RVANews

The Virginia Wine Summit

Matt Brehony — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 12:21:36 +0000

Dear reader,

It is with a heavy heart, and heavier liver, that I submit this, the last in our series on Virginia Wines.

Over the past year we’ve covered critically acclaimed bottles and budget-friendly boxes; we’ve broken down Virginia wines basics and helped you seek out hidden treasures. We’ve hiked, biked, kayaked, and braved the gridlock on 95 North. And so, after a year of traversing the hills and valleys of VA vino, we’ve reached the summit.

Aren’t you going to miss these ham-handed puns?

The second annual Virginia Wine Summit lured experts from across the country--and the world--to discuss our local wine scene. Chefs, winemakers, writers, sommeliers, master sommeliers, and wine directors from top restaurants, all funneled into the Jefferson Hotel to deliver their two cents on the past, present, and future of Virginia wine. After eight straight hours of tasting and talking Virginia wine (preceded by of full year of writing, traveling, and drinking my fill) I can summarize my takeaways in one simple sentence:

Do what you do and be patient; the best is yet to come.

Do what you do…

A young wine industry (like a young anything, really) is always susceptible to the scourge of expectations. From the bumpkins at the state fair demanding something sweeter, to the big-money investors leveraging their well-funded ignorance, unestablished winemakers are bombarded with opinions from every angle. Yet, despite the pressures to mimic California, New Zealand, Australia, or Argentina, a uniquely Virginia narrative has emerged from our output.

So far, Virginia has staked its reputation on widely overlooked and underrated grape varieties: turning out world-class Cabernet Franc, shockingly good Petit Verdot, and elegant off-dry and dessert wines from an obscure little gem called Petit Manseng. Our Meritage (or Bordeaux-style) blends, not only speak of Virginia’s soil but of it’s place in the world—filling the massive stylistic expanse between their more restrained European forefathers and their over-the-top California cousins. And then, there’s Viognier, which, at this point, is pretty much uncontested as the Commonwealth’s signature white wine. If things continue apace, the terms Virginia and Viognier will soon be as inseparable as California and Cab, Oregon and Pinot, and Florida and that drug that makes you eat people’s faces off.

..and be patient

I never really appreciated the idea of aging wine. I didn’t have a “wine cellar.” I certainly didn’t have the disposable income. Mostly, I didn’t have the restraint (I’m the kind of guy that polishes off a bag of fun-sized Snickers the day before Halloween¹). But sampling a few mature bottles at the Virginia Wine Summit provided new incentive to try a little self-discipline.

While most wineries aim to move every bottle before they can gather a little dust, a few focus on wines that are designed to improve with age. Having tasted both a fresh bottle of the Linden Avenius Chardonnay and its 11 year-old counterpart, I can say the two compare like a bud to a bloom. Crisp and austere in its youth, the wine opens up over time to reveal a creamy mouthfeel and a kaleidoscope of complex fruit flavors. Sure, the idea of “wine collecting” sounds like a hobby for the independently wealthy, but all it really requires is a little planning and patience. Stock up on a few choice bottles before Virginia wine blows-up, and sit on them for while. Fifteen years down the road, your cellar will be the envy of collectors throughout all 50 colonies of New China.

This patience also makes a nice metaphor for us cheerleaders of Virginia wine. As the Wine Summit progressed it became easy to distinguish between a few different camps. There were those who touted the superiority of Virginia wine like it was (and probably actually is) their job, and others who regarded it as the surprisingly good product of a small but promising industry. And then there were the winemakers themselves, who often used the opportunity to pick each other’s brains: “Do you battonage in tanks or barrels? How old are those barrels? What do you stir your lees with?” Pretty nerdy stuff. But this is a good thing, and leads to my final thought.

The best is yet to come.

There’s a fun philosophical connection between the current Virginia wine scene and with Thomas Jefferson’s early viticultural efforts in the New World. But, all these poetic projections aside, Virginia’s first commercial vines of vitus vinefera were planted MUCH later, in 1976. That means our wine region is roughly 37 years old. To put that in perspective, Bordeaux has about 2,000 years of winemaking history under its belt. We. Are. Babies.

The number of Virginia wineries has nearly doubled over the last five years, as has their overall quality and reputation. If Virginia wines can impress the harshest critics, woo their way onto top wine lists, and merit its own section in a London Whole Foods, all in its infancy, just imagine where we’ll be in five, 10, or 50 years. The future is bright indeed.

Cheers,

Matt Brehony

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Footnotes

It’s OK, the neighborhood children seemed plenty happy with a vegetable bullion cube and an earnest apology. ↩

Photo by: Gamma Man

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Virginia Wine: The Commoner’s Cup

Matt Brehony — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 12:21:31 +0000

This past April, I had the pleasure of drinking my way through The Governor’s Case--the 12 bottles that professional palates determined to be the best in all of Virginia Winedom. Though they were all unique in nuanced ways, each commanded a price tag of anywhere from $30-$80. Once the flow of free wine stopped and I sobered up a bit, I began to think—what are some of the best local wines that are priced for everyday drinking?

Now, there’s really no such thing as a cheap Virginia wine. Or at least, not one worth writing about. Virginia wine remains a very boutique industry. Throughout the entire Commonwealth there’s only about 3,000 acres of vineyard—California has roughly 53 times that amount. Virginia grapes command a higher price point largely because they’re produced by small, family-run operations, and harvested by actual people, with names like Jim and Jenni, and not Vine-Ripper 3000.

That being said, if you know who to ask (ME!) and where to look (at ME!) you can find a few great wines under $20.

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Cabernet Sauvignon

All this talk about price related to production-scale aside, the pricing of Virginia wine is as susceptible to market demands as any thing else. Local winemakers know that they’ll never become famous for their Cab Sauv—that’s California’s thing—so they price it to move. Which is a boon for the consumer.

I’ve become really quite fond of some Virginia Cabs--which are often blended with small amounts of Merlot or Petit Verdot. They perfectly embody the ethos that Virginia wine straddles the line (both philosophically and geographically) between France and California. Virginia versions will hint at some of the rich, dark fruit and gripping tannins you expect with a good Cab but show a little restraint that I personally find preferable to some of their jammy, West-Coast cousins.

Picks: White Hall, Barboursville

Viognier

The opposite scenario is in play with Viognier. In recent years, Virginia Viogniers have been praised on an international level and have more or less clinched the title of the Commenwealth’s signature white wine. As respect for these wines has risen over the last few years, so has their price. These days, most bottles are priced in the mid to upper twenties. Still, it is not impossible to find a few solid examples of this signature Virginia varietal for less.

Picks: Michael Shapps Wineworks, Flying Fox, Horton

Rosé

Though most Virginia rosés drink dry, their price point hits a sweet spot. More often than not, rosés are the resourceful byproduct of red wine making. On top of that, most Virginias (like most Americans) don’t really get rosé. Maybe they’re still haunted by memories of White Zinfandel and boxed blush; maybe they’re concerned about what drinking pink will do their sperm count. Whatever the malfunction, their loss is our gain. A lower demand translates to a better value for those in the know. Most Virginia rosés are refreshing if not entirely remarkable, a few are really exceptional, and almost all are available for less than $15.

Picks: Boxwood, Stinson, Flying Fox, DuCard, Michael Shapps Wineworks, Tarara, Blenheim

Miscellaneous and honorable mentions

Grace Estate – Le Gras Baril ($14)

Veteran viticulturist Jake Busching has been quietly shaping the reputation of Virginia wine for the last 17 years. After helping to cement the reputation of exemplary vineyards like Jefferson, Keswick, and Pollak, he’s finally set off on his own with the opening of Grace Estate Winery earlier this year. His Le Gras Baril is a Bordeaux-style red blend of estate-grown Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. This food friendly table wine is lighter, fresher, and about a third of the price of your typical Virginia Meritage.

Glen Manor – Sauvignon Blanc ($24)

OK, OK, we’ve ventured north of our $20-or-below goal with this one, but I can’t talk about great values without referencing this wine. Glen Manor’s Jeff White produces incredible wine in an intensely hands-on fashion. Tasting this Sauvignon Blanc was an eye-opening “you can make wines like this in Virginia?!?” kind of moment for me. Sure, $24 is nothing to sneeze at (unless you’re allergic to $24 and then…weird) but it’s worth all 2,400 pennies.

Flying Fox Vineyards – Just about everything

Of all the wineries I’ve visited thus far (and granted, I still have A LOT of ground to cover) none have impressed me more in the bang-for-your-buck category than Flying Fox Vineyards in Afton, Virginia. From a dry rosé, to their Cab Franc, to a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, and Petit Verdot they call “Trio,” everything is tasty, well made, and considerably cheaper than they probably should be. Here’s hoping the Flying Fox folks don’t see this and take my advice.

Now it’s your turn. Any amazing $20-or-under Virginia wines I should know about?

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Winery	Style	$ / bottle
White Hall	Cabernet Sauvignon	$14.99
Barboursville	Cabernet Sauvignon	$14.99
Michael Shapps Wineworks	Viognier	$10.00
Flying Fox	Viognier	$18.00
Horton	Viognier	$20.00
Boxwood	Rosé	$14.00
Stinson	Rosé	$16.99
Flying Fox	Rosé	$16.00
DuCard	Rosé	$19.00
Michael Shapps Wineworks	Rosé	$8.75
Tarara	Rosé	$15.00
Grace Estate	Le Gras Baril	$14.00
Glen Manor	Sauvignon Blanc	$24.00

Note: the Michael Shapps Wineworks wines come in 3-liter boxes--which is equivalent to four bottles of wine. Talk about a deal!

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Photo by: smilla4

Virginia wine: Library wines

Matt Brehony — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 13:30:33 +0000

Aging wine is an age-old practice, dating back to the Ancient Greeks. Even Jesus expressed an uncharacteristically judgey opinion on the topic, saying in the Gospel of Luke “And no one after drinking old wine, wants the new…The old is better.”

Wow, who knew Jesus was such a wine snob?

While many mass-produced wines contain enough preservatives to maintain an unnatural, Joan Rivers-like stasis, and even the best made whites and rosés will fall off faster than the ’88 Redskins, a few reds (and fewer whites) can actually improve with age. Harsh edges soften, aromas grow in depth and complexity, flavors become more integrated. Some liken it to the way homemade spaghetti sauce always tastes better after it’s been able to sit for a day or two.

Of course, no one’s ever dropped $233K on a 140 year-old bottle of spaghetti sauce.

Most of the Virginia wines you’ll come across—whether in stores, restaurants, or vineyard tasting rooms—are of the current, or a recent, vintage. But if you know where to look, some local vineyards will also offer “library wines” from their reserve cellars. How readily available these older vintages are varies from vineyard to vineyard. When researching what was required to obtain some particularly precious bottles, the responses I received varied from “just come to the vineyard” to “marry the owner’s daughter.”

Some Virginia wineries are more willing to make with the goods. Linden Vineyards in Front Royal offers cellar tastings of their extensive back catalogue every weekend for $20. Their website even includes a database where guests can access two decades worth of detailed tasting notes, production methods, and vintage characteristics.

Twice a year, Virginia’s oldest operating winery, Barboursville Vineyards, opens up their barrel room for public tastings of their most prized vintages. Whenever head winemaker Luca Paschina produces something he’s particularly proud of, it’s bottled in magnum (1.5L) and double magnum (3L) formats, cellar-aged for five to 25 years or so, and made available for sale in the Barboursville tasting room.

Perhaps the polar opposite to the “marry the owner’s daughter” school is Williamsburg Winery. Their online store boasts an impressive list of bottles dating back to the early ‘90s.

Now, in case you haven’t pieced it together yourself, library wines are not cheap. Few things of an extremely limited quantity that take many years to produce are. That’s kind of how capitalism works. These are special occasion wines and a little research will serve you well. I’m going to have to disagree with Jesus on this one (if my grandmother wasn’t already dead, that phrase would have killed her) and clarify that “old” doesn’t always equal “better” in the wine world. If you stumble upon a six-year-old bottle of Pinot Grigio sharing a shelf with Yellow Tail and Mommy’s Time Out, it’s probably not a “library wine” but what folks in the industry call a “close-out”—a wine the distributor is desperate to unload because it’s past its prime or sucked to begin with. Your best bet is to visit a vineyard you like and ask around.

Better yet, purchase a more recent vintage for a fraction of the price and age it yourself. Summon your self-discipline and see how long you can wait as your wine grows in quality and value.

My personal record is “the car ride home,” but maybe you’ll have better luck.

photo by Steffen Hausmann

Polo at King Family Vineyards

Matt Brehony — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 14:16:29 +0000

Upon arriving at King Family Vineyards for their weekly polo match, I was still a little self-conscious at the prospect of dragging my middle-crust self to such an utterly upper-crust spectacle. And then, like an angel from heaven, she appeared.

Stepping out of a rental coach, she set a Coors Light can upright on the gravel, crushed it beneath her flip-flop and then, like all my apprehensions, disappeared into thin air. Clearly this isn’t the rigid, old-money affair I had feared it would be.

Nor is it quite the shit show our Coors-crushing friend would lead you to believe. When it comes down to it, Roseland Polo at King Family Vineyards is a sporting event like any other--just another excuse to eat and drink in the open air with friends and loved ones. But boy does this setting put a Flying Squirrels game to shame.

Nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, polo matches at King Family make for a dramatic spectacle, even if you don’t have a clue what’s going on. And I most certainly didn’t. But now, based on what I gleaned from the few moments I took the time to look up from my glass of King Family’s spectacular Viognier/Chardonnay blend, I can impart a few basics to enrich your experience.

A polo match consists of two competing teams made up of four players. Each match is an hour and a half long and broken up into seven-minute periods known as chukkers (I’m willing to bet that the girl in the parking lot had a seven minute chukker of her own later that day).

The object of the game is to move the ball, via a long-handled mallet, down the field and through the opponent’s goal posts. Whoever has the ball has the right of way. Defenders must respect the “line of the ball,” and encroach from the side and never head on. It all seems so polite compared to the sports I grew up on.

Most of the rules in polo are designed with the safety of both the horses and players in mind. Players are even required to change horses after each chukker, so no animal is over-exerted.

You know, it’s surprising this game hasn’t caught on more with the common man. The rules are simple, and all you need to play it is a ball, a mallet, and AT LEAST SIXTEEN HORSES.

While the above offers only the most basic (and slightly distracted) insight into the game, all you really need to know to enjoy Roseland Polo is that golf carts stocked with King Family wines circle the field at regular intervals.

That, and at halftime, you get to take the field and stomp the divots. Just seems like yard work to me but people seem to get a kick out of it for some reason.

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Roseland Polo at King Family Vineyards is held every Sunday at 1:00 PM, from Memorial Day weekend to mid-October, weather permitting. Admission is free.

Guests are invited to bring their own food and drink BUT, because of ABC laws (and because only a jerk would go to a vineyard for free entertainment and not buy any wine), King Family wine is the only alcohol permitted on the premises. For more dos, don’ts and if you were smart you woulds, check out King Family’s tips for enjoying Roseland Polo.

Photo by: katedubya

Virginia wine: Family-friendly wineries

Matt Brehony — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:12:04 +0000

There's nothing like an afternoon in the tasting room: the popping of corks, the clinking of glasses, the crying, the faint aroma of regurgitated breast milk. Yes, a visit to a local winery can prove a shade less romantic for folks with young children, a club I joined this June with the birth of my triplet sons. And, though a recent trip to a CVS four blocks away required a Navy Seal-like coordinated effort, I'm hopeful the five of us can get out to a vineyard this fall.

Of course, not all wineries welcome kids. And I would hate for a room full of free-wheeling singles to suffer the realization of how empty and unfulfilling their life truly is when they catch me sniff-checking a diaper or sterilizing a fallen passie in a glass of Viognier. So all you childless folks can go back to bed, or backpack across Europe, or whatever the hell it is you do with your free time. This piece is all about Virginia's best wineries to visit with kids.

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Barrel Oak Winery

Delaplane's Barrel Oak Winery has been lauded in equal measure for both their wine and their inclusive atmosphere. Just last year they were featured in Wine Enthusiast magazine's very short list of the world's most family-friendly wineries. Juice boxes and candy jars adorn the tasting room, portraits of esteemed pooches line the walls, and picnics, concerts, and other kid-friendly events are part of everyday operations.

Barrel Oak extends the same hospitality to your four-legged children as well. The winery's website includes lengthy bios of the owner's four dogs, and features so much canine-related content Barrel Oak could very easily be mistaken for a (very boozy) doggie day care.

Early Mountain Vineyards

Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Virginia pulls off "kid friendly" in a wonderfully subtle way. It's the kind of place that allows you to enjoy a day with the family while still retaining a shred of the dignity you once had as a single person.

Tucked away in an interior so sleek and pristine you'd swear no soul under 25 has ever set foot in it, are kiosks stocked with games, toys, and coloring books. A spacious outdoor terrace and adjoining lawn provides plenty of room in which to frolic (kids still frolic these days, right?). Better yet, you can stock up on ingredients for s'mores at Early Mountain's marketplace, then belly-up to one of the many fire pits for a roaring good time.

Just please keep the wee ones closely supervised. Watching your eight-year old son pencil in his eyebrows before school engenders a guilt you never quite get over.

Potomac Point Winery

My first exposure to Potomac Point winery was when I had the pleasure of drinking my way through the 2013 Governor's Case. Who'd have guessed that a winery with the chops to impress the most humorless critics could also deliver a swell experience for the kiddies? Situated just off the tasting area is the Lil' Buds Room, where your precious offspring can lounge in bean bag chairs, play games, read books, and explore other ways to stay out of your hair. If all goes well, treat the kids to lunch on the expansive outdoor terrace, and enjoy a meal free from the concern that their every adorable screech will go pinging off the walls and pissing off your fellow diners. Out here we call that the "sound of nature"--deal with it.

DeVault Family Vineyards

There's a double meaning to the "family" in this vineyard's name. DeVault Vineyards in Concord, Virginia is not only family owned and operated, it's emphatically family-focused. Visiting this vineyard is like reliving your summer camp days, but with wine instead of bug juice and hopefully waaay fewer scarring sexual encounters. Beyond the typical tasting room activities you'll find tennis, volleyball, and basketball courts, plus an indoor swimming pool--where members of the certified lifeguard staff include the owners' son and nephew. Now that is a level of "keeping it in the family" few other vineyards can rival. If you cramped up while visiting Brad and Angelina's winery I doubt you'd find Millet, Light-Bringer, or one of their 26 other kids rushing to your aid.¹

The wine at DeVault reflects the whimsical atmosphere, with labels like Mrs. D's Blend, Lover's Blush, and Sweet Autumn Mist. If you think those sound less than serious, well...DUH. Do you want sit there contemplating the nuances of some barrel-aged Meritage, or do you want to polish off that glass of Old Time Watermelon Wine, climb up on that diving board, and give us a cannonball?

What are your favorite Virginia vineyards to visit with the family? Leave your recommendations in the comments below.

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Footnotes

There is a chance that I just made those names up. ↩

photo by Mike Miley

Virginia Wine: Dry Rosé in the Old VA

Matt Brehony — Wed, 29 May 2013 17:46:16 +0000

With the possible exception of Riesling, no wine is more misunderstood by the average American imbiber than rosé. Traditional dry rosés, like those popularized by French producers, are fruity yet dry, delivering some of the complexity and aromatics of a red, with the refreshing drinkability of a crisp white. A good dry rosé, is your first line of defense against the summer swealter. I mean, who really wants to drink a heavy, high-alcohol, room-temperature red wine in the dead of August.

Fortunately, Virginia winemakers are producing some excellent dry rosés nowadays. As with a lot of Virginia wine, these tend to have more in common with their French forefathers than with their cousins on the West Coast. And, whaddaya know, today (May 29th) just happens to be Virginia rosé day! All around the Commonwealth, wine lovers will be drinking rosé, talking rosé, tweeting rosé (#VArosé) and, as a result, probably doing really crappy work at their day jobs.

Your participation is important. Just think of all the pitiful creatures who still remain ignorant of rosé’s charms. Perhaps they’re haunted by the specter of White Zinfandel and all the sweet, sticky “blush” wines that flooded the market in the late 20th century. Perhaps they’re paralyzed by an irrational fear of what drinking pink could do to tarnish their tough guy image.

Whatever their malfunction, these poor souls are a dying breed. Rosé consumption has grown exponentially over the last few years and is only expected to increase. Could Virginia emerge as a top New World producer of dry, Old World-style rosé? Well, it’s probably too soon to say. But there are certainly some VA vineyards making a really convincing case for it.

Matt’s Favorite VA Rosés

Boxwood, Flying Fox, Linden, King Family, Blenheim, Glen Manor...

What am I missing? Share your favorite VA Rosés in the comments below.

Virginia Wine: Hip to be square or Michael Shaps’s boutique boxed wines

Matt Brehony — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:37 +0000

Just like the boxed wines you remember from your upper-classman, quasi-sophisticated “lets discuss Hegelian dialectics and suppress the urge to play beer pong” days, these wines are economical and stay fresh forever. Unlike those boxes of yore, they’re actually quite good!

“I spent a lot of time in France walk[ing] down the box wine aisle of the grocery stores and wondered why it hadn't developed with quality wine in the US,” Shaps says of the inspiration behind his Wineworks “Bag in the Box” line. It’s that tireless creativity that has cemented his reputation as a gifted wine entrepreneur/TERRIBLE person to vacation with. “Great idea, MICHAEL--let’s spend our time in Paris LOITERING IN A GROCERY STORE!!!” said an angry girlfriend that I invented for the purposes of this article.

Michael Shaps has been making wine in Virginia since 1995. A graduate of the prestigious Lycée Viticole de Beaune (a winemaking university in France’s Burgundy region), his expertise helped establish two of VA’s most iconic wineries: King Family and Jefferson. Since then, Shaps has split his time between his two, high-quality wineries (Michael Shaps Wines in Virginia and Maison Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin in Meursault, France) and a busy consulting schedule.

Immersed in the business of making serious wine, Michael soon found it hard to ignore a certain, boxed-sized hole in his heart. Feeling that “Virginia was lacking a fun value brand,” he launched Michael Shaps Wineworks in 2007. Now, with the Wineworks “Bag in the Box” series, Shaps’ has delivered this idea to its logical conclusion.

Each box retails at $40 (with a few $35 varieties available exclusively at the Wineworks facility) and houses the equivalent of four bottles of wine. In case you don’t think you can down four bottles of wine in one sitting…well, what are you a baby? And also, you don’t have to, because this vacuum-sealed wine will keep for at least a month and probably longer!

Plus this isn’t just ANY wine. These wines are made from 100% Virginia fruit and by one of Virginia’s top winemakers. The Chardonnay is a 50/50 blend of stainless steel and barrel-fermented juice, and combines crisp, green-apple notes with toasty, oak characteristics. The Cabernet Franc practically dares you to have a barbeque, with vibrant flavors of ripe red berries and an insane drinkability.

Don’t let the box fool you, these are real vintage wines¹--honest-to-goodness products of agriculture that reflect the conditions of growing season and vary from year to year. How many other boxed wines can say that?...Except for on the rare occasion when a rat falls into the fermenter at the Franzia plant.

Michael Shaps’ Wineworks Bag-in-box wines can be found in Richmond at Barrel Thief, J. Emerson’s, Once Upon a Vine, Ellwood Thompson, Whole Foods and even a few Krogers.

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Footnotes

Though the year is not mentioned on the label (printing boxes in bulk is one of factors that keep the price so low). ↩

Picture via @vawineworks

Virginia Wine: Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup, part 2

Matt Brehony — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:04:42 +0000

This past February, 45 prestigious palates gathered for a blind tasting that would determine the 12 best Virginia wines--henceforth known as The Governor’s Case. A couple months later, for reasons that remain curious, the powers that be thought it would be a good idea to dump a case on yours truly and see what happened. The following is the second in my two part series of Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup.

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Trump Winery

2008 Sparkling Rosé

When he’s not busy firing and rehiring Gary Busey or questioning the existence of the President, Donald Trump enjoys the peace of the vineyard. Well, at least, he OWNS a vineyard. And while I usually celebrate the narrative of a passionate, hands-on vineyard owner, His Hairness probably isn’t cut out for the craft of winemaking.

Delicate, elegant, and subtle, the Trump SP Brut Rosé is everything THAT DOESN’T come to mind when you hear the name Trump. It’s the only non-red wine included in the Governor’s Case, which speaks volumes on its complexity. This dry, sparkling rosé is made in the traditional Champagne method (aka méthode champenoise or méthode traditionnelle) in which, after primary fermentation, the wine goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle (in this case, for 22 months). Super dry with subtle notes of red fruits and that nice bready character that you get from good Champagne, the Trump SP Brut Rosé is equally suited for black tie affairs or a boozy brunch. And at $29 a pop it’s a far better value than some of the big name sparklers that dominate the market.

Sunset Hills Vineyard

2010 Mosaic (Meritage)

This wine bottle has one of those cool melted wax tops; popping the cork is like opening a letter from Tywin Lannister. But instead of smelling like raven feces, it greets you with a nose of dried flowers, ripe cherries. and vanilla. All that continues onto the palate. Though by no means light bodied, this is definitely one of the more delicate of the Governor’s Cup offerings--one of those rare big reds that begs for another sip. A near perfect balance of acid and tannin grant the Sunset Hills Mosaic a structure as impressive as the great castle of Harrenhal, before it was engulfed in dragon fire during Aegon the Coqueror’s conquest of Westeros.

I know what you’re thinking ladies: “A wine nerd AND a nerd nerd, how was this guy ever single?”

RdV Vineyards

2010 Lost Mountain (Meritage – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
2010 Rendezvous (Meritage – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc)

In their short history, RdV Vineyards in Delaplane, Virginia has garnered quite a bit of buzz—both for their allegedly stellar wine and for their relatively stratospheric price point. In a market where most Virginia vineyards offer recent vintages and table wines for $15-$30, and reserve bottles for $35-$50, RdV starts their pricing at $75. A visit to their tasting room will set you back $50 and is by appointment only. Hell, even their pairing suggestions assume a sense of affluence and access, instructing you to serve their 2010 Rendezvous with “corned beef tongue, savoy cabbage, baby carrots, and mustard sabayon.” Wow, only $75 AND I’ll finally have a use for all that mustard sabayon I got lying around!

I may be stating the obvious here when I say that I was a bit skeptical about this vineyard. But the fact they only release two wines a year and BOTH were blindly selected for the Governor’s Case (ie: the top 12 out of 377 entries)…well, clearly there’s more going on than just clever brand positioning.

The 2010 Lost Mountain is bold yet easy drinking. The palate is dominated by dark fruits, with tannins that are surprisingly mellow considering the high concentration of Cabernet Sauvignon. Overall I found it to be an enjoyable and well-made wine, if not exactly a bargain at $88.

The 2010 Rendezvous, on the other hand, was like a punch in the pleasure zone. With layers of lush fruit and a silky smooth mouthfeel, this wine drinks like an early Beach Boys song: harmonious and easily digestible yet deceptively complex. Undoubtedly, one of the nicest Virginia wines I’ve come across.

Now, would I buy it? Look man, I got triplets on the way; $75 is a little rich for my blood (which I am currently selling for diaper money). But I would very happily accept it as a gift. And, I do have a birthday coming up in 10 months….

Potomac Point Winery and Vineyard

2010 Richland Reserve Heritage (Meritage)

There’s no doubting the Potomac Point Richland Reserve Heritage’s pedigree as a Virginia wine. While many wines in the Governor’s Case could, and have, been mistaken for a product from Napa or Bordeaux, there’s something on the finish of this one that screams Virginia. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a kind of earthy/vegetal quality (I believe the experts call it “forest floor”) that I find with a good number of wines from the Commonwealth. In this case, that quirky characteristic is nicely balanced with dark cherry and prune, smoke and a handful of Virginia dirt (a recipe I coined on my last day working at Jamba Juice).

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AND, THE WINNER...

Baboursville Vineyards

2009 Octagon (Meritage)

The winner of this year’s Governor’s Cup should come as no shock to those that follow the local wine scene. The Barboursville Octagon is one of the most celebrated names in Virginia vino. The Octagon is a great wine in the way that De Niro is a great actor. Not because it’s always making this face--why would a wine make that face? No, De Niro is a great actor because he makes it look easy, as if he’s not acting at all.¹

These days, there are plenty of wines that win acclaim by assaulting your senses—the Octagon is not one of them. If you approach it expecting fireworks you’re missing the point. The 2009 Octagon won this award because it is a beautifully balanced, subtle, and sneaky wine. It delivers the performance of a lifetime, without even trying. It reveals itself in seemingly infinite layers, yet drinks like dream. I mean, I’ve thrown back half a bottle while writing this paragraph--hehe, that’s a funny word: paragraph. It sounds like “pair of graphs.” And then I wuz like, you dont scare me anymore, Barbara! And izunt that what the tru meaning of halloweens is all about?zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

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Footnotes

For the sake of this analogy, let’s just forget about Cape Fear. ↩

Virginia Wine: Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup

Matt Brehony — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:44:39 +0000

This past February, 45 of the sharpest palates in wine gathered for a blind tasting of 377 Virginia wines. Those judged to be the 12 best would go on to form The Governor’s Case (cue trumpet fanfare)!

A couple months later, for reasons that remain curious, the Virginia wine powers that be thought it would be a good idea to dump a case on yours truly and see what happened. And so I give you the first in my two part series of Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup.

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Lovingston Winery

2009 Estate Reserve (Meritage)

In the quick and dirty world of bad, mass-produced wine, “barrel aging” is usually synonymous for “tastes like wood.” You take your grape juice, dump it in a vessel of young oak to sit for a few months, maybe add some wood chips for good measure, et voila!—cedar plank Smuckers. The Lovingston Estate Reserve Meritage is a nice example of barrel aging the old fashioned way. This wine spends a full three years in barrel before being bottled. As expected, an oaky character is definitely present, but so are notes of dark fruit, cherry, leather, and spice. Lovingston used the vineyard’s best fruit to make this wine (thus the “Estate Reserve” title), which means grapes that contain a high concentration of sugars, acid, and tannin. And, while all these intense flavors form the backbone, everything is mellowed out by 36 months of barrel aging. Subtle and smooth, this wine drinks like a British melodrama, with loads of passion, tension and torment, buried under a mountain of dignity and decorum.

Rappahannock Cellars

2010 Meritage

For close to 20 years now, Rappahannock Cellars has been quietly producing some of the most consistently good wines in Virginia. This 2010 Meritage offers an excellent expression of their terroir and technique. Stainless steel fermentation followed by 18 months in the barrel results in a wine that is complex and well integrated, yet still vibrant. Tart cherry, blackberry, and mocha lead before giving way to a bright acidity and nice, lingering tannins. This wine drinks well now and will only improve with a few years in the bottle. According to the winemaker’s notes, the 2010 Meritage “begs for fine red meats.” I ignored the wine’s desperate plea for beef, and took sadistic pleasure in pairing it with little more than a box of Triscuits and an episode of The Wire.

Pollak Vineyards

2009 Cabernet Franc Reserve

A big fan of Pollak’s 2010 Cabernet Franc, I thought I had an idea of what to expect with this one. One whiff and I immediately discovered how wrong that assumption was. One sip and I realized how wrong the assumptions that I made based on the preceding whiff were. Overall it was a very confusing day for me.

Pollak’s 2009 Cabernet Franc Reserve is a rich, concentrated, yet somewhat austere wine. The initial impression of sweet oak and spice is offset by a bracing acidity. While many of the big reds that dominate the Governor’s Case pair with little more than red meat, a fine cigar, and discreet talk of tax loopholes, Pollak’s Cab Franc, by comparison, promises to be much more food-friendly. And the winemaker offers up some of the most detailed pairing notes I’ve ever read, suggesting it be enjoyed with “duck breast over a salad of arugula, goat cheese, toasted pecans, cranberries and honey balsamic vinaigrette.” Reading this, I dashed into the kitchen, only to discover that I didn’t have ANY of those items on hand. I was however, able to fish out a sausage from the back of the freezer, which made a pretty decent pairing too. Here’s to the good life, people!

King Family Vineyards

2010 Meritage

Compared to its contemporaries in this half of the Governor’s Case, the King Family Meritage could almost be mistaken for a California wine. Though next to an actual California wine, it would undoubtedly come off as a chaste Virginian by comparison. Lush dark cherry flavors mingle with notes of vanilla and spice, before giving way to a long finish of prune and plum. Soft tannins balance out the equation and keep things from getting out of hand. King Family’s 2010 Meritage is like the wine incarnation of Dean Martin, with all its brash, boozy, and borderline hedonistic tendencies regulated by enough structure to keep it suave and sophisticated.

Philip Carter Winery

2010 Cleve

This wine gives good nose. Huffing my decanter, I became lost in an intoxicating bouquet of rich woods and heady perfume. “This is the closest I’ll ever come to making out with an on-duty librarian,” I thought to myself.

An equal parts blend of Petit Verdot and Tannat, the Cleve pours an inky purple. Since both grapes are infamously tannic, this wine will definitely improve with age and should be allowed plenty of time to breathe before drinking. I mean, I’ve known Swedish people that took less time to open up. SWEDISH PEOPLE! Once it did open up, all those aromas of smoky cedar and Chanel No. Whatever were joined by a rich palate of dark fruit and mixed berries.

Cooper Vineyards

2010 Reserve Petit Verdot

Another strong showing for Petit Verdot in the Governor’s Case. With aromas of smoky oak, caramel, cinnamon, and clove, this is how I imagine Santa’s Workshop to smell (minus the putrid stench of elf sweat). Though the nose hints at something jammy and heavily oaked, on the palate the Cooper Reserve Petit Verdot is dry and nicely structured, with layered tannins and a nice balancing acidity. Dark fruit and smoke mingle with subtle hints of dark chocolate and sour cherry. If I were a judge at the Governor’s Cup I would have stood up and proclaimed “THIS WINE TASTES LIKE CHRISTMAS!” I should also add that, in this fantasy, I am dressed up like an old Parliamentary judge with a horsehair wig and flowing black robe.

Yeah, there is a zero percent chance that I am going to get invited to one of these things.

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Up next, after an eight-hour detox, I taste my way through the rest of the case. More Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup when our series on Virginia Wine continues.

Virginia Wine: Off the beaten path in Northern Virginia, part 2

Matt Brehony — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:10:11 +0000

Our journey to Northern Virginia continues as we visit with a couple of the Commonwealth’s most celebrated winemakers.

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Linden Vineyards

This is the guy. This is the guy I will hold up as an example to anyone that doubts the ability, viability, or sincerity of our wine industry. This is the guy I nominate to be the face (and the beard, and the ponytail) of Virginia viticulture: Jim Law.

Jim has been tending vineyards in Virginia for more than 30 years. Soft spoken and unassuming in person, Jim’s resume speaks volumes of a genuine love for working the land. He taught agriculture in the Congo as a volunteer for the Peace Corps and worked his first job in a vineyard for nothing more than room and board. When he left his native Ohio for Virginia, he was lured not by the promise of upward mobility, but of elevation. Convinced he couldn’t produce the wine he wanted on those Midwestern plains, he went in search of steeper pastures. During a stint with a vineyard in the Shenandoah Valley in 1981, Jim discovered the land he was looking for. With a modest amount of seed money and grand ambitions he started Linden Vineyards on an abandoned farm high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

What’s amazing is how, after 29 years of tending this very vineyard, Jim Law still treats it like a work in progress: charting the shrinkage of vines over time inspires a new planting schematic, the discovery of a small patch of granite soil yields a new site for Cabernet Sauvignon. At an age where most people are looking forward to retirement, Jim is contemplating what his vineyard will look like in 20 years--and planting accordingly.

Whether discussing Jim’s approach to vineyard management, or the relaxed feel of the beautiful tasting room, “patience” is a word that seems universally applicable to the Linden aesthetic. And nowhere is this more applicable than with the wine itself. While many Virginia vineyards have already sold through their entire 2010 vintage, Linden is just beginning to make theirs available. The pride of their portfolio are the so-called “library wines”-- bottles that have been held for several years or more. The Linden website even features a database where guests can access detailed notes on any bottle going back to 1997.

The wine at Linden reflects a much older, pre-California conception of “Bordeaux-style.” These are wines of depth and structure with plenty of acid and tannin to regulate those big fruit flavors. As much as I despise the term “serious wine”…well, these are some pretty serious freakin’ wines. Thankfully the vibe in the tasting room doesn’t follow suit and remains laid-back and inviting (although I did feel a little out of place wearing this shirt).

Glen Manor Vineyards

Jeff White worked under Jim Law for 13 years before starting his own Glen Manor vineyards in 2007. Though ultimately these two make very different wines expressive of very different visions, in a more general way, Jeff and Jim strike me as kindred spirits. Both are very much farmers of grapes, who view the spoils of being a vineyard owner as unfortunate distractions from time better spent among the vines.

Glen Manor possesses a pastoral solemnity that makes it feel almost like a religious retreat—albeit a well lubricated one. The tasting room is a simple wooden structure flanked by mountains on all sides. A sign at the base of the driveway keeps the peace by discouraging tour buses and large groups (so I quietly unhooked my trailer of half-drunken Spring Breakers, gave it a gentle shove down the hill, and went about my business).

Jeff White met me in the tasting room fresh from the vineyard, sporting a pair of well-worn coveralls. A quiet, fairly serious man with tired yet intense eyes, he hipped me to the history of the Glen Manor site. The farmland that houses Glen Manor has belonged to his family since 1901. Jeff planted the first vines in 1995, 1,200 feet up on a rocky mountainside. Almost immediately it became clear that this was a special site capable of producing exceptional fruit--which Jeff sold to Jim Law at Linden before setting out on his own in 2007.

Since then, Glen Manor has been quietly racking up awards while remaining a tiny, family-run operation. I don’t know if the credit belongs to the steep slopes, the rocky soils, or White’s skill as a winemaker (probably all of the above), but Glen Manor produces one amazing Sauvignon Blanc. The initial whiff of cat piss¹ (a fairly classic, albeit quirky, characteristic of this grape) gives way to bright citrus flavors and a pleasing minerality. Glen Manor is probably best known for signature “Hodder Hill” blend. A composite of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, Hodder Hill is rich and masculine yet graceful (I love when I can just cut and paste descriptors from my old Match.com profile) with ripe fruit flavors and notes of cinnamon and spice. The sold-out 2009 vintage took home last year’s Governor's Cup, with the current, gold-medal winning 2010 release in short supply. Snatch up a bottle while you can and enjoy it now, or allow it to improve with age. According to the winemakers you have until 2028 to drink it so, you know, no rush there.

Photo courtesy of Glen Manor Vineyards

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Footnotes

I mean this in a good way. Like if a really amazing cat peed on your face. ↩

Virginia Wine: Off the beaten path in Northern Virginia, part 1

Matt Brehony — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:57:15 +0000

It’s not often you get to accuse central Virginians of thinking they’re the center of the universe. But when it comes to the local wine scene, we often treat the Monticello AVA as the be-all-end-all.

Now it wouldn’t be fair to attribute this myopic view purely to arrogance. For starters, central Virginia IS the center of the universe—it’s called “science,” people, look it up. Second is that the Monticello AVA—with its rolling hills, rich history, and proximity to Charlottesville—makes an obvious tourist destination. And it’s often those crumpled bills lining a traveler’s fanny pack that keep a burgeoning wine region afloat. Yet many of the Commonwealth’s most acclaimed wineries lie spread throughout its eight other regions. With that in mind I’m taking you off the beaten path, into the uncharted hinterlands of Northern Virginia.

My first excursion outside the Jeffersonian bubble brought me to Middleburg, Virginia. Following 17 North from I-95, I circumvented NOVA’s infamous gridlock to watch as suburban sprawl receded into mountainous stretches of vineyards and farmland. There I visited two neighboring operations that embody two very different interpretations of what Virginia wine is all about.

Boxwood Estate Winery

Boxwood Estate is what you would call a boutique winery. In fact, term “boutique” may not be going far enough. From the layout of the vineyard; to the cutting-edge production facilities; to the streamlined, industrial-chic tasting room; everything speaks of careful forethought and meticulous execution. Though owner John Kent Cooke (yup, THOSE Kent Cookes) purchased the estate in the late 1990’s, he subjected it to years of soil and weather assessment before anything was put in the ground. When the green light was finally given in 2004, vines were planted by laser (!) and a custom GPS system was designed to monitor vineyard maintenance. My tour guide (who, in retrospect, may have been a friendly cyborg) went on to explain how this measured approach extends to the winery’s production philosophy.

Boxwood grows a mere five grape varieties (with a sixth to be planted this year) from which they produce just four wines: one rosé and three red blends. Production is capped at a scant 3,000 cases per year. With oversight by Bordeaux luminary Stéphane Derenoncourt, Boxwood’s high-tech approach is juxtaposed by a few old-school practices such as hand harvesting and manual punch down. Manual punch down is the processes of reincorporating the grape’s skins with the fermenting juice by hand, and is not, as I had hoped, old-timey slang for a fist fight.

Quite a lot of work for just four wines. With so many contemporaries luring bus loads of visitors with the promise of corn hole and a something-for-everyone portfolio of wine, this seems like a risky play.

But damn if it doesn’t work.

The wines I tasted at Boxwood were undoubtedly among the best I’ve sampled around the Commonwealth so far. The 2010 Topiary (Cabernet Franc, Merlot) was elegant and layered—easy to love from the first sip, yet seemed to bring something new every time you went back to the glass. The 2010 Boxwood (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot) delivered the same level of harmonious complexity but with a bolder, meat-friendly and age-worthy tannic structure. The rosé is made up of 40% Merlot, 37% Cab Franc ,13% Cab Sauv, 10% Malbec, and will probably make up about 70% of my blood stream by mid-summer. Even more refreshing is Boxwood’s price point, which, considering the high quality and low production, seems remarkably fair. The bulk of the offerings hover in the $14-$18 range, with the stellar 2010 vintage topping out at $25.

Chrysalis Vineyards

Chrysalis Vineyards and Boxwood Estate are separated by three miles of gravel road and 180 degrees of winemaking philosophy. If Boxwood is a Bach partita, Chrysalis is the squelching catharsis of Coltrane solo; if Boxwood is a Rembrandt portrait, Chrysalis is a Jackson Pollack improvisation; if Boxwood is the terse prose of Hemmingway, Chrysalis is this sentence.

With 71 acres under vine, Chrysalis grows an impressive array of unusual grape varieties including Albariño, Fer Servadou, Tintacao, Tannat, Tempranillo, and, most famously, Norton. Though undoubtedly influenced by her European forefathers, winemaker/owner Jennifer McCloud harbors no pretention of inventing Virginia as a Bordelaise outpost. The wines at Chrysalis are dynamic and assertive, with intense fruit character that is damn near impossible to liken to wine from anywhere else. The Albariño explodes with juicy apricot flavor; the “Mariposa” rosé is practically purple, with a deceptively dry finish given the exceptionally fruity nose and full-bodied mouthfeel.

And then there is the Norton. Like it, love it, or otherwise, you have to try it (if for no other reason than I’m at a loss to describe it). It practically jumps out of the glass with concentrated aromas and a flavor that defies comparison to any common European (vitus vinifera) varietal, which makes sense considering it’s literally a different species (vitus aestivalis). Perhaps you could liken the character of a Norton to a Malbec, but with a bit more acid…and also on acid…with a kind of a wild, vegetal quality…and maybe a little tar...and also, it’s not like a Malbec at all.

See why you need to try this wine yourself?

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Up next, we head north by northeast to meet a couple of the Commonwealth’s most celebrated winemakers. Visits to Glen Manor and Linden Vineyards when our series on Virginia wine continues!

Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

Virginia wine: Meet Norton

Matt Brehony — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:41:42 +0000

Thus far in our series we’ve studied Virginia wine as an extension of European tradition: the fulfillment of Thomas Jefferson’s long-deferred dream of vitus vinifera thriving here in the Commonwealth. Just about every variety we’ve mentioned (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Viognier, etc.) is a transplant from the Old World.

But what about native grapes? Is there such thing as a wine that is indigenous to America (besides Mad Dog 20/20)?

Why yes, yes there is.

Meet Norton

Photo by: stannate

Norton is thought to be the oldest native grape still cultivated commercially. Though it has long been the signature grape of the American Midwest, its roots lie in Virginia. In fact, upon closer look, the Norton grape actually reveals itself to be a native of Richmond.

See what I mean.

The Norton grape was “discovered” in 1821, by Dr. Daniel Norborne Norton of Richmond, Virginia. It's widely accepted that Norton is a hybridization of a long-forgotten grape variety called Bland (I know what you’re thinking: How could a grape with such a captivating name ever fall out of favor?). Further details of its origin—including what, exactly, it was hybridized with—are shrouded in mystery and remain a point of contentious debate among people who are a total drag to be around at parties.

Norton goes west

Long before the California wine boom, Missouri was the wine capital of the New World, and Norton, carried west by German immigrants, was its signature grape. Virtually impervious to disease and cold-hearty to 25 below, Norton thrived in a harsh environment where French varieties withered away like, well, like a Frenchman in Missouri. Yet, despite this agricultural success, “The Show Me State” couldn’t muster the tourism draw enjoyed by most other wine regions.

Throughout the late 19th and early 20th century, Norton’s star continued to rise, both commercially and critically. For the first time in history, an indigenous American wine was turning heads on an international scale. A Norton wine received a gold medal at the 1873 Vienna World Exposition, where it was effusively praised as “the best red wine of all nations.”¹

Then, of course, Prohibition happened. Acres upon acres of Norton were quickly replaced by concord grapes for fruit juice and jams, much to the delight of small children and joyless adults throughout the country. All is quiet on the mid-western front for decades to come.

Homecoming

Missouri native Dennis Horton was committed to giving Norton the homecoming it deserved when he opened Horton Vineyards in Orange County, Virginia in 1989. The award-winning wines made from his eight acres of Norton succeeded in reacquainting savvy Virginia drinkers with their native grape. Winemakers and wine lovers were inspired by the idea of an indigenous Virginia wine and impressed by the quality—rich, complex, and inky-hued, without the “foxy” character typically associated with native grapes.

None were more inspired than a particular man in the audience of a lecture Horton gave in 1995. A then millionaire who, after selling his 12 businesses and undergoing a sex change operation, would start a new life dedicated to championing this rugged underdog of a grape.² Today, Jennifer McCloud’s Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Virginia grows more Norton than any single site in the world. Through her wine and work she seeks to restore Norton to its prominence as, not just Virginia’s, but America’s native wine.

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Up next: I put my mouth where my MacBook is, with tastings at Chrysalis and several other out-of-the-way wineries. We head Off the Beaten Path when our series on Virginia wine continues.

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Footnotes

When reached for comment the following morning, that critic replied “I said what about who now?” ↩
A fascinating story made into a fascinating read in Todd Kliman’s book The Wild Vine. ↩

Virginia Wine: Steve and Jean Case’s Early Mountain

Matt Brehony — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:35:06 +0000

Clearly I’ve been bought off. Why, with so much to cover in the world of Virginia wine, would I dedicate an entire article to a single winery? Admittedly, as the expectant father of triplet boys, I am not above compromising my journalistic integrity for a little extra scratch.¹ Alas, that is not the case this time.

The answer, quite simply, is that Early Mountain Vineyards is much, much more than just a winery. But first, a little backstory.

Early Mountain is the labor of love of longtime Virginia residents, Steve and Jean Case. By the end of the aughts, the Case’s were bored. Steve had retired from his job as CEO of America Online and Jean was languishing in the role of your typical kept woman—watching soaps, eating bonbons, fighting malaria, curing brain cancer, and helping to negotiate peace in the Middle East. After a trip visiting wineries around Charlottesville, the two were blown away by the quality of the wine yet baffled at the lack of national attention. They saw enormous potential for Virginia wine and wanted to be a part of it.

In 2011, the Case’s purchased the bankrupt Sweely estate in Madison County and immediately got down to business, gutting what wasn’t working and strengthening what was. The Sweely tasting room, described by many an anonymous source as a cross between Cracker Barrel and Medieval Times (in other words, the most perfect place on earth) was renovated into an airy and inviting space. Out in the vineyard, the Early Mountain team augmented Sweely’s thriving, seven year-old vines of Petit Manseng, Muscat Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Peitit Verdot, Malbec, and Merlot, with fresh plantings of Chardonnay and some additional Cab Franc.

But money alone does not a good winery make, and far too many newcomers underestimate the level of expertise required to make a good product (“Hey, my nephew loves to drink! He can be my head winemaker!). Thankfully the Cases did not succumb to that cliché and hired a team with shiny degrees and loads of on-the-job experience both at home and abroad. For a first showing, Early Mountain’s 2011 vintage is shockingly good. Especially considering what a historically difficult year 2011 was for Virginia wine—imagine learning to walk during an earthquake.

But Early Mountain the winery, is just one facet of the Early Mountain’s business plan. Driven by a mission to “elevate, celebrate, and champion the finest Virginia wine,” their tasting room offers flights, bottles, and by-the-glass pours of wines from all over the Commonwealth. By highlighting their own wines alongside a carefully selected group of Best of Virginia (BOV) partners, Early Mountain offers guests “a virtual Virginia wine tour under one roof.” And this commitment to the cause surpasses mere shout-outs into full-blown social enterprise, as all of Early Mountain’s profits are poured back into the Virginia wine industry.

A sense of serving the ecosystem plays out in the vineyard as well. Early Mountain’s ambitious green initiative shuns herbicides and other caustic “conventional” practices while embracing natural soil amendments, organic sprays, and cover crops to attract beneficial insects.

All this good energy undoubtedly enhances the experience. Yet Early Mountain’s charm would be hard to deny even if the vines were pummeled with Agent Orange and harvested by undocumented Oompa Loompas. With a cool bar, two-way fireplace, and seemingly endless cozy nooks in which to curl up, the main room feels less like a turn-‘em-and-burn-‘em tasting area and more like your living room--well, your living room if you happened to be the former CEO of AOL. Early Mountain’s “Marketplace” offers artisanal specialty foods and a full menu of fantastic snacks, sandwiches, and small plates; take-home bottles from Early Mountain and all their BOV partners; and an encouraging absence of bedazzled t-shirts. And then, of course, there is the incredible selection of local wines, carefully compiled by Early Mountain’s in-house sommelier (yup, they have one of those too).

Order yourself a glass of the Thibuat-Janisson bubbly and pull up a spot by the fire. Now that, my friends, is pleasure you can DEPENDS™ on!

Up next: It’s thick-skinned, resilient and notoriously hard to work with—no wonder it’s from Richmond! The Norton Grape, when our series on Virginia Wine continues.

Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

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Footnotes

In truth, the idea of selling out has come to feel as comfy and familiar as my favorite pair of DEPENDS™ brand adult diapers. DEPENDS™, these ain’t your grammy’s adult diapers! ↩

Photo courtesy of Early Mountain Vineyards

Virginia wine: A helpful primer

Matt Brehony — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 15:47:40 +0000

I have become all that I hate. When my editor told me that, thanks to my articles, he went from “knowing nothing” about Virginia wine to feeling like he knew “too much,” I realized it was time for an abrupt about face.

Wine can be such an overwhelming topic, and I began this series with a rant about how much of the wine media exacerbates this option paralysis. But, in light of my editor’s comments, it dawns on me that maybe I’m just a little bit guilty of the same thing. With that in mind, let’s turn this ship back to ground zero (the ship is powered by mixed metaphors, BTW) with a Virginia Wine Primer.

A disclaimer: Never treat Virginia wine as a single entity. We have winemakers striving to emulate top European producers, winemakers striving to emulate the flavor of a chili dog, and pretty much everything in in-between. That being said, there are a handful of styles and varieties that you’ll encounter at almost every “serious” Virginia winery (spoiler alert: “Chili dog” is not one of them).

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First, the usual suspects:

Chardonnay

Oak-Aged Chardonnay: To a lot of casual wine drinkers, Chardonnay is synonymous with an oaky, buttery quality. For those qualities, you can credit aging barrels of young oak (which imparts the woody, vanilla character) and a process called malolactic fermentation (where tart, malic acids are converted into buttery lactic acids). Though this style has pretty deep, Burgundian roots, it was taken to new extremes in the late 20th century by California winemakers, whose buttery, oak bombs quickly became the new industry standard. Incidentally, The Buttery Oak Bombs was also the name of my college jam band.

Fortunately, a lot of Virginia wineries are doing with oak-aged Chardonnay what they’re doing with so many styles: straddling a line between European restraint and California excess. Many of the Commonwealth’s best exhibit those nice toasty oak characteristics while retaining some of the grape’s natural character.

Picks: Jefferson, Barboursville, Chatham, Paradise Springs, Keswick

Stainless Steel Chardonnay: Without the intervening oak, “stainless steel” Chardonnay’s offers a more “pure” expression of the grape. Malic acids still intact, they taste more like the grapes themselves would if you simply plucked them from the vine and popped them in your mouth—juicy and bright with a green-apple tartness. And while a lot of stainless steel Chards can be refreshing yet forgettable, a few Virginia winemakers are producing some really remarkable examples that are a true testament to terroir.

Picks: Chatham, Afton Mountain, Linden, Ankida Ridge

Viognier

Famed wine-writer Steven Spurrier has called Viognier (pronounced Vee-own-YAY) Virginia’s “calling card for whites.” While the grape has a prominent history in parts of France’s Rhone Valley, it is experiencing a nearly unprecedented level of New World success as a single varietal in Virginia. Viogniers tend to be lush and medium to full bodied, with floral aromas and explosive tropical flavors--a palate described as “liquid fruity pebbles” by non-famed wine writer, me. Still, Viognier is a dry white wine, and well-balanced examples will counteract all the above with a bright, clean finish.

Picks: Barboursville, Horton, Veritas, Chrysalis, King

Cabernet Franc

While Viognier is commonly held-up as Virginia’s signature white wine, Cabernet Franc is often lauded as our benchmark red. Cab Franc is best known for its supporting role in Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blends—sharing the stage with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. Virginia is quickly joining the very short list of regions showing great success with it as a stand-alone grape. Cab Franc has an amazing ability to pick up all kinds of interesting and earthy elements from both the soil and time spent in the barrel. In a good Virginia Cab Franc, a base of rich ripe fruit is often offset with notes of coffee, coco, tobacco, and spices.

Picks: Glen Manor, Pollak, Gadino, Flying Fox

Meritage

First, it’s time to put something to rest. Meritage is an English word (it rhymes with “heritage”) so let’s stop Frenching it up, please. The term Meritage is an American synonym for a Bordeaux-style blend (again, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and Petit Verdot). Showcasing a complex palate of dark cherries, raspberries, cedar, and spice, Meritage wines are big, bold, and best if aged at least a couple years.

Picks: Boxwood, Glen Manor, King Family, Barboursville (Octagon), Breaux

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And now, the rising stars:

Petit Manseng

Another somewhat obscure grape rising to prominence in Virginia is Petit Manseng. Loosely translating to “little Manseng” (and my parents thought a masters in remedial French was a waste of money!), these small, thick-skinned grapes possess characteristics that could be likened to a more concentrated Viognier. Intense citrus, peach, and pineapple notes and a racy acidity make for off-dry whites and dessert wines that are fruity and floral without being cloyingly sweet.

Picks: Barrel Oak, Chrysalis, Pearmund, Horton, White Hall

Norton

Unlike all the aforementioned grapes that have migrated to Virginia hoping to graduate from second-fiddle to featured soloist, Norton is a native of the Commonwealth. In fact, Norton’s roots can be traced right back here to Richmond! But don’t rush out, high on local pride, and buy the first Norton you come across. Only a handful of winemakers have figured out how to tease a tasty wine—bursting with concentrated aromas and flavors of cherries, blackberries, smoke, vanilla and spice--out of this cagey grape. Furthermore, most Nortons drink best if aged for several years.

Picks: Chrysalis, Cooper, Horton

Petit Verdot

After a career of playing a very peripheral role in Bordeaux blends, the quirky grape known as Petit Verdot has become an unlikely lead character here in Virginia. Think of it as the wine world equivalent to Creed from The Office getting his own spin-off…and with similarly scattered results. The current crop of available Petit Verdots run the gamut from intense but one-dimensional, to complex and compelling, to just plain weird. But overall there’s been enough success to lead many to speculate that PV will become Virginia’s defining grape. Look for an inky black color, dark fruit flavors of plum and prune, and heavy tannins. Look for a steak to eat with it. Then look for a mirror, cause your teeth are probably purple.

Picks: Ingleside, Keswick, Jefferson, Glen Manor, Linden, Afton Mountain

Photo by: Robert S. Donovan

Virginia Wine: Wineries for the winter

Matt Brehony — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:34:27 +0000

We tend to think of winery visits as a fair-weather activity. You’re either sitting on a sun-cooked patio sipping a crisp white in the summer, or staring at a sea of fall foliage and bracing for the coming chill with a hearty red in the fall. Yet, once winter arrives, the tide of tourists pouring into tasting rooms gets cut back like so much dead vinifera.

Despite that, winter can be one of the best times for a trip to a local winery. Sure it may lack some of the appeals of harvest time—the vineyard tours, the turning leaves, the throngs of sweat pant-clad tourists—but, “off-season” visits can often yield a more personalized and all around fulfilling experience. What’s more, many area wineries are designed with winter in mind and boast cozy tasting rooms with roaring fires.

Afton Mountain Vineyards

Dating back to 1978, Afton Mountain is among the oldest vineyards in the state. To hear owners Elizabeth and Tony Smith discuss AMV’s rain shadow and unique airflow, you get the impression that it exists in its own charmed micro-climate. What’s interesting is how the wines seem to back up that claim--from a remarkably floral and nuanced stainless steel Chardonnay; to a light and delicate Pinot Noir (you read that correctly, Pinot Noir! In VA!); to a rich, tannic and age-worthy Petit Verdot.

Yet, even if all the wine-lingo above sounds like the ramblings of a fancy-lad (to which I say “Fie upon you, you foul fustilarian! Fie!!!”), I promise the trip to Afton Mountain Vineyards is worth it for the setting alone. Just off the tasting room sits a cozy living area, where couches encircle a crackling fire. But the real draw is an outdoor pavilion with 360-degree mountain views. This hub for cold-weather conviviality is winterized with clear covering, heat lamps and a little something they call The Friend Maker.

OK, as much as it may sound like the title of 2008’s lamest action film, “the friend maker” is what Afton Mountain regulars have dubbed the gas fire pit that serves as the social center throughout the winter.

Early Mountain Vineyard

There’s a lot to be said about Early Mountain Vineyards. A labor of love by former AOL CEO Steve Case and his wife/badass entrepreneur in her own right, Jean, Early Mountain functions not only as its own vineyard, but as a central hub for all things Virginia wine. In the tasting room, the products of Early Mountain share the stage with an array of other top Virginia wineries. Better yet, all net proceeds are donated back into the local wine industry, dolled out in the form of cash grants to Virginia vineyards in need of extra capital.

If that warms your heart, you should try sitting near one of the Early Mountain’s five roaring fires. That includes three outdoor fire pits, one on the patio, and a two-sided fireplace at the center of their stunning tasting room. Opposite that is the winery marketplace, where, in addition to a full menu of gourmet goodies, you can grab all the fixings for s’mores, so your kids can go off and (with any luck) not burst into flames while you’re knocking back a few.

Paradise Springs Winery

Don’t let my edgy street persona fool you, I was born and raised in Northern Virginia—Fairfax County, REPRESENT(™ Starbucks)! And not only is Fairfax home to the man future generations will hail as the greatest wine-writer/most brutal dictator of his day (I’m expecting an unusual career trajectory), but it’s also home to one the Commonwealth’s best winter wineries.

Unfazed by the cold weather, Paradise Springs keeps daily operating hours all winter long. Roaming the grounds, you’ll discover marvels of Virginia architecture, including a 19th century log cabin renovated by a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. Still most of the activity takes place in the massive barn--a stunning construction of wood and stone where glasses of award-winning Chardonnay and Petit Manseng are enjoyed around wine barrel café tables. All this activity pours out onto the 100-seat patio—fully enclosed for the winter—where local musicians perform every weekend around the great stone fireplace.

Pollak Vineyards

With its stark, modernist design, the tasting room at Pollak may lack the rustic charm displayed by many of its contemporaries, but any chill projected by the minimalist interior is immediately offset by a roaring fire and warm hospitality. But the main reason to rush out to Pollak this winter is to experience the end of an era. Veteran grower/winemaker Jake Busching has departed to start his own Mt. Juliet vineyards with Bordelaise-educated Benoit Pineau stepping in to take the reins. And while this shakeup will undoubtedly lead to many great vintages from all involved, many of the wines (2010 and earlier) currently featured in Pollak’s tasting room mark the last collaboration of the this great Virginia winemaker with this great Virginia label. Stock up on what little remains—especially any of the stellar 2010 vintage—I’ll claim a mere glass and a half per bottle as a finder’s fee, and leave you to enjoy the rest.

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And that’s just scratching the surface. The state is loaded with winter-ready wineries. Lost Creek hosts regular “Winter Wine Nights” with prix fixe dinners and live music; the tasting table at Barrel Oak winery flanks a massive stone fireplace; and Veritas’s always-popular tasting room takes on an especially cozy vibe during the colder months.

Have any favorite vineyards to visit during the winter? Leave them in the comments below.

Photo by: CM Sims

Virginia Wine: No farms, no booze

Matt Brehony — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 15:36:30 +0000

“People don’t make the connection that wine is an agricultural product,” says Jennifer McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards. Yet, simply to acknowledge it as an agricultural product is just scratching the surface.

A bottle of wine is not just a beverage but a story—a drinkable distillation of time and place. Where mass-production wines fully cater to the consumers' demand for predictability—employing all manner of manipulation to achieve a consistent product—true artisanal wine offers a sensory experience that is dramatically shaped by the conditions in which it was produced.

A Cabernet Franc from France’s Loire valley will taste very different from one grown in the Shenandoah, yet, like twins separated at birth, they’ll likely exhibit some shared traits. And, if you think the difference in an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 5 is astonishing (“OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD! It’s slightly thinner!!!), go to any Virginia winery and A/B any red from 2010 with its counterpart from 2011. An extended cool season and excess rain in 2011 yielded a dramatically lighter, subtler vintage that the previous year’s, where hot and dry conditions produced exceptionally ripe fruit and rich, robust wines.

“Virginia is a special place, for sure,” says Kirsty Harmon of Blenheim Vineyards. “But it’s a special place that changes every year.”

What doesn’t kill you, makes you more elegant & food friendly

Spend some time talking to a Virginia vineyard manager and you’ll leave with one major takeaway: those winemakers out in California are some lucky bastards.

Compared to their West Coast colleagues, whose growing seasons seem to be an endless stretch of 72 degrees and sunny, Virginia growers need to navigate a gauntlet of obstacles to bring a decent wine to the table. Take whatever romantic image you have of life in the vineyard and turn it on its head, because to grow grapes here you have to be plucky, resourceful, and willing to improvise.

Faced with the unprecedented arrival of Chinese stink bugs in 2010, and concerned how their funk might affect his grapes, Barboursville’s Daniele Tessaro left nothing to chance. “We did a trial on a gallon of Cabernet Franc crushed up with about a 100 stink bugs, and did the normal fermentation on that small batch.” Fear not, dear reader: this special cuvée (which was surprisingly free of any off aromas or flavors) was enjoyed exclusively by Barboursville staff, and my suggestion to release a “2010 Stink Bug Reserve” was dismissed with a polite laugh.

That is but one example (albeit a particularly gross one) of the resilience and ingenuity demanded of local growers each year. A flat screen in the tasting room at Chatham Vineyards cycles through images of an emergency harvest of 30 tons of Chardonnay, before Hurricane Irene could touch down and harvest it herself. Blenheim’s Kirsty Harmon recalls nine days without power at the height of harvest season. Cardinal Point’s Tim Gormon remembers watching his winery lose $40,000 overnight thanks to an unexpected spring frost.

Yet, Virginia viticulture is not simply a calling for masochists. While there are certainly conditions that would make growing grapes easier, there’s a consensus that all these quirks and challenges help to build character. Not just in the producers, but in the grapes themselves.

Far from California dreaming, Jennifer McCloud sings the praises of our region’s frequent cloud cover, crediting it for grapes that are allowed to achieve a “full and physiological ripeness.” According to her, this climate lets Virginia winemakers “craft more elegant, distinctive, and food friendly wines than most other regions in the New World.”

Terroir, terroir, terroir

Though Virginia growers can be very grabby in the vineyard—pruning, pulling leaves, training vines, etc.—the best wineries shift to a decidedly hands-off approach in the fermentation room.

“I don’t fight the fruit,” McCloud says. “[Virginia grapes] have a particularly fruity, aromatic quality. We use vinification techniques that support that fruity character.” Blenheim’s Harmon even limits herself to the use of a single yeast strain for all her wines in an effort to “understand the grape better.” “I’m always more interested to see what the grapes give on their own rather than from any manipulation I can do in the winery.”

This humility became a recurring theme in all my discussions with area growers. However scientific, cerebral, or snarky their demeanor throughout the rest of our conversation, their language became suddenly humble when the topic turned to terroir.

Despite almost 16 years working for top Virginia wineries (Pollak, Jefferson, and Keswick) Jake Busching approaches his work at the new Mount Juliet Vineyards not as a master of his craft but as a student. “My goal is to bring it back to a vineyard based on site expression, using my knowledge to draw out the voice of the dirt,” he says. “This will take years.”

And that may be the most exciting thing about the Virginia wine scene. While cheerleaders like myself sing of its existing quality, our best growers and winemakers are quietly pushing themselves to get better and better. To them, this is only the beginning.

Photo: bsabarnowl

Virginia Wine: A taste for adventure

Matt Brehony — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:23:55 +0000

A good glass of wine is one of life’s great rewards for hard work--obviously, the amount of effort required before cashing in varies from person to person. While the mere act of “enduring consciousness as it desperately gropes for meaning in a broken world” may be all the reason I need to open a bottle, some folks prefer a more physical challenge. Well, if that sounds like you, then your're in luck, as we examine Virginia wine excursions for adventure seekers.

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Kayaking

Whenever the start of your wine tasting looks like this (above), you know you’re not in for a typical lazy day at the vineyard. But this is your point of departure when you sign up for Southeast Expeditions’ Kayak Winery tour to Chatham Vineyards on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Pushing off into Nassawadox Creek, Chatham’s award-winning wines dangled like the carrot at the end of a mile-and-a-half-long stick. I’m not going to sugar coat this one, the sea was a heartless bitch-goddess that day, and we lost some good men. Or...maybe the trip was an unmitigated delight of big skies, glassy waters, and pleasant small talk.

Once ashore our tour continued, with our kayak guide proving herself as skilled with wine-speak as she was with whatever that giant spatula-looking thing that you row with is called. Escorting our group through the vineyard en route to the tasting room, she imparted her knowledge of Chatham’s history and few interesting quirks of international viticulture. For example: because all of the original clippings came from France, this Virginia vineyard had to actually pay taxes to the French government upon their first harvest.

Chatham Vineyards is home to 32,000 high-density, low-yield vines of Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. Well-drained, sandy loam soil and a warm maritime climate grace the vineyard with a long growing season and ample fruit to service not only their own label (Church Creek), but other Virginia wineries as well.

After the tasting we parked ourselves by an idle fire pit on the front lawn for an impromptu picnic with a few surprise guests.

In my defense, she assured me that she was “this many” while holding up 21 fingers (but seriously folks, this is my niece and that’s cranberry juice--pease don’t call Social Services).

After an hour or so of chilling in the vineyard we were primed to paddle back. Two glasses of Church Creek’s excellent Cab Franc in my belly provided the added dexterity needed to conquer the now choppier waters and opposing current with ease. Southeast Expedition’s Winery Kayak Tour runs from March through December; $85 per person includes gear rental, kayak training, wine tasting, and a bottle of your choice.

Hiking

Hidden behind the gorgeous grounds of Delfosse Vineyards in Nelson County lie over five miles of hiking trails. Winding along the mountainside, the trails at Delfosse provide one of the area’s top attractions for bird watchers, nature lovers, hikers, and bikers (this kind, not this kind). Go early enough and you might catch some wildlife in action, including deer, exotic birds, perhaps even some B-B-B-BEARS (sorry, my “B” key keeps jamming). With hunting season now underway, it’s a good idea to wear bright clothes if visiting the trails between now and January. I also recommend the repeated humming of the refrain to “Human” by Human League to really drive the whole “I am not a deer” thing home.

Another word to the wise, try not to confuse the driveway leading to the trail for the trail itself, much like yours truly did. Granted I’m no Bear Grylls, but the near 75-degree ascent up the side of a mountain provided all the exertion I needed before reaping my reward in Delfosse’s beautiful tasting room.

Even greater elevation can be found on the Fortune’s Cove Preserve, also in Nelson County. This 5.5 mile loop is home to all types unusual flora and fauna, as well as diverse wildlife like bobcats, black bears, and wild turkeys. After your hike you can toast your own badassedness at the adjacent Mountain Cove Vineyards, which, in addition to a few vinifera blends, serves an array of fruit wines. If anyone tries to give you a hard time for drinking peach wine, kindly remind them that you just stood eye-to-eye with a bobcat.

Skiing

Two activities that benefit from good elevation: skiing and growing grapes. So rest assured that, wherever you ski in the state of VA, you’ll likely find a handful of wineries within a 5-15 mile radius. Be it Bryce (Crooked Run, Cave Ridge, Shenandoah), Wintergreen (Flying Fox, Cardinal Point, Veritas), or Massanutten (Cross Keys, Stone Mountain, King Family), you won’t have to go far to find a cozy tasting room in which to sip a glass and slowly convince yourself that, after today’s performance on the bunny slopes, you’re totally ready for that double black diamond run.

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Coming up: With hurricanes, heavy rains, and pests perpetually threatening to wipe out their entire livelihood, it’s the people growing the grapes who are the real thrill seekers. Tales from the front vines, when our series on Virginia wine continues.

Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

Virginia Wine: Jefferson’s dream fulfilled, part 2

Matt Brehony — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:46:59 +0000

Our tour of Virginia’s Monticello wine region continues with a look into two of the area’s most popular destinations and a rock star vineyard championing a sustainable agenda.

Veritas

Hemmed in by terraced vineyards, rolling hills, and the mighty Blue Ridge Mountains, the grounds at Veritas appear to exist in their own isolated valley. A magical, L.L. Bean-y utopia, where nature is kind enough to complement the furniture, and where people can pull off wearing fleece without looking like a Furry on casual Friday. It’s this rarified air that makes Veritas as much a draw for tourism as it is for tastings--playing host to weddings, conventions, and a slew of special events like the popular Starry Night summer concert series.

Of course, none of these extracurriculars would matter if they weren’t built around a solid foundation of excellent wine. And while this is clearly no shoestring, mom-and-pop operation, it’s surprising to discover that, when it comes to the wine, Veritas is very much a family affair. Head winemaker Emily Hodson Pelton oversees the entire production with a little help from her folks, vineyard owners Andrew and Patricia Hodson. Nine grape varieties are grown in the vineyard’s 25 acres, yielding roughly a dozen wines. Standouts include their vibrant, Chablis-style Saddleback Chardonnay; a robust Claret (natives of the UK, the owners opted to use the British equivalent of Meritage for this Bordeaux-style red); and a pair of popular, fruit-forward blends, the White Star and Red Star.

Blenheim Vineyards

With so much left to discover, it’s far too early to create any “best of” lists, but I will say that, at least so far, the award for “Coolest Tasting Room” goes to Blenheim Vineyards. A vaulted, barn-like construction of timber-framed reclaimed wood, the interior is a beam-by-beam manifestation of the image any Elle Décor subscriber conjures up when they hear the word “rustic.” Paneled glass floors allow you to spy the wine production facility below, while floor-to-ceiling windows on the back wall beckon with breathtaking views. Better still, the whole operation squeaks by with the tiniest of carbon footprints, thanks to the sustainable practices set out by owner Dave Matthews. That’s right THE Dave Matthews, from the hit movie You Don’t Mess with the Zohan! Apparently, he also has some sort of band but, really, who doesn’t these days?

A similar commitment is carried out in Blenheim’s vineyard, which actively composts, recycles, and prizes companion planting and hands-on care over regular chemical bombardment. Not only do these practices benefit the Earth, they also yield some superior wines, including a fresh and easy-drinking dry rose, which, at $14 a bottle, may be one of the best values in all of Virginia Wine-dom.

King Family Vineyards

I don’t know if it is the pristinely manicured grounds at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the elegant tasting room, the polished service, or the pervasive polo motif, but there’s something about a visit to King Family Vineyards that feels like playing 1% for a day. The vineyard actually hosts real-live polo matches every Sunday from Memorial Day through mid-October. Though I’m not sure I trust myself to attend one, as everything I know about polo (nothing) I learned from ‘80s movies. The threat is too great that I’d revert to some teen-flick fantasy, where everyone is named Chet or Buffy and thinks a street rat like me just isn’t good enough to date their daughter (even though I have a heart of gold and am really awesome at karate).

Personal polo phobias aside, King Family Vineyards is no white-collar winery. This is indeed a family-run operation, and the Kings like to get their hands dirty. Owner David King planted all the original vines and his sons manage the vineyard. Their 15 acres of high-quality, low-yield grape vines are all tended, maintained, and harvested by hand. King is another one of those rare gems that manages to consistently turn out beautiful wines. My personal favorites include a fantastic Viognier, that balances the grape’s characteristic liquid Fruity Pebbles quality with a vibrant acidity; the 2010 Meritage, at once big and brash yet floral and elegant (the Madea of wines); and two gorgeous dessert wines, the Lorely and Seven.

The man behind the wines at King is Matthieu Finot, and it’s clear that this guy Finots what he’s doing (#DadJoke!). Born in the Rhone Valley of France with viticulture in his blood, Finot’s winemaking career carried him through the top French wine regions—Burgundy, Bordeaux, Provence, Jura—before broadening his horizons in Italy and South Africa, to ultimately settle in…wait for it…Crozet, Virginia (imagine explaining THAT decision to your parents!). As crazy as this move may sound, it’s not an entirely uncommon story. To many skilled winemakers, Virginia is a brave new world, offering an alluring combination of promising conditions and the chance to be a pioneer in a largely unexploited territory.

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Coming up: We too opt for the road less traveled…and it goes on for five full miles without a bathroom in sight. Tasting tours for adventure seekers, when our series on Virginia wine continues.

Videos from Virginia vineyards; YouTube

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Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

Virginia Wine: Jefferson’s dream fulfilled

Matt Brehony — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:45:28 +0000

With more than half of the Commonwealth’s vineyard acreage densely packed within its borders, the Monticello region is arguably the heart (and certainly the most visible face) of the burgeoning Virginia wine industry.

And what a pretty face it is. Especially this time of year.

There is Virginia wine and then there is the Virginia wine experience. Visiting vineyards around the Monticello AVA (American Viticultural Area) involves so much more than the swirling, sniffing, and slurping done in the tasting room. Between the curving country roads unfurling through a kaleidoscope of fall colors, and the impassioned words of the winemakers themselves—as they muse on the local terroir and the fulfillment of Jefferson’s dream of vines thriving in the commonwealth—the intoxication begins well before the first drop is poured. And judging by that effusive last sentence, I’m still kinda drunk on it.

Peripheral pleasures aside, it helps to have an itinerary. You don’t just want to pull over for the first set of grapes you see on the side of the road (also my favorite piece of advice for single ladies). Drawing on tips from friends, colleagues and the good ole’ internet, I charted a course that included time tested institutions, promising newcomers, and a little room for improvisation.

Our trip began at Barboursville Vineyards which, dating back to 1976, is the grandfather of Virginia vineyards, whose founders were the first in the state to grow wine grapes commercially. Pulling up after sundown, we missed out on the full spectacle of Barboursville’s pristine grounds that famously houses the ruins of a mansion designed by Thomas Jefferson for Virginia’s 18th governor, James Barbour. Assistant winemaker, Daniele Tessaro escorted us through the winery’s sprawling facilities while regaling us with tales of the vineyard’s history and methods. Though in presentation Barboursville is the quintessential Revolutionary-era winery—wearing the Jeffersonian link like a badge of honor—there’s an entirely different history informing the wines.

Winemaker Luca Paschina (like his predecessor Gabriele Rausse and founder Gianni Zonin) hails from northern Italy, and, in a way, this Virginia winery functions as a kind of Venetian outpost. Exhibit “A” being Barboursville’s embrace of Italian grape varieties rarely grown elsewhere in Virginia, such as Sangiovese, Barbera, and Nebbiolo. In addition to all of those, a few unexpected (and not so unexpected) highlights included a Reserve Chardonnay, which offered a refreshing compromise to the standard stainless steel vs. barrel aging ultimatum—with subtle oak notes offset by a bright green-apple acidity; The Octagon, Barboursville’s celebrated flagship Meritage; and a floral and fruity (yet not stupidly sweet) dessert wine they call Philéo.

The takeaway for me, however, wasn’t any one particular item, but the overall standard of quality. That evening we tasted about a dozen wines and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. No flaws, no off flavors, just one beautifully constructed wine after another. Not so shocking when you consider that the Zonin family has been in the winemaking business for over 200 years. Clearly this is not their first (whatever the Italian equivalent of a) rodeo (is).

Stinson Vineyards served as an abrupt palate cleanser to Barboursville’s regal, relatively large-scale production. Located in “downtown” (read: there is a restaurant) White Hall, Stinson is a charming three-year old winery built and run in total DIY fashion by the father/daughter team of Scott and Rachel Stinson. This tiny operation brings new meaning to garagiste winemaking, with its entire fermentation facility housed in a repurposed three-car garage. The quirky crown jewel of this operation is a 2,645-pound concrete egg (right), which adds a characteristic minerality to their exceptional Sauvignon Blanc. Owner Scott Stinson views the vineyard’s scant size as an advantage, allowing them to implement time-tested (and time-consuming) techniques to encourage healthy plants and premium fruit, which is all harvested by hand. “There’s a lot of things you can do in a vineyard on a small scale that you can’t do on a big scale. [Larger vineyards] can’t do what we’re doing,” he said.

An impromptu, post-breakfast stop into Flying Fox Vineyards produced one of the trip’s unexpected high points. Another tiny, family run operation, Flying Fox is the labor of love for husband and wife team, Rich Evans and Lynn Davis. The couple retired from lucrative careers and, with no previous experience, thought it would be fun to start a vineyard. If that narrative sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the story behind nearly every crappy winery in the world. BUT, unlike your average overnight winemaker, the Flying Fox folks are clearly motivated more by a genuine love of life among the vines than by some clumsy romantic impulse, and have spent years growing grapes for others before launching a label of their own. A tasting through their small but solid portfolio highlighted a smooth, cedary Cabernet Franc and one of the best local dry rosés I’ve tasted thus far. A refreshingly competitive price point made these wines especially easy to love.

As the long road leading into Delfosse opened up to reveal a steeply terraced vineyard and landscaped patio encircling a sun-dappled lake, I thought, “these people could literally serve me a cheddar cheese and back-hair smoothie and I would be lap it up like a dog.” Easily the most stunning scenery in a trip filled with stunning scenery, Delfosse is a vineyard that even a teetotaler would enjoy. A theory evidenced by a packed tasting room that included a group asking what there was to drink “besides wine” and a guy dozing off in front of a two liter bottle of Sprite (turns out the vineyard had just run a LivingSocial deal). Deal or no deal, Delfosse remains one of the region’s most popular wineries. Not just for the gorgeous setting—which also includes five miles of hiking trails—but for a portfolio that deftly balances more “serious” dry wines with some slightly sweeter offerings primed for mass-appeal. And then there are a few ambitious blends that fall in some uncharted middle territory. Case in point, Delfosse’s 2009 Reserve d’Oriane, named for the owner’s daughter and made with a blend of Viognier, Petit Manseng and barrel-aged Chardonnay. While my inner oenophile was buggin’ out at the bold juxtaposition between explosive tropical fruit flavors and toasty oak underpinnings, my contented inner every-man just wanted to curl up by the nearest bottle of Sprite, and drift off to dreamland.

Up next: the Goddess of Truth (Veritas), the Sovereign of the Monarchy (King), and also Dave Matthews (Blenheim), when our tour of the Monticello AVA continues.

True to Our Roots Wine Maker Series; YouTube

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Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

Virginia Wine: The new old world

Matt Brehony — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:05:39 +0000

In our last installment, Generation wYne, we touched on how, in recent history, our relationship with wine has been transformed from one of life’s simple pleasures to a daunting menagerie of overwrought language and overpriced bottles, killing the mood for the casual but curious drinker. In this installment we’ll examine how our taste in wine has suffered a similar break from tradition. Let’s begin with an unscientific, over-simplified, and at least 80% accurate account of how this happened.

It starts where all our alcohol-related woes began: prohibition (ha, you thought I was going to say “a traumatic childhood” didn’t you?). The ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1920 effectively gutted America’s wine culture. Millennia-old traditions brought over from the Old World and painstakingly adapted in our own—gone, before you could say “wait a second, this is a terrible idea!” The outlaw of booze begat the golden age of cola, and soda fountains quickly replaced saloons as the new social center. By the time prohibition was repealed, the mere handful of winemakers that survived found themselves facing a radically different demand. Giddy to get drunk again but with a palate weaned on syrupy sodas, the American consumer exhibited a new and overwhelming preference for sweet, high-alcohol wines.

The latter half of the century saw the rise of “New World” wine, with producers from California, Australia, South America, and elsewhere gradually eclipsing their traditional European (“Old World”) forefathers in popularity. One thing these new wine regions all had in common were warmer climates that yielded sweeter, more concentrated grapes. Consequently, the wine they made was dramatically more fruit-forward, robust, and therefore, more immediately marketable to the American public (which, by the way, still REALLY liked soda and had recently discovered how to make a sandwich using ice cream and two cookies).

Now if we were to pause it here, everything would still be OK, but in recent years, things have just gotten a bit out of hand. Big, modern wines have gone from being the exception to the rule, to the rule itself, while industrial, mass-production wine houses have engineered this “New World” ideal to unnatural extremes. These days the wine section in your typical grocery store is filled with products that resemble traditional European-style wine in the way a pizza bagel resembles a brioche. The outcome is a general populace that can’t recognize a good wine unless it punches their mouth in the face.

At this point, you (and my editors) must be wondering what all of this has to do with the topic at hand, Virginia wine. Well, pretty much everything.

In terms of both the conditions they face and the wine they produce, Virginia winemakers have more in common with their contemporaries across the pond than with their fellow citizens on the west coast. Depending on whom you talk to, you’ll hear Virginia’s viticultural conditions likened to France’s famed Bordeaux region, or the Piedmont region in Northern Italy. Some of our best winemakers hail from those areas, and sought out Virginia specifically because of these similarities. Others are Virginia natives who discovered them as they went along. Regardless, the result is a new crop of winemakers that champion a uniquely Virginian product while simultaneously reintroducing an ancient aesthetic—where structure, finesse, and food-friendliness are prized over sheer palate-crushing power.

“In winemaking if you are a smart producer, you have to follow what nature can give you,” says Daniele Tessaro, assistant winemaker at Barboursville Vineyards. “Most of the decision in making more European-style wines, [that emphasize] elegance versus concentration, comes straight from the quality we get from our grapes.”

The point of piece is not to stir up some East Coast/West Coast rivalry (with Gabriele Rausse playing The Notorious B.I.G. to Robert Mondavi’s Tupac Shakur) or to argue that one style of wine is inherently better than another. The point is simply to urge more of my fellow drinkers to question their prevailing “go big, or go home” predilections. For one, you’ll probably find that lighter, more elegant wines invite a greater spectrum of food pairings (beyond grilled red meat). You may even appreciate the fact that their lower alcohol level makes it possible to share a bottle with a friend, and not end the evening slurring incoherently through a mouth that looks a Mandrill monkey’s ass.

Open your mind and open up a whole new (traditional) world of wine. And discover how Millennia-old, European traditions can be reimagined by contemporary winemakers in your own backyard.

Cheers!

Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

GENERATION wYne: Healing our strained relationship with fermented grape juice

Matt Brehony — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:19:24 +0000

The millennial generation has a bit of a drinking problem. Specifically in regards to our relationship with wine--it’s needlessly complicated. Sure most of us are capable of fielding the most common questions on the topic, such as:

“Would you like some wine?” Yes

“White or red?” The one that has alcohol, please.

“Haven’t you already taken communion today? Are you even a member of this church???” Yes and no—but let me explain!

Yet sadly, when pressed to share our own personal likes and dislikes, most of us will collapse into a self-conscious heap. Shameful confessions soon follow, typically some variation on “Oh, I don’t know anything about wine,” or “I don’t have much of a palate,” and occasionally tail-spinning into “I N-N-NEVER LEARNT TO R-R-READ!!!” Wine appreciation occupies a unique status in our psyche. Most people are curious but remain paralyzed by this stigma that, in order to “correctly” appreciate wine, you have to be an expert. Either you’re chugging Franzia from the box, or you’re writing a dissertation on Burgundian terroir, there’s no in-between.

It’s unfortunate, because the enjoyment of wine has been part and parcel to the human experience for the last 9,000 years. The perception of wine appreciation as an elite and obscure ritual, and the resultant sense of intimidation that it stirs in casual drinkers, is a uniquely modern American problem.

Which leads us to this troubling irony: even as our generation becomes increasingly passionate about buying organic, sustainable and artisanal everything, we routinely settle for industrially produced wines. God forbid if our toilet paper doesn’t comply with the strictest tenants of biodynamicism; but if our wine was made from grape vines that were routinely carpet-bombed with pesticides and manipulated with loads of added dyes, sugars, and sulfites, well, who cares? The label has two monkeys high-fiving on it!

Of course, we’re not entirely to blame for our own ignorance. The mainstream wine media has done little to make wine appreciation more…well, mainstream--catering more to an elite, collector class and spitting out obscure descriptors like they were culled from common experience.¹

This irony takes on an added dimension for us Virginians. We sit amid one of the fastest growing wine regions in the country and yet, despite our best “buy local” intentions, many of us wouldn’t know where to begin.

So let me tell you: HERE.

If our collective relationship with wine has been compromised over the last few decades, then consider this couples therapy. There are nearly 100 vineyards located within a two-hour drive of Richmond. Pick one, at random, or based on a tip from a friend or trusted bartender, and go there. Maybe their wines are world class, maybe they’re not. Maybe you’ll discover something you absolutely love, maybe not. What you will find, by and large, are small, often family-run operations; artisanal, old-world production standards; passionate people and bucolic scenery. I don’t care if you’re a certified sommelier, a complete novice, or anything in-between, if you can’t derive any pleasure from sitting on the grass, sipping a glass of wine, and overlooking rolling hills of beautiful fall foliage then you, my friend, are a reptile.

Now, don’t let my quaint depictions of changing leaves and earnest winemakers paint an incomplete picture, Virginia vino is kind of a big deal these days. Wine Enthusiast Magazine listed Virginia as one of the top 10 wine travel destinations in the world for 2012. The buzz has been enough to prompt big shots like Steve Case (former AOL CEO) and Donald Trump to throw their respective hat/hair-helmet into the ring, purchasing existing wineries and reinvigorating them with fresh facilities and gobs of capital. And, just last week, Steven Spurrier, world-renowned wine-authority and organizer of the infamous 1976 Paris Wine Tasting that thrust California onto the international scene, presided over the first ever Virginia Wine Summit.

But there we go again, talking hype when what we need is healing. Hype helps the industry prosper, but never let it get between you and the glass.

Cheers.

Want to learn more? Check out all of Virginia's wine regions and AVAs. And if you're looking for something specific you can search through Virginia's 210 wineries.

— ∮∮∮ —

Footnotes

I personally don’t know what a “gooseberry blossom” tastes like, and I sure as shit am not about to drop $62 to find out. ↩

Photos by: Southern Foodways Alliance

RVANews

The Virginia Wine Summit

Do what you do…

..and be patient

The best is yet to come.

Footnotes

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Cabernet Sauvignon

Viognier

Rosé

Miscellaneous and honorable mentions

Grace Estate – Le Gras Baril ($14)

Glen Manor – Sauvignon Blanc ($24)

Flying Fox Vineyards – Just about everything

Virginia wine: Library wines

Polo at King Family Vineyards

Virginia wine: Family-friendly wineries

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Matt’s Favorite VA Rosés

Virginia Wine: Hip to be square or Michael Shaps’s boutique boxed wines

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Virginia Wine: Sippin’ from the Governor’s Cup, part 2

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Virginia Wine: Off the beaten path in Northern Virginia, part 2

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Virginia Wine: Off the beaten path in Northern Virginia, part 1

Virginia wine: Meet Norton

Meet Norton

Norton goes west

Homecoming

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Virginia Wine: Steve and Jean Case’s Early Mountain

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Chardonnay

Viognier

Cabernet Franc

Meritage

Petit Manseng

Norton

Petit Verdot

Virginia Wine: Wineries for the winter

Afton Mountain Vineyards

Early Mountain Vineyard

Paradise Springs Winery

Pollak Vineyards

Virginia Wine: No farms, no booze

What doesn’t kill you, makes you more elegant & food friendly

Terroir, terroir, terroir

Virginia Wine: A taste for adventure

Kayaking

Hiking

Skiing

Virginia Wine: Jefferson’s dream fulfilled, part 2

Veritas

Blenheim Vineyards

King Family Vineyards

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GENERATION wYne: Healing our strained relationship with fermented grape juice

Footnotes