Category: Winery

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

/ Paul / Leave a comment

The weather was so beautiful on Saturday we decided to take a drive out to Glen Manor Vineyards to check out the current line up of wines on the tasting menu. We also decided to bring some lunch to enjoy as well.

We started our visit with a tasting at the tasting bar. We tasted three whites (one was a rosé) and three reds. All of the wines were well made and it was difficult to pick favorites! We did enjoy the 2023 Morales Rosé. We enjoyed the freshness and bright fruit. This one is perfect for summer meals.

We were excited to see the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon on the menu! This is the first 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that Glen Manor has produced. It spent 10 months in mostly neutral barrels. It’s a nice summer red that would pair nicely with grilled meats. What a treat! We put this one on our list to bring home.

After our tasting we took the advice of our tasting associate and had our lunch on the crush pad. There was a cool breeze, very few bugs, and a gorgeous view. We selected the 2023 Morales Rosé to pair with our lunch items. The weather was as beautiful as the view and the rosé was refreshing. While enjoying our lunch and wine we made a list of the wines we planned to bring home.

Before leaving we picked up half a case of wine. We always enjoy our time at Glen Manor. If you haven’t been lately, plan a trip to Glen Manor soon! And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Gray Ghost Vineyards Celebrates 30 Years

/ Warren and Paul / Leave a comment

Gray Ghost Vineyards opened on July 9, 1994. The only wine they had to pour on that first day was Vidal Blanc. They have been producing award winning wines ever since.

Gray Ghost Vineyards celebrated its 30th anniversary on Saturday and Paul and I were 
privileged to be the honored guests of the day. I delivered a short speech during the opening reception of this memorable occasion. You can read the speech here. During the opening reception Al Kellert, Amy Payette and Donna Comer from the Rappahannock Board of Supervisors spoke.

After the opening reception guests were treated to a taste of the 2023 Vidal Blanc. This wine was chosen because it was the first wine they poured when they opened 30 years ago. Its tropical notes hit all the right marks on a very warm afternoon. It was a delicious way to begin celebrating Gray Ghost.

As part of the special day, guests could taste the current line up of wines including the new 2022 Ranger Reserve. Guests could also enjoy a library tasting of the 2005 Merlot, the 2013 Petit Verdot, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 1998 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Paul really enjoyed the 2005 Merlot and the 1998 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.

Guests were also treated to a sneak peek tasting of the 2021 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Al Kellert personally poured the wine and discussed it’s evolution. What a treat! There was live music and “Talk of the Mountain”, a favorite food truck noted for its fabulous crab cakes, was also at the event to offer its famous seafood menu. I enjoyed a crab cake with a glass of the 2021 Reserve Chardonnay. Paul had the Reserve Chardonnay with chicken nuggets. Yes, chicken nuggets.

We were truly honored to be part of this unforgettable celebration at Gray Ghost Vineyards. As we look forward to the winery’s continued success in producing its award-winning wines, we encourage you to plan a visit to Gray Ghost Vineyards to sample its current releases. When you do, don’t forget to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Back on the Trail

/ Paul / Leave a comment

June was a very busy month for Warren and I. Between the two of us we traveled to 5 different states for family vacations, family reunions and a special trip for a baptism for Warren’s god child. Things have calmed down for us so this past Sunday we decided to get back on the wine trail and visit a couple of Virginia wineries.

We started at Delaplane Cellars. Warren is a club member there and it was time to pick up club wines and taste the latest offerings. We started with a seated tasting of the chardonnay reserve, rosé, Duet and the Piedmont Station. While we enjoyed all the wines, the 2022 Duet was our favorite. The merlot dominate blend presented wonderful berry flavors, violet, fall spice and a juicy mid palate. We know we’ll enjoy this one during cooler months.

After our tasting we decided to share a bottle of the stainless chardonnay with a warm baguette and olive oil for dipping. Perfect pairing for a warm day. Before leaving we picked up our club wines and a few other favorites.

Our second stop of the day was Slater Run Vineyards. We hadn’t visited Slater Run for a few years so it was time to return to see what wines they had to offer. We made a reservation for a bar tasting and our tasting associate, Kathy, treated us to almost the full menu of wines.

It was really difficult to pick out favorites since all the wines were well made and offered flavors for almost any palate. I took a liking to the 2022 Steel Chardonnay and Warren really enjoyed the 2022 Chardonnay reserve. The heat of the day may have had something to do with our choices. The reds were also very strong and reminded us of (again) cooler months ahead and what we might pair with each wine. Decisions, decisions!

After our tasting we enjoyed a glass each of the 2022 Steel Chardonnay with a baguette, brie cheese and some of their chutney. While enjoying our nibbles we discussed what wines to bring home and decided to join the Wine Club! We used to be club members but let our membership lapse. But we are back on the Wine Club list and came home with a case of wine!

We had a great day enjoying wines and getting back on the wine trail. We plan to keep up with our winery visits in the months to come. If you haven’t been to Delaplane Cellars or Slater Run Vineyards lately, plan a trip and when you do visit tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Pride In The Vines Returns

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The Loudoun Wineries and Winegrowers Association (LWWA) is hosting their second year of Pride in Vines. Pride in the Vines takes place from June 1st to June 30, 2024. You can pick up your Pride in the Vines Wine Trail Passport at any of the participating wineries. More wineries have joined the fun this year. When you visit one of the wineries on the Pride in the Vines Wine Trail you can collect your stamp showing you visited that winery. When you get 10 stamps on your Passport you will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. Prizes include private wine tastings, bottles of wine, gear, tickets to events, and tours of the vineyards and wineries.

We started our Passport stamp collecting last weekend. We met a friend at Two Twisted Posts Winery for some wine tasting. During our tasting the tasting associate handed us our Passports for this year with the TTPW stamp already applied. After our tasting we shared a bottle of their Viognier with some nibbles on their covered patio. They had lots of Pride flags decorating the patio. It was very festive.

The wineries that are participating this year are:

50 West Winery and Vineyard
8 Chains North
868 Estate Vineyards
Bleu Frog Vineyards
Bozzo Family Vineyards
Carriage House Wineworks
Corcoran Vineyards and Cidery
Fabbioli Cellars
Farm de Vine
Forever Farm and Vineyard
Good Spirit Farm Winery
Hillsborough Winery
October One Vineyard
Otium Cellars
Sunset Hills Vineyard
Terra Nebulo Vineyards
Two Twisted Posts Winery
Walsh Family Wine
Williams Gap Vineyard
The Wine Reserve at Waterford
Zephaniah Farm Vineyard

The details and guidelines for the program are:

1. Must be 21 to enter.

2. Pick-up your passport at the first participating winery that you visit as of June 1, 2024.

3. Fill out your passport as soon as you pick it up. Your passport is to be used by you only. Please do not share passports.

4. Present the passport at each participating winery for one stamp per winery.

5. Turn your passport in at the winery where you get your 10th stamp.

6. The drawing will be held after the end of the month and you will be contacted at the information you provided on the passport.

Have you started collecting your stamps yet? When you do, mention Virginia Wine Time sent you!

An Afternoon at Cana

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On Saturday we met some friends at Cana Vineyards and Winery to taste some wine and enjoy the afternoon.

We selected to do the bar tasting outside in the Sunset Pavilion. We tasted through the current line up of wines and highlighted our favorites. The consensus was the 2021 Chardonnay was our favorite white wine. We were split between the 2019 Le Mariage and the 2020 Unité Reserve as our favorite red wines. Both were very good. Our friend Michael really enjoyed the slight sweetness of the 2022 Petit Manseng. He also enjoyed a taste of the 2022 Rhapsody in White. We had a chance to chat with Don, the tasting room manager. He let us know what was new at Cana and suggested we try a few more wines. He provided us a taste of the 2022 Albariño and the 2021 Norton. We all agreed the 2022 Albariño was our favorite of the extra pours.

After our bar tasting, we selected some food items to have for lunch and selected both the 2022 Rhapsody in White and the 2019 Le Mariage to enjoy with our lunch items. It was a fun afternoon of food, wine and friends. While finishing our lunch and wine Melanie Natoli, the winemaker came by and chatted with us about her wines and what she’s working on. It was nice to chat about Virginia wine with her. She is the first and only woman (so far) to wine the Virginia Governor’s Cup with the 2019 Unité Reserve.

Before leaving we bought some of our favorite wines and said our goodbyes. We had a wonderful afternoon at Cana and suggest you plan a trip to Cana soon! And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Wonderful Wine Weekend

/ Paul / Leave a comment

We had an amazing weekend filled with wineries, winemakers, wine and friends.

We started out in Harrisonburg on Friday visiting Lee Hartman of Bluestone Vineyard. He showed us around Rootstock Wine Bar which is his new wine bar opening up on Friday of this week! We then went to his house and enjoyed learning how to saber sparking wines, tasting some of his latest wines and enjoying a charcuterie spread created by his wife. What a fun evening!

On Saturday we visited Glen Manor Vineyards for their Winter member Event to taste a pre-release of Jeff White’s 2020 Nebbiolo as well as a barrel sample of his 2023 Nebbiolo. We finished the tasting with a taste of his 2020 Petit Manseng. All the wines were very nice! We made sure to buy a few wines before leaving.

On Sunday we went to Linden Vineyards for their Pre-release of 2020 wines tasting and barrel tasting of the 2023 reds. My favorite was Shari’s 2023 merlot barrel sample. I know it will all go into blends but I think it would make a great stand alone wine. The pre-release wines we tasted were the 2020 Avenius Red and the 2020 Hardscrabble Red. Jim told us about the growing season and how the wines were developed and blended. We always learn things while listening to Jim. We had a great time with friends at this tasting.

Our final stop of the weekend was Capstone Vineyards. I had a club pick up and we decided to chat with Theo and do a tasting. Theo surprised us with a taste of the 2015 Merlot! He only had two bottles left and opened one for us to taste! It was amazing! I tried to get him to sell me the last bottle but he wouldn’t. We also met some new wine friends while tasting at Capstone. Richard and Heather were fun to chat with and share our experiences with Virginia wines. It’s always fun to catch up with Theo while tasting.

What a wonderful wine weekend!