notes from a wineaholic/the applewood winery

i've always enjoyed the annual fall visit to the apple orchards with friends and family. this year more so because applewood orchard is also a winery, and amidst the mayhem in the orchard and the face paining and puppet show for the kids, there was the brief, yet very luscious tasting of fermented and distilled beverages produced there. for a mere five dollars a person can taste five of their 18 blends. i tried their seyval chardonnay reserve (dry, crisp blend aged in american oak), the vidal (semi-dry with fruit and floral notes), the merlot (dry, with distinct peppery finish), the cabernet franc (dry, with berry notes and spicy finish) and the oak barrel reserve (dry, with an earthy, smoky finish). they were all quite yummy and i brought home a bottle of the seyval and the merlot to age a bit. that day we also visited the heaven hill farm where we went on a hayride, picked pumpkins, watched pig races and played tag in the corn maze (which was sooooo much fun, and a little scary!) so often this annual outing is just about the kids; but this year i think the adults found some fun and more age appropriate entertainment too.