Recently while visiting friends in the Anapolis (MD) area, a few of us girls had a chance to drop in on the Great Grapes Wine Festival. These wine festivals feature a delightful array of mostly domestic wines, some from vineyards outside the U.S. (Australia, Chile, Argentina), some food (cheese, crabcakes, pizza, standard fairground foods), and cooking instructions (usually sponsored by a utensil company selling a product).

It was so hot that day, to be honest, it was a little difficult to judge the wines. But we did manage to agree on a small number of items. For the summer, we absolutely adored Cygnus Chardonnay 2007 , a dry white with a grassy citrus taste, a long finish, and a hint of soy. Cygnus is a vineyard in Manchester MD, and their wines are made from a careful blend of traditional techniques and modern science. All the grapes are grown locally, so support this local U.S. homegrown product!

Cygnus wines are available only in MD stores, but you can always ask your local wine store if they can order it for you.

We also liked Kerrygold’s Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey, and think it’s a delightful combination with the Cygnus Chardonnay.