Posts Tagged ‘Charlottesville Virginia’
We are inside the 24 hour mark for the start of the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference and for those that are unfamiliar with what’s going to happen, click on the previous link and you can see the agenda for the weekend.
I’ll be live-blogging several events through-out the weekend, so if there was ever a time to make sure you have me in your RSS feed or in a bookmark/favorite section of your browser, this is it.
I hope everybody has a great weekend and I look forward to sharing my experience this weekend with everybody.
With the 2011 North American Wine Bloggers Conference less than 6 months away, it’s good to know that there are still opportunities out there for people to attend. Layer Cake and winemaker Jayson Woodbridge have endowed a scholarship to help wine bloggers attend the conference with $5,000. This annual endowment has been put in place so that wine bloggers without the financial means to travel to the location of the Wine Bloggers Conference can still have the opportunity to attend this unique event.
Last years scholarship helped 8 wine bloggers attend the conference in Walla Walla, Washington, and if you believe you qualify for the scholarship, you should check out the Wine Bloggers Conference website (http://wbcscholarship.com/america/) to get all the details and fill out the application. The deadline for applications is June 1st.
As a wine blogger who is fortunate enough to be able to attend the 2011 Wine Blogger’s Conference through my own means (it being in my home state helps), I’m glad to see Jayson Woodbridge and Layer Cake helping my fellow bloggers attend.
Varietal: Blended Red (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot)
Region: Virginia – Charlottesville – USA
Cost: $14
Deep ruby red color with aromas of fruit and berry with a hint of spice. Flavors of blackberry, blackcurrant, licorice, and spice. Pairs well with pastas, veal and beef stews, cheeses, and hearty main dishes.
Recommendations: One of the last bottles of wine I have from that March trip to Virginia Wine Country. Seemed fitting to open it during Virginia Wine Month. There’s something about a nice dark glass of wine that I find enjoyable, and the 2005 Albemarle Simply Red from Kluge Estate Winery certainly fit the bill. The aromas of fruit, berry, and spice, which lead into nice flavors of the same, were a nice match to the pizza I cooked up on Tuesday after a trip out to the driving range with my wife and best friend.
While I don’t know the exact percentages of each grape in the blend (I have an idea based on the 2006 vintage of the wine, but won’t write it down if I don’t know it for a fact), I could definitely tell that Read the rest of this entry »
So, raise your hand if you’ve registered for the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville, Virginia. Ok, I know you can’t actually see, but my hand is raised. While I wasn’t able to attend this years (Washington state is a bit far for me to travel to be honest), next years WBC will be right in my back yard.
If you’re a wine blogger and haven’t registered you should definitely get on it (here’s a link: WBC Registration), and while it’s still nearly a year out, taking place from July 22 to July 24, I’ll be sure to post updates leading up to, and definitely during the Conference. I’m supremely excited to participate, and I’m really looking forward to meeting more of my fellow wine writers.
Varietal: Petit Verdot (100%)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $24
Deep purple in the glass with aromas of allspice, vanilla bean, dried plum and fig. Flavors of blackberry and blueberry lead into a smooth, silky finish that is well paired with beef.
Recommendations: I’m a sucker for Petit Verdot, and when I visited Blenheim Vineyards several months ago I found another reason to love it. Very few places, especially in Virginia, offer a 100% Petit Verdot, but thankfully Blenheim does. A nice deep purple in the glass with aromas of spice on the nose, it was the perfect wine to enjoy with a pair of steaks I had seasoned and thrown on the grill before I even took a sip.
Once the food was finally cooked and we started drinking, the wine got even better. Berry flavors with a touch of oak (from 12 months in French Oak) lead into a nice silky finish that was a great compliment to the steaks and was enjoyable well after the meal was over. In fact my only complaint about this wine is that the bottle isn’t bigger. The more I have Petit Verdot the more I enjoy it, both by itself and blended with other varietals. If you’ve never had Petit Verdot by itself before I highly recommend you try it. Read the rest of this entry »
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $14.99
Dark red coloring, with flavors of berry and chocolate, this Cabernet Sauvignon carries great tannins that some may find overpowering, but that will be a great compliment to juicy red meat or a sauce-heavy pasta dish. Good for sipping by itself, but better paired with food thanks to the dryness of the wine.
Recommendation: Certainly worth picking up if you’re looking for a Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon that is more in the European style than that of California. Strong tannins may be too much for those that aren’t a fan of dry wines, but those that are will find it quite enjoyable.
