The Rise & Fall of Kluge Estate Winery

A sad situation in Virginia wine country via Wines & Vines.

Charlottesville, Va. -- There’s an old joke that the best way to make a small fortune in the wine industry is to start with a large one. Sometimes even having a pocket full of dollars doesn’t guarantee that a winery will make a go of it. That certainly proved to be true in the case of the Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard in Charlottesville, Va.

Patricia Kluge and her husband, William J. Moses, started the winery in 1999, intent on establishing a world-class vineyard and making the winery one of the largest and most influential in Virginia. Located south of Charlottesville not far from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Kluge’s estate included 2,000 acres and a 45-room English-style “manor house” known as Albemarle House. Approximately 200 acres were planted in vineyards; the couple built an elaborate tasting room known as the Farm Shop and Kluge hired the internationally-known “Flying Winemaker,” Michel Rolland as the consulting winemaker.

The winery’s first release was the limited edition Kluge Estate 2000 New World Red, priced at a breathtaking $495 per bottle. Only 289 bottles of the wine were produced, each one signed by Kluge and then-winemaker Gabriele Rausse. At that time, most wine in Virginia was sold for less than $50 per bottle, and the release of a first wine from a new winery at such an exalted price created a lot of publicity for Kluge Estate. Later releases of Kluge Estate New World Red were priced considerably lower, the 2001 at $58 per bottle and the 2005 at $25. Wines & Vines’ most recent data show an annual production of 40,000 cases.

In 2007 Kluge and Moses went to Farm Credit of the Virginias and secured a loan for $34.785 million, ostensibly to expand the winery into both national and international markets. In October 2010, Farm Credit foreclosed on this loan and listed the assets of the Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard to be auctioned off, including:

• 907 acres in southern Albemarle County (including 164 acres in vineyard)
• The Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard Farm Shop and tasting room
• Offices and production buildings
• Six employee houses
• A 34,000 square-foot former carriage museum.

Read more at Wines & Vines.

The Masculine Side of Beaujolais - a Focus on More Robust Crus

On the heels of participating in the first Beaujolais Taste Live event: Discover Beaujolais - The Feminine Side of Beaujolais; we were invited to participate in the second round: The Masculine Side of Beaujolais - a Focus on More Robust Crus. Once again the event wass sponsored by Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region. And once again, we received four wines - this time representing high quality cru wines from different vintages that are available in the United States. These were:

• Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly, 2006;
• Pascal Granger, Juliénas, 2005
• Loluis-Claude Desvignes, Morgon, 2007
• Domaine Diochon, Moulin à Vent, 2008

And like the first event, I care least for the first wine - although not nearly as bad as before. The Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly, 2006 retails for $17 and is basically an easy sipping fruity wine. Yea, there's plenty of fruit, but that was it. No acidity, no tannins, no structure, no finesse, just fruit. rose substantially moving to the Pascal Granger, Juliénas, 2005, the most expensive wine of the night at $24. This wine exhibited true Old World characteristics with some mineral content from the nose to the tail. Plus some cherry flavor and texture on the palette. This was an excellent wine. The Loluis-Claude Desvignes, Morgon, 2007 ($20) followed with more fruit but balanced with subtle amounts of acidity, earthiness, and some spiciness - all the character lacking in the Christophe Pacalet, Cote de Brouilly. The tasting sheet was right on with the white pepper notes. Another excellent wine. Yet, the masterpeice of the evening was the final wine, the Domaine Diochon, Moulin à Vent, 2008 ($21). This wine seemed to include the best characteristics of the previous two - dark fruit flavors and earthy minerals. This wine exudes strong aromatics, contains structure, acidity, tannins - all the usual wine buzz words. This is one wine we will keep in our cellar.

Wine Enthusiast Can Help Fight Cancer Simply by Loving Wine!

Take some time and visit CharityBuzz. One of their campaigns benefits The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, an organization funding innovative research to bring faster cures to patients. Bidding is available on all of the below items through Thursday, November 18.

Fully Stocked Viking Wine Refrigerator with 54 Bottles of Collectible Wines from Around the World: Wines included range from a Rhone Valley Château Grillet 2005 Château Grillet (Condrieu) to a Lebanese Bekaa Valley Chateau Musar 1995. http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/waxmancancer/catalog_items/216527

A Private Wine Dinner for Eight People at Italian Wine Merchants: Eight guests will enjoy an evening of wine and dinner, service from a sommelier, Italian Wine Merchants propriety producer and tasting notes, eight signed copies of Passion on the Vine and more. http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/216509

Wine Tasting for 25 at Italian Wine Merchants: Guests will be led by an Italian Wine Merchant sommelier through a wine tasting in the Italian Wine Merchant Studio del Gusto. This package includes rental of event space, wine and food for 25 guests, dedicated sommeliers and chefs, and Italian Wine Merchant's proprietary producer and tasting notes. http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/waxmancancer/catalog_items/216510

Stellar Wine Tasting for 20 at Your Home - Wines from Palm Bay International, Catered by Restaurant Associates, Decor from by ROBIN: This memorable evening all takes place in the comfort of your home, while the food, wine and décor work is done by someone else! Wines are selected and presented by Palm Bay International, food is catered by Restaurant Associates (caterers at Caregie Hall and Lincoln Center) and the décor design will be installed by Robin Lathrop (event planner for the Samuel Waxman gala). http://www.charitybuzz.com/auctions/waxmancancer/catalog_items/216516

If you'd like more information about the auction or the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, please contact me at mschrank@charitybuzz.com.

Fabbioli Cellars, Leesburg Virginia

If you recall a late spring frost hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in early May. Most vineyards were unaffected; yet others lost a majority of fruit. One of these was Loudoun County's Fabbioli Cellars. For most of the past decade Doug Fabbioli has been the unknown face behind the rise in Loudoun County as a wine region. After education and a career in California, he moved to the Commonwealth and began winemaker first at Tarara Vineyard & Winery and later at Windham Winery - now Doukenie Winery. Eventually he started his own enterprise, yet was the consultant to many successive startups in the region, in particular North Gate Vineyards and Notaviva Vineyards. Over the years we've tasted most of Doug's portfolio - wither at festivals or at some of these newer wineries. Yet, we had never visited the tasting room - and this past Saturday we had the opportunity to see how the frost had affected operations.

And with the size of the crowd in the tasting room, 30 minutes before closing, no noticeable affect. Each tasting area was filled to capacity with newcomers constantly arriving during our stay. Closing hours must only be a suggestion. We decided to grab a bottle and head to the outside firepits and the Tre Sorélle was on my mind - their excellent Bordeaux style blend. However, when viewing the tasting sheet I noticed a single varietal Tannat and since we been touting this grape as suitable to Virginia, we had to splurge for a bottle. Splurge in that the wine is close to $30; that's specially tough after a couple trips to Trader Joe's for Halloween. But its a Virginia Tannat. While talking to new friends outside we found the wine to be young but full of potential. After a little aging this will be a big wine, plenty of tannins but nice acidity and red berry flavors. (I opened the bottle for a second pour a couple days later and the same opinion - young with potential). Let the tannins subside and this is a nice wine.

As for the frost, we didn't have a chance to discuss it. There are still a couple years of red wine aging in the cellar; as for white wines, some favors may be called in soon. We'll head back for another Tannat and actually conduct real research - and not waste the time away socializing.

Wild Wolf Brewing Company

On our last trip to Nelson County, we "discovered" the Wild Wolf Brewing Company, a hone brew shop that was soon to be crafting and selling their own brand of beer. Well, I heard this week that that time has finally come. The brewery has five beers available on tap: Smoked Scottish Ale, 'Blond Hunny' Ale, 'Alpha Ale' - an American Pale Ale, Honey Pear Saison and an American Lager. We'll be heading down to Charlottesville very soon; bring you growler.

Two Wines for Thanksgiving - Italian Soave

Recently we received an offer to sample two Italian wines, and, why not. Like most European wines, these are named for the region, not the grape, and the two come from the Soave community located in the Veneto region in the Province of Verona. Both wines are made from the Garganega grape, a late ripening fruit that is widely planted in Veneto. Specific vineyards are classified as DOC or Classico DOC and can even be crafted into a sparkling spumante.

The first wine was the 2008 Roccolo Grassi Soave Vignetta "La Broia" which we instantly took a bond to. We learned that at times Chardonnay is sometimes blended with Garganega - but this wine immediately reminded us of a chardonnay. It had plenty of apple and pear flavors, nice acidity - with a more than expected mid-palette. Doug Frost had first introduced us to wines from this region as very food friendly so this wine should work for the coming Turkey dinners. And priced around $15 - that's a good deal.

The Fattori Danieli Soave is composed of 100% Garganega from vines averaging 25 years old. True to its late ripening reputation, the grapes were harvested in mid October, processed and fermented in steal tanks. The result is a light bodied wine; citrus flavors, with plenty of acidity. This acidity provides a refreshing finish and with the late ripening grape is more like a new world wine than an old world. Time for a trip to Italy.

Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail)

Monday October 25th, we were privileged to participate in the inaugural Virginia wide Taste Live twitter event, Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail) tasting. Our good friend Dezel from @myvinespot and My Vine Spot organized and moderated the event. He invited me to participate at his house along with several other wine bloggers, all who have a better palate for wine then me: @grapevine4wine from The GrapeVine; @Alleigh from A Glass After Work; @SuzieLin from Runningwinegirl's Blog; and @elizabethdehoff from Crushworthy Wines. I learned from just listening to their commentary. Participants tweeted from all corners of the county, from the great northwest, to New York, south to Florida and regions in between. In Charlottesville, CBS 19 also broadcast the event after visiting some of the participating wines. And finally, throughout the evening, the great Virginian wine grape - Viognier - trending on twitter. Which is ironic in that at our table, the Keswick Vineyards 2009 Viognier was the least popular wine.

The tasting involved five wines from central Virginia. We started with theKluge Estate 2007 SP Rose, which I thought slightly off-dry; but my tasting partners corrected as completely dry. The sparkling wine is made in the traditional méthode Champenoise using estate grown 95% Chardonnay (95%) and Pinot Noir (5%) and aged on the lees for 21-24 months. The result is a complex wine, alot going on - plenty of sour cherry; I may have mistook fruit flavors for sweetness, but in general this is a nice sparkler. The only issue is the price; is it worth $25-$30; we shall see.

The aforementioned Keswick Vineyards 2009 Viognier followed and received mixed reviews. Some enjoyed it; others didn't - the presence of oak probably contributed to that outcome. I, along with Dezel, were the contrarians and enjoyed the wine, although I don't think its as good as many offered in the state. Keswick's winemaker, Stephen Barnard, crafts many wonderful wines, this just didn't seem to be his best.

Since our visit to Jefferson Vineyards over two years ago, we have been extremely impressed with Andy Reagan's wines. Normally we prefer his reds, but tonight we sampled his 2009 Reserve Chardonnay. The grapes were sourced from a few different vineyards, 30% were estate grown - harvested from 25 year old vines. The wine starts with a toasty nose, followed by a slight oak flavor ending with nice acidity in the tail. Not only did we think it was a fine wine, but it recently received a Gold Medal at the 2010 LodiWine Awards. Nicely done.

The next wine was a real surprise; the Afton Mountains 2009 Gewürztraminer. We didn't taste this wine on our recent visit to the winery, but it was a hit during the evening - surprising in that an off dry wine was praised by several wine "experts". Gewürztraminer can be translated into "Spice Traminer"or "Perfumed Traminer" so its not a surprise that this wine had a little spice flavor. About a third of the wine was aged in barrels that previously housed their eiswine style dessert wine. I think the acidity makes this wine - it tones down the sweetness and allows the fruit flavors to dominate.

We then moved on to reds, starting with Kirsty Harmon's Blenheim Vineyards 2009 Seven Oaks Merlot. Since becoming winemaker a couple years back - she is finally able to release her own vintages. Now, the first thing to know about this wine is don't fear the screw-cap as Blenheim is one of two Virginia wineries to use that enclosure device on all wines - red and whites. The second is this grapes are 100% Merlot harvested from the Seven Oaks Vineyard near Crozet. After fermentation, 50% of the wine is aged in stainless steel, the other half for 9 months in new French barrels. This is another nicely done wine; complex, but fruit forward and a smooth tail. Maybe Merlot is a Virginia grape.

The final wine for the evening was the Mountfair Vineyards 2008 Wooloomooloo. We had just visited Mountfair and were well aware of this wine. It is primarily Petit Verdot (60%), with Merlot (30%) and Cabernet Franc (10%) added to make this an interesting Bordeaux style wine. The wine is then aged 2 years before bottled and released. And "Wooloomooloo" - that's evidently a spirit that roams the Blue Ridge Mountains. Like any wine composed of Petit Verdot; this wine has some tannins - but the other grapes must contribute enough structure and fruit to tone these down. Regular readers know how much we prefer blends so its no surprise that this is one of my favorite wines tasted this year from Virginia.

Thanks Dezel, the participating wineries, and Taste Live for an entertaining evening.

Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail)

I've checked in at Dezel's place getting ready for the Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail) Taste Live tasting. The handles: these handles on twitter: #WW #ttl #vawine @keswickvineyard @benatmountfair @MfVvinotweets @th_jefferson @KlugeEstate @BlenheimWines @AftonMountain @vawine. The wines:

a) Kluge Estate 2007 SP Rosé

b) Afton Mountains 2009 Gewürztraminer

c) Keswick Vineyards 2009 Viognier

d) Jefferson Vineyards 2009 Reserve Chardonnay

e) Blenheim Vineyards 2009 Merlot

f) Mountfair Vineyards 2008 Wooloomooloo

Taste Live: Discover Beaujolais

This past Wednesday we were invited to participate in a twitter Taste Live event "Discover Beaujolais". The event is sponsored by Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region, working to promote Beaujolais wines and raise awareness of the region. Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) and the wine is mostly Gamay grape, a low tannic, thin skinned grape. According to Wikipedia the region of was first cultivated by the Romans who planted the areas along its trading route up the Saône valley. "The most notable Roman vineyard was Brulliacus located on the hillside of Mont Brouilly. The Romans also planted vineyards in the area Morgon. From the 7th century through the Middle Ages, most of the viticulture and winemaking was done by the Benedictine monks. In the 10th century, the region got its name from the town of Beaujeu, Rhône and was ruled by the Lords of Beaujeu till the 15th century when it was ceded to the Duchy of Burgundy. The wines from Beaujolais were mostly confined to the markets along the Saône and Rhône rivers, particularly in the town of Lyon. The expansion of the French railroad system in the 19th century opened up the lucrative Paris market. The first mention of Beaujolais wines in English followed soon after when Cyrus Redding described the wines of Moulin-à-Vent and Saint-Amour as being low priced and best consumed young".

During the Taste Live event, we tasted four wines selected to represent the region and which were widely available in this country. Specifically they were the Domaine Cheysson, Chiroubles; Henry Fessy, Brouilly; Charly Thevenet “Grain et Granit”, Règniè; and the Alain Coudert, Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie, 2009.

Domaine Cheysson, Chiroubles, 2009
This wine, like all the others, is 100% Gamay and is made from grapes planted in the highest cru in the appellation. Chiroubles is home to approximately 80 winemakers and because of its attitude, cooler temperatures allow for a later harvest. I'm not sure if elevation had an effect, but the wine had a repugnant black tea aroma - that was tough to get past. Once I did, I found a tart, raspberry flavored wine; not bad - but not a good start to the evening.


Henry Fessy, Brouilly, 2009
Brouilly is the southern most region of the appellation and is comprised of six villages and four terroirs. Wine from Brouilly is the most popular in the United States, one reason is that the cru represents 20% of the Beaujolais region. The Henry Fessy had a slightly similar Back Tea aroma, but more red fruit which didn't allow the tea to overwhelm the nose. The flavor is silky smooth; some texture, with black fruit and some chocolate. Plus a longer smoother finish. This texture is mostly due to the manganese soils, which yield more robust wines. Since the first two wines retail for a similar price ($15-$18), it was a no brainer for me which I would select.

Charly Thevenet “Grain et Granit”, Règniè, 2009
This wine was the most expensive, $35, of the group; partly from its pedigree - crafted by Charly Thevenot, the son of Jean-Paul Thevenot. The wine is also crafted using Biodynamic methods and aged 12 months in 4 year old Burgundy barrels. Could be why locals consider this a "pinotfied" wine - even though Gamay is a relative to Pinot Noir. "Pinotfied" or not, this is a fine wine; red fruit flavors, and very smooth - not a great value - but a good wine.

Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie, 2009
This region is named after a Roman legionary, not any flower; although the wines are more elegant than anything resembling a Roman soldier. The cru "backs up on to the a chain of peaks including Avenas, Durbize and Les Labourons". The Clos de la Roilette retails for $20 and after the tasting, this is a decent value. The wine is smokey, from the nose to the tail - but only subtly so. Fruit flavors eventually dominant but this is still the most earthy of the wines - dry and "minerally". Drinking the remainder right now, in fact, it remains nice even after three days opened on the shelf.

We felt very privileged participating in this event. We seemed to have ignored Beaujolais wines for awhile, but no longer. We've always liked Gamay, and the search will start to explore Beaujolais Gamay as well as more U.S. made Gamay. of the four, I think the Brouilly may have been my favorite with the Fleurie and Règniè close behind. Make sure to visit Inter Beaujolais to Discover Beaujolais.

Taste Live: Discover Beaujolais & Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail)

In the next few days we are participating in two tasting events at Taste Live. Tonight is Discover Beaujolais: The Feminine Side of Beaujolais - A Focus on Lighter Style Crus. We will be tasting four wines in you can follow alone on twitter using the handles: #beaujolais, #ttl. The wines are Domaine Cheysson, Chiroubles; Henry Fessy, Brouilly; Charly Thevenet “Grain et Granit”, Règniè; and the Alain Coudert, Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie, 2009. The event is sponsored by Inter Beaujolais, the official wine-trade organization of the region, working to promote Beaujolais wines and raise awareness of the region.

On Monday October 25, we are participating in the Discover Virginia Wine (The Monticello Wine Trail) tasting. Information about this tasting is available here; but check these handles on twitter: #WW #ttl #vawine @keswickvineyard @benatmountfair @MfVvinotweets @th_jefferson @KlugeEstate @BlenheimWines @AftonMountain @vawine.

Loudoun Farm Tour: 8 Chains North & Corcoran Vineyards

On the second day of the Loudoun Farm Tour, we were able to escape to the country in attempt to visit Corcoran Vineyards. We had heard rumors that Jim and Lori had released two new wines during Virginia Wine Month. However, while traveling on Route 9 we were sidetracked after seeing the Open sign for 8 Chains North Winery. We have intended to visit this new winery for sometime now, first knowing that well known and respected grower Ben Renshaw was the proprietor and second, after reading many positive reviews. Renshaw manages two of Loudoun County's most respected vineyards, Nevaeh and Tranquility and viewers of Episode 1 of MyJoogTV with filmed at Tarara Winery may recall that the NoVA series wines we tasted were made primarily from grapes harvested from these vineyards. And please visit their website to learn the history of 8 Chains North.

Upon entering the tasting room I immediately became exciting when finding a very rare species on the tasting sheet. A Virginia grown Blau Frankisch - from what I know, they only one if its kind. This is a very popular grape in central and eastern Europe and we actually covered it in our Wine 101 series so long ago. We discovered it in Hungary, near Sopron, where its called Kékfrankos and makes full bodied, tannic, spicy wines. In the United States, its planting is limited to the Northwest, the Finger Lake, and pockets here and there. But now in Virginia, hurray, and not just at any vineyard, the famed Tranquility vineyard. The Otium Cellars Blau Frankisch was recently bottled and will mellow with age; currently its not as tannic as most and quite smooth already. But there's plenty of fruit, as expected - from the nose to the tail. I still can't get over the thought of having a Blaufränkisch so close to home.

We took our Blaufränkisch and headed to our final destination, Corcoran Vineyards. For Virginia Wine Month, Lori Corcoran had aged her traditional Cabernet Franc in Red Oak. Once again, the first of its kind in Virginia; and not just any Red Oak - Virginia Red Oak. The wine is very fruit forward; of course, since that is Lori's style. The finish is interesting, hard to get a handle on how it differs from the traditional CF. A smarter person would have conducted a comparison tasting - maybe next time. The other wine was the Hunter's Run Rosé. Their summer Rosé is made from Chambourcin; while this version is composed of Cabernet Franc. They must have a lot of this juice. It is a dry rosé, nice acidity, with strong, strong Strawberry flavors. This was my choice for the day and until their Viognier returns, perhaps my choice on our next visit. Now its time to tudor Jim on Blaufränkisch .

The Patuxent Wine Trail Goes Local!

On the weekend of October 23 & 24, each winery along the Patuxent Wine Trail will feature local products from Southern Maryland vendors. Visit the wineries from 12 pm until 4 pm to try and buy these local products.

Join the wineries as they present:

Cove Point Winery
David Wardrup—The Happy Turner, fashioning antique pepper mills, cheese platters, nutcrackers and wine bottle stoppers, Owings, Calvert County

Fridays Creek Winery
Heavenly Chicken Catering, menu to include local produce items.
Local entertainer Joe Norris
Tons of pumpkins, sweet potatoes, turnips
Local artists
Local beef

Perigeaux Winery
Ch'Naca Fiberworks, Prince Frederick, Calvert County
Bag-O-Beads, Prince Frederick, Calvert County
Wild Willow Soaps, Huntingtown, Calvert County

Port of Leonardtown
Saturday: Cafe des Artistes, Leonardtown, St. Mary's County
Sunday: Thompson's Corner Café

Running Hare Vineyard
Saturday: Heavenly Chicken & Ribs / Rustic River Restaurant
Pax River Alpacas - Live Alpacas and yarn
Live acoustical guitar by Darrell Noyes
Sunday: Heavenly chicken & Ribs / Rustic River Restaurant
Live acoustical guitar by Gerry Swarbrick

Slack Winery
Ruddy Duck Brewery, Solomons, Calvert County
Blue Wind Gourmet, California, St. Mary's County
and Just in Time Antiques.

Solomons Island Winery
Art from Joan Humphreys (www.joanhumphreys.com)

A Weekend in Nelson County (Day 2)

We followed Day 1 in Nelson County by started Day 2 by hitting three wineries located on the north end of Route 101. We had a scheduled appointment to film an episode of MyJoogTV at Devil's Backbone Brewing Company at 1:00 PM, and fortunately we were able to start the day off early since Afton Mountain Vineyards accommodated our schedule by opening at 10:00 AM. And we were not the only visitors that early. This winery is the second oldest in the county and is currently owned and operated by Elizabeth and Tony Smith. Upon acquiring the enterprise, the Smith family relocated the tasting facility to the former's owner's residence - providing an expansive view of the valley below. Almost all the grapes are estate grown and with the estate's long history, they have been able to test and cultivate several non-traditional Virginia grapes: Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Gewurztraminer and Muscat. During a tasting there are two alternative routes, a regular or reserve tasting. We chose the Reserve tasting we allowed us to enjoy a sparkler to start the day - the 2006 Tete' de Cuvee - a traditional blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay disgorged after aging two years on its lees. This was followed by their Estate Chardonnay and a single varietal Pinot Noir that is only produced in years when yields can accommodate both the sparkling and still wines. Single varietals Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon followed - although the cab includes some Merlot. The finale was the Super-Tuscan 2008 Festa di Bacco comprised of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot. This wine is the bomb and shows why we seem to prefer blends over single varietals. There are plenty of tannins from the Cab and PV; but the majority Sangiovese provides enough smooth red cherry flavor to make this one drinkable now. If its not included in our October 25th tasting of Monticello Wines - I'm bringing a bottle with me.

After a short drive directly across Route 151 we arrived at Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery, home to the wines of Tim Gorman. Before starting the winery in 2002, Gorman was an acknowledged grower in the region - sourcing grapes to several area wineries. This experience provided Cardinal Point with a clear advantage when opening - an established estate vineyard. Combined with several interesting blends, this may become one of our favorite destinations. We started off with the Cabernet Franc based Rosé, followed by several other easy drinking whites: The 2008 A6, 2008 Barrel Select Chardonnay, 2009 Viognier, and 2009 Quattro. The common ingredient to most of these wines was Viognier - which showcases this grapes versatility from the dry single varietal to the semi-dry Quattro. These are the type of wines you want to keep stocked in the cellar to bring out on any occasion. The reds were just as good. The Rockfish Red is an easy drinking light-bodied Cabernet Franc. The Cab F. + Vio. (yes that's the actual name of the wine) is an interesting concoction since the Cabernet Franc and Viognier are co-fermented; not blended. This means that the grapes were dumped together and fermented instead of the traditional approach of fermenting and aging the varietal separately and then tasting different percentage of each to craft a blend. The result is an incredibly smooth and drinkable wine. The vineyard designate Clay Hill Cabernet Franc followed which comes from the vineyard located near Ivy in which Gorman helped plant the vines. This is a full bodied wine and was my favorite until trying the CS+PV+CF - yes another screwy name. This is a master Bordeaux blend, on the one hand fruity, but also earthy and peppery - plus plenty if tannins for aging. That's what ours is doing. And their Oyster Roast scheduled for November 13th & 14th looks very enticing.

By this time we were running very close to our scheduled appointment at DBCC, but chose to stop off at the tasting facility for Flying Fox Vineyard since it as right off the road. The estate is located closer to Afton Mountain Vineyards with some wine made from grapes grown at a family vineyard (Ridge Run Vineyard) in Stuarts Draft - near Stanton. Two wines made from this vineyard's grapes were very good, the single varietal Viognier and Cabernet Franc. This is another example how these two grape varieties excel in most corners of the state. Our favorite however, was easily the Trio, their Bordeaux blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. Balanced, texture, tannins for aging - this wine is the complete package. Maybe we will forget about aging and taste along with the super blends accumulated from the previous visits. Now that would be a tasting event.

We had to rush out in order to meet Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters, his wife Sarah Siskind, and DBBC's brewer Jason Oliver for an episode of MyJoogTV. This also allowed us to sample the beers from the Devil's Backbone Brewing Company - many that were awarded medals at the 2009 & 2010 Great American Beer Festival as well as the 2010 World Beer Competition. For our tasting we started with the Gold Leaf Lager, which could be Oliver's most prized brew. Why, because in a lighter style lager and there is nothing to hide mistakes - it is what it is. he must be doing something right since it repeated this year as a Gold Medal winner at the GABF. Next was the beer of the weekend, The Stringduster, made specifically for The Festy. Most musicians aspire for fame and Grammys, but not many can claim a beer brewed in their honor. This beer is a harvest styled ale combining barley and wheat malt with flaked oats. The beauty with this beer is that it really does pair well with music. Sometimes festival beers are too hoppy or too malty for the heat of the day - this one has the perfect balance. We finished with the gold winning Baltic Coffee which combines the Danzig Baltic Porter and locally roasted coffee beans. However, the beer exudes just a hint of the coffee which meshed well with the chocolate overtones of the porter. I had to return later in the day for another one of these - and next time I'm bringing a growler. DBBC provides several other styles - so there is something for everyone and although we didn't indulge - the locals inform us the food is really good. We will be back.

This weekend showed why Nelson County is becoming our favorite Virginia destination. Next time we will venture further south into Lovingston to visit Democracy Vineyards, Lovingston Winery, and return to Virginia's oldest continually operated winery, Mountain Cove Vineyards. Plus there's the new Virginia Distillery Company that will be producing Scottish styled single malts sometime in 2011. There is something in the water down there.

And thanks again to the Acorn Inn for the hospitality and for promptly mailing my cell phone charger. As usual, more pictures are available at the WineCompass Gallery.

A Weekend in Nelson County (Day 1)

The weekend of October 9th-10th was a very entertaining weekend. We had planned to attend the inaugural music festival, The Festy, held at the fairgrounds at Devil's Backbone Brewing Company. At this event we filmed most of the performers, particularly Travis Book of The Infamous Stringdusters, his wife Sarah Siskind, and DBBC's brewer Jason Oliver for an episode of MyJoogTV. But just as importantly, we used the visit as an excuse to soak in the wineries located in Nelson County Virginia. Of the dozen located in the county, we had visited Veritas Vineyards and Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery, previously, so concentrated on the remaining field. And what we learned is that this little stretch of land adjacent to Route 151 is a mini-Napa Valley - a true micro-climate providing excellent Virginia wine.

I started off with the closest winery to the festival fairgrounds, Wintergreen Winery. This is the oldest winery in the county, owned and operated by Jeff and Tamara Stone since 1999. We had enjoyed their Cabernet Franc and festival whites (The Thomas Nelson White and Three Ridges White) at previous festivals. The Cab Franc was just as nice as before, a lighter bodied wine with plenty of cherry, but it was their Merlot which was really nice. Maybe has a point. For whites, the Viognier was what you would expect from a Virginia winery now a days but I really enjoyed their use of Petit Mengseng, both as a 100% varietal in the new Thomas Nelson White and as a replacement to Vidal in the Three Ridges White. Much more aroma and flavor than Vidal. This is another white wine grape that appears to work in the state.

While driving to check-in to our room at the Acorn Inn (highly recommended), I noticed a homebrew shop that advertised growlers for sale. Making a quick detour I learned that Mary Wolf and her son Danny Wolf were planning on opening the third brewery in the county, Wild Wolf Brewing Company. For the moment they provide local brewer's with quality homebrew supplies and will soon be selling growlers of their own production beer out of the store. The eventual plan is to build a full production facility nearby, complete with a brewpub. And to show how its done, every Saturday afternoon Danny gives a demonstration outside the store, complete with crushing the grain, boiling the mash, and kegging. Like I say, this area is a nice place to spend the weekend. We will be back for a brewery tour to include Wild Wolf, DBCC, and Blue Mountain Brewery.

After checking into the hotel, I took a shortcut to the one winery not located off Route 151, DelFosse Vineyards & Winery. The winery was having their own party - live music and food - which also proves that there are plenty of opportunities for fun - even with a large music festival nearby. I didn't stay long since I had plans for interviews at The Festy, so I sampled a few wines, starting with their Viognier Reserve. This is a classic, full flavored (apricots) with low acidity and a mid palette to boost. Nicely done. They also pour a 100% Petit Manseng - note to self; need to start studying wines from Jurancon. This wine is more acidic than the Viognier and has a peach flavor - a nice afternoon wine. For reds, there is no need to talk about any other but the 2007 Grand Cru Olivier. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga, and Petit Verdot is full bodied, low tannins, raspberry flavors and very drinkable. Yes, their Meritage is the big guy; but I enjoyed this one more.

After this visit, it was back to the music. Check back for Day 2 and few pictures at the WineCompass Gallery.

American Wine Consumer Coalition

Tom Wark, from Fermentation and lead voice on the effort to defeat HR 5034 sent us a link to a new source for wine consumers: American Wine Consumer Coalition. Their motto: The AWCC is a Coalition of Americans Giving Voice To the Unique Interests of Wine Consumers. JOIN THE MOVEMENT to raise the voice of wine lovers so politicians and policy makers hear you!

If you are worried about government regulators, the new Temperance Movement, and Wholesalers restricting your access to hand crafted wine, beer, and spirits - join this organization.

My Wine Story « WineSur

Like Argentinian wines? We do; who doesn't enjoy an Argentinian Malbec or Torrontes. Perhaps a Chardonnay ,Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo. Yes, plenty of old world wines made in the new world. If you answered Yes, then check out this contest over at WineSur.

WineSur created this contest with the aim of spreading Argentinian wines through the web around the world. The idea is that Argentinian wineries present the story of their wines, telling something new, amusing and original in less than 100 words. For instance, how the wine arose, the origin of its name, its meaning, etc. These stories will be published in our website www.winesur.com and in our social networks (Facebook and Twitter). Moreover, the stories will be also spread by wine blogs, specialized journalists and media from all over the world. Readers themselves will vote the story they like most.

Just send the story of your wine together with the picture of the bottle or label to valonso@areadelvino.com.

For further information, please check here.

October: Virginia Wine Month

October is Virginia Wine Month and the winery's are hosting numerous events throughout the month. We kicked off the month at Boxwood Winery's Reston satellite tasting bar for their 2008
Topiary Release Party. Rachel Martin, Executive Vice President, was on hand to pour the new release and explain how it differs from the previous vintage. In brief, 2007 was hot and dry - thus allowing the vines to produce full flavor grapes; while 2008 was cooler and wetter, resulting in a more European style, earthy wine. The Topiary is made in the right bank Bordeaux style - thus a Cabernet Franc based wine and the 2008 vintage provides a greenish, peppery, food friendly wine. What's nice about the Boxwood tasting bar's is the enomatic system - where you can sample vertical tastings of the Topiary as well as Bordeaux wines crafted by wineries where Stephane Derenoncourt consults.

Next weekend we are heading down to Nelson County for The Festy music festival - held at award winning brewery Devil's Backbone Brewing Company. In between we plan on visiting a few of the area's excellent wineries and the other brewery in the county: Blue Mountain Brewery. Let us know which wineries you suggest we visit.

• Afton Mountain Vineyards
• Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery
• DelFosse Vineyards & Winery
• Democracy Vineyards
• Flying Fox Vineyard
• Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery
• Lovingston Winery
• Mountain Cove Vineyards
• Veritas Vineyards
• Wintergreen Winery

State Attorney General Submits Testimony on HR5034 Drafted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff testified before the House Judiciary Committee this week in support of HR5034 and it now surfaces that his testimony was drafted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association. How do we know? Check out this article by the Salt Lake Tribune. The electronic MS Word document he submitted unfortunately for him contained "ppisano” as the author. Who's "ppisano”. None other than Paul Pisano, general counsel for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. While Shurtleff is ranting that we need to minimize lawsuits or perhaps to "protect the children" by passing this law, he is just covering up his affiliation with the NBWA. And that begs the question, "why is a state Attorney General so close to a wholesaler organization"? Does Congress need anymore evidence that this legislation is just a power grab by wholesalers? Not when the wholesalers are dropping $10k into their campaign funds - regardless of party affiliation.

Paradise Springs Winery Wins 2010 Governor's Cup for White Wine

For those who pay attention to the Virginia Wine scene, this is already old news, but for those of you who don't, last night Paradise Springs Winery was awarded the 2010 Governor's Cup for their 2009 Chardonnay Reserve! That is the white wine version. (The red wine version was awarded to King Family Vineyards for their 2007 Meritage last winter.) This is a notable achievement for Paradise Springs, not only because they are such a young winery, and because it the first time since 1991 that a Chardonnay has won the award, but more importantly its redemption for the painful process they endured when opening the winery. We will let them re-tell that story or read about our previous visit here. Congratulations to Ms. Knicheloe, Kirk, and the rest of the crew.

Hearing for HR5034 Today

The House Judiciary Committee responsible for voting on the anti-consumer, anti-winery HR5034 occurs today. You can watch live here (RealPlayer), or check out the Twitter feeds for #5034.