After antique shopping in Frederick, Maryland this weekend and a stop in Frederick Cellars, we ended up the sunny day turned rainy at The Wine Kitchen. Open since October, this is the second location for Mike Mercer and Jason Miller who own the three-year-old restaurant / wine bar by the same name in Leesburg. The Wine Kitchen’s motto…Eat, Drink, Simply.

Sitting in a lovely spot on Carroll Creek Way, a creek turned canal and park, they have a great patio location for guests to enjoy the scenery (Bryan Voltaggio’s Lunchbox is just next door) and inside is a Sonoma / French feel wine café. We sat at the bar for a wine flight and some bites.

The Italian Renaissance flight we chose consisted of the 2010 Borgo M Fruilano from Friuli, 2010 Vigneti Massa Sentieri Barbera from Piedmonte and 2008 Marabino Noto Nero d’Avola from Sicily. Each flight and glass of wine comes with a very thoughtful and colorful tasting card.

All the wines in our flight were very flavorful but our favorite was…

2010 Vigneti Massa Sentieri Barbera

  • Varietal: Barbera
  • Aroma: Cherry, tobacco
  • Taste: Tart cherry, caraway seeds, pipe tobacco
  • Price: $4 taste, $10 glass, $33 bottle
  • My thoughts: The tasting card was right on with this one…caraway seeds?!? It sure had hints of them. This Barbera was lighter than I expected but with its multi-layers, a perfect stand alone or food pairing wine.

I also tried a taste of their 2009 Domanie des Nuges Gamay from Beaujolais, France. Cranberry on the nose and palate with a hint of orange. The tasting card read ‘the red ruby slippers of wine’ which was right on… it sparkled in the glass and on the tongue.

The warm curry cashews and artisinal cheese plate were perfect as were the staff! The menu looked delicious and definitely worth a try on our next stop in Frederick.

Cheers to Eat, Drink, Simply!