Last Sunday we went to Gray Ghost for their yearly Holiday Open House. We had a wonderful time tasting all the wines and enjoying all the nibbles. We also enjoyed all the decorations. We were lucky enough to visit on the day after the first major snow of the season. Looks like someone else was there on the same day!
Here are some pictures from the event.
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Last weekend Warren and I decided to visit a Maryland winery. Our choice was Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard just 40 minutes outside of DC. We visited them once about 3 years ago but never wrote about them.
Sugarloaf is located on 92 acres in Montgomery County Maryland. The tasting room is in a tent permanently set up next to the winery. Next to the tasting tent is an old barn. They have renovated the lower level of the barn for retail sales and seating.
For our tasting Warren chose the premier wines and I selected the classic wines. Warren was able to taste two whites and four reds and I was able to taste three whites and four reds. A gold star was awarded to the 2007 Chardonnay is a light bodied wine with aromas of melon and grapefruit with lemon and pepper on the tongue. It spends 16 months on oak. Another gold star was given to the 2006 Merlot. This one had raspberry on the nose with flavors of black cherry on the tongue.
After our tasting, our tasting associate introduced us to the owner who showed us around the winery facility and told us all about their vines, wines, and future plans. Once our tour was complete we opted for a bottle of the 2007 Chardonnay to enjoy with our lunch. It was a perfect match.
We enjoyed our time visiting a Maryland winery. We hope to visit a different Maryland winery soon. If you visit Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard please tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Happy Anniversary to us!
Last Saturday after seeing the fall grape leaves at Gray Ghost, we stopped by Narmada to see what has been added to the tasting menu.
Upon entering the gates we noticed they are now doing tastings in the winery among the tanks. Right away we ran into Rob Cox, the winemaker. He preceded to give us a tour of the facility. It’s just about complete. He took us to the unfinished tasting room that promises to be quite a space. We look forward to returning to see the completed tasting room.
After our tour Rob directed us in tasting the line of Narmada wines. Many of them we tasted back in September but there were a few additions since our last visit. The three additions were the Chardonnay, the Viognier, and the Cabernet Franc.
We enjoyed them all but the Viognier got our gold star on this visit. This viognier is steel fermented and it spends seven months on oak. I noted citrus fruit and melon. Warren noted honeysuckle and peach. We enjoyed this one so much we enjoyed a glass on the crush pad, which is set up with tables and chairs.
While enjoying the our glass we got to chat briefly with Sudha Patil, one of the owners. She asked for any advice we might have for the winery. We informed her that they seemed to be doing everything right. We enjoy the wines, the scenery, and we’re sure we’ll enjoy the tasting room when it opens later this month. Plan a visit to Narmada soon and if you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
During a recent trip to California’s wine country, Wendy Rieger checked out a few vineyards to find out how they’re going green. If you missed her story on News4 at 5 yesterday, catch it anytime on NBCWashington.com.
On Saturday Warren and I went to Gray Ghost to pick up a few cases of wine. We noticed how beautiful the vineyards looked with the fall colors. Here are a few photos of the vineyards.
We went to Charlottesville this past weekend and one of the stops we made was at Pollak Vineyards. Here’s a short video of our lunch and wine at Pollak.
The wine of the weekend is the Breaux Vineyards 2008 Muscat. This wine is only available to the Cellar Club members. Since I’m a member I received it in a recent shipment. We had it with some St. Andre’s cheese and fresh baguette. The muscat is a dry, fruity wine with a hint of lemon zest. It’s a blend of the Muscat Canelli and the Muscat Giallo grapes. It paired well with the St. Andre’s cheese and baguette.
Of course we had several other Virginia wines this weekend but this one stood out as one that needed a mention.
October is a great time to visit Virginia wineries. The leaves are changing colors, the wineries are harvesting grapes, there are many festivals and activities happening in Virginia the whole month of October.
Check out Virginia.org for more information on the special happenings going on in Virginia during the whole month of October!
