Jefferson Vineyards

From the moment the first colonist arrived in Jamestown, there has been a concerted effort to grow grapes in the new world - either from the English's desire to compete with France - or from the colonist's desire to reproduce life in the motherland. The early colonial governments encouraged planting vineyards by deeding property contingent on planting vines and even passing quotas on individual winemaking. The most famous colonial vintner was Thomas Jefferson who with the assistance of Italian winemaker Filippo Mazzei attempted to grow vinifera grapes around Monticello. Until then the only native grapes had been vinification on a consistant basis since they were generally resistant to disease and pests. Jefferson believed, correctly, that vinifera grapes were the future and hoped to "jump-start" the Virginian wine industry. He granted Mazzei over 2000 acres to plant grapes in addition to 50 acres adjoining Monticello on which Mazzei would build his home, Colle. Although never a farmer, Mazzei encouraged Jefferson's vision by declaring the land the most suitable for grape growing he had seen. However frost killed the initials year's crop and the Revolutionary War soon followed. Mazzei threw away his plow for a musket and the vineyard fell into disrepair. It was completely destroyed after Mazzei rented Colle to a captured Hessian officer. According to Jefferson, “Riedesel’s horses in one week destroyed the whole labor of three or four years; and thus ended an experiment which, from every appearance, would in a year or two more have established the practicability of that branch of culture in America." Event without Mazzei, Jefferson continued to experiment with vinifera vines - but not surprisingly - each effort failed. For without modern vineyard techniques - vinifera grapes would never succeed in this climate. By the turn of the 19th century, Jefferson did find success with the Alexander grape, a chance hybrid between an native labrusca and vinifera. By 1811 his vineyards had been replanted with 165 cuttings of Alexander and he apparently became accustomed to the grape's unique flavor. But no longer were vinifera vine grown around Monticello.

In 1981 the Woodward family decided to replicate Jefferson's vision and with the assistance of a young Gabrielle Rausse, they replanted the vinifera vineyards that Mazzei had first planted over two years earlier. Rausse, by the way, had successfully planted vineyards at Barboursville Vineyards a few years earlier and has been a regular consultant with other vineyards surrounding Charlottesville since. He also has his own brand, Gabriele Rausse Winery, available for purchase in several Charlottesville retail outlets. But back to Jefferson Vineyards, they have been making award winning wine since this first planting. A few years ago, they hired Andy Reagan to "jump-start" the winery, which had become a little stagnate in the preceding years. Reagan planned to use his experience in several East coast wineries (Benmarl Winery & Vineyard and Chrysalis Vineyards) to boost Jefferson wines to national and international class.

Andy met us in the tasting room and lead us on a short tour of the facilities. This is a small operation. They only have 20 acres of grapes planted and produce about 5,000 cases a year. Yet they produce a large portfolio of wines - and primarily the vinifera wines that Jefferson initially attempted. There was Chardonnay, Gewürztaminer, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and a Meritage blend. In fact Reagan even blends his "100%" varietals, adding just enough wine from other grapes to legally declare the wine a 100% varietal. Some may quibble with this approach, but it works. The wines were fantastic - the closest to Veritas that we had found since we had left that winery. The 2007 Viognier was excellent and a top medal winner. It includes a small percentage of Petit Manseng and Pinot Gris to add balance. The Reserve Chardonnay was also nice - aged sur lies and made from only the best grapes . I was aged in oak where the heads of the barrel were re-toasted; an interesting approach. This provided a slightly buttery finish - but the initial taste was refreshing and acidic. The reds were even more outstanding. The Reserve Cabernet Franc was the favorite of several in our party - it seemed to just melt in the mouth; for us the Merlot was awesome. Others preferred the Reserve Petit Verdot. Or maybe the Meritage. Basically they were all excellent wines - full bodied, oak aged - but still fruity; some had spicier tails, others more tannic; but all drinkable now. This was a fun round of drinking with almost everyone admiring the next sample - although there were a couple of dissenters... But for us, we will return - Jefferson would be satisfied.

Blenheim Vineyards

We started the second day on our Monticello Wine Tour at Blenheim Vineyards, the domain of the Matthews family: Peter, Kathleen, and Dave. The winery is located in historic Blenheim, an area first granted in 1730 to the John Carter - the Secretary of the Colony of Virginia. Different properties were built and inhabited on the property - with the oldest being the Claims House - built in the 1730's. In 2000 Dave and Peter Matthews, along with partner and winemaker Brad McCarthy planted vines in order to create a winery on the site. The goal was to create a new style of wines, free from oak, the McCarthy saw on a regular basis as a winemaker in California. The winery operated privately for the next eight years with Peter managing the vines and Brad producing the wine. The winery was open by appointment only - so the wines were sold in neighboring retail outlets - basically by word of mouth. In 2007 McCarthy left, leaving Peter as the Directory of Operations. In June 2008 he hired Kirsty Harmon as the new winemaker and that is who greeted us on our arrival.

The winery building itself is a fascinating structure. It's enormity is hidden as the entrance is located on the down side of a hill - and the actual operations located beneath the slope - think of a walk out basement below a house. The fermenting and aging operations can be viewed from the tasting area through glass floors that run the length of the facility. The steeple ceiling and skylights provide character - and apparently no lights are required to brighten the tasting area during the summer. Looking out the back, Blenheim's vineyards spread out on the left, while neighboring Kluge Estate's vines are seen directly in the distance. This is a great location to hang out; and open area with excellent views. Our party of 12 comfortably settled into a long wooden table - ready to try the wines made from Ms. Harmon's predecessor.

The winery currently offers three Chardonnay brands, the Star label, Ox-Eye, and Blenheim Farm. Of the three the two vineyard specific wines were the best - the Ox-Eye grown near Stanton, the Blenheim Farm on the estate. The Ox-Eye had an interesting hazelnut tone whereas the Blenheim Farm was more acidic and refreshing. For reds, Blenheim currently offers a Cabernet Franc, Meritage blend, and Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Franc was decent - nothing special, whereas the Meritage was a very good ever day drinking wine. It's lighter than most Bordeaux styled blends but has a nice cherry flavor. Plus its marked down to $10 in order to move inventory. Finally, the Petit Verdot was the full bodied red offering - made from estate grown grapes. It has some blackberry flavors and with enough tannins to encourage aging. It was a little awkward having Ms. Harmon describe wines she did not produce - so we headed into the fermenting area to sample her products.

Blenheim's new winemaker took an interesting route to that position. She graduated from the University of Virginia in 1998 with a degree in biology and work with yeast strains for a number of years. Over time she developed an appreciation for wine and apprenticed with local winemaker Gabriele Rausse (look forward to our posting on Jefferson Vineyards to learn more about Rausse). Eventually she attended UC-Davis and in 2007 graduated with an M.S. in Viticulture and Enology. After graduation and pre-Blenheim she worked in France and in New Zealand honing her skills. Back to Blenheim we started with Viognier aging in steel - the wine was already crisp and fruity and look for bottling sometime in April. We moved to the barrels and sampled some free run Cabernet Franc and a more tannic version - with the fruit forward wine ready to drink now. She will eventually blend the two after determining the precise balance of fruit and tannin. The biggest surprise was Cabernet Sauvignon aging in a barrel. In general we are not fans of Virginia made Cabernet Sauvignon, but this version has potential. It actually had body and texture and should make a wine worth aging. We will look forward to this one as well as her Petit Verdot - which we realized is Virginia's nest hope for red wine.




The future is definitely bright at Blenheim. A new tasting room and new winemaker should make this winery a popular destination. We pass the winery on our frequent trips to Scottsville - so look for us on the deck. We may not even make our final destination.

White Hall Vineyards

Our final stop on the first day on the Monticello Wine Trail was White Hall Vineyards, home to one of our favorite Virginia wines, their Petit Manseng. This wine has been a staple in our wine cellar after finding it in the discounted wine box at Norm's Beer & Wine. Evidently someone had ordered a case and failed to pick it up. And we capitalized on that mistake. In the following year, the wine was awarded the Governor's Cup for the most outstanding wine in the state.

White Hall is located at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 13 miles east of Charlottesville. Tony and Edie Champ opened the winery after years of venturing out to California's wine country and wanting to do the same on the east coast. They settled on Albermnarle County and planted the estate vineyards in 1992 starting with with 6 acres of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. More varieties were added later including Viognier, Petit Verdot and Petit Manseng. By the way, the Champs were incredibly gracious hosts, having to endure a tour of slightly inebriated guests. Walking into the tasting room felt like walking into the a trophy shop. Their were medals from Virginia, California; pictures with Governors; trophy cups - a complete hall of fame. The Champs have done well over the years. The have also chosen a completely different business strategy than the previous wineries we visited that day. Instead of selling wine strictly through the tasting room and utilizing weddings and events - White Hall sells about 85% of their inventory at retail outlets. As a result- the tasting bar is small - and there was a steady flow of only a handful of visitors during our stay.

White hall produces a large portfolio of wines - in different styles so that any visitor should find something to their liking. For whites we started with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, two vintages of Gewurztraminer, the fore mentioned Petit Manseng, and Viognier. The first vintage of Gewurztraminer was drier than the second - and a nice alternative to the usual semi-dry style. The Petit Manseng was acidic and refreshing - not as fruity as the previous year - but nevertheless a good wine. We also learned that Viognier should be warmed at room temperature - since this wine if served too cold - loses its aroma. After cupping the glass in our hands - the aroma and apricot flavors appeared. Another good Virginia Viognier.


At this point our hosts guided on a tour of their production facilities, starting at the crush pad, through the fermenting and aging tanks, and the barrel room. We tasted muscat aging stainless steel and learned that this wine is added to the Pinot Gris, Petit Manseng, and Viognier to enhance the aroma. In the barrel room we sampled aging Merlot and Petit Verdot - showing their will be a good 2008 vintage. Back at the tasting bar we finished with their reds - starting with a lighter bodied Cabernet Franc event though it was aged in oak for 10 months. There followed a Syrah and our two favorite wines of the visit, the Touriga and Cuvee des Champs. The first is 100% Touriga Nacional which was fermented in small bins and then aerated using the Delestage method. The juice is then aged for ten months in French and American oak - producing a very good wine. The Cuvee des Champs is a Bordeaux styled blend using the 5 classic varieties and then aged 18 months in oak. This is a big wine - full of flavor - and a smooth tail.

We finished the day with Edichi, their port styled wine made from Touriga, Petit Verdot, and Tannat and named after our host - Mrs. Edith Champ. This is a much lighter dessert wine than the standard port - lower in alcohol and sugar. I can envision some patrons purchasing this wine for regular consumption - not just for dessert. By this time - we were done - tired - physically and of wine. Where's a beer. Fortunately we had chartered a bus - there's really no other alternative after such a day. We want to thank the Champs, the Kings, and Ms. Pelton for an awesome day.

King Family Vineyards

Our second stop on the Monticello Wine Trail was King Family Vineyards, the apparent winery of choice for University of Virginia students. For when we arrived, there were approximately 200 filling the tasting room and the patio. Who needs a keg party when a winery is close by - particularly on the first warm day of the year. Location, Location, Location. And David and Ellen King specifically chose this location when relocating to Charlottesville from Texas. The desired a large flat area for their thoroughbreds and found the flattest land in Albermarle County. Perfect for polo matches. They soon realized, however, that they need to find an economic value for the property - and chose to plant a vineyard. The first vines were planted in 1998, that produced only 500 cases a few years later. Today the winery is still a "boutique" operation, producing about 5,000 cases annually from virtually 100% estate grown fruit.

On our arrival, David King lead us into the barrel room away from the keg party where his wine portfolio was waiting. While sipping a glass of their methode champenoise style Brut, Mr. King informed us of his background, the winery's history and where he'd like to see the industry move. In fact he'd like Virginia to move away from "It's stupid for Virginia wineries to make California styled wines - we should grow grapes suitable for our region". This doesn't mean excluding vinifera wine from their portfolio - it means finding the correct grapes for their micro-climate and vinifying them in a unique style - not in the big, high alcohol, styles made out west. And later, winemaker Matthieu Finot reiterated this point by commented that "I don't believe in Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc will help Virginia wines to make a name. We should pick the varieties more suitable such as Petit Verdot, Viognier, Petit Manseng and possibly Albarino."

The 2007 Chardonnay was a great example of a Virginia made vinifera. It was fermented and aged in 70% neutral/30% new oak barrels for nine months which provided a slight smoky flavor with some vanilla - but allowed the fruit flavor to stand out. The same is true for their Viognier, which was fermented and aged 80% stainless steel tanks and 20% oak barrels. Once again this method provided some vanilla tones, but allowed the apricot fruit flavors to dominate. The only disappointment with the whites was the Roseland, a blend of 55% Viognier and 45% Chardonnay. Each variety was excellent as a single varietal, but the blend sort of washed out the distinctive qualities of the other grape. From a business decision it makes perfect sense to blend your lessor quality grapes - and we're sure the wine was selling quickly outside that day - but we definitely preferred the single varietals.

Moving to reds, we started with the Cabernet Franc - a mouthful of strawberry flavor. There's a hint of spice at the tail - but in general a smooth finish. The Merlot was even better - as Mr. King explained that this grape grows very consistently year to year. This is a good wine - full bodied with cherry flavors - which lead to their best red - the Meritage. A blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 20% Petit Verdot; the wine was aged for 18 months in French. "The Merlot provides the core fruit with black cherry dominating. The Cabernet Franc rounds out the palate with fresh raspberry notes. The Petit Verdot adds depth, structure, color, and a slight floral character." This wine was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2008 Monticello Cup - a group favorite.

The final wine was the Loreley 'Late Harvest Viognier' made in an "ice wine" style. The grapes were frozen immediately after harvest which provided the concentration in sugar. This wine is pure apricot and similar to a Tokai Furmint. It was obviously sweet but without any gritty sugar sensations. A nice dessert wine. Since we couldn't budge close to the tasting bar, we'll be back on a quieter weekend - or perhaps to watch a polo match. The countryside and wines are worth a repeat visit.

Veritas Vineyards

Our first stop on the Monticello Wine Trail was Veritas Vineyards, located just southwest of Charlottesville at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Andrew and Patricia Hodson planted their first vines about a decade ago and opened the tasting facility in 2002 - selling wine from the 2001 vintage. They named the winery after the Roman historian, Pliny the Elder's statement: “In Vino Veritas” ~ “In Wine There Is Truth”. Their goal was to create high quality vinifera wines and with the assistance of their daughter Emily Pelton they have largely succeeded. And don't think that hiring your daughter is just another case of nepotism; Ms. Pelton earned a Masters in Enology at Virginia Tech and was recently awarded the Judges Choice Award at the 2007 National Women’s Wine Competition in California. On our arrival, Emily and resident sommelier Thomas Roberts escorted downstairs to the fermenting and barrel areas. Amongst large steel tanks we learned about the winery operations and their other goal of educating consumers on wine\food pairings through classes, private events, and weddings. Plus, these events are great opportunities to sell wine. During the discussion we also sampled their wines, starting with a Sauvignon Blanc - made in the Loire style. It was dry and crisp - nice for a varietal that we usually find as too weak in Virginia. We followed with a couple versions of Chardonnay and Viognier and what was exceptional about these wines is that we were tasting directly from either the tanks or barrels - basically the wines were only a few months old. The Viognier was most impressive - peaches and apricots - and its excellent character is why the previous vintage was awarded a double gold in San Francisco.



Moving to reds, we tasted from several barrels of Cabernet Franc, starting with a fruit forward version made from free run juice. There was no tannins in this sample - just cherry fruit flavors. We moved to two other barrels that contained wine made from grapes picked from the same vineyard lot - just a week difference. The wine was completely different - the first seemed fresher - some in our party smelled and tasted Violets - interesting for such a young wine; whereas the wine from the lot picked later was more tannic. Who knew that one week could create such a divergence in flavor. We continued with Merlot and Petit Verdot - the first solid, but the second exceptional. After only a few months in the barrel the Petit Verdot was already full bodied and spicy - no need to blend here - this is a single varietal. Emily also poured versions of their port-styled wine Othello where the Tannat and Touriga Nacional are fortified and aged separately. Finally we were lead into the sparkling wine room where amongst riddling racks we sampled their Mousseux - a dry sparkling style wine. The wine is an equal blend of Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc and is extremely dry - think dry raspberries - and very unsuspecting with the pink color.

What a fantastic start for our trip. Veritas set a very high benchmark that we would use to judge the other wineries. In the coming months, the Veritas wine making staff will need to determine how to bottle the wines we tasted. Some will be sold in the tasting room as 100% varietals, others will be blended to produce a Claret or Meritage. Partly science, mostly art - they will continue to sample the wines in the barrel until they can determine its final destination. We look forward to returning after bottling to sample the final result.

Monticello Wine Trail Tour 2009

Last month, at a weekly wine tasting, several of us discussed the various wine regions in Virginia and which, as a region, were producing the finest wines in the state. We concluded that perhaps the Monticello area was sovereign, and to prove our hypothesis we planned a visit to the region. Our excursion was organized by Jim and Lori Corcoran - the proprietors and winemaker from Loudoun County's Corcoran Vineyards. The Corcorans make some of the best Cabernet Franc and Viognier in Loudoun County and they were looking forward to an exchange of ideas with other winemakers. Our party also consisted of other experienced wine professionals including Mary Watson-Delauder, a sommelier who graces the current cover of the Virginia Wine Lover Magazine; her husband Rick Delauder of Australia's Ballast Stone Estate Wines; wine writer Dezel Quillen from My Virginia Vine Spot; Michael Ching, a partner at The Winery of LaGrange; and a few other wine connoisseurs. Our destination was several of the top wineries surrounding Charlottesville: Veritas Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, White Hall Vineyards, Blenheim Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, and Keswick Vineyards.

In the upcoming weeks look for separate articles on each winery, but we have several general conclusions we'd like to share. Overall, our initial hypotheses was not validated. Whereas we did sample some tremendous wines, there was enough doubt among us to conclude that many wineries in northern Virginia make comparable wines. Instead, the trip exposed the potential in Virginia wines and introduced us to a new generation of young winemakers who are striving to produce world class wines. In most cases, the wine making was conducted by a young, educated winemaker - we are talking about winemakers in their 20s and 30s - who have both the experience and geographic background to add value to their products. At Veritas Vineyards, Emily Pelton has taken over the daily wine making chores from her father Andrew Hodson and is producing over a dozen still and sparkling wines that were first class. Kirsty Harmon (Blenheim Vineyards) is beginning to inject her experience working with Gabriele Rausse and in France and New Zealand to enhance the winery's portfolio. The same holds true for Stephen Barnard (Keswick Vineyards) who uses many techniques that he learned in his native South Africa to produce excellent wines. And Andy Reagan (Jefferson Vineyards) uses his background at several mid-Atlantic wineries to produce a portfolio of great Bordeaux-styled wines. Matthieu Finot, from King Family Vineyards, was not able to meet with us, but his credentials include working in his native France, as well as in Italy and South Africa. The future is definitely bright at these wineries. In addition, the quality in the wines made by the female winemakers lead many in our party to suggest that, in general, females are better winemakers than men. That's another interesting hypothesis we can discuss at a later date.




More importantly we saw the direction where these wineries want to lead Virginia in terms of wine grapes. In the past, many Virginia wineries have gambled on different varieties, hoping that they would elevate Virginia in the wine market. Some thought Norton, others Chardonnay. In the past few years many wineries thought Cabernet Franc. And over the weekend we tasted several excellent versions of this wine. Virginia wineries make excellent Cabernet Franc - but are they world class wines? We also discovered several excellent Merlot wines and learned from David King that it grows rather consistently from year to year in the state. Normally not pleased with Virginia grown Cabernet Sauvignon, we tasted a fabulous version aging in the barrel at Blenheim. We also sampled good Touriga and Petit Mensing at White Hall and Sauvignon Blanc at Veritas Vineyards. But, as good as all these wines tasted, two grapes clearly stood out, and we believe that these grapes have the best potential to elevate Virginia wines to world class status. We are referring to Viognier and Petit Verdot. The first is not surprising since many wineries have been producing excellent Viognier over the past decade. Interesting, this ancient grape was recently threatened with extinction for as late as 1965 there was only eight acres planted in Northern Rhône. Considering the history of the grape (it migrated to the Rhône region with the Romans) and how well it has rebounded, that would have been tragic. Particularly since it also produces excellent wines. Each winery we visited had a superb Viognier wine - regardless of style - that would hold their own against California and Rhône produced varietals. As for Petit Verdot, this grape is normally used in Bordeaux blends and is a relative newcomer in the state, yet almost each winery we visited choose to vinify it. And as a 100% varietal. The winemakers recognize the potential in the grape and believe that is very suitable for their climate. And in each instance, the wines were fabulous; full bodied with depth and tannins worthy for further aging. We have seen the future for Virginia....and its not Cabernet Franc, or Norton.

Finally, we listened to fabulous discussions on wine making. Stephen Barnard stressed how managing the vineyard was the single most important factor in making good wines. And in a later email exchange, Matthieu Finot reiterated that point. At Veritas Vineyards we tasted how the juice from the same grapes picked from the same lot produce different wine depending on when they were picked. At Blenheim Vineyards and Veritas Vineyards we compared the fruitiness of free run juice against more tannic juice from grapes pressed once or twice. We discussed blending, yeast, malolatic fermentation, racking, and several other principles involved in making wine. And we talked screw caps. Some wine makers wanted to convert their entire portfolio to this closure device in order to eliminate the cork taint caused by TCA, others only the whites. Nevertheless, all hesitate since the general public still associates screw caps with cheap wines. But they expect to release more wines closed with screw caps - at least white wines; but until the public's perception changes - keep the corkscrew handy.

This was the type of trip that every wine consumer should experience. Although we did get special access due to the Corcoran's association with the wineries, the average taster can plan a similar venture. Many wineries hold wine classes that explain their wines and are usually taught by the winery's winemaker. In other instances the winemaker assists in the tasting room, providing an excellent opportunity for interaction. Research before you travel - start at wine-compass.com, find wineries and events in your destination and drill into the winery's website. Contact the winery directly, the information is available; it just takes planning. Next up, Veritas Vineyards.

The Enomatic Wine Serving System

Wouldn't it be great if you could always taste a wine before purchasing? No more basing your decision on someone else's suggestion or a winery's reputation. That is the premise behind a new wine dispensing system slowly gaining a foothold in Virginia: The Enomatic Wine Serving Systems. The concept behind this Italian system is quite simple. Each model holds a certain number of wine bottles in a temperature-controlled case and the wines remain fresh for approximately 30-45 days. The wine is dispensed using a pre-paid wine card so that consumers can sample different wines at their own pace. Worried about hygiene? After dispensing the wine, the system automatically cleans the spout. The system is particularly attractive for novice wine consumers who may feel intimidated ordering wine.

Of the four available models, the Enoline is the most popular. This dispenser holds 4 to 8 bottles and the wines can be stored at room temperature, refrigerated or climate controlled. Thus, both red and white wines can be stored. The Enoround model holds 16 wines at room temperature in a circular base and is intended for red wines. The Enomove is a portable system attached to a trolley and the Enomodule is a customized system that can create a continuous line of bottles.

In Virginia, the Enomatic is currently being used in several wine bars, retail shops, and one winery - Boxwood Winery. Boxwood is not your average family owned and operated winery. John Kent Cooke, the former owner of the Washington Redskins, founded the enterprise. His daughter, Rachel Martin, is the winemaker. With the assistance of consultant Stephane Derenoncourt, Ms. Martin crafts three Bordeaux style wines: a rose and two dry red wines. The Boxwood is a left bank Medoc blend consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot, whereas the Topiary is a right bank Saint Emilion styled wine composed of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec. Instead of opening a tasting room at their winery, Boxwood opened a tasting facility on Main Street in Middleburg. In order to dispense their wines they chose the Enoround model, suitable for their red wine inventory. Obviously Boxwood does not produce enough wines to fill the container, so they include several Bordeaux brands produced by other wineries in which Mr. Derenoncourt consults. An added benefit is that consumers can determine how well the Boxwood wines compare to the French wines. The success of the Middleburg tasting room has enabled Boxwood to build a second facility in the Reston Town Center, which should open the beginning of March.

The driving force for legalizing the Enomatic system in Virginia was the Whole Foods Corporation. After Virginia State officials approved its use, Whole Foods opened wine tasting rooms in their Fairfax and Glen Allen stores. The tasting rooms contain almost a dozen of the devices, holding over 80 wine bottles. Currently only the Glen Allen store dispenses a Virginia made wine, the Cooper Vineyards Noche Chocolate; but there are also two other wine bars that include Virginia wine in their Enomatic systems. The Kybecca Wine Bar is located in an historic general store in downtown Fredericksburg, which Kyle and Rebecca Snyder have painstakingly restored to its original brick façade. They have several Enomatic systems that dispense approximately thirty wines, each available for purchase in their adjacent retail shop. On our visit, the Virginia Wineworks White was the lone Virginia wine being dispensed by the Enomatic.

Warrenton's Iron Bridge Wine Company also dispenses Virginia wine from their three systems. They use an Enoround model for the red wines and two Enoline models for the white wines. Where else can you taste a Rogers Ford Farm Winery Sumerduck alongside a Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Finally, a few other Virginia establishments utilize the Enomatic: Church Street Cellars in Vienna, Evo Bistro Wine Bar in McLean, and Maison du Vin's two stores in Great Falls and Reston. In fact, both Maison du Vin stores use the enoline model for their free daily tasting, so there is no need to purchase a wine card.

The price of some of these machines are high (close to $20,000 for the Enoround), so it will be interesting to see if they are cost effective in the long run. Since Boxwood Winery and Maison du Vin have purchased machines for multiple locations, it appears that they have concluded in the affirmative. If other retailers make similar judgments, then expect the number of Enomatics in operation to increase; otherwise the Enomatic may become just the latest wine fad.

The full article is also available at the Virginia Wine Lover Magazine.

Sunset Hills Vineyard & Winery

Most new wineries open just after planting their first vines, in which they must first produce wine from fruit purchased from other vineyards. This process must continue until their vines mature enough to produce quality grapes. Not so Loudoun County's Sunset Hills Vineyard & Winery. About a decade ago Diane and Mike Canney planted grape vines - particularly Chardonnay - well before constructing a winery. They allowed the vines to develop and mature while at the same time, they began refurbishing a barn, originally built in the 1870's, with help from an Amish construction team. They named their enterprise Sunset Hills, after the "beautiful sunsets" the couple witnessed as the sun fell below the western mountain ranges.

Last year Sunset Hills Vineyard opened officially, specializing in Bordeaux style red wines; Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot; as well as Chardonnay and Viognier. We remember that their Petit Verdot and Viognier stood out at last year's Vintage Virginia and looked forward to a visit. On a cold Saturday afternoon, the winery was already crowded when we arrived with earlier visitors settled at tables on the loft and in the tasting area. We started with the two versions of chardonnay, the first aged in stainless steel, the other aged in neutral French oak sur lee. We have become fans of unoaked Chardonnay, but today we preferred the oaked Reserve Chardonnay. Maybe its a result of the season - but it tasted more full bodied with only a subtle buttery flavor. The viognier was aged in the same fashion as the Reserve Chardonnay and this was a favorite. It has a sweet honey aroma, with a slightly pineapple flavor - this is the one we took upstairs with an array of Amish cheese. The Cabernet Franc is a medium bodied wine ages 18 months in neutral French and American oak. It has a more raspberry flavor than cherry - and low tannins at the tail. On the other hand, the Cabernet Sauvignon was more full bodied and had a more tannic finish - probably from 17 months in French oak. Not bad for a Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon; but interestingly we enjoyed the whites more than the reds.

We look forward to returning after the ice clears from the patio. Sunset Hills Vineyard is in a great location - excellent views and close to other excellent wineries. Its even a short ride from the O&D Bike Path - we can't wait until summer.

Zephaniah Farm Vineyard

The smallest bonded winery in Loudoun County, and perhaps the entire state of Virginia, is Zephaniah Farm Vineyard. Located just south of Leesburg, the family operated operation is also situated in one of the oldest structures hosting a winery: an 1830 manor house. In fact, the building was constructed by William Benton, who also built James Monroe's Oak Hill estate 10 years earlier. The house and surrounding dairy farm was purchased by William Hatch in 1950 - basically to keep his children occupied during his travels as a Naval Intelligence Officer. Capt. Hatch's military career could be a character in a Tom Clancy novel. During World War II, he served as an underwater demolitions diver, helping to clear the Chesapeake Bay and the Charleston harbor of mines laid by German submarines. After an officer heard him singing a Polish rhyme he was sent to the Naval Academy, commissioned as an officer, and was deployed to a U.S. minesweeper with a Russian crew in Murmansk. Eventually, he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for the remainder of the war. After the war, he joined Naval Intelligence and served in the Pentagon and throughout the war. Coincidentally he was the person who first notified Admiral John S. McCain, Jr. that his son was shot down in Vietnam.

Getting back the farm, Zephaniah Farm actually - named after William Hatch's grandfather shipbuilder Zephaniah Hatch, operated as a working dairy farm until about 20 years ago. At the same time as market conditions forced the closing of the dairy farm, William's son Bill began researching grape growing and envisioned planting a vineyard on the property. Long after the diary operations switched to raising beef cattle he planted Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Chardonel vines in 2001 and waited for the fruit. The Chardonel never fully prospered but the other two varieties did and after a few years harvest he started making wine for home consumption. In 2007, they bottled their first commercial product, the 2007 Cabernet Franc. Mr. Hatch believes his cabernet franc can distinguish itself from the many other excellent brands in the state, because he actively prunes the leaves at berry set so that there are only 2-3 shoots per foot. His winery consultant and son, Tremain Hatch believes this approach produces a less herbaceous flavor and instead allows the fruit flavor to stand out. He also recommends not "over-oaking" their Cabernet Franc so the wine is aged in neutral French oak. After gaining a masters degree in Viticulture at Virginia Tech and upcoming field work in New Zealand - Tremain should have plenty of additional advice for his father. Other family members also contribute to the success of the winery. Bill's wife Bonnie designed the wine label and daughter Meredith assists in bottling and winery\vineyard tours; her twin sister, Emily, sometimes travels home during heavy bottling sessions. A true family enterprise.

The 2007 Cabernet Franc is a nice wine, the first sensation noticed is the strong fruity nose. The wine itself, is very smooth with more black cherry than red cherry flavor. The tail is also smooth with low tannins. Bill also provided us with barrel samples from a couple styles of oak and it was a nice exercise to taste how the oak influences the wine. The Cabernet Franc definitely needs a little more time in the barrel, but look out for a Merlot that is aging from grapes sourced from neighbor Bill Tripplet. After only a few months in the barrel - that wine is drinkable now.

Over the coming few years Mr. Hatch hopes to improve the quality of the Cabernet Franc while simultaneously introducing new varietals such as a dry Petit Mensing and a Petit Verdot. In the meanwhile the winery is open by appointment, but the Hatch's encourage visitors. The only reason they don't provide set hours for tasting is that with a staff of one or two, they are usually in the vineyard or the basement laboratory. Just give them a heads-up and ring the family heirloom above the door when you arrive. This is a bell that was salvaged from the S.S. Monticello, a boat built by Zephaniah Hatch, but named after his hometown of Monticello New York and not the Jefferson estate. The Zephaniah wine is also available at the Leesburg Farmers Market, held every Saturday morning - regardless of weather.

Vintage 50

For the past six months we have been trying to find a suitable replacement for the Old Dominion Brewing Company's Ashburn brewpub - which closed suddenly last year. We enjoyed visiting the brewpub since it provided good food, better beer, was within range for lunch outings, and was close to the bike path. A perfect stop while\after biking. We recently learned about Vintage 50, located in Leesburg, which meets or exceeds all the requirements. Even though it is a little farther out , it is less than a mile from the bike path and serves better food and beer. The beer is brewed by Bill Madden - who helped launch the Washington D.C.'s popular brewpub Capital City Brewing. At Vintage 50 he has expanded the number of offerings to include more unique beers from English and Belgium traditions. Although one of our favorites was the lighter German inspired Catoctin Kolsh. This is a smooth drinkable ale. Getting back to the Belgium ales, the Saison V-50 was excellent - strong spices and aroma as was the E.S.B Extra Special Bitter. They offer several other styles, a Porter, an Alt beer, a couple Stouts, and possibly the Wee Heavy Ale - Scottish recipe. Try the sampler - its well worth the price. We brought two samples so that we could try all 14 beers. Like the Old Dominion Brewing Company, Vintage 50 sells all the beers in Growlers - so fill up.

Recchiuti Confections

This week we received a sample pack from Recchiuti Confections due to our membership in FoodBuzz. This San Francisco based company is the result of Michael Recchiuti's desire to "introduce Americans to real chocolate". He started the company over a decade ago after testing various chocolates in his test kitchen. What is unique about these products are that many consist of herbs and spices that are not normally associated with chocolate. For instance, the samples that we received included a Lemon Verbena, Lavender Vanilla, Spring Jasmine Tea, and a Star Anise and Pine Peppercorn. Now, we usually object when hearing something described as heavenly or magical - but in this case....

The chocolates are amazing - our favorites being the Sur De Lago and the Burnt Caramel. Being a wine site we also paired them with a couple wines. In Missouri, wineries often offer chocolate when pouring Norton so we opened a bottle of Röbller Vineyard Winery 2002 Norton. Even after 6 years in the bottle, this Norton retained it grapey flavor but lost all acidic properties. Since the wine hadn't evolved into a spicier flavor, like many aged Norton tend to do, the wine was better paired with the more herbal samples. On the other hand, Ridge Vineyards zinfandel based Three Valleys was more interesting with the pieces with more chocolate flavors.

Regardless, this could be one of the best product samples we have received. Each sample was unique, made from quality ingredients, and made us desire more after the box emptied. Recchiuti ships anywhere so we are looking forward to more of their Sur De Lago and the Burnt Caramel as well as the S'mores Kit and Key Lime Pears.

Maker's Mark Ambassador

I have been drinking Maker's Mark for a number of years now, and a few months back I signed up for their Ambassador program. As an Ambassador, you receive a number of benefits in return for promoting the bourbon to others. The coolest benefit is having your name posted on a barrel and then having the ability to taste and purchase the bourbon when it reaches maturity. The Maker's Mark Ambassador Web site also includes links to stories about the distillery; the Samuels family; special events; and, of course, the status of your barrel.

Now, Maker's Mark is quite unique from other bourbons and not just from their trademarked red wax seal. The bourbon consists of iron-free limestone water from a neighboring spring fed lake. The distillery does not use rye, which they feel leaves too much bitterness on the tongue and instead uses locally grown red winter wheat in conjunction with the corn. They feel this combination provides a smoother flavor, plus the grains are softly crushed with an antique roller mill which doesn't scorch the grain. The final ingredient, the yeast, is a special strain developed by the Samuel family and produced directly at the distiller. The mash is distilled twice, first in an all-copper column still at 120 proof, and then a second time in a copper pot still at 130 proof. This low distillation proof preserves the natural flavor of the corn and wheat. Then, after the spirit is stored in white oak barrels, these barrels are rotated within the warehouse in order to help create a consistent flavor.

So that's the story why Maker's Mark differs from other bourbons. We will continue to post on the status of our barrel as we sip it from our red wax dipped glass.

Wine 101 - Frontenac

Like the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Minnesota instigated a grape breeding program to assist wine growers in their state cultivate grapes that can survive in the rugged Upper Midwest environment. One of the most successful graduates from this program is the Frontenac grape, which was introduced in 1995. It is a cross of the French hybrid Landot 4511 and Vitis Riparia (the most widely distributed of all native North American grapes). This grape combines extreme cold hardiness with a high level of disease resistance and produces wines with an attractive garnet color and a pleasant cherry aroma and taste. It quickly became the most widely planted grape in Minnesota and is becoming more popular throughout the Midwest. The grape’s major shortcoming is that its high acid content requires malolactic fermentation to achieve a drinkable wine.

One Minnesota winery that cultivates Frontenac is Falconer Vineyards and Winery. Located just 10 miles from the city of Frontenac (the grape’s namesake), this winery has operated for over 14 years. The winery grows Frontenac because of the grape’s tremendous vigor - it can grow wildly if not properly managed. In fact, according to John Falconer, wild riparia grapes near the vineyard run to the top of 40 foot oak trees and Frontenac displays some of that vigor. Thinning the fruit has the added affect of lowering the grape’s acidity to more appealing levels. In addition to its vigor, the Frontenac grape is extremely versatile. Falconer Vineyards currently makes four styles of wine from Frontenac: Frontenac Rose, Frontenac - medium bodied, Frontenac Reserve - full bodied, and Frontenac Port. The Frontenac Rose is produced from the immediate crush juice and the winery is able to elicit a long strawberry finish. For the past two years, this wine has sold out by mid-summer. The medium bodied Frontenac is made from juice with a 5-7 day skin contact during fermentation. Their signature wine is the Frontenac Reserve, which is made from juice with a 9-11 day skin contact during fermentation. This wine is then stored in Minnesota oak barrels and Mr. Falconer believes this wine has great aging potential. The Frontenac Port was created from this year’s harvest and will be available in a couple of years. The winery will age the wine in oak barrels for 2 - 3 years before release. The Minnesota wine public has quickly accepted Minnesota grown wine and Frontenac. After opening their tasting room last year, Mr. Falconer noticed that the general public did not realize that Minnesota vineyards could grow quality wine grapes. One year later he has noticed a sea change in the consumer’s knowledge. Visitation rates are much higher than the previous year as groups of consumers travel between several wineries – with many repeat customers. In fact, Mr. Falconer has heard several wineries report that this year has been the best year on record for sales a trend which should ensure that Falconer winery continues to sell out their Frontenac stock each year.

Another Minnesota winery, Fieldstone Vineyards, started cultivating Frontenac primarily because it had a steady supply of vines from neighboring growers. Fieldstone is a new winery although their vineyard is located on a 100 year old farm and their winery is situated in a 75 year old barn. The owners are pleased with their decision to cultivate Frontenac since the grape’s versatility has allowed the winery to use it in five separate offerings, ranging in styles from dry – medium bodied reds to semi-sweet rosé wines. Each style has been successfully welcomed by the Minnesota wine public and this success is demonstrated by the number of awards earned by these wines in the past two years. The Frontenac Reding Reserve (a dry-medium bodied red) has won several awards at the Minnesota State Fair Commercial Wine Competition as did the Minnesota Glacial Rock Red (100% Minnesota Frontenac). The 2003 Martell Frontenac (a vineyard specific 100% Frontenac) won gold at the 2004 American Wine Society competition and finally, their 2003 Frontenac Rosé earned 1st place at the Minnesota State Fair Commercial Wine Competition (Rosé division). The biggest difficulty the winery has encountered with Frontenac is alleviating the high acidity associates with hybridized grapes. It continues to be an ongoing educational process both in the winery to bring the acidity down and to teach wine lovers about the differences. Regardless, the winery is very pleased with the University of Minnesota’s efforts to create hybridized vines/grapes and believe that newer releases such as Frontenac Gris, LaCrescent, Prairie Star and Marquette will "allow the bar to be raised in cold climate viticulture to even higher levels".

Nearby in Illinois, Galena Cellars Winery and Vineyard produces a port-style Frontenac Port dessert wine. The wine is made from 100% Illinois grown Frontenac grapes which has a berry - chocolate complexion. The wine is very popular in the Midwest where it won multiple Double Gold medals - most recently at the 2008 Illinois State Fair.

Materella Winery

For a couple years we've been negligent in not visiting
Materella Winery, located just north of Warrenton Virginia. Luckily business brought us to the region and we allocated a few hours to visit this boutique winery. Kate Marterella first planted vines about eight years previously in her vineyard. She started with Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Chambourcin and later expanded the acreage to include Pinot Grigio, Merlot, and Petit Manseng. After harvest, the grapes are shipped to nearby Prince Michel Winery where they are crushed, fermented, aged, and bottled. Nice to have friends in the industry. Marterella also purchases grapes from Virginia vineyards in order to fill out her portfolio. On our visit, Kate was pouring ten wines, evenly split between reds and whites. We started with the dry Vidal Blanc which is unique in that the wine possesses flavors of red apples instead of the expected green apple. The winery offers two chardonnays, the Barrel Select fermented and aged completely on French Oak and the Vintage 2006 where 75% was aged in oak. Thus the both contain characteristics of oak aged chardonnay - but neither possess the oaky buttery finish present in many chardonnay wines. Their Pinot Grigio is made completely to Kate's tastes, dry and slightly acidic - but a small creamy finish. Interesting for a wine aged in steel. We normally don't care for Pinot Grigio, but this is an exception. Moving on, the Rosalie’s Rose is a semi-dry wine made from primarily Merlot that exudes strawberry. This wine helps in the sweet wine market but should also be acceptable for dry wine lovers - we brought a bottle home. The vintage Merlot is a little young and acidic - apparently due to the 20% Petit Verdot and may need more time in the bottle, but the Cabernet Franc is ready now. Its a smooth, full bodied wine made from estate grown grapes. Black cherry is prevalent throughout particularly in the tail. Another smooth wine which we also purchased was the vintage Sangiovese. This is an old world wine, "rustic" is a proper marketing term. Finally, Kate obliged us by opening a bottle of her 2003 Meritage, a true Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvigon. This is a big wine - full bodied but incredibly smooth. Ah, if it was only within our budget. We finished with two semi-dessert wines, the Vidal Blanc\Riesling Grace and chambourcin based Sweet Nothings. Both are not as sweet as the 6.9% r.s. would suggest and apparently sweet wine drinkers can finish an entire bottle of each in one sitting whereas the dry wine drinkers sip sparingly. We liked them both, the Grace a little more with its strong apple flavors.

Sadly, there's a cloud hanging over the winery. The neighboring home owners association is maliciously attempting to bankrupt the enterprise through litigation. Apparently Kate's neighbors do not appreciate a vineyard\winery in their backyard and have promised to litigate Kate until she closes. What's significant in this affair is that the entrance to Mediterranean Cellars is less than 100 yards from Marterella's entrance and Mediterranean is not being sued. And Kate planted her vineyard before Mediterranean even opened and the entrance to that winery is on her property. Yet the home owners association is only going after Marterella. Socialism at its finest. There is a jury trial scheduled for June to determine if Marterella can remain open - so until then show your support for Virginia agriculture and wine and visit the winery. We will also see how serious the state of Virginia is in promoting grape growing and wine making. Good luck Kate.

Stone Villa Wine Cellars

During another trip to Seven Springs, we visited the closest winery from the West, Stone Villa Wine Cellars. The winery is a short 20 minute drive from the resort and is a nice alternative when the legs get tired or the lift lines too long. Stone Villa opened 8 years ago, after Randy and Debbie Paul planted vineyards on the surrounding hillsides. The winery and tasting room were built by Randy's construction company and his father, James, finished the stonework. His creative masonry skills gave birth to the winery's name. And the facility is quite impressive.

Even though the winery is located in the middle of the Laurel Highlands, almost all their wine sales comes through the tasting room. And during our visit their was a constant stream of customers. The winery grows 12 varieties of grapes that are used to produce almost 20 different wines. In many instances the winery also purchases grapes from other Pennsylvania vineyards to supplement their harvest. With that number of wines, there's bound to be a wine for everyone - particularly when the styles range from dry to sweet. Having three tasters, we tried most of them. For dry white wines they produce the Villa White a blend of Chardonnay, Seyval, and Vidal Blanc. The later grapes provides a slightly sweet sensation even though the residual sugar reading is zero. The dry Riesling is also nice, but we preferred the semi-dry version. Another off dry wine we enjoyed was the Padre's Rose - made from the Steuben grape - but with only a slight foxy character. Their Padre's Red was another interesting labrusca blend - where the Concord is very prevalent. Their best sellers are these sweeter wines, which include a semi-sweet Riesling, Niagara, Pink Catawba, and Villa Sunrise. These wines are sweet - but not gritty.

However, of all the wines, we enjoyed the dry reds overall. Their single varietal Chambourcin was very good - medium bodied with cherry flavors as was the Cabernet Sauvignon with its peppery finish. Then there were the blends. The Vintner's Select is a blend of Pinot Noir and Shiraz; the Palocitro Reserve a blend of Cabernet Sauvigon and Dechaunac; and the Stovilli a blend of Shiraz and Dechaunac. You don't see these combination's that often. Our favorite was the Palocitro Reserve - dry, full of flavor, and very smooth. The Vintner's Select had the most fruit flavor and also a smooth finish. These are the types of interesting wines we seek when exploring wineries.

Although Stone Villa gets winter traffic from the surrounding ski resorts, the summer time might be the best time to visit. During that season, they host music events in the evening on their patio overlooking the pond. That would be a relaxing experience.

Casanel Vineyards

On an unseasonably warm day, we drove out past Leesburg to visit one of several new wineries in that area, Casanel Vineyards. Beforehand we learned from their website that the winery was started by Casey and Nelson DeSouza - hence “Casanel”. The couple had many successful years operating DeSouza Construction in the Washington D.C. area and eventually Nelson started exploring the countryside looking for land suitable for a vineyard. For after experiencing the Portuguese wine culture the couple decided to join the growing Virginia wine making community. He settled on a property on Catoctin Mountain that included a hundred plus year old stone dairy barn with an even older log cabin and a red wooden barn. But it was the dairy barn that he envisioned centering the winery operation around. The tasting room would be located in that building with the winery operations in the adjacent red barn. With help from family they restored the buildings and planted Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Norton, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Petite Verdot vines. Since it would take several years before the vines bore fruit, they sourced grapes from several local vineyards. Kerem Baki from Hillsborough Vineyards agreed to join the venture as their winemaker and consultant and the first vintage consists of four varietals: Viognier, Norton, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

We arrived just before sunset to discover a Christmas-decorated stone building with a patio ready for visitors: chairs and an electric and wood heater. The tasting room is impressive. There is a long tasting bar to the left with a staircase to the basement and a couple tables in the center and right. The stones were cleaned, but there is residual dirt helping to hold the stones in place. Make sure you descend down the spiral staircase in order to view the unique triangular table and the solid oak beams supporting the structure.

As for wines, we started with the Viognier which was aged 8 months in light French oak. This is a nice wine soft and slightly creamy, with a tropical fruit flavor. Anytime we find white wines such as this, they come home – and this Viognier was no exception. Next was their Norton, made in a unique dry rose style. The grapes were sourced from Chrysalis Vineyards, pressed whole clustered, then aged 10 months in light French oak. It’s darker than most rose wines – a characteristic of the grape – but with little of the acidity and grapey flavor also associated with the variety. This is a good wine, particularly considering it’s the premier effort. The final two were bolder red wines made from grapes purchased from Breaux Vineyards and aged 10 years in light French oak. The Merlot was our favorite of the two, extremely smooth with a strong cherry flavor. The Cabernet Sauvignon is also full bodied with a more spicy tail. It has more tannins so we would probably age this wine a little more in the bottle. All in all this was a great initial effort from Mr. Baki and the DeSouzas. We look forward to when their vineyards bear fruit and they start blending these varieties. Their “Chegada” brand translates into “Arrival” in Portuguese which can refer to the winery’s new start or the fact that we will be arriving often to hang out in their tasting room.

A. Smith Bowman Distillery

Fresh off our research of American Rum Distillers, we decided to pay a visit to a local craft bourbon distiller, A. Smith Bowman Distillery. Yes, it is entirely accurate to question designating this distillery as a micro-distillery - but after several years of producing large scale export driven products, A. Smith Bowman is returning to its roots.

That started over 70 years ago when Abram Smith Bowman and his sons, Smith and DeLong, began making bourbon at the family Sunset Hills Farm in Wiehle, Virginia. The distillery itself was situated in a building constructed in 1892, which served as the town hall for Wiehle, as well as a church. For the next 50 years the distillery produced their trademark Virginia Gentleman® at this location. During that time the Bowman family sold most of their estate to Robert E. Simon, who used proceeds from selling Carnegie Hall to created the planned community of Reston. As the area became more urbanized from this development, in 1988 the distillery moved south to Fredericksburg, where it still operates today. In its infinite wisdom Fairfax County bulldozed several historic structures associated with the historic distillery and the original Bowman house and distillery are now threatened as developers seek to build homes and condominiums on the property. The county has little respect for history when money is involved.

Meanwhile in Fredericksburg, the A. Smith Bowman Distillery was eventually purchased by the Sazerac Company, who also owns the Buffalo Trace Distillery and the Old Rip Van Winkle, Blanton's, Elmer T. Lee, and other well known brands. The Bowman brand had expanded to include vodka, rum, gin, and other products and the Bowman name became more associated with these spirits instead of the old Virginia Gentleman® brand. This brand had actually expanded to include the Virginia Gentleman® 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon which was awarded a double gold medal and named Best American Whiskey at the 2003 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This tradition of excellence continued at this year's competition as the 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon also earned a double gold medal. The master distiller who crafts this award winning spirit, Joe Dangler, agreed to host a tour of their facility for me.

Mr. Dangler has worked for the A. Smith Bowman Distillery for over 30 years, starting in Reston and relocating to Fredericksburg with the distillery. He was originally hired as a line foreman and over the course of his career emerged as the distillery's master distiller. No formal education - just on the job training. At the Fredericksburg facility, bourbon is the only spirit created and the product line consists of three brands: Bowman Bourbon, Virginia Gentleman® and Virginia Gentleman® 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon. Each brand is made from the original Virginia Gentleman® recipe, the only difference is the dilution and length of aging. In order to benefit from economies of scale, the mash and first distillation occur at the parent's Buffalo Trace Distillery. The corn whiskey is then transported to Fredericksburg where it undergoes a second distillation in a copper still and chilled filtered. The bourbon is then aged in new casks in a warehouse palette system that was designed to use labor efficiently and allow for ample ventilation to control temperature. The Virginia Gentleman® 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon is aged for six years whereas the other two brands are aged between 3 1/2 to 4 years.

The warehouse smells amazing - think of the sweet corn aroma of bourbon. I asked Mr. Dangler if he ever gets tired of the smell and he informed me "no" and his nose has been trained to notice any off-odors. A semi-quality control mechanism. There's no tasting at the facility, but instead I was given access to view the the warehouse, distillation room, and bottling system. Besides the row after row of aging bourbon, the copper still was the most impressive piece - a fine piece of craftsmanship. The distillery also possesses antique scales used by the Feds to calculate taxes as well as several antique barrel making tools. Very soon the distillery hopes to showcase these items in a new visitor center. This center will also include displays on the history of the Bowman family, the distillery, and the city of Fredericksburg. We look forward to that development. In the meanwhile the Virginia Gentleman® 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon has replaced Ancient Age and Wild Turkey 101 as our everyday bourbon. Retailing between $20-$25, this double gold winner is a bargain. It has a honey aroma that intensifies after adding a couple drops of water to the glass. At 90 proof there's an initial alcohol burn - but it quickly dissipates to a sweet nutmeg\vanilla tail. Yes, some days its worth to splurge on a Black Maple Hill or a Pappy Van Winkle - but for a steady, everyday brand - the Virginia Gentleman® 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon is the king.

Pirtle Winery Mead

One of the first mead we tasted, and still one of our top favorites, is Pirtle Winery Missouri Mead. The wine is light, semi-sweet, with slight honey flavors. Nothing overpowering here. Just a simple nice mead. Need more convincing - the wine is the top seller out of Pirtle's tasting room.

Wine Gifts?

We have been asked repeatedly by friends or family members about suggesting wine related gift items. So here you go:

There are a few excellent books we recommend. WineWise is a new book written by Steven Kolpan, Brian H. Smith, and Michael A. Weiss, all CIA Professors in Wine Studies at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) that we reviewed here. It is a great overview of grapes, wine styles, and wine regions. Next is an in depth look at the fatal dynamics that led to the collapse of the Mondavi empire in The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty. Finally, we've been in a rum craze lately and enjoyed reading And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails by Wayne Curtis.

For accessories, we have found a few products to recommend. Want an opened bottle of wine to remain fresh longer. Take a look at VineyardFresh. Its works because "This special blend of a 100% pure and natural protective barrier is heavier than air and lighter than wine. It settles directly on the wine without penetration creating a natural protective barrier between the air and wine thereby preventing oxidation."

Worried about taking wine home from a trip relying on air travel. For the serious wine consumer you can try Wine Cruzer, but for our budget we use BottleWise. The bag fits easily into a suitcase with no worries for clothing if for some reason the bottle breaks. The wine is contained in an airtight container. We also use the bag if we are touring wineries and run out of space in our cooler. Its a much better alternative then letting the wine sit in the hot sun.

Foppiano Lionel Train

One of the best souvenirs we've purchased at a winery was the Foppiano Lionel Train courtesy of Foppiano Vineyards. This a replica of a refrigerated rail car the used to transport their grapes East during Prohibition. For the "Volstead Act allowed individuals to make 200 gallons of their own homemade wine". This helped to keep the winery in business during these dark years. Ours fits perfected within our son's Lionel set that we setup each Christmas. Post comments on your favorite souvenirs below.