Category: Wines

Happy Pride Month!

/ Warren / 3 Comments

Readers know that Virginia Wine Time is the work of a gay couple, and it has been distressing for Paul and me to watch the LGBTQ+ community become fodder in the culture war currently plaguing the country. Pride Month seems more necessary than ever now, and we applaud Virginia wineries that have decided to honor it.

Please read Matthew Fitzsimmons’ recent well-written article on Pride Month featured in this month’s Town Crier. Also, know that certain Loudoun County wineries will be honoring Pride Month through the Pride in the Vines passport program. We plan to visit some of these wineries this month, starting with Williams’ Gap winery next weekend. Other wineries include:

8 Chains North Winery
868 Estate Vineyards
Bleu Frog Vineyards
Bozzo Family Vineyard
Carriage House Wineworks
Fabbioli Cellars
Forever Farm & Vineyard
Good Spirit Farm
Hillsborough Winery
October One Tasting Room
Two Twisted Posts Winery
Walsh Family Wine
Wine Reserve at Waterford
Zephaniah Farm Vineyard

Plan to visit some of these wineries and others that honor Pride Month, and when you do tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Dinner Wine

/ Paul / Leave a comment

On Friday evening we decided to enjoy filet mignon with a mushroom sauce and sautéed potatoes. As usual, Warren was the chef and everything was delicious. Our wine of choice was the 2012 Hardscrabble from Linden Vineyards.

The wine paired nicely with the filets. We noted dark seed berries, cedar, spice, a whiff of dried herbs and a hint of sandalwood. We thought it was a wonderfully smooth and elegant wine. It’s always fun to pull an older bottle wine from the rack to see how it’s progressing in the bottle. We think the 2012 could last a few more years on the rack. If you have it, consider enjoying it now or holding on to it for another few years.

If you haven’t been to Linden Vineyards lately, plan a trip soon. And when you do visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Weekend Wineries

/ Paul / Leave a comment

On a recent Saturday we went to Walsh Family Wine to check out the latest wines and enjoy the nice weather.

Warren chose the red wine flight and I chose the white wine flight. We shared our tastes.

My tasting consisted of:

2021 Bethany Ridge Sauvignon Blanc
2020 North Gate Estate Petit Manseng
2020 North Gate Estate Chardonnay
2020 Viognier

Warren’s tasting consisted of:

2015 North Gate Merlot
2020 Bethany Ridge Cabernet Franc
2019 Russ Mountain Merlot
2020 Bethany Ridge Tannat

While we enjoyed all the wines on the tasting, we did have some favorites. We both selected the 2020 North Gate Estate Chardonnay from the white wine tasting. We both noted the apple flavors, the round mouth feel and the long length. We were split on the reds. I enjoyed the 2015 North Gate Estate Merlot and Warren enjoyed the 2020 Bethany Ridge Cabernet Franc. We thought they were both versatile and ready to enjoy now. We also noted the 2020 Bethany Ridge Tannat was age worthy and could stand some time on your wine rack.

After our tasting we enjoyed a bottle of the 2020 North Gate Estate Chardonnay with a delicious bread and cheese board. All the cheeses paired nicely with the Chardonnay. Before leaving we purchased half a case of our favorites.

After our time at Walsh Family Wine, we decided to check out a new winery, Good Spirit Farm. They have only been opened about a month. Most of their plantings are relatively new and have not produced grapes to make wine with yet. Nate Walsh will be the winemaker in the near future. As more grapes are ready for winemaking, more wines will be produced.

Once again I selected to try the white wine flight and Warren selected the red wine flight. Each flight has a mix of Good Spirit Farm wines and other wines from different regions.

My tasting consisted of:

2021 Pazo Señorans Albariño
2020 Melanie Pfister Paar Pinot Blanc
2020 Good Spirit Farm Chardonnay
2021 Good Spirit Farm Rosé

Warren’s tasting consisted of:

2020 Good Spirit Farm Red Blend
2020 Lapostolle Grand Selection Merlot
2018 El Enemigo Malbec
2020 Good Spirit Farm Petit Verdot

After our tasting we shared a glass of the 2020 Good Spirit Farm Chardonnay. We had a chance to meet and chat with the owner Mike Gutermuths. His son also works in the tasting room. Before leaving we bought a few bottles to bring home. We plan to return in the future when they have more of their own wines to share. If you haven’t been to Walsh Family Wine or Good Spirit Farm, plan a trip soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Dinner Wine

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Last Friday Warren spent a good part of the day making osso bucco in the slow cooker. The smells of veal shanks, tomato, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary filled the kitchen all day.

What wine did Warren select to pair with his amazing osso bucco? He selected the 2016 Nebbiolo from Breaux Vineyards! It was an excellent pairing. We decanted this wine for a couple of hours before we enjoyed it with our meal. We noted dark seed berries…dark raspberry, dark blackberry, a hint of clover and oak nuances. It is our opinion that you can still hold this on your rack if you have it. We could see keeping this for a few more years.

We recall the 2016 season to be typical for Virginia. Do any of our readers recall any details about the 2016 growing season in Virginia? Please share your thoughts in the comments. If you haven’t been to Breaux Vineyards lately, plan a visit soon. And when you do visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Dinner Wine

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Lately we’ve been returning to favorite wineries and tasting wines from our library and pairing them with delicious meals.

Warren spent this past rainy Saturday in the kitchen creating a mushroom demi-glace to serve atop a roasted veal chop partnered with roasted potatoes and roasted green beans tossed with blanched sweet peppers.

The next step was selecting a wine to appropriately pair with this delicious meal. Warren spent time perusing the wine rack for the perfect wine. He selected the 2016 Octagon from Barboursville Vineyards.

Once the wine was aerated into our glasses and a taste was had we noted blackberry, dark current, tobacco and a lengthy finish. There was also a bit of a “chew” on the palate. It paired beautifully with the veal chop and mushroom demi-glace.

We need to plan a trip to Barboursville soon. We only have one other Octagon on our wine rack. If you haven’t been to Barboursville recently, you need to plan a trip as well. And when you visit them, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Winter Tasting at Linden

/ Paul / 2 Comments

On a recent Saturday we made reservations for a tasting at Linden Vineyards. We hadn’t visited Linden since December so it was time to return and see what was on the Winter Tasting menu.

It’s always fun to walk in the tasting room and see familiar faces. Emma was full of hellos and hugs. Our tasting associate however was new to us. I believe her name was Becky. She gave us the Winter Tasting menu and poured our first taste. It was the 2018 Village Chardonnay. After the Village (which was very good by the way) the tasting continued with comparative tastings of the following:

2019 Avenues Chardonnay
2019 Hardscrabble Chardonnay

2014 Petit Verdot
2019 Petit Verdot

2017 Hardscrabble Red
2019 Hardscrabble Red

If you’ve been to Linden before you know that all Jim’s wines are very well crafted and you won’t find one you won’t enjoy. We thought the choices for the comparative tastings were perfect. We enjoyed them all.

What did we select to pair with our lunch items? After looking over the full list of wines available, we decided to have the 2014 Boisseau Chardonnay. We brought sliced ham and turkey, hard cheeses, crackers and almonds for lunch. The 2014 Boisseau Chardonnay paired nicely with our lunch items. While finishing up the last glass, Jim came over and joined us for some wine conversation. It’s always fun to catch up with Jim while we are enjoying his wines.

Before leaving we bought some of our favorites and said our goodbyes. If you haven’t been to Linden lately it’s too late to enjoy the Winter Tasting. However, Jim informed us the Spring Tasting would begin the next weekend. We’ll have to return to enjoy the Spring Tasting. Plan a trip to Linden soon to enjoy the Spring Tasting and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Return to Paradise Springs

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Warren’s nephew was in town last weekend so we decided to take him to a local winery to taste some Virginia wine. We took him to Paradise Springs on Saturday. We hadn’t been there for a few years so it was time to return.

When we arrived the place was packed. Paradise Springs has become quite a popular attraction. We even had a tough time finding a parking space. Once inside though, it was a familiar space. We opted for the Winemaker’s Flight which was a mix of white wines and red wines and the Gold Medal Flight which consisted of gold medal winning red wines.

We settled in on the covered patio and enjoyed our tastings. The favorite from the Winemaker’s Flight was the 2021 Nana’s Rosé. We noted watermelon, strawberry and a hint of cranberry. The favorite of the Gold Medal flight was the 2021 Cabernet Franc. We enjoyed the cherry notes and the smooth tannins.

After our tasting we selected the 2021 Nana’s Rosé to enjoy with our lunch items. The weather was perfect for enjoying our lunch and wine on the covered patio. Plus, they had live music on the patio as well! Before leaving we purchased some of our favorite wines to bring home. We will be sure to return sooner next time. If you haven’t been to Paradise Springs lately, plan a trip soon. And tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Happy New Year!

/ Paul / Leave a comment

We are back after a short holiday break. It’s a new year and time for some new wine adventures. On Saturday, we started the new year by returning to the last winery we posted about in 2022, Delaplane Cellars.

We elected to do a regular tasting which consisted of the 2021 Rosé, the 2021 Viognier, the 2020 Adjacency and the 2020 Piedmont Station. We enjoyed all the wines and think they are very well made. We particularly enjoyed the 2020 Adjacency. We noted cranberry and currents and the smooth ending…just like we had back in December.

After our tasting, Matt brought us a taste of the 2020 Quorum. We were not familiar with this wine. Matt explained this wine came from a special blending session for club members (and some members of the public) and is only available to those who attended the blending session. He also explained the wine is mostly cab franc and merlot but the winemaker is the only one who knows the final blend. We thought the blend was beautiful! We are club members at Delaplane but haven’t taken full advantage of the events available to members. We’ll need to keep an eye out for the next blending event. A big thank you to Matt for sharing the 2020 Quorum with us. We enjoyed it!

After our special taste, we ordered the Virginia Sampler and enjoyed it with a bottle of the 2020 Adjacency. We checked out the views while nibbling on the sampler and sipping the wine. It was a beautiful afternoon. We didn’t have any wines to pick up during this visit so we said our goodbyes and told Matt we’d be back in the near future. If you haven’t been to Delaplane Cellars lately, plan a visit soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Visiting Wineries with Friends

/ Paul / Leave a comment

Recently we met our friends Steve and Joe at Delaplane Cellars for a wine club pick up event. As I have mentioned before, there are benefits to being club members.

We began our visit with a tasting of their current lineup of wines. We tasted the Rosé, the Viognier, the Adjacency and the Piedmont Station. As part of the club event they served food to pair with the wines. We found the Viognier paired nicely with the chicken meatball. We thought the Adjacency went well with eh beef meatball. Finally we enjoyed the Piedmont Station with the harvest salad. And of course the Rosé was a nice way to begin the tasting. We enjoyed all the wines and the food pairings!

After our tasting we decided to share a bottle of the 2020 Adjacency while enjoying the views. This red blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. We noted cranberry and currants, and enjoyed the smooth ending. We thought this wine would pair nicely with pasta with red sauce, pizza, and almost any light meal.

Before leaving we picked up our club wines and a few others to take home.

After our visit to Delaplane Cellars, we decided to go to Arterra to taste their current lineup of wines.

We opted to sit outside since it was a nice afternoon. The views were beautiful. I selected the self guided tasting that consisted of their Chenin Blanc, Dry Rose, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and their red blend Crooked Run.

We ordered some snacks to enjoy with our tasting. I enjoyed light, bright notes of the 2021 Chenin Blanc. I also really enjoyed the 2020 Petit Verdot. I noted bright fruit, fresh note, and the round mouth feel.

We all agreed the wines were well made and we’d have to take some home. Before leaving we bought some of our favorites. If you haven’t been to Delaplane Cellars or Arterra Wines plan a trip soon. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!