Boyden Valley, Vermont

The second winery I hit during my May 2001 swing through Vermont was the Boyden Valley Winery, in beautiful Cambridge, Vermont. Here is a photo of me driving in the general area of the winery, with fields of flowers and lovely farm buildings.

Nestled in these rolling hills is the Boyden Valley Winery, a fourth generation farm which now creates a wide variety of both grape and fruit wines. "Cranberry Bob" Lesnikoski was my guide through the delicious flavors and offerings.

The winery creates 40,000 bottles a year, and make all of the wine on premesis. They have 6 acres of grapevines with over 8,000 vines. The open, airy barn is from 1825 and serves as a tasting room. They offer delicious cheeses and breads as well as the wine.

We began with one wine which really intrigued me, the Rhubarb. This is organically grown, very fresh, light and grassy. I brought some of this home with me, and my friends also enjoyed its unique and light flavor.

The Bartlett Pear was a nice, light pear, smooth and light. A good summer sipping wine. The Northern Spry is created from a heriloom apple, and has a tart but dry apple flavor, very rich flavored. This is another I brought home.

Their cranberry (as you might imagine!) was delicious, with a tart, full flavor. Yes, another keeper for me :) The Seyval Blanc was done in a swiss style, with a fresh, light, grassy flavor. The Cayuga was also light and fruity, slightly sweet.

On the red side, the River Blend Red was a mix of Baco and Chambourcin. This was full flavored and would be great with steak. I'm a big Baco fan so this is a good one for me.

On to dessert wines. The first was a blend of Northern Spy and Maple Syrup. The texture is very light, and Bob commented that this was the "True wine of Vermont", sort of "like the Napa Valley of Maple Syrup". I found it light and very flavorful, with the apple and maple complimenting each other.

> The blueberry is aged in French oak, and the medium bodied flavor was smooth and delicious. They use low-bush berries which give it a great flavor.

Finally, the Glogg, a spiced leon millot wine which has cardamon and cinnamon in it. This traditional Swiss drink is great served warm in the winter. It has a tart bite to help keep off the cold.

We talked about the canoe trips run out of Smuggler's Notch which end up here for a wine tasting. The winery also sees a lot of traffic during the fall foliage season, since this region is so gorgeous in the autumn.

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