Monday, February 1, 2010

Does Dave Matthews Drink His Own Wine?


I love Dave Matthews and I love wine, but I don’t love Dave Matthew’s wine. But the jaunt to Blenheim Vineyards on the Monticello Wine Trail is still recommended. The tasting room is unique and designed by Dave Matthews. You can enjoy tastings while taking in the gorgeous views from their huge picture window. Interestingly enough, the vines in the foreground of this mountainous view are actually from the nearby Kluge Estate Vineyard, not Blenheim. (Blenheim’s vines are a bit to the left.) I very much enjoyed learning about their property, winery and process. Not to mention their Seven Oaks Wines have really cool labels. (Visit their website to learn more)

Now to be fair, this wine is not terrible or anything, it just seems a little young as if it is still coming into its own. I would like to see reviews on the wines from Dave Matthews himself. Personal tidbits like which his favorite, which does he prefer to give as gifts, serve at dinner parties, etc. Let’s face it, they’re called Blenhiem, but how many DMB questions do they have to field each day from visitors. I was refraining from asking any questions myself for fear I would look like the girl who wears the t-shirt of the band she’s going to see! The wine is fairly inexpensive for VA wine, so I picked up a few bottles. I recently opened Blenheim Farm Chardonnay 2006 and Seven Oaks Merlot 2008. The Chardonnay was tasty, but gave me a heck of a headache the next day. As for the Merlot…I did not like it. And yes, I had tasted it and then proceeded to buy an entire bottle of it (as my husband pointed out). But I think sometimes you just need to re-examine a wine subsequent to ‘tasting day buzz’. Or maybe this is just a peril of having an equally young palate. Visit this winery if you get the chance and decide for yourself.