighboring Aquidneck Farms to prepare tasty pork tacos, chicken, steak and veggie kabobs. Available for purchase.
Samples from Local Food Artisans: Aquidneck Honey, Wicked Natural,
Cory’s Kitchen of Sweetberry Farm, RI Rocks Confections, Narragansett Creamery, and Olio di Meli.
Date: Saturday, May 19th
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Greenvale Vineyards, 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth Get Directions >
Price: $15 (free for Case Club members!). Souvenir wine glasses included.
Questions?: Call (401) 847-3777 or email information@greenvale.com
Below are some photos from last year’s celebration:
It’s finally here! This Saturday will be our first jazz and wine tasting event of the year! Join us between 1:00 and 4:00pm to enjoy live jazz as you taste our locally grown and produced wines. Featuring Dick Lupino on bass and vocals, Dennis Cook on sax, and Yvonne Monnett on piano and vocals.
You can meet our winemaker, pick up some wine tasting tips from our tasting room staff, explore the vineyard, or simply catch up with friends. No reservations necessary, just come on by!
Date: Saturday, May 5th
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Greenvale Vineyards, 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth Get Directions
Price: $15 (free for Case Club members!). Souvenir wine glasses included.
Questions?: Call (401) 847-3777 or email information@greenvale.com
We want to let you in on one of Greenvale’s best kept secrets: the Case Club.
What you get: 15% case discount, free wine tastings, and free access to special events.
How to join: Just buy one case! That’s 12 bottles. And they don’t have to all be the same; you can make a mixed case of your choosing. You’ll automatically get 10% off and become a member with all the benefits. You’ll receive 15% off all future case purchases.
Can I give a membership as a gift? Sure! In fact, we think Case Club memberships make fantastic gifts since, well, it’s the gift that keeps on giving. Members can enjoy discounts, free wine tastings, and attend events without a cover charge!
Will my membership expire? Nope!
How much do cases cost? Cases range from $167.88 – $335.88. Read about our selection in our wine shop.
Questions? Call (401) 847-3777 or email us at information@greenvale.com.
What: A blend of 82% Cabernet Franc and 18% Merlot
Description: A well-balanced, medium bodied Bordeux style red
Flavor Profile: Complex aromas of plum and spice, with soft tannins
How: Fermented in oak barrels
Cabernet Franc grows well for us here at Greenvale. It’s naturally suited to our climate since it’s especially cold-hardy. It also ripens earlier than many other reds which is valuable to us since we have a relatively short growing season here in New England. This grape, which we call “Cab Franc” around here, is one of the twenty most widely planted grape varieties across the world.
Cab Franc is considered by many to be a blending grape, although it can be bottled on its own. Our winemaker, Richard Carmichael, says: “We blend our Cab Franc with a small amount of Merlot to add more color, depth, and flavor complexity. In general, the percentage of Merlot varies from vintage to vintage, but is never more than 25% (if it was more, we couldn’t label it as Cab Franc).”
Cab Franc is generally appreciated for its fruity aromas and its balance of delicate tannins. (Tannins are the element in wine that cause the dry and puckery feeling in your mouth.) It’s often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, (a relatively new variety created 300 years ago through a chance crossing between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in southwestern France). But Cab Franc is a much lighter wine than your typical Cabernet Sauvignon, both in flavor and in body.
We find that our Cab Fran pairs well with many meals, especially grilled or roasted meats. It will be a nice wine to enjoy this summer at cookouts.
Any questions about Can Franc? Post it below in the comments section or on our Facebook page.
Today we’re debunking wine myths. Below are some classic misconceptions about wine that, as our staff explains, just ain’t so.
Know of any wine myths in need of debunking? Share them with us on our Facebook page or leave a comment below.
Myth: Wine goes bad a day after popping the cork.
Reality: FALSE
Expert: Nancy Parker Wilson, Owner
“A bottle, once opened, can last for a few days, sometimes four. I’ve found that there seems to be a correlation between the level of acidity in a wine and how many days it will last—the more acidity, the longer it will remain drinkable once opened. It’s best to recork if you intend on only having a glass. Just put the cork right back in the bottle. It’s the exposure to oxygen that affects the way the wine tastes. Every day a bottle is open the flavors and aromas dissipate. It really takes a few days or up to a week for the wine to have gone “off” though. In the tasting room, we open a fresh bottle of our Chardonnays and Pinot Gris to ensure the best flavors. With the Skipping Stone and the Vidal Blanc, those taste great the second day too and the reds can even go for three days if the temperatures are not too extreme.”
Myth: Wine improves with age.
Reality: FALSE
Expert: Richard Carmichael, Winemaker
“You should drink most wines within the year it’s bottled. In fact, the majority of wines start to lose their fruitiness after 6 months in the bottle. Since several of our wines here at Greenvale have a characteristic fruitiness—Skipping Stone White, Vidal Blanc, and Pinot Gris, I would recommend not waiting more than a year or two to drink them. Greenvale’s Chardonnay can last a couple years longer—three or four, and our reds around five to seven years.” Only a small percentage of wines have the ability to significantly improve with age. If you don’t plan to drink your wine right away, check out these Top 5 Wine Storage Tips from our winemaker.
Myth: Uncorking a bottle for a few hours before drinking to “let it breathe” will improve the wine.
Reality: FALSE
Expert: Maggie Harnett, Tasting Room Manager
“In general, most wines will noticeably improve with as little as 15 to 20 minutes of exposure to air. Red wines benefit most from breathing before serving, but the majority of wines produced today don’t require any aeration at all. Our wines definitely benefit from aeration. I notice a distinct increase in aromas and flavor of our wines when they have had some time in the glass. Another aeration technique is to gently pour the wine with a good six inches of distance from the bottle to the glass to allowfor additional aeration during the actual pour. But keep in mind that too much exposure to air can dull the flavor of wine, so don’t overdo it!”
Greenvale Vineyards celebrates local arts and culture on Saturday, March 31st with live jazz and wine tastings at the vineyard. Spring Into Art is an annual, week-long event in Newport County promoting arts and culture. We invite you to celebrate the arts with us by enjoying live jazz performed by local musicians and sipping locally made wine. Dick Lupino will perform with Shawn Monteiro and Mike Renzi.
Click here for a full schedule of Spring Into Arts events that include gallery walks, live music, comedy improv, films, exhibits and more.
Date: Saturday, March 31st
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Greenvale Vineyards, 582 Wapping Road, Portsmouth Get Directions
Price: $15 includes wine tasting. $3 if not tasting wine. No charge for children.
Make your reservations early as this concert has sold out every year. Abbey Rhode, who have drawn record crowds at their appearances, will be performing an intimate, semi unplugged concert at Greenvale Vineyards on Friday, April 27th at 7:30pm. Doors open at 7:00pm. Tickets in advance are $22.00 and $25.00 at the door if available. Call 401-847-3777 for reservations or more information. Visit Abbey Rhode’s Website.
Maggie Harnett manages Greenvale's Tasting Room. Photo: Al Weems
Wine tasting is a fun activity to do with friends, but it can also be a great way to discover a new wine or deepen your appreciation for both wine and winemakers. Our most senior Tasting Room hostess, Maggie Harnett, shares her tips on what to look for when you’re tasting wine at Greenvale.
Step 1: Look. Wine can have many shades, so examine what type of red, white or rose it may be. An older red wine will often have more orange tinges on the surface edges than younger red wines. Older white wines are darker than younger whites. The fermentation container, whether it be oak barrels or stainless steel tank, can also affect the color in white wine. Also note the wine’s opacity (watery, translucent, opaque, cloudy or clear).
Step 2: Aroma. Ever wonder why people swirl their wine? It helps release its natural aromas. Swirl for ten seconds and take a quick sniff. Next, stick your nose down into the glass and inhale deeply. Really get it in there, don’t be shy. Do you smell plum, spice, oak, or citrus?
Step 3: Taste. Take a sip and whirl it around in your mouth. There are three aspects to consider here:
1) Your first impression, what the pros call the Attack Phase. You’ll notice the wine’s alcohol content, tannin levels, sugar, and acidity.
2) The flavor profile, also known as the Evolution Phase, when you look for notes of fruit, spices, smokiness, or a host of other flavors.
3) The texture and finish, (finish—the industry term for “aftertaste”). As you swallow the wine, note whether it’s light-bodied (like the weight of water), medium-bodied (similar in weight to milk) or full-bodied (like the consistency of cream). Also note whether the taste lingers or is short-lived.
While this tasting process may sound too regimented to some, being mindful of these concepts as you’re tasting wine may lead you to a deeper appreciation for all its nuances, variations, and elements. My own understanding of wine has evolved as I’ve become more aware of my palate and my senses. When you connect smell, look, and texture to taste, you may notice a whole new way to experience wine. Cheers!
