Tag: Glen Manor Vineyards

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!

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!

Virginia Wines of Summer 2023

/ Warren / Leave a comment

The end of summer is upon us now, and it finishes with quite a bang as the area finally gets its own dose of excessive heat. Paul and I visited a few wineries instead of a real vacation, and I recap some of our favorite wines of the 2023 summer.

Glen Manor always tops our list of wineries to visit, and I was particularly interested in sampling its 2022 Vin Blanc, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Petit Manseng. Its fruity aromas and bright, fresh palate paired well with a warm summer day and dragonflies that flitted about outside. The Sauvignon Blanc consistently earns my top marks, and the 2022 vintage was no exception. This vintage presented tropical fruit notes and seemed destined to be enjoyed with shellfish. We frequently attend concerts at Wolf Trap and, several days later, brought along a bottle of Glen Manor’s 2022 Morales Rose to sip as the sultry vocals of pianist Diana Krall serenaded us.

Another day, we completed a club member pick-up at Delaplane Cellars; of course, we tasted the current releases offered at the winery. The non-oaked 2022 Chardonnay offered a light touch on the palate with pear and citrus flavors. It was perfect with light cheeses that we brought along for the afternoon tasting. The 2020 reds in Virginia seem fruity and accessible, and this was the case for the 2020 Rusticity. Buy this one now to enjoy with grilled fare and an al fresco dinner.

Finally, Paul and I journeyed to Capstone Vineyards, and we restocked on its sparkling wine and the 2022 C2 blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. We also purchased a bottle of the 2022 Vintner’s Blend, a wine that unleashes a pleasant fruity, berry assault in the mouth—-buy to enjoy now or savor in the fall. However, with the Capstone Sparkling Wine, we officially said our goodbyes to summer on Labor Day, and I made one final toast to my retirement, which formally began on July 1 of this year. Our last clink of the flutes signaled a new beginning for me!

What were some of your favorite Virginia wines this summer? Let us know. Plan a visit to the wineries mentioned here; of course, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Happy New Year!

/ Warren / Leave a comment

We have not posted in a while, but rest assured that while we have not really been on the Virginia wine trails, we have indeed been enjoying Virginia wines. We always host a NYE party for friends to ring in the new year with lots of food and wine; however, that was not the case this year for obvious reasons. Paul and I did, though, include Virginia wines in this year’s low key event. We paired Blenheim’s 2019 Gruner Veltliner with Asian slaw and mini crab cakes, and we partnered Beef Vidala (filet mignon topped with crab meat) with Glen Manor’s 2015 Hodder Hill. Our wine racks, though, lacked Virginia bubbles; however, Schramsberg bubbly helped to ring in 2021.

We are hopeful that Virginia Wine Time will be posting more often this year. In the meantime, let us know of new wineries to visit—-we are making a list and checking it twice! Do you plan to visit the wineries mentioned in this post? Please mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Cellar Tasting at Glen Manor

/ Paul / 2 Comments

On Saturday we headed out to Front Royal, Virginia to visit Glen Manor Vineyards. We were attending the December 2018 Cellar Tasting. We always enjoy tasting wines from the barrel to see how they are developing.

We started with the 2018 Dry Petit Manseng. It’s 100% petit manseng. Being so fresh in the barrel it’s obvious that it needs more time. However, we did note a nice level of acidity. We know when its released it will be a nice dry version of petit manseng.

The second wine was the 2017 St. Ruth. It’s a blend of 43% merlot, 35% cabernet franc and 22% petit verdot. The blend for 2017 is a bit different then it is for the current release, 2014. There is less merlot and more petit verdot. We think the blend is perfect and would easily enjoy a glass right now. But we’ll wait until it is released in the future.

The final wine we tasted from the barrel was the 2017 Hodder Hill. The 2017 Hodder Hill is a blend of 63% cabernet sauvignon, 21% merlot and 16% petit verdot. This may not even be the final blend. They will go through more blending trials to get to the final blend. The Hodder Hill has always been one of our favorites and this blend doesn’t disappoint. We know it will be a few years before it will be ready to enjoy but we’ll wait patiently knowing it will be worth the wait.

After the barrel tastings we went upstairs to the tasting room and tasted the other wines on the tasting menu. We then decided to enjoy a glass of the 2015 Cabernet Franc before leaving. We also bought several of our favorite wines. The next time you visit Glen Manor Vineyards, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Glen Manor Vineyards

/ Paul / Leave a comment

It was gloomy and rainy on Saturday.  We decided to head to Glen Manor Vineyards to brighten our day. We didn’t want to miss the Sauvignon Blanc this year.

Luckily when we stepped up to the tasting bar, the Sauvignon Blanc was still on the menu. We tasted the 2015 Sauvignon Blanc first. We noted citrus and fresh herbs. However the 2016 was available for case club members. We decided to have a half bottle of the 2016 and a glass of the 2015 to do a little comparison. After our tasting we enjoyed both with our lunch items. While the 2015 was lovely, we decided we preferred the 2016 with food. We noted citrus, a weightier mouth feel and a whiff of stone fruit. It paired well with our Gruyere and Manchego cheeses.

Of course the Sauvignon Blancs were not the only wines we tasted. We were surprised by the 2014 Cabernet Franc. It’s 100% Cabernet Franc. We noted dark fruit through the palate with a medium tannin structure. It would compliment a lean cut of beef. Drink now or let it rest on the rack awhile.

If you are looking for a pizza, pasta, burger wine you can’t go wrong with the 2014 Vin Rouge. This is always one of our favorites. Grab this off the rack to go with pretty much any during the week meal.

And we are heading into warmer weather. You can’t forget the 2015 Morales Rose. Rose goes with everything! Ripe berry flavors dominate this rose. If you haven’t been to Glen Manor recently, it’s time to return. Even though it was a rainy day for us, there are sunny days ahead. Plan a visit to Glen Manor soon and when you do visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

The Ahhhhhh Experience

/ Warren and Paul / Leave a comment

This is the only way to describe our Saturday afternoon at Glen Manor Vineyards. We both had a hectic week and looked forward to a relaxing getaway even if only for the afternoon. We decided to head out to Glen Manor Vineyards with a picnic in tow; we did not regret the decision.

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Our picnic required the perfect wine; of course, we had to taste them all to find out which one would partner with lunch. Our decision came down to two of them: the crisp 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and the dry 2013 Morales Rose. The 2013 Sauvignon Blanc continues the tradition of excellent results with the Sauvignon Blanc grape at Glen Manor Vineyards. It presented grassy notes with flavors of citrus and a crisp finish. Perfect for the afternoon that we had planned, and even better with shellfish. The 2013 Morales Rose is a blend of red grapes that include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. This rose is done in the Provence style—dry with lots of strawberry and melon flavors with a crisp finish. It screams summer yet is versatile enough to consider with a fall or holiday menu.

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So what was our decision? It was a close call, but we nabbed a bottle of the 2013 Morales Rose to enjoy with a variety of deli meats, cheeses, and crackers. We found a perfect shady spot beneath a canvass canopy, and the Adirondack chairs allowed us the comfort to sip and nibble as we enjoyed the gorgeous view that encompassed mountain slopes, vineyards, and grassy knolls from which birds and butterlies fluttered about. We decided to linger for as long as possible; if we had brought pillows and blankets, we might have taken naps! It was truly an Ahhhhh experience of excellent wine, delicious snacks, and relaxing landscapes.

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Consider your own Ahhhh moment at Glen Manor Vineyards. Remember to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you. Press play to see the video.