On a summer must-do list...

Every summer, I make a list of must-do's for the span of June, July, and August.  Towards the end of this summer, Mr. C and I decided to take a drive on a Saturday afternoon on back roads to see where we would end up.  After driving through many centers of small towns and driving down narrow roads that were hidden beneath leafy overhead canopies, we arrived to Nashoba Valley Winery.  On this balmy August day, we just stumbled on this spot, but it was in fact one of the last remaining items on my summer 2012 must-do list!

We found a place to park in the big gravel lot and strolled past the apple trees that would soon be covered in crisp fall fruit and past the small pond filled with tadpoles before getting to the main house on the property.

As I mentioned, we were visiting on a particularly warm day, so the beer tasting bar actually called our names right off the bat.  We shared a set of samples and tried a light, seasonal summer ale, a frothy, dark ale, and a hard cider made from native apples. 

I made a few of the selections and Mr. C made a few as well. Spending an afternoon at a winery probably isn't considered the most "manly" of activities, that is, until you hear that he ordered the BBQ brew.  I gave this a try - I mean, hey, we were there to sample and try new things, but let me tell you - this was a big mistake!  This tasted like I licked the bottom of a meat smoker and washed it down with some used wood chips.  Bleck.  Not your best work, Nashoba, not your best.

After recovering from the smoky beer, we moved from the beer tasting bar to a room in the back of the building for wine tasting.  This room was pretty packed and we had to nestle our way into a space at the bar between bus tour groups and rowdy bachelorettes.  Nashoba makes both traditional grape wines, but also quite a few wines from other fruits like blueberries, apples, and raspberries.

We again enjoyed sharing a tasting flight between the two of us - we were after all driving ourselves home.  We made our way through the dry and sweet whites, then the reds, and found that we had one remaining sample. 

We both thought that trying the Oak-Aged Apple Brandy would be a good last selection.  The bartender smirked a bit as he poured the small splash of brandy into our sampling glass and I now know what that smirk meant.  "Good luck you crazy kids, prepare to feel like your lungs, throat, stomach, and face are on fire on this hot August day in this packed, sticky room filled with too many people."  Yipes - I'm pretty sure we both hacked a little bit after taking little sips of this brandy.  I think that if I ever want to give brandy another shot, it will have to wait until the winter rolls into New England, which shouldn't be long now.

We enjoyed our afternoon adventure together and I'm glad we were able to check this item off my summer to do list!

Until next time, travel on...
Maggie