Posts Tagged ‘touriga’
Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Touriga and Cabernet Franc)
Region: US – Virginia
Cost: $24
A popular blend of a Portugese and Virginia grape, this red wine offers light garnet coloring, rich aromas of plum with balanced acidity and just enough soft tannins to make it an excellent pairing for pasta or red meat such as veal.
Recommendations: If you’ve been reading this blog at all, you know that I’m a big fan of Grayhaven Winery. The Sojourn is no exception to that. Light in color but with great flavors, this medium-bodied red pairs well with various foods, but is just as enjoyable by itself. The light tannins on the finish make it a good pairing for pasta, but as they’re not overwhelming you can pair this with somewhat lighter fare and it will still compliment whatever you’re eating.
If you’re a fan of either Touriga or Cabernet Franc, or just looking to try something new, the Sojourn from Grayhaven is definitely worth trying. Go visit them too, everybody there is incredibly nice and they have a great winery to spend an afternoon at.
Varietal: Touriga
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $20
A Portugese grape being grown in Virginia, the Grayhaven Touriga is made from 100% Touriga grapes, which are often used to make Port wines. Hints of vanilla and pepper on the finish follow a flavors of cherry and grapefruit for this medium to full bodied red wine. Pairs well with steak and other rich dishes.
Recommendation: I love Grayhaven Winery for their tasting room and surrounding area alone, but their wide ranging selection of wines, which includes being one of the few wineries in the state to offer a Touriga wine. My wife and I paired this wine with a dinner of grilled bbq chicken and roasted red potatos. I was worried that this somewhat more bold red might overpower the chicken at first, but after a generous basting of bbq sauce while it was grilling, the pepper and vanilla on the finish of the wine were a great compliment to the smokiness of the meal.
Being one of the few wineries in Virginia, if not the only, to offer a 100% Touriga, I almost want to recommend this wine on that fact alone, but the great flavors and ability to pair with more than just red meat means that this is a great wine to pick up when you’re in the area. I also recommend visiting the winery if you’re ever close as everybody there is incredibly friendly and welcoming.
Varietal: Claret (50% Merlot; 20% Touriga; 15% Cabernet Franc; 8% Chambourcin; 4% Petite Verdot; 2% Tannat; 1% Cabernet Sauvignon)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $15
A medium-bodied wine of ruby/garnet coloring offering flavors of herb and berry, most notably raspberry. A slightly dry, tannic finish is reminscent of Chianti, but the overall smoothness of the wine allows it to be paired with a wide variety of foods.
Recommendation: My wife and I enjoyed this wine with a pair of steaks, and it was a great compliment to them. The wine didn’t overwhelm the meat, but the slightly dry finish was a great balance to the juiciness of the steaks. Even after the meal had been finished, I still enjoyed finishing the bottle by itself, a quality I find desirable in any wine I drink – being able to be enjoyed without food. What I liked best about this wine was that while the dryness on the finish worked great with juicy steaks, it wasn’t so dry as to require something like that, and would compliment a dryer meal as well. While I won’t go so far as to say that this is a substitute for Chianti if that’s where your tastes lie, this is a great blend to serve for guests when you’re not sure where their tastes lie. Definitely worth picking up, particularly at this price point.
Varietal: Red Table Wine (45% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 18% Tannat, 8% Touriga, 7% Chambourcin)
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $13
Very simple, straight forward table wine. Lake Anna labels it as: ”No red cherries. No spicy berries. No toasty nuances. No suggestive notes.” Good for enjoying by itself or with a meal. Great value for the price.
Recommendation: I’m a big believer in the table wine, a wine that isn’t overly complex, but nice and simple that goes well with a simple meal and doesn’t cost much, and Lake Anna has been kind enough to supply us with one. The Totally Red table wine from Lake Anna is perfect for anybody looking for a bottle of wine that will go great with steak, pasta, chicken, pork, appetizers, chili….I think you get the point. As red table wines go, this definitely ranks as one of my top ranked ones, and is one that I am sure to continue to keep in my wine cellar, and that I recommend you do as well. Enjoy.
First Colony Cabernet Franc Reserve
Varietal: Cabernet Franc
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $16.99
A blend of 76% cabernet franc, 16% touriga, and 8% tannat, this cabernet franc exhibits a subtle aroma with a hint of chocolate, with flavors of cherry, strawberry, and a slight effervescence that can be attributed to the strawberry jam flavors as much as anything. Pairs well with saucy pastas or a hearty meal such as steak or beef stew thanks to the light nature of the wine.
Recommendation: Already a fan of cabernet franc, I really enjoyed finding a really good one for less than $20. The slight effervescence of the wine caught me off guard at first, but I found it quite enjoyable. The lighter nature of this wine, and the varietal in general, makes it great for pairing with food or drinking by itself, and this offering from First Colony is no exception. If you see this in your local store, give it a shot.
