Quarantine Life

Quarantine life has lead me back to my old wine blog. Drinking more wine?? Perhaps, but certainly not to the extent you'll see in those wacky TikTok videos! And yes, quarantine life has caused me to download TikTok! And I'm definitely not drinking enough wine to create my own TikTok videos, yet... Instead, I've returned to the enjoyment of tasting and learning more about wine - especially Virginia wine. Thanks to several memberships in Virginia wine clubs, I'm very fortunate to have a nice stock of Virginia wine conveniently located in my home. I've been staying home and working remotely since Tuesday, March 17th. Since that time, I've explored a few wines and I wanted to share my thoughts with you. Let's return to the adventures of Virginia wine tasting, shall we?

2016 Old Vine Chardonnay Pearmund Cellars - One of my favorites so far. This wine really hit the spot. I love a little butter in my Chardonnay and this delivered the right amount. There are hints of citrus with light oak on the palate. Exactly what I needed in a Chardonnay right now. I've never visited this winery located in Fauquier County, but I'm adding it to the list. Thanks Pearmund for starting my quarantine life off right.

Simple Indulgence

It seems that our darling four year old has found a new game called "Pushing Mommy's Buttons". After two straight days of "Pushing Mommy's Buttons", it became apparent to my husband that he may need to step in and provide some relief. I spent several hours browsing the local shops for bargains in the clearance section: an unpretentious luxury not allowed in the company of a small child. I prepared a delicious dinner sans a rugrat under my feet, while grooving to the best hits of the 80's.

I knew it would have to be a red wine to soothe my weary soul and stand up to our ribeyes searing on the grill. As the sole wine drinker of the evening, I didn't want to open something that I thought would be better served with guests or shared with friends. I wanted to open something that if terrible, I could walk away without feeling a sense of loss. I selected Hunting Creek's Indulgence which I purchased this summer on the Southern Virginia Wine Trail excursion.

Gee, I sound insulting, but in fact I recalled liking this wine very much. I was only skeptical because the top of the foil had randomly fallen offer shortly after purchase. The cork appeared a little too far down into the bottle and there was some slight leakage on the cork. I knew it would be a total bummer to find it ruined, but if bad I could throw it out and try another.

This blend of 75% merlot and 25% petit verdot, was exactly what I needed to finish the day. It was incredibly smooth tasting and easy to drink. I enjoyed the first glass on our screened porch during a brief summer rain shower . You will not find this wine in your local shop. This Virginia vineyard is a small family operation that only attends a few select wine festivals. With the rarity of finding their wine, I feel like I have uncovered a little Virginia wine secret. And I didn't feel the least bit guilty for having it all to myself. It was a perfect day of simple indulgence.

Virginia Wine of the Month Club – The Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Perhaps one of the best gifts I’ve received has been from my husband and sister. This Christmas they purchased me a year-long membership to the Virginia Wine of the Month Club. Seven months into the club, and I still get excited about my wine in the mail! The week before its arrival I usually begin to wonder what type of wine from which great Virginia winery will be selected for me. Roughly every third Tuesday of the month, the brown UPS truck pays our house a visit with two bottles of Virginia Wine: one red and one white.

In order to verify that the club member is 21 years of age or older, you must be present to sign for your package when the UPS guy arrives. One month, I knew I would be out of town and I did manage to reroute my package. But was denied the second time I tried to reroute my wine. Perhaps it seemed a little bit sketchy to UPS and the Virginia Wine of the Month Club. But are teenagers really that industrious enough to attempt fooling the Virginia Wine of the Month Club for alcohol? However, I certainly understand they must abide by the rules and thus to my great disappointment I have missed several shipments and forced to wait the next day or even the day AFTER next. Once after coming home to find the “sorry we missed you” sticker on my door, I drove around the neighborhood in hopes that I would spot the brown truck. On another such occasion, I spotted an UPS truck delivering a package to a nearby auto parts store. I quickly made a left hand turn, went into the store, found the UPS guy and asked him if he had my wine by chance. He did not. I bet that UPS is as equally annoyed with me that I am not home to sign, not to mention the fact that my crazy dog shows his teeth and begins to foam at the mouth at the mere sight of his truck.

The selections have been from wineries that I have not yet had a chance to visit or even taste. I love reading the included newsletter which has interesting details about the wine and vineyard. I keep my newsletters and make notes on how I felt about the wine. They never send bad wine, but occasionally I’ve run across something that didn’t quite excite my palate. Conversely, I’ve discovered a few wines I would buy again and again. July’s selection, 2009 Charval, from Tarara Winery is one such discovery. This is a really light, easy to drink white wine for everyone to enjoy. The type of wine you want to have on hand for any occasion. I highly recommend that if you love wine and want to learn more about Virginia Wine consider a membership or give the gift that keeps on giving.

To Spit or Not to Spit

After an intense four weeks of orienting new freshmen and transfer students, I knew it was would be time for another great winery excursion. I was again joined by two motivated research assistants; my sister and her best friend. We drove to the western side of Charlottesville to visit King Family Vineyards, Pollak Vineyards, and Veritas Vineyard & Winery. We packed a delicious picnic filled with fresh summer vegetables, accompanied by a box of fried chicken purchased from Wayside Takeout. I learned about this legendary dive from Garden and Gun magazine. Since we vicariously view ourselves as writers for a great southern magazine, we knew it was a must. They are conveniently located and didn’t disappoint us with their fried goodness.

After a brief unintended tour of downtown Charlottesville and a quick jaunt on I-64, we arrived to the beautiful grounds and charming tasting room of King Family Vineyards. Their wine selection offers something for everybody! I thought I was wowed last summer by Barboursville, but I must say King Family Vineyards impressed me as much if not perhaps more. I really enjoyed all of their wine including their dessert wine, Loreley 2008. We all agreed the Cabernet Franc 2009 was a favorite among the reds. For our picnic, we picked a perfect pairing with their Brut 2007 (not part of the tasting) and Crose 2009, their rosé with a cute play on words using Crozet, VA. A very close runner up was Roseland, a Chardonnay/Viognier Blend. I had a limited budget for this trip, so I did not buy as much as I would have liked, but I knew I had to have the Cabernet Franc and made great mental notes for future purchases. It was hard to leave without more wine in hand. Fortunately, my research assistants helped contribute to the local economy with their purchases.

Just down the way, you’ll find Pollak Vineyards. We really had a lot of fun at Pollak Vineyard. In this very cool tasting room, our pourer made us feel really comfortable and at ease. We took the opportunity to ask questions about how to better taste our wine. We held the wine in our mouths and attempted to slurp without looking ridiculous. We still need more practice. I really enjoyed their 2008 Petit Verdot and purchased a bottle of their 2009 Pinot Gris.

Our final destination was Veritas Vineyard and Winery. Another beautiful location! By the time we arrived, I was feeling the heat from our humid summer day and feeling the wine. I remember very little and embarrassed to say that I had to bow out of the tasting at some point. I guess this why professionals opt to spit. I’ve never understood spitting until now. I know I would lack grace in this area, but then again I’m not sure I appeared so graceful when I bowed out of the tasting either. You can choose your tasting by white wine flight, red wine flight or showcase tasting. I bet they have some really nice wine. I noticed this weekend that our local wine shop carries several of their varieties. I'm excited that I can try some of their wine...again.

The Wine Trail Less Traveled By…

Armed with a Virginia Wine Map and our dad’s GPS, my sister and I set out for another winery adventure. This time we decided to hit a few locations on the Southern Virginia Wine Trail. Despite having lived in Pittsylvania Country nearly 18 years of my life, I had not crossed the county line to explore much of Halifax County, Virginia. On our recent travels we learned that Halifax Co. remains mostly rural farm land.

Our first stop was Bright Meadows Farm Vineyard and Winery. We actually thought the GPS was programmed for another vineyard, but we knew we had reached an important destination because the small 117 year old restored barn had brightly colored flags and signage to alert you of their presence. After ringing the old cast iron farm bell, we were greeted by a sweaty, shirtless farmhand who quickly ran off to retrieve one of the owners, Ms. Archer. We explored the surrounding landscaping which was creatively mulched with wine corks. The tasting room is very small, but certainly allows for a more personal tasting. We very much enjoyed learning about their wine making process. They try to avoid using pesticides and strive to live a natural organic lifestyle. Using their wine corks as mulch is just one way they try to do their part with recycling efforts.

They offer ten different wines for tasting. I was pleasantly surprised by their wine. These wines are simple and easy to drink. They offer several fruit wines such as Blackberry or Apple. Normally I would shy away from these, but I must admit these were lovely. They do not add any additional flavorings, so they are very pure and not too sweet. I purchased the Blackberry as well as BAG which is a blend of blackberry, apple and concord grapes. There is nothing too complex about these wines, but they are fun to drink on a summer afternoon. I also purchased their Burley Red, a full-bodied red made from Chambourcin grapes. These wines are very reasonably prices from $9-14 dollars per bottle.

En route to our next stop we discovered Halifax County is home to a small Amish community. Who would have thought it?? I must admit this took us by surprise, but not nearly as much as the Historic Noland Village. We had no idea what were viewing when we stumbled upon the restored village, but later discovered it was a re-creation of a small community in the mid-1800’s. Again, who knew? They hold a popular country fair day in the spring. Just around the bend from Noland Village, you’ll find our next stop, Hunting Creek Vineyards.

We traveled down a dirt road, and began wonder if we were going in the right direction. Then we spotted the vines and noticed a nice gentlemen working in the crops alongside several friendly dogs. Hunting Creek Vineyards is another small family owned operation. The tasting room is still a work in progress (see photo) decorated with great local artwork.
We tasted five wines: four red and one white. Again these wines are simple, but perhaps a bit more complex than Bright Meadows. Again, we had the opportunity to really chat with the owner and learn about their process. The owners are creative in all respects of their business. Notables include: Decadence, a mix of Petit Verdot, Viognier skins and 5% Viognier wine, also Repentance made from 80% Cabernet Fran and 20% Cranberry. I purchased their Viognier and Inguldence a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Petit Verdot, at $15.00 per bottle.

At both wineries, our hosts had to do a quick check of their opened tasting bottles to make sure the wine hadn’t gone bad. You can imagine our concerns. Wineries with high visitor traffic, such as Barboursville, really never have that problem, but it turns out that doesn’t mean these smaller operations make bad wine. We had great discussions with the owners on how winemaking in Southside Virginia has great economic potential for the area. With the down trodden tobacco industry that once flourished in Halifax Co., I hope the wine making industry can recognize the great agricultural and agritourism potential of Southside Virginia. We ended our day in town at a great local restaurant, Molasses Grill. Since these wineries, along with their area counterparts are very small, call or e-mail ahead for appointments prior to your visit.

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.

Everyone needs a 'go to' wine and I've found mine

As I continue on my quest to learn more about wine, I traveled to several vineyards this summer. These expeditions have been incredibly important to the research and development of my palate. This time enlisted a few research assistants to join the journey which took us just north of Charlottesville. After visiting Barboursville Vineyard, I nearly stopped all research and development as I enjoyed all of their wines so much, that it seemed futile to try any other wine from this point forward.

Arriving to the vineyard as ravenous females, we decided to embark on the “handsomest gastronomic redemption” (as quoted from their website…seriously) offered in the Palladio Restaurant. They start the meal with a glass of their delicious sparkling wine which is really how all meals should start in my opinion. We went for the two course menu with wine pairing. Who know freaking risotto could taste so good? Turns out it can by adding fresh mozzarella and basil paired with their Sauvignon Blanc! After indulging our tummies (not to mention our wallets) we moved to the tasting room. Now here’s a bargain?! For five bucks we got to taste fifteen, YES FIFTEEN, different wines. Starting with their whites, we diligently worked our way through to the reds. I could have very easily bought a bottle of each, but limited myself to only clear favorites such as the Cabernet Franc. Finally a perfect ‘go to’ wine for which I could purchase with complete confidence anytime for myself or others!

Although, my goal is to visit different wineries in Virginia, it is inevitable that I will need to make a return trip to Barboursville. I found a perfect spot under a glorious magnolia tree surrounded by magnificent boxwoods that just begs for a blanket and a chilled bottle of their Viognier.