Posts Tagged ‘Virginia Wine’
Varietal: 100% Merlot
Region: Virginia – USA
Cost: $18
Winemaker’s Notes: A nose of chamomile, toasted marshmallow, and campfire entice the nose. Hints of red plum, dried apricots, anise, and soft cedar combine for a smooth, lingering finish.
My Review: I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m a big fan of Blenheim Vineyards and the wines that their winemaker, Kirsty Harmon, is making. So it should probably come as no surprise that during my last visit to the vineyard while hitting some vineyards with my wife that I grabbed a couple of bottles, including the 2009 Seven Oaks Merlot.
Wednesday night was the announcement of the 2011 Governor’s Cup winner for white wines. Back in February I was invited to attend the media tasting for the red wines, so I was pleased to see I was invited back for the whites.
The entire event was held at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA), with the media portion of the evening (which I continue to be surprised to be considered a part of), being held on the outdoor terrace of Amuse, a restaurant within the museum. There we had the opportunity to sample the 7 gold medal winners that were vying for the Governor’s Cup. They were: Read the rest of this entry »
Virginia is for Wine Lovers
Sure I just spent some time in California, but at the end of the day I live in Virginia, and while I don’t write exclusively about it, I certainly do try to promote it as much as possible because, well I live here. For those that aren’t aware, October is Virginia Wine Month, and with that in mind, the Virginia Tourism Board is going to show some love to a Virginia Winery.
While you can read all of the details by clicking on this link (http://pressroom.virginia.org/pressroom/release.asp?id=304), what it really boils down to is that on September 21st, between 8am and 5pm, on Facebook, you can vote for your favorite Virginia Winery. The winner will get the LOVE statue (pictured above) at their winery during Virginia Wine Month.
In case you were wondering I will be voting, but I won’t tell you who I’ll vote for, but I do recommend anybody and everybody go out and vote and support Virginia Wine. If you don’t want to read the press release, here’s a direct link to the Facebook page to vote: http://www.facebook.com/VirginiaisforLovers
So the first day of the Wine Bloggers Conference was insane, I think my first post did a good job of pointing that out. So how were the second and third day? Much like the first, with so much to do and experience. Here’s a recap:
Early Morning Speeches
I was disappointed in the 9am conference about the Geology, Business, and History of Virginia Wine. Not in the speakers, who were great, but in the low attendance. I know we all partied the night before, and I certainly woke up with a headache and wondering where a few bottles of wine had come from, but I still managed to drag myself to the conference – and I wasn’t even staying in the hotel where the conference was being held.
That being said, the speakers were great and it was educational even for somebody that lives in Virginia. Anybody that didn’t make it missed out.
Wine Country Buses
As a rider on Bus 3 (the “Fun-vee”, not the “HumDrum-vee” according to the 1WineDude), I had a great time. We stopped in at Virginia Wineworks, run by Michael Shaps, which I had not been to before, but had on my list to visit as I live his Bag in a Box wines that are incredibly approachable and affordable. After that it was on to First Colony which offered up a couple of interesting reds, but some kinda disappointing whites. Finally it was on to Blenheim and Kirsty Harmon, which I think everybody knows I love. A great tasting, a great walk around the vineyard, and an amazing lunch were a great way to wrap up the tours.
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.
On Thursday, as something of a lead up to the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference, I participated in a tasting of Virginia Viognier along with several other bloggers, all of us sharing our thoughts on Twitter as we tasted. I would, however, be remiss if I didn’t share my thoughts on here as well.
We started the tasting with a Horton Vineyards Sparkling Viognier (SRP $25). I’d never had a sparkling Viognier before and given my recent increased interest in all things bubbles, I was certainly looking forward to trying it when I got the bottle. The most notable note on both the nose and in the mouth was green apple, and the wine itself was crisp with big bubbles. I loved this wine and it was probably my favorite of the night and one that was quickly gone.
Next up was the 2010 Blenheim Vineyards Viognier (SRP $19). I got a bit of honey on the nose with some orange blossom on the palate and a rounded finish that was unexpected until I looked at the tasting notes and saw that some of the wine had spent time in French barrels.
Third was the 2010 King Family Vineyards Viognier (SRP $25). Honeysuckle on the nose with candied fruit in the mouth with a subtle minerality that I wasn’t expecting. This wine was also oaked, but in neutral barrels and the finish was less rounded than the Blenheim.
Fourth was the 2009 Barboursville Viognier Reserve (SRP $22). I got a slight bit of petrol on the nose and grapefruit in the mouth. The Barboursville had more acid on it than any of the others though not much in the way of floral notes. That being said I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Finally we opened up the 2010 Cooper Vineyards Viognier (SRP $23). I got subtle floral and honeysuckle notes on the nose with pineapple in the mouth and soft, butter/oak finish which didn’t surprise me given that 40% of the wine had been aged in second-year barrels. This was probably my favorite of the still wines, which actually surprised me.
There was a sixth wine, the 2010 Deleplane Viognier (SRP $24), but my shipment got lost and I wasn’t able to taste it.
I want to thank the Virginia Wine Board and all of the organizers and vineyards for putting on a great tasting. Any time I talk with people not from Virginia I’m always talking up our Viognier, and events like this just give me more examples to show them.
