On Saturday we participated in a Virginia cider tasting at Albemarle Ciderworks. We tasted ciders from both Albemarle Ciderworks and Foggy Ridge Cider. Here’s a photo from after the tasting. We had dinner and enjoyed cider and wines. We’ll be posting about our tasting soon!
First…if you are looking for our Top 20 lists just scroll down. It’s below this post. Also, please check out the analysis of many of our lists over at DrinkWhatYouLike. Nice job, Frank!
Second…we received a bottle of the soon to be released “3”. It’s the collaboration wine by King Family Vineyards, Pollak Vineyards, and Veritas Vineyards. The official release date is tomorrow, March 3rd. We will be tasting our bottle LIVE on Twitter at 7:00 PM. Be sure to follow us on Twitter to get the first impressions of this wine. We hear great things about it and we’re looking forward to tasting it and sharing our impressions LIVE on Twitter! @vawinetime
It’s that time of year when we go to Naked Mountain Vineyard and Winery to enjoy lasagna and wine. Which wine did we enjoy with lasagna? Well, to figure that out we had to complete a tasting of wines at the tasting bar, of course!
The 2006 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and the sweeter Chardonnay Riesling were the two white wines offered for tasting. My favorite was the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay with its aromas of pear and vanilla; I also enjoyed its creamy mouth feel. Paul preferred the fruity characteristics of the Chardonnay Riesling, and I think he had visions of a warmer spring day and a refreshing fruit salad when he savored this one.
Speaking of food, we certainly had lasagna on our minds when we sampled the red wines. The Rhone-inspired 2006 Scarlet Oak Red earned my stamp of approval. Created from a blend of 45% Syrah, 45% Mouvedre, and 10% Tannat, it presented a smoky nose with cherry and raspberry aromas with a whiff dried herbs to boot; similar flavors with a toasty edge were evident in the mouth. Paul, however, was more inclined toward the newly released 2007 Raptor Red, a blend of Tannat (31%), Merlot (30%), Petit Verdot (20%) and Cabernet Franc (19%). Darker fruit elements abounded here with a smoky/earthy nose. I concurred that this blend offered a bolder, more complex wine; from the 2007 vintage, it will only improve with time.
So with lasagna on the way, we settled on a glass of our favorite red wines; I enjoyed a glass of the 2006 Scarlet Oak Red, and Paul sipped the 2007 Raptor Red. As we sipped and nibbled, we met cellar master Brooke Walter who hinted at exciting possibilities for the upcoming releases. She was particularly enthusiastic about the possible release of a stand-alone Malbec. Brooke also assured us that new owners Randy and Meagan Morgan were commited to maintaining the strong winemaking tradition at Naked Mountain Vineyards. Needless to say, we promised to return in the near future to sample new releases at Naked Mountain Vineyards and Winery.
We should also mention that the sausage lasagna is amazing at Naked Mountain, so plan to enjoy a lasagna lunch with a glass of wine at Naked Moutain Vineyards and Winery. Please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.
On Sunday we attended the annual Cabernet and Chocolates event at Gray Ghost Vineyards. We always have a great time enjoying chocolates and all the red wines. We got to see some of our favorite wine friends. We also got to taste the new 2010 Riesling! It was delicious! Here are some pictures from the event.
Paul and I were invited to a tasting of sparkling wines which was held at Keswick Vineyards. Stephan Barnard and his wife Kat hosted the event, but the logistics (including the procurement of sparkling wines) were superbly handled by Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like and the Dynamic Duo who write Swirl Sip Snark. A number of palates were on hand to lend their opinions on which sparkling bubbled most brightly, and these included: Swirl Sip Snark, John Witherspoon of the Wine Cellar Wine Shop, John & Jean Haggarty of Haggarty On Wine, Stephen Barnard, winemaker at Keswick Vineyards, Joel Timmons of Virginia Wine Snob, Richard Leahy of Richard Leahy’s Wine Report, Frank Morgan of Drink What You Like, and Rick Collier & Nancy Bauer of Virginia Wine in Your Pocket.
So twelve sparklings were poured for our critical judgments, and all but two were from Virginia. The tasting was done blind. How did Virginia fare? Quite well. In fact, the two non-Virginia sparklings did not show well at all with the offering from France scoring at the bottom. The other, a bubbly bearing the Barefoot label, ranked #6. Without further ado, here are the rankings based on the panel’s decision:
1. Thibaut-Janisson FIZZ, $21
2. Prince Michel Sparkling Wine, $30
3. Afton Mountain Vineyards Tete’ de Cuvee, $30
4. Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc, $24 (tie)
4. Veritas Scintilla, $30 (tie)
6. Barefoot Brut Cuvee, $9.99
7. Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay, $30
8. King Family Brut, $30
9. Barboursville Brut, $18.99
10. Potomac Point Sparkling Wine, $0 (received as tasting sample)
11. Ingleside Vineyards Virginia Brut, $20
12. Chateau Gaillard Cuvee Charlette Voyant Touraine, $19
After tasting the wonderful sparkling we were able to taste several viogniers. We had three from Virginia and two from California. Stephen even shared a 2009 Viognier from the Keswick Signature series. We spent some time socializing and enjoying the wines. It was great getting to spend time with and getting to know our fellow Virginia wine writers. We would like to send out a huge Thank You to Frank Morgan, the folks at Swirl Sip Snark, Stephen Barnard and his wife Kat, and the Inn on Poplar Hill for providing the flutes. We appreciate all the help that went into creating a wonderful tasting afternoon!
Here are some pictures from the afternoon.
Please plan to sample these bubbling beauties at the Virginia wineries that produce them, and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.
We had a weekend full of wine and friends in the Charlottesville area. On Saturday we visited Pollak Vineyards and King Family Vineyards. In the afternoon we met many other Virginia wine bloggers and others for a very special sparkling tasting hosted at Keswick Vineyards. The attendees were:
Swirl Sip Snark
John Witherspoon, Wine Cellar Wine Shop
John & Jean Haggarty, Haggarty On Wine
Stephen Barnard, Keswick Vineyards
Joel Timmons, Virginia Wine Snob
Richard Leahy, Richard Leahy’s Wine Report
Frank Morgan, Drink What You Like
Rick Collier & Nancy Bauer, Virginia Wine in Your Pocket
On our way home on Sunday we went to Blenheim Vineyards and had a great visit with Kirsty Harmon. We then stopped at Barboursville to check out some new wines. In the days and weeks to come we’ll be posting about all these weekend events. Stay tuned!
Tonight is the LIVE tasting of Loudoun County wines. Follow us on Twitter to see what we think of the wines of Loudoun County!
On Sunday we went to the Holiday Wine Mall at the Dulles Expo Center. It was a great opportunity to taste many Virginia wines and pick up some gifts for all the special people on our holiday shopping list. We took the opportunity to taste wines from some of our favorite wineries, taste wines from a few new wineries, and of course chat about Virginia wine.
We tasted the wines offered by the newest additions Kilaurwen and Annefield Vineyards. Have you heard of either of these?
Kilaurwen is so new they don’t have a tasting room open yet. They plan to be open in April 2011. They are located in Stanardsville Virginia. Until the tasting room is open they will be pouring and selling their wines at festivals. We were able to taste their Rose, Fiesta White, Cabernet Franc, and their Fiesta Red. Of these I enjoyed the Cabernet franc with its raspberry and blackberry notes and hint of pepper. When Kilaurwen opens up next week, we’ll have to plan a trip to taste their wines again. They are working on creating a website so I don’t have a link to include.
Annefield Vineyards was the other newbie. Annefield is located in Saxe, Virginia. The tasting room is a renovated plantation house dating back to 1858. We had a great time chatting with owners Stephen Ballard and Michael Leary. They told us all about their property, vineyards, and tasting room all while we were tasting the wines. We had the chance to taste their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, the Annefield Red and the Annefield White. Michael Shaps is the winemaker for Annefield and has done an amazing job with these wines. I placed one gold star next to the Chardonnay which is light and crisp with hints of pear and lemon. I placed my other gold star next to the Cabernet Franc. I noted integrated tannins, spice, and pepper. I consider these the absolute stand out wines from the whole show. I only bought two bottles of wine from the event….the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Franc from Annefield Vineyards. If you get the chance to taste their wines, you simply must. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
On Saturday we went to the Gray Ghost Holiday Open house. They hold this event annually and we try not to miss it. Each year they have a different holiday glass design. This year its train. Turns out, Al Kellert also made a train out of corks for the yearly cork contest.You have to guess how many corks it took to create the train. Warren and I guess every year but never win. We aren’t the best at guesstimation. At this time of the year the tank room is decorated for the holidays showing all the previous creations for the cork contest.
During the event we enjoyed some wonderful foods and all the delicious wines offered at Gray Ghost. I noticed the Victorian Red had changed slightly since the last time I tasted it. This time it had some big cranberry notes on the nose and in the mouth. It was a surprising change that I thoroughly enjoyed. Warren decided his favorite of the day was the Reserve Chardonnay. He has always been a big fan of the Reserve Chardonnay.
Here are some pictures from the Holiday Open House at Gray Ghost:
Today we went to Richmond to attend the First Lady of Virginia’s luncheon. We were recognized by her FLITE program for our contribution to promote the Virginia wine industry. It was a very elegant affair. Governor McDonnell spoke and introduced former Governor Douglas Wilder. He gave a very inspiring speech about helping others. We were presented with a certificate by Maureen McDonnell herself. We are very honored to be included with so many Virginians working hard for the state of Virginia. Here are a few photos from the event.
You won’t see any Virginia wine at a luncheon. 🙂
Hard to see but the fist lady is speaking in this picture.
