Enchantment Vineyards wins four medals at 2020 Fingerlakes International Wine Competition

Enchantment Vineyards wins four medals at 2020 Fingerlakes International Wine Competition

Each spring, we submit many of our wines to a variety of national and international wine competitions. With 2020 proving to be a challenging year for all, we were thrilled to learn that we have won four medals at this year's Fingerlakes International Wine Competition.

Our homegrown hero, 2018 Estate Chambourcin received a gold medal at this year's competition, which excites us immensely. This bold, dry red wine features dark fruit and sweet tartiness of blackberry, smokiness that goes so well with grilled and smoked dishes. If you have not tried it already, we invite you to buy a bottle for your next summer cookout.

Additionally, our other medal winners include bronze medals for Enchantment Vineyards 2018 Syrah and 2018 Merlot, plus a silver medal for our Native Red Bordeaux blend. As fans of dry red wines, our efforts have been validated on an international stage alongside so many other great winemakers. We are thrilled to receive these honors alongside vineyards and winemakers from all over the world. 

Held each year as a fundraiser for Camp Good Days, Finger Lakes is one of the largest international wine competitions. It features some of the biggest names in vineyards and winemaking. Camp Good Days provides camping experiences in upstate New York to children who have cancer. To learn more about these organizations, please visit Camp Good Days online.

Aug 10, 2020 at 3:37 PM Permalink

Our Tasting Room Has Reopened!

Since closing in mid-March of this year, we've wanted nothing more than to let you know that we've reopened our doors and are excited to welcome you back for wine tastings, New Mexico craft beer and cider, and more. While a little bit has changed, we are incredibly happy to have customers again, just in time for warmer weather and kicking back on our patio.

So what's changed? Our staff is eager to welcome you back during our regular business hours of Thursday through Saturday from 12 PM to 8 PM. Though we have reduced our capacity and require smaller parties, we think you'll find we still have plenty of room to unwind and imbibe with a few friends. We're kindly asking our guests not to gather at our bar, but instead, we've switched to a tableside service model that we think will make your visit to Enchantment Vineyards even more relaxing.

On top of extra cleaning and sanitization practices, our staff is looking forward to serving you with a smile (behind the mask, of course). Like before, we are continuing to cater to your online orders and curbside pick-up for those who wish to take a bottle or three home. We're all about taking whatever steps we can to remain open to serve you, and we are looking forward to bringing back events and live music as soon as we can. In the meantime, we'd like to raise a glass to our great customers who remained patient with us during the past few months. It means the world to us.

Cheers!

Jul 8, 2020 at 1:17 PM Permalink

Tasting Room Closed, Curbside Service Continues!

We’re sad to say our tasting room and patio will not be open for seating this weekend. Current restrictions are still keeping “bars” closed. We don’t quite qualify as a restaurant, and we fall under that “bar” category. We’re continuing to have conversations with lawmakers in Santa Fe, including the NM Alcohol and Beverage Control, regarding our pending reopening.

We really miss all of you and know how much you look forward to a chilled glass of wine or a cold beer on the patio. But we’re being careful to follow the set rules as not to compromise our ability to serve and sell our product in the future. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

In the meantime, we’ll continue to be open for curbside pick-up and sales from 2 pm-6 pm, Thursday through Saturday. You can purchase wine, beer, merchandise, and even some locally-made cheeses. Growler refills are permitted. 

We cannot emphasize how much we miss seeing all of you! At the end of all of this, we’ll celebrate together. We’ve got some exciting things in the works here and can’t wait to share them with you!

- The Enchantment Vineyards team

Jun 4, 2020 at 12:57 PM Permalink

Enchantment Vineyards to Temporarily Close

It saddens us to inform you that we've been monitoring the Coronavirus situation very closely in New Mexico as it pertains to bars and restaurants, and we have decided to close until things in our state and country have settled. We're not looking at the glass being half-empty (or all the way empty for that matter), but ready to be filled again when the time is right, and when our communities are safe.

Enchantment Vineyards photo by Theta Perez

We never in a million years thought we would be impacted so closely by something like this, but we still believe there are ways to come together and become an even stronger community on the other side of these recent and challenging events. We're working with our employees to ensure their needs are met at this time, and we are thankful for the resources made available for small businesses that make up such a considerable percentage of our local economy.

In the meantime, we are actively thinking about ways to stay in touch with you all on social media. We're planning some creative online meetups for local wine enthusiasts to get together and raise a glass with one another. We strongly feel that sharing wine with one another makes the human experience deeper and life more fulfilling.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we all navigate these uncharted waters. Finally, we would like to raise a glass to everyone in the healthcare industry and first responders, and anyone else in public health working to keep people and families safe. We hope to raise a glass with you all soon.

- The Enchantment Vineyards family

Mar 18, 2020 at 1:35 PM Permalink Comments (206)

Spring Moscato Spritzer Recipe

This March, we're mad for Moscato. This sweet wine lends itself so well to creating all kinds of custom concoctions, and with warmer weather on the horizon, don't be surprised if we have some sunny days that call for something truly refreshing! 

Our first recipe this month is for a delightfully refreshing Moscato Spritzer. Feel free to modify these to your unique tastes, and be sure to share the results with us on social media. Tag your creations with #LiveEnchanted, and we'll share the best ones on our feed!

Ingredients

• One bottle 2017 Enchanted Moscato
• Club Soda
• Fresh fruit, like orange slices, kiwi, grapes, or peaches
• Fresh mint

Mix the Moscato and club soda to get that nice bubbly texture, then add your favorite fresh (or frozen) fruit. You can chill your pitcher and allow the fruit's flavors to be extracted more before serving over ice. Top off the presentation with some fresh mint or more fruit.

Cheers to the springtime from all of us at Enchantment Vineyards in Portales, New Mexico!

Our 2017 Enchanted Moscato is our featured wine for March 2020. Save 20% off all month long on online orders or inside our tasting room! 

Mar 12, 2020 at 12:18 PM Permalink

Fun Thanksgiving Recipes with Red Wine

Thanksgiving is here, and it’s our favorite time of year to explore new recipes, unique ingredients, flavors, and wine pairings. We scoured Pinterest for some unique recipes that incorporate wine to bring some unique flavors to your table this fall.

Make your cranberry sauce the star this year rather than one of those dishes that gets passed around the table too rapidly. What’s the secret? We love this recipe from the blog A Dash of Megnut. Megan’s advice is to use a quality wine that you love to drink to impart its flavors into the sauce. Our recommendations are to bring out the tartness of the cranberries with a sweet wine like Rising Red, or our Chambourcin to give it a more dry, savory flavor.

Bring something new to your table this year by including a fall favorite like fresh figs. Food blogger Samantha Ferraro, who writes at LittleFerraroKitchen.com, has a fantastic recipe to serve with your charcuterie boards before the main dinner. Your favorite red wine will amplify this dish, but also give it a unique flavor. We recommend Traveler Red, our semi-sweet, semi-dry blend for the perfect balance with sweet figs.

Finally, for a dish with more umami richness, we went for the garlic and buttery goodness of red wine and garlic mushrooms, a recipe from Drag It Through the Garden.  The beauty of this recipe, like the others, is you can impart the flavors of your favorite dry red wine. For a buttery dish like this, we would go for our bold Cabernet Sauvignon. For special occasions, go big or go home, right?

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! If you need an extra holiday outing with all of your family and loved ones in town, we will be open Wednesday, November 27, closed for Thanksgiving, then open again on Friday and Saturday. Come see us!

Nov 25, 2019 at 12:27 PM Permalink

Halloween Wine and Candy Pairings from Enchantment Vineyards

The thrill of spilling out the evening's Halloween candy pull across the dining room table is quite different for parents. As your child surveys their loot from the neighborhood, savvy parents begin eyeballing their favorites and stake their claim in a so-called parent tax. This year, make this practice even more enjoyable (to you) as you generously teach your children that sharing is a noble virtue! Here are some of our favorite wine and candy pairings, because wine pairings don't (and shouldn't) always be snobby. And remember: these wine pairings are for ghosts and ghouls aged 21 and over!

Snickers and Syrah

Let's face it: Snickers is a mature candy bar that packs a punch. That's why we like pairing it up with a wine with some bite! Let the richness of our Syrah pull out the intense flavors of chocolate, nougat, and peanuts.

Butterfinger and Chardonnay

As with anything fatty, creamy, or buttery, Bart Simpson's favorite candy bar is immensely improved when paired with our Reserve Chardonnay. You may never look at Butterfingers the same again.

Skittles (or Smarties) and Sunset Rosé

Our dry Sunset Rosé is a colorful way to accentuate the tartness of candies like Skittles or Smarties. You may also wish to try it with Sour Skittles and Nerds. The tart candies will help pull out notes of raspberry or plum.

Reese Peanut Butter Cups and Pinot Noir

The king of all Halloween candy to many, we can't help but have one or two extra Reese Peanut Butter Cups anyway, regardless of when paired with our Double Gold Pinot Noir. The candy's rich flavors will play nicely with the wine's fruit flavors and earthy qualities.

PayDay and Chambourcin

PayDay is a uniquely polarizing candy bar. Love it or hate it, we think you ought to give it another chance the next time you're enjoying a glass of dry, red Chambourcin wine grown in New Mexico. Let's face it: when you're indulging in a candy bar, sometimes you want to make the perfect excuse and go with an option like a PayDay. Like our previous pairing of Pinot Noir and Reese Cups, the duo of PayDay and Chambourcin celebrate two earthy flavors together.

Jolly Ranchers and Cacti White Semi-Sweet Blend

The wild fruit flavors of our Cacti White Semi-Sweet Blend are all over the map, which made this wine pairing easy. Jolly Ranchers offer dozens of flavor combos while you sip. Shake it up and try your next glass with our favorites: Green Apple or Pink Lemonade, in our most colorful wine pairing yet.

Happy Halloween from all of us at Enchantment Vineyards. May your treks for candy be warm, safe, and sweet.

Oct 30, 2019 at 4:18 PM Permalink

Recipe: Not Your Momma's Mimosa

Not Your Momma's Mimosa!

Looking for the ultimate cool and refreshing twist on mimosa? We created a fresh recipe with tropical pineapple and added a New Mexico twist with fresh green chile!

Ingredients:

• Orange juice (no pulp)
• Pineapple juice
• Crushed pineapple (one can)
• Mandarin oranges ( 1 can/jar)
• One fresh Green Chile (seeded, halved longways and sliced)
• Pineapple Slices (quartered)
• One bottle Enchantment Vineyards Moscato (more to taste)
• New Leaf Hard Seltzer by Bosque Brewing Company

Place the fruit and green chile into a fruit diffuser, alternating each one, then place the infuser into a gallon container. Pour in half of the orange juice and pineapple into the container, then add one bottle of Enchanted Moscato wine from Enchantment Vineyards. Add the rest of the juice, then allow the mixture to sit for several hours or overnight in your refrigerator.

When you're ready to serve, pour over ice and add a splash of New leaf Hard Seltzer for carbonation and kick. Garnish your glass with a sliver of green chile and a piece of pineapple.

This summer, we're offering our award-winning Enchanted Moscato on special. Buy three bottles and get a fourth free! Stock up for all of your weekend celebrations and wine cocktails!
 

Jul 26, 2019 at 2:31 PM Permalink

Enchantment Vineyards Pinot Noir Wins Double Gold at 2019 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition

We are incredibly proud to announce that our 2015 Pinot Noir has won a Double Gold medal at this year's Finger Lakes International Wine Competition!

Pinot Noir is a unique varietal, known famously in regions like the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Russian River Valley in California, as well as Italy and France. Our Pinot Noir was made in the very traditional Old World style similar to traditional pinots found in Burgundy. It is earthy with a velvety texture and does well with aeration or plenty of time to breathe to let the beautiful aromas fully develop. It can accompany bolder dishes or stand alone. When drinking our Pinot Noir, you will first observe its beautiful rusty, ruby color while taking in aromas of woody mushroom and supple leather. We recommend pairing this wine with poultry and fish dishes or anything with rich and creamy sauces.

However, our Pinot Noir was not the only winner for us at Finger Lakes! Enchantment Vineyards also won two silver medals for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, plus five bronze medals for our Reserve Chardonnay, Traveler Red, 2015 Syrah, Native White, and Cacti White. Our family is pleased to be so well received on an international stage for this labor of love. We want to share this victory with every customer, our volunteers who have helped us with our first harvest, and all of the locals who visit and support us in Portales, New Mexico each week. Our intention in starting our vineyard in 2015 was to make wine a part of our local community, and it fills our hearts with much gratitude to be recognized a second year with this victory.

Held each year as a fundraiser for Camp Good Days, Finger Lakes is one of the largest international wine competition, featuring some of the biggest names in vineyards and winemaking. Camp Good Days provides camping experiences in upstate New York to children who have cancer. To learn more about these organizations, please visit Camp Good Days online.

May 6, 2019 at 7:03 AM Permalink

Looking Back on Our First Year

Though we planted our vineyard in 2015, we knew the real work (and fun) would begin in early 2018. As they say, time flies, and this March we will celebrate our tasting room's one year anniversary after opening on March 2, 2018.

First Awards

One spring afternoon in 2018, our winemaker called us with the news that we had won nine medals at the Fingerlakes International Wine Competition. We couldn't have been more thrilled with our first competition results! After only being open a few short months, receiving these esteemed awards from such a prestigious competition was incredibly validating and that our hearts were in the right place when we started this crazy vineyard plan. We hope 2019 will bring other medals!

First Harvest

Harvest season in August and September meant meeting new friends and neighbors, as we put together a few crews of vineyard pros and volunteers. Spending time with each and every vine gave us an intimate opportunity to hand-pick our grapes, tasting the fruits born from our Portales soil. Time-consuming? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely! Later this spring, we hope to give some wonderful updates on our grapes, how they're growing, and a look into some of the science before the bottle. By summertime, stay tuned for updates on Harvest 2019 if you wish to join us as one of our volunteers for a unique Portales experience!

First (Big) Dinner

In September, we hosted our very first Chef's Table event, which featured delicious foods from our friend Chef Jason Morse and 5280 Culinary. One hundred guests joined us for a beautiful evening outside, and we were grateful for New Mexico weather cooperation. Jason and his team not only served some truly delicious plates, but he also cooked in front of everyone with a serious repertoire of outdoor grilling and smoking equipment!  Come for the food and stay for the grilling education. Response to the event was tremendous and we look forward to possibly teaming up with Jason again soon. Stay hungry, Portales!

First Festival

We finally made our way to our first New Mexico wine festival in February 2019. Vines in the Pines was an exciting event that was full of wine making friends from around the state, as well as new customers from great cities like Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.

Along with 13 other participating vineyards and wineries, we had an absolute blast sharing ten of our wines with ticket holders to this amazing event. Standout favorites for the festival included our Chambourcin, Rising Red table wine, as well as our award-winning Enchanted Moscato.

What's Next for 2019?

After learning so much and making new friends through wine, we hope the rest of 2019 is just as exciting. We're looking forward to hosting more events, new wine release parties, special pairing events, and dinners that celebrate wine. Stay tuned for the first of these events beginning this spring, with the return of our popular wine and cheese pairing event with local gouda and more!

As always, we love to hear your feedback. Get in touch with us on social media (Facebook, Instagram) or email us. From our family to yours, thank you for an amazing year one. Cheers!

Mar 6, 2019 at 10:38 AM Permalink