Love by the Glass: Virginia Wine & Dine Month - Begins Saturday March 1st

We just received this press release announcing Love by the Glass: Virginia Wine & Dine Month. Hope you can travel around the Commonwealth to sample excellent Virginia wine and food. And as always, theCompass mobile app can guide you to your favorite Virginia winery. Cheers.

Richmond, Va. (February 27, 2014) - The Virginia Wine Marketing Office and the Virginia Tourism Corporation today announced March as Love by the Glass: Virginia Wine & Dine Month, a celebration that showcases Virginia wines at more than 500 participating restaurants and wine shops across the Commonwealth. Special wine and food pairings along with wine travel packages make March an ideal time for wine lovers to visit Virginia.

Across the state, restaurants and wine shops alike will be showcasing Virginia wines by carrying a minimum of five Virginia wines either by the glass or the bottle, as well as offering special packages and events including winemakers' dinners, pre fixe menus paired with Virginia wines, Virginia wine and food pairings, Virginia wine dinners with local B&Bs, Virginia wine flight/comparative tastings and educational events.

Virginia, home to more than 250 wineries statewide, is fifth in the nation for wineries and for wine grape production and was recently named one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

"Love by the Glass: March Wine and Dine Month is a great way for consumers to try new and exciting Virginia wines, which rank among the best in the world. From regional food and wine pairings to flight/comparative tastings, March Wine and Dine Month gives wine connoisseurs and wine neophytes everywhere countless reasons to fall in love with Virginia wines for the first time or all over again," said David King, chairman of the Virginia Wine Board.
Virginia Wine and Dine Month is a partnership between the Virginia Wine Marketing Office and the Virginia Tourism Corporation to encourage Virginia restaurants and wine shops to feature more Virginia wines by the glass.  Love by the Glass started as Virginia Wine Week in 2010.  It quickly grew in popularity, so much so that the state has expanded the event to the entire month of March.
Select hotels, resorts and inns have created special travel packages for visitors who want to partake in Virginia Wine and Dine Month.  Highlights of these travel packages are below with more found on  http://www.virginiawine.org/wine-and-dine

Consumers can also learn about Love by the Glass: March Wine and Dine Month on social media:

• Virginia Wine Facebook: www.facebook.com/vawine            

·         Virginia Wine Twitter: twitter.com/VAWine

·         Virginia Wine Instagram: vawine    

·         Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/vawine

Boneyard Wines Take Over #VAWineChat

Last week Tarara Vineyard & Winery winemaker Jordan Harris presented a selection of his new brand, Boneyard Wines to the monthly twitter chat #VAWineChat. These wines diverge from the traditional Tarara brand in that they are more experimental and consist of entry level as well as "uber" luxury options. The labels are very cool - earth movers digging up the boneyard - which respects Tarara's tradition by honoring a field where old wine making and vineyard equipment are sent to rust. The tasting for the evening consisted of the Boneyard 2012 Skins (Rkatsiteli orange wine), the Boneyard Boneyard Bubbles Blanc de Blanc, the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc, and Boneyard 2010 Syrah.

We started with the much anticipated Boneyard 2012 Skins ($20), much anticipated in the sense that I am a deep believer in Rkatsiteli. In order to create an orange wine, the juice was macerated on its skins for 31 days, followed by mild oak treatment. In general, this type of wine possesses a floral aroma, with spicy characters in the palette and finish - with plenty of acidity. Unfortunately, the Boneyard Skins did not live up to my expectations; the floral aroma was present but the wine lacked both acidity and the spicy characters.  Yet, I applaud Jordan for his experiment - keep on digging....

The Bubbles Blanc de Blanc ($35), on the other hand, nailed all expectations. The wine was produced from Chardonnay grapes harvested in 2009 and then vinified using methodoise champagne traditions.  The wine was then bottled aged on its lees for 3 and a half years, developing texture and creaminess, before being disgorged and undergoing secondary fermentation. There sparkling wine is clean, fresh with plenty of effervescence, as well as gentle green apple and citrus flavors. Well done.

Only 26 cases were made from the Boneyard 2012 Cabernet Franc so this wine is only available for Case Club members. The wine spent 12 months in oak and despite the oak, is a medium bodied, fruit forward wine with very smooth tannins. The nose has a little smoke and tobacco, but the palette is a mixture of blackberries and raspberries. I enjoyed this one, but so long - unless I join the Case Club.


We finished with the Boneyard 2010 Syrah ($100) - yes the most expensive Virginia wine to date - more than those from RDV Vineyards.  The Syrah was co-fermented with 6% Viognier and then aged 38 months in oak;  Jordan is a self-described Rhône geek.  Like the Cab Franc, the tannins are smooth - yet the flavor is more plum and finishes with plenty of spice. Like the other wines, this one is closed with the screwcap and it needed to breathe for awhile to allow the Viognier floral notes and fruit to develop. Before breathing, the wine raced straight to the spicy finish. The price point speaks for itself, and we will let buyers express their rational. Cheers.

Notaviva Vineyards Hosts Melodies of the Danube 2015 - a European River Cruise

Stephen Mackey, owner of the Virginia winery Notaviva Vineyards (Purcellville), is hosting a wine and music European river cruise next year where travelers can enjoy fine European and Virginia vinifera and Central European music. The Melodies of the Danube 2015 starts in romantic Budapest where you spend the day touring Buda and Pest. I highly recommend an hour in the Central Market Hall and the Tokaji wine bar.  Learn to appreciate dry Furmint as I did many years ago. Also, if you have a chance to sample Soproni Kekfrankos or anything from Villany - drink it.

From Hungary, the boat travels to Austria and while gently cruising along the Danube, Mackey will be leading several wine lectures throughout the journey.  He will be pouring wine from Notaviva and showcasing why Virginia is a rising wine region as well as leading comparative tasting between the Virginia and Austrian wine.

1) Onboard Wine Tasting - "Austrian Varietals in America" Host Stephen Mackey leads a discussion of Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt and Gruner Veltliner. Enjoyed with Notaviva Vineyards "Vierzig" Blaufrankisch inspired by Mozart's 40th symphony.

2) Onboard Wine Lecture #1 - "Wine and Music Pairing Experience" -- Led by host Stephen Mackey, guests will enjoy two blind tastings of Virginia wines, accompanied by diverse music playlists and and engaging, interactive evaluation of how various musical genres accompany different wine styles. Includes discussion on the science of cognitive neurology and emotional receptors as they relate to the sensory perception of wine.

3) Onboard Wine Lecture #2 - "Introduction to Music Theory" -- Enjoy a carefully chosen selection of Virginia and Austrian wines while host Stephen Mackey analyzes works from Beethoven, Mozart and Strauss and explains the core technical elements of Western music such as melody, harmony, texture, rhythm, dynamics, form and tone color. Each composer's work will be paired with an appropriate wine, and there will be fun quizzes and prizes!

4) Paired Wine Dinner - "Ottantotto" barrel-fermented Viognier, "Vierzig" (Mozart) Blaufrankisch, "Ode to Joy" (Beethoven) Meritage

5) Onboard Wine Lecture #3 - "TasteLive!" -- Host Stephen Mackey will conduct the first-of-its-kind live International tasting of Austrian and Virginia wines from the ship while connected via social media and video conferencing with passengers' friends, family and Virginia wine industry colleagues back in Loudoun at the Notaviva Vineyards tasting room.

Wachau - courtesy of AWMB / Gerhard Elze

The boat spends four days in Austria - Vienna, Krebs, Durnstein, and Linz where the spotlight remains on wine but the classical music of Strauss and Mozart as well as traditional folk music are introduced. There are several opportunities to explore medieval villages and sample wine from various Austrian wine regions: Wein, Wachau, Kremstal, Wagram, and more. Here you will get your fill of Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and perhaps a smooth Pinot Noir (Blauburgunder). The final destination is Passau, Germany where Octoberfest and beer come into play. And for even more fun, AMAwaterways, the host travel agency, is also offering pre and post cruise tours of Budapest, Munich, and Prague. To learn more about the host winery, Notaviva Vineyards, check out this profile in Northern Virginia Magazine. Cheers and happy cruising.

Three Keswick Vineyards Viogniers for #VAWineChat

Last week we were invited to participate in the monthly twitter tasting #VAWineChat, feauring a trio of 2012 Viognier from Keswick Vineyards.The winery is situated due east of Charlottesville and with 16 acres,  has one of the state's largest planting of Viognier - perhaps the largest.  The three wines were produced from 100% estate fruit and are 100% single varietal. 2012 was a typical growing year for Virginia and winemaker Stephen Barnard also explained that they "backed off on ripeness for racy lower alcohol wines". In the winery, Barnard believes that neutral oak gives the palate some lift and  enhances the texture and using a small percentage of new oak adds to complexity.


We started off the tasting with the 2012 Viognier ($24, 13.5% abv), where 70% of the juice was tank fermented, the other 30% fermented in neutral. The fermented juice then maturated for 6 months on lees.  The result is an assertive fruity wine with a mouthful of citrus cream followed by a clean, refreshingly acidic finish. A rather nice start to the evening.

Next was the 2012 Reserve Viognier ($27.95, 14.2% abv) , where the juice was whole cluster pressed and then fermented wholly in neutral barrels.   This wine possesses more of the peach & apricot notes usually associated with Virginia Viognier as well as more oak creaminess with hints of coconut on the nose. There's a bit of white pepper as well, which initially threw me off, but as the wine breathed, integrated nicely into the overall sensation.


The final Viognier was the 2012 Signature Series Viognier ($34.95, abv), a bold project where the juice was whole cluster pressed and racked straight to barrel without being inoculated with custom yeast strains or primed with sulpher. The hardest part for Barnard was waiting for the various yeast strains moving about the winery to begin fermenting the juice. These yeast strains could be natural strains that exist in all around us or perhaps commercial yeast that is still floating in the winery. 30% of the oak used in fermentation and aging was new French oak; thus the resulting wine is heavier than the other two with more of a toasted vanilla and honey character. The finish is still citrusy with plenty of balancing acidity - definitely the best of the bunch.

The Keswick wines showed why Viognier has great potential to be the Commonwealth's signature grape. If only the grape was not so finicky in the vineyard, more wineries could participate in the Virginia Viognier movement. But cheers to those who do, particularly Keswick Vineyards. Pair with Charlottesville based rock band Sons of Bil and Green PA Broadleaf cigars from Cigar Volante.

Virginia Vineyards Association Names Jeff White Grower of the Year

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore today presented the Virginia Vineyards Association’s Grape Grower of the Year award to Jeff White, owner and winemaker of Glen Manor Vineyards, Front Royal, VA. 

“I’m very pleased to honor one of the leaders of the Virginia wine industry,” said Secretary Haymore. “Virginia's burgeoning wine industry is making a significant and growing contribution to the Commonwealth’s economy, and that’s because of leaders like Jeff White who are producing world-class wines. I congratulate Jeff for his work to make Virginia one of the world's emerging wine production and tourism regions.”

Tom Kelly, president of the Virginia Vineyards Association, echoed Secretary Haymore’s comments, adding that the association selected Mr. White for the award not only to recognize his contributions to the Virginia wine industry, but his support for the VVA as well.

“Two years ago, he won the Governor’s Cup with his 2009 Hodder Hill, a Bordeaux-style red wine, and last year, he was gracious enough to volunteer his vineyard for a session at our summer technical meeting,” Mr. Kelly said.  “Jeff is one of the industry leaders who is helping put Virginia wine on the map, and he is more than deserving of this honor.”

The award was presented to Mr. White during the Association’s Winter Technical Meeting.

Mr. White was chosen based on criteria established in 2005 with the first presentation of the award. The criteria requires that the recipient be an active member of the Virginia Vineyards Association with at least seven years of experience managing or operating a commercial vineyard of at least five acres. The nominee must also be an active participant in the Virginia viticulture community with a history of service to our industry and must be well respected by his or her peers.

“Jeff met and exceeded the criteria for this award,” said Mr. Kelly. “He has always gone the extra mile in promoting wine grape growing and the Virginia wine industry.”

As a young boy growing up in Fairfax County, Mr. White spent summers working on his grandfather’s farm, which has been in his family for 113 years now. As an adult, he eventually tired of the corporate life as a financial analyst and decided to move full time to the family farm in 1990.  The farm was originally a Christmas tree and cattle operation.  But as the Whites struggled to make a living off the farm, Mr. White’s father wondered if grape production was a viable option. Mr. White began researching the possibility.

In 1993 he found a job with Virginia Tech’s Tony Wolf for a season at the Agriculture Research and Extension Center near Winchester. Shortly after working for Dr. Wolf, he began working with Jim Law at Linden Vineyards. He became Jim’s assistant and worked at Linden for 12 years.

Mr. White’s first six acres of vines were planted in 1995 and with them a new vineyard came to Virginia, Glen Manor. He planted classic Bordeaux varieties; Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot along with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. All of the early harvests were sold to Linden Vineyards. The Chardonnay that Mr. White originally planted was pulled out in the early 2000’s and replanted to Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

In 2006, the Whites made the decision to start their own winery. From 2006 to 2009, the vineyards were expanded, with plantings of Petit Manseng, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon bringing the total to 14.5 acres.  The new plantings are on an extremely steep portion of the property, high up the slope from the original vineyard.

Mr. White has learned his craft well and his attention to detail in his vineyard and winery has produced wines of exceptional quality. In 2012 Glen Manor Vineyards won the Virginia Governors cup with their 2009 Hodder Hill Meritage blend. In 2013 Glen Manor’s 2010 Hodder Hill was awarded a Gold medal at the Virginia Governors Cup.

Along with his passion in the vineyard and winery, Mr. White has been a mentor and friend to many of the members of the Virginia Vineyards Association. He has given freely of his knowledge and experience in seminars to his fellow grape growers, and was one of the hosts of the VVA’s summer technical meeting in 2013.

New Virginia Wines Shine at the Washington Wine Academy's "State of Wine"

On Saturday night, December 7th, I joined dozens of wine fans at the Washington Wine Academy event State of Wine: a Tasting of Virginia Wines. Because of junior basketball, I was late arriving and didn't get a chance to sample from a couple wineries, but for those I did try, 2014 will be another stellar year for Virginia wine.

Participants were first treated to two sparkling wines from Trump Winery and Serious Cider from Foggy Ridge Cider.  Hard cider is serious business in the Commonwealth and Foggy Ridge is one of the leaders. And Trump continues the former Kluge Estate's champagne methodois mentality.

I headed over to the Paradise Springs Winery booth and found Drew Wiles pouring the family's latest two releases: a Viognier and Cabernet Franc. Both had just been bottled, yet no signs of shock, and both were quite agreeable - with the Viognier melting with a creamy apricot flavor. 

Turning around, I eased my way through the most crowded tabled to sample a trifecta of Barboursville Vineyards, Linden Vineyards, and RDV Vineyards. Barboursville had contributed their Octogan, enough said, perhaps the best longest running wine in Virginia.  Jim Law is probably the most celebrated winemaker in Virginia and many of his Linden wines are usually quite affordable - particularly the Riesling Vidal and vineyard specific chardonnays. I really enjoyed the Riesling Vidal because that combination is now a rarity in Virginia and is quite flexible. Out of the two Linden reds, I preferred the 2006 Boisseau, a blend of predominately Petit Verdot and Merlot, with plenty of dark fruit (blackberry) with traces of cassis. The single varietal 2010 Linden Petit Verdot was tannic heavy - sucked my mouth dry - but would love to sample again in a few years. Finally, we got to try the 2009 RdV Vineyards Rendezvous - a big Bordeaux blend (35% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Cabernet Franc, 12% Petit Verdot) with a heavy price tag $75. Much has been written about RdV and for what its worth - they make great wine - this one smooth and creamy balanced by easy tannins and nice acidity.

Over at Pearmund Cellars, I had time to taste their whites - a Viognier, Chardonnay, and a Traminette dessert wine.  The Viognier was completely different from the Paradise Springs; more floral, less cream; but shows Virginia excels in either style. The grapes for Old Vine Chardonnay is harvested from the historic Meriwether Vineyard and the wine is a solid offering. However, it was the Traminette that was the most interested, with the spice cutting through the sugar and easing the dessert feel. A pretty cool offering.

Finally, I spent much time with the Old Wino and Horton Vineyards. The winery is releasing a new,  Reserve brand to prove that they can compete in the same higher end field as the Barboursville and Lindens, yet at an affordable $20.  Horton wines are always consistent and you can be assured that each of these will be well worth your outlay. Particularly the Syrah, which I falsely assumed was co-fermented with some Viognier. This is one smooth and silky wine. The Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Chardonnay were also nice - but if you can find the Syrah - that's the first choice. Thanks for the Washington Wine Academy for hosting the event. Cheers.

Second Annual Virginia Wine Summit a Crowd Pleaser

Oz Clarke praises Virginia wines for their quality and uniqueness

RICHMOND - More than 250 members of the wine trade, including wine critics, sommeliers, restaurateurs, chefs, retailers, winemakers and winery owners gathered at The Jefferson Hotel October 28 for the second annual Virginia Wine Summit.  Hosted by Governor Bob McDonnell and First Lady Maureen McDonnell, and presented by the Virginia Wine Board and The Virginia Tourism Corporation, the event was a sell out for the second consecutive year.

Wine experts and industry leaders, both domestic and international, attended the summit. They tasted Virginia wines, comparing them to vintages from California and France and discussed how to continue to move Virginia wines forward, gaining prominence within the United States and on the world stage.

Internationally acclaimed British wine authority Oz Clarke gave the keynote address. One of the world's leading wine experts, Clarke has one of the finest palates of any wine writer.  He has won all of the major UK and US wine writing awards, including the Glenfiddich, Andre Simon, Wine Guild, James Beard, Julia Child, World Food Media and Lanson awards.

"Virginia wine has a rich and deep history, dating back to 1607," said Clarke.  "But what makes Virginia wine so brilliant is what has occurred in the past 20 years.  The soils and climate are completely different; no new world winemaker would have thought to start a vineyard here, except for two crusaders back in 1976: Dennis Horton and Ginanni Zonin. 

"When I tasted Horton's first Viognier in 1993 I sat up with a jolt; 386 years after Jamestown the Virginia wine industry, wine identity and wine future was established - the two crusaders had made the right choice.  Virginia should not try to be California or France.  The only way to show the brilliance of Virginia wine is to do what others can't do - Viognier, Norton, Cabernet Franc. They can't produce your wine and you shouldn't try to produce theirs."

In addition to the keynote, Clarke led a comparative tasting of Cabernet Francs from Virginia and other wine regions.  Dave McIntyre, wine writer for the Washington Post led a discussion on the ageability of Virginia wines, and Todd Kliman, author and Washingtonian dining editor led a session on Virginia wine and food pairings.

Virginia wines fared extremely well in the comparative tastings of Cabernet Franc and Viognier.  In addition, Virginia wines aged well, a testament to the quality of the wines produced.  Many new and exciting wines and vintners were showcased, including varietals most people do not associate with Virginia, such as Pinot Noir, Vermentino, Petit Manseng and Hard Cider.  Virginia has a distinct advantage over other wine regions because wines are not mass produced here.  More talented winemakers are coaxing more out of the grapes and the soil, learning to use the terroir to its full advantage.

"You may look at Virginia and see sparking wine, Cabernet Franc or Viognier. I see jobs and revenue booming," said Governor McDonnell.  "Wine is the fastest growing part of agriculture in Virginia, due to the hard work and no excuses attitude of the folks in the industry.  In the past four years the industry has doubled in size, to 511,000 cases or 6.1 million bottles. Sales have increased 23% and sales outside of Virginia have increased 69%.  As I pass this baton may the next Governor of Virginia continue to make the wine industry a priority."

For more information about the Virginia wine industry, please visit the Virginia

Wine Marketing Office’s website at www.virginiawine.org/ or call 804-344-8200.

# # #

CAPTION:

Oz Clarke leads "Francly Speaking," a comparative tasting of Cabernet Francs from Virginia vs. other wine regions at the second annual Virginia Wine Summit 10/28/13.

Karen

Karen Batalo Marketing & PR
804.262.9130 Office
804.337.3045 Cell