Archive for March, 2010
Varietal: Rioja
Region: Spain
Cost: $21
Dark color with aromas of crushed red berries, anise, and sandalwood. Fruit, nut, and spice flavors in the mouth will pair well with meats, Mediterranean food, savory pasta dishes, and world class cheeses.
Recommendations: I have a confession to make, a mea culpa if you will. I was a bad wine writer and drank a bottle of this several months before and dropped the ball by not writing about it. That’s why I was so thrilled when the International Wine of the Month Club sent me a bottle to try out. Redemption, thy name is wine.
I’ve always been a fan of dark wines, and the Vina Zaco Rioja is certainly that. Crushed fruit on the nose lead into great flavors of dark fruit and spice that paired well with a dinner of slow cooked beef roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions in au jus.
As far as versatile wines go, this is certainly one to keep in mind. It pairs well with a lot of different foods or is great just on its own. It’s at a good price point (and I’ve often seen it on sale at stores), and even received a 90 point rating from Wine Spectator for those that put stock in those things. The only problem you’ll have with this wine is deciding whether to enjoy it with food or by itself. If only all decisions in life were so hard.
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (50% Malbec; 20% Cabernet Franc; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Petit Verdot; 5% Merlot)
Region: Argentina
Cost: $13
Deep purple in color with a hint of smoke and tobacco on the nose at first that quickly dissipates. Dark cherry flavor with a slight tannic finish that will pair well with red meat, pastas, and BBQ.
Recommendations: Stop reading this review and go buy this wine right now. I’ll wait. You’re back? Good. I picked up this wine at one of my local wine shops after an evening tasting and Tuesday night was my chance to finally open it. I shouldn’t have waited so long.
Deep purple in the glass with a hint of smoke and tobacco on the nose at first that fades after a bit of swirl and turns into crushed fruit aromas from the Malbec. Dark cherry flavors that just barely hit you in the back of the jaw with just the right amount of tannins before moving into a smooth finish. You’d never believe that this wine has 14% alcohol/volume. Read the rest of this entry »
So I’ve stolen the memory card from the digital camera (and by digital camera I mean my wife) and wanted to share a few pictures of my time in Virginia Wine Country this past weekend.
On the road to Keswick Vineyards
On our way to Keswick Vineyards, April snapped a picture out the side of our car.
Kluge Estate and Winery Tasting Selection
Kluge Estate and Winery allows you to set up wherever you want and brings your tasting selection to you in these handy plastic flutes. It was beautiful outside so we found a table and enjoyed the weather and their tasting selection. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, day one of mine and my wife’s weekend in Virginia Wine Country was enjoyable to say the least. We tasted lots of wine, purchased several bottles to bring home with us, and had dinner in Downtown Charlottesville at Siips Wine Bar – which I highly recommend to any visitors.
Our second day of tasting began when we arrived King Family Vineyards. A beautiful estate that is almost hidden (GPS makes it easy to find) off several small roads, we spent some time tasting their wines – the Roseland 2008, a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier offers the best of both wines, and their Crose 2009, a Provence style dry Rose’ made from Merlot grapes, were both especially enjoyable – and looking around the small shop within their tasting room. While this was April and my first stop, this would have been an ideal spot to stop for lunch, as King Family Vineyards has several items available for purchase that, when paired with wine, would make an excellent picnic lunch.
Our second stop on the day was Pollak Vineyards, with their new tasting room with a patio perfect for relaxing with a bottle of wine. A dry Rose’ stood out amongst the lighter wines, but their 2008 Durant Red, a 50/50 blend of their Merlot and Cabernet Franc, made me regret not getting to taste their Merlot (they were sold out) as the flavors I got that weren’t Cab Franc were quite enjoyable, with a bright flavor that still showed a bit of earthiness at the same time.
After relaxing for a bit, you have to pace yourself when wine tasting after all, April and I got back into the car and headed on to our next stop, Veritas Vineyards. Now, this was not my first trip to Veritas, as April’s brother (that’s my brother-in-law for those following along) had been married there coming up on 3 years ago.
However, on my last trip we weren’t wine tasting, and so I hadn’t had the opportunity to sample all of their wines. Veritas offers both a red and a white tasting, and being the good couple that April and I are, we decided to get both and share them. Ain’t love grand?
From the white tasting several wines stand out. The first thing we sampled was their Scintilla, a sparkling brut that was excellent, with a mineral flavor that was both dry and crisp and quite refreshing. Next up was their Sauvignon Blanc, a varietal that you don’t see much of in Virginia. Light and refreshing I liked it, but found myself craving the bolder flavors of South American Sauvignon Blanc. That said, this was still an excellent wine and one worth buying.
The other white to truly stand out was the 2008 “Estate Bottled” Chardonnay. The addition of some Viognier to this wine adds a floral nose and flavor that both April and I found very nice. We actually purchased a bottle of this to go home after having a bottle opened to enjoy with our lunch on the stunning grounds of Veritas.
From the reds, the 2008 Merlot was dry and earthy with flavors of black cherry and it was at this point that I think April officially became a fan of Virginia Merlot. The bottle that came home with us, however, was their 2008 Claret with it’s pepper nose (thanks to the 35% Cab Franc) and smooth finish (thanks to the 5% Petit Verdot). It’s a great wine for pasta, hamburgers, or just because.
Our final stop of the day was in part thanks to the suggestion of our pourer at King Family Vineyards. When asking about our day we told her what we had on our list and she suggested Afton Mountain Vineyards over our other choice (which I will not name) because of the wine selection and what she perceived to be our palates. It also helps that Afton Mountain is just down the road from Veritas, while the other place is not.
At Afton Mountains they also offer two different tastings (a House and a Reserve), and as at Veritas, April and I decided to get both and share. From the House Tasting, the Gewurztraminer was so impressive, with its dry, mineral flavors, that we actually bought a bottle of it to take home. The Cabernet Sauvignon from this tasting was also very nice with a good earthy flavor.
From the Reserve Tasting the Tete de Cuvee brut we started with had a nice mineral (which seemed to be a theme for the weekend) and their Festa di Bacco is nothing if not a great pasta wine.
Like all good things, this weekend came to an end. While this will not be my last trip to Virginia Wine Country, or several of these vineyards to be honest, I do hope that anybody that is in Virginia and reading this (and my previous post) that hasn’t gone out and spent some time in Virginia Wine Country will do so.
Thanks to all of the vineyards across both days for being your hospitality and your wine.
So this past weekend my wife and I decided to take a mini-vacation to get out of the house and spend a few days in Virginia wine country. A number of vineyards and a case and a half of wine later and we returned home to return to our 9-5 jobs. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the highlights of our trip.
Our first stop was Keswick Vineyards, and while I have nothing but good things to say about all of their wines, I do have to recommend their 2008 Consensus. Each year, Keswick brings in the members of their wine club and they spend a day mixing wine that was either left over, wasn’t what Keswick was looking for, or that they didn’t get enough yield from to have a single varietal.
After spending the day mixing and breaking for food, the members all come back and taste each of the wines that has been made, voting on the best one, which Keswick then releases as their Consensus. Because of that, each year the wine is different and this years blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Chambourcin (28%), and Petite Verdot (12%) is enough to make me want to join their wine club.
Dark cherry flavors mix well with a finish that is smooth thanks to the Petite Verdot, and yet gives you the hit in the back of the mouth that you would expect from a good Cabernet Sauvignon. A great wine worth picking up. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Syrah; Carginan; Grenache; Mourvedre)
Region: France
Cost: $41
Deep reddish brown in color and featuring aromas of plum, rose, violets and black fruits. Full-flavored dark fruit on the palate that pairs well with beef, lamb, poultry, or BBQ.
Recommendations: When I got this bottle it almost seemed a shame to open it. A 10 year old bottle of French wine doesn’t exactly find it’s way into my wine cellar every day and I kept trying to think of something special to pair it with. Then I realized that if I kept trying to find something spectacular to enjoy it with the wine was never going to get opened.
Dark reddish-brown in color (I hate saying brown, but the complete lack of purple and the shade of red make it about the only real descriptor I can use), with subtle aromas of fruit and florals, calling this wine full-bodied would be an understatement. The flavors of dark fruit are big and soft at the same time, and the slight tannic finish fades away as the bottle is allowed to open up – not that it needs to much.
Paired with a dinner of pasta and red sauce with some fresh herbs thrown in, the Domaine de Villemajou did a great job of neither overwhelming or being overwhelmed by the meal (I have yet to see anything or anyone be just whelmed). After the meal it was great by itself, being full of flavor, but not demanding food to be enjoyable.
This bottle was described to me as a party wine, and I can see how it would be easy to just keep opening bottles of it while entertaining family and friends. Bold and smooth all at once, this is a great wine for just about any meal and any company. While I can understand that the price point may give the value wine shopper pause, it’s definitely one worth getting for a special occasion.
Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.
