Virginia Wine TV Winemaker Series: CrossKeys Vineyards & Cabernet Franc

This week we feature CrossKeys Vineyards & Estates and Virginia's red grape, Cabernet Franc. Tasting Room Manager, Kelly Mattran discusses their 2010 vintage as we focus on some of the reasons Cabernet Franc excels in the Virginia climate. The intro music is "In Your Arms" by Charlottesville based, the Downbeat Project. And as always, VirginiaWineTV videos are available via iTunes. Cheers.

Virginia Wine TV: Virginia Wineries - Still More Than You Think

This is an update to our Wine Bloggers Conference video from last year adding the 20 or so new wineries since last year. The music (Lee Highway Blue Medley) is provided by Virginia's Whitetop Mountain Band, from a previous performance at Floydfest.This song and many others is available on On The Porch, Music From Floydfest from the Virginia Folklife Program.

Views from the Vineyard: Corcoran Vineyards

Not all Virginia vineyard scenery involves mountains or rolling hills. At Corcoran Vineyards, the fish stocked pond provides a sanctuary for bullfrogs, dragon flies, and many types of birds - from song birds to herons. Nothing like sipping wine and hanging out under the Willow tree. The music is provided by our pal Peyton Tochtermann - Smile.

Views from the Vineyard: Bluemont Vineyard

There are some amazing views from Virginia wineries and here is one of our favorites at Bluemont Vineyard, located at 951 feet on an eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. On clear days visitors can see Tysons Corner, about 45 miles due east. Music is provided by Andrew McKnight Wildwood Flower-The Old Hundred Road from Something Worth Standing For.
 

Vintage Virginia 2012

Did you miss the 31st annual Vintage Virginia Wine Festival? Then here's the wineries you missed with music delivered by Peyton Tochterman.

Tom Principato at the Mad Fox Brewing Company

The annual beer expo, SAVOR, comes to D.C. June 8-9th and features beers from across the United States, including a few from the Commonwealth. Our friends at Mad Fox Brewing Company are hosting several events that week. Here's a video that focuses on Washington-based bluesman Tom Principato in a discussion of beer and blues with Mad Fox Brewing Company head brewer and proprietor Bill Madden. We've been following Principato's career ever since listening to Blazing Telecasters - Danny Gatton & Tom Principato way back in the early 90's. He is now releasing a new CD, "A Part of Me", which includes "some of the Washington D.C. area's best musicians who I've been recording and performing with for years: Steve Wolf, Tommy Lepson, Josh Howell and Jay Turner". Principato is considered a "Master" of the Fender Telecaster and Statocaster and he explains the difference. The bluesman also just returned from a successful European tour so in anticipation to that trip, we sampled a few European-styled brews crafted by Madden. We also learned about Madden's voyage from being a student brewer to now, an accomplished brewer owning a restaurant and a judge in the Great American Beer Festival. The episode concludes with the Tom Principato Band performing "Down in Lou'siana", a track from "A Part of Me" at the Second Chance Saloon in Columbia, Maryland. And, as usual, the video is available for download at iTunes. Cheers.

TasteCamp 2012 Visit to Linden Vineyards - The Vineyard Tour

From May 4th-6th, about 40 wine bloggers and writers visited several wineries in Virginia as part of TasteCamp 2012. We caught up with the group the last day at Linden Vineyards where proprietor Jim Law lead a vineyard tour and discussed their signature Hardscrabble and Avenius wines. This was easily the most informative tour I've participated during the past decade visiting wineries. The music is provided by The Steel Wheels: Nola's First Dance written by Jay Lapp.