The Discover Virginia Food and Wine Festival

The Discover Virginia Food and Wine Festival is Greene County’s spring party and kick off of the Virginia Wine Festival season. The 6th annual festival will offer its unique atmosphere of family friendly festival entertainment, food vendors and wine tastings. For the first time, the Discover Virginia Wine festival will partner with Buy Fresh, Buy Local which helps consumers find local products while building relationships between growers, food artisans, farmers’ markets retailers, restaurants, and institutions. The festival will spotlight Virginia Wineries as well as many local restaurants and artisans. Whether you are there to taste wine, enjoy the bounty or fresh food, purchase unique local merchandise – the Virginia Food and Wine festival is a fun family environment – including the family dog!

Aside from raising money for Greene Co. public schools, there will also be a donation to the nursing scholarship fund of Adriane Neumeister, widow of Dan Neumeister, former winemaker at Sugar Leaf Vineyards who was tragically killed last fall by a drunk driver, and had no life insurance.

The event will feature wine and food matching seminars as well as bands and a variety of food vendors, as well as children-dedicated activities.

Blackwater Distilling Releases Eastern Shore's First Vodka Since Prohibition

Maryland’s first distillery in nearly 40 years set to contribute to explosive growth of super-premium spirits market

Stevensville, Md. – March 28, 2011 – Blackwater Distilling™, Inc. today announced the launch of its flagship spirit, Sloop Betty vodka, a wheat- and sugar cane-based craft product. Part of an elite group of just 200 craft distilleries in the entire country, Blackwater Distilling is Maryland’s first federally and state-licensed beverage alcohol distillery in more than three decades. The initial distribution area for its spirits covers Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.

Sloop Betty, the fictional pinup character that graces every bottle, is a hot addition to the local distilled spirits scene. Crafted on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Sloop Betty’s got the goods…in more ways than one.

“Betty is more than a pretty face,” said Christopher Cook, CEO of Blackwater Distilling. “In 2005, after coming across an archive of long-forgotten spirits, my brother, Jon, and I have made it our passion to hand craft spirits made from Maryland-sourced and other select ingredients.”

Though widespread distribution is set to launch April 1, Sloop Betty vodka has already been spotted on select restaurant and store shelves, such as Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen and Kooper’s Tavern. Initial supplies are limited; remember to ask for Sloop Betty by name at bars, restaurants and stores offering fine spirits. Though price will vary at individual retail outlets, Sloop Betty will be available for around $32.

“Over the past five years, we’ve perfected the recipe for a smooth and balanced wheat- and sugar cane-based vodka,” said Jon Cook, Blackwater Distilling’s COO, who developed the company’s production and quality assurance process. “We use exceptional raw sources of wheat and sugar cane to craft Sloop Betty because that combination yields the cleanest, balanced spirit of the highest quality. Our proprietary process weeds out undesirable elements, such as burn from the wheat and excess sweetness from the cane.”

Superior taste is just one factor that distinguishes Sloop Betty. Maintaining the integrity of the land from which products are crafted is a cornerstone of Blackwater Distilling’s values. Dubbed the “Everglades of the North,” the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge that is the distilling company’s namesake will receive a percentage of proceeds through the organization Friends of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

Vodka, the nation’s most popular spirit, makes up more than 24 percent of sales volume in Maryland and Washington, D.C., or approximately 1.2 million 9-liter cases. About 300,000 of those cases are super-premium, and sales of such quality spirits grew an impressive 90% from 2003 to 2009, according to data from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). Statistics from the Beverage Journal show that vodka overall grew by nearly 5 percent last year, and premium vodkas, like Sloop Betty, grew 12 percent.
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Based on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Blackwater DistillingÔ, Inc. handcrafts super-premium spirits, such as its flagship product, Sloop Betty vodka. Made of the finest ingredients, Sloop Betty is best served over ice or in a glass neat. Any way she’s poured, we encourage adults to savor Sloop Betty and enjoy our products responsibly. Learn more about the company at www.SloopBetty.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@sloopbetty).

Stacey Viera
for Blackwater Distilling
press@sloopbetty.com
(202) 905-2430

Virginia Wine TV - Talking Norton and DLW with Jennifer McCloud

To celebrate this year's DrinkLocalWine.com conference - scheduled for St. Louis, Missouri April 2nd-3rd - ourselves, Virginia Wine TV, and My Vine Spot organized a couple sessions tasting Kansas and Missouri Norton wines along with Jennifer McCloud from Chrysalis Vineyards. The first session was a filming of a Virginia Wine TV episode released today showing McCloud and Ms. Ballard discussing the history of the grape as well as its migration west and then its return to Virginia via Dennis Horton. During the episode they sampled wines from several highly regarded wineries in the Midwest. You have to watch the video to see their thoughts.

A week later Dezel and I organized a bloggers tasting of Norton wines at Chrysalis Vineyards with Jennifer McCloud leading the tasting once again. Along with several that I had accumulated while traveling to Kansas City, McCloud pulled a couple from her cellar as well as several older Chrysalis wines. The result of the tasting shows that, handled with care and aged, Norton wines are very drinkable and can exhibit the same complexity as wines made from viniferia grapes. We also found that the wines needed to be decanted before tasting as many had some reductive characteristics - but after several violent shakes of the glass - the aromas and flavors were properly released. Each of us had our favorites, and with McCloud's dedication to the grape there was no surprise that her wines were very good - whether the high end Locksley Reserve, the Estate Bottled Norton, or the fruity Sarah's Patio Red. The Westphalia Vineyards Norton was my favorite from the Midwest - this was a full bodied where the acids had been tamed and the wine mellowed to a smooth and very drinkable wine. And as expected the Stone Hill Winery Norton was quite nice. In neighboring Kansas, the grape is often referred to as Cynthiana and Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery releases a version that stands up to both time and being opened for over a week. The flavor profile from this wine most closely resembles those from Chrysalis - bigger than many of the Missouri wines but tame in its acidity.

During this tasting, Hump Astorga, Director of Culinary Operations at Chrysalis, showed how Norton is also a very food friendly wine. We set aside our favorites and paired them with two
of his creations: Bouches with Thyme-scented Goat Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon and Garlic Crostini, Locksley Estate Venison Pate and Norton-laced Cranberry Chutney. He explained how to pair wine and food and the idea to balance the acidity in the wine with the flavor and acidity in the food. Obviously us mortals don't have the culinary skills to craft these items, but the idea is the same: wine is meant to be to enjoyed with food - Norton included.

Take a peak at the DrinkLocalWine.com website and think about heading to St. Louis this weekend. You will earn why Norton is truly the "Great American" grape - the only indigenous grape variety that can be vinified into a full bodied comparable to the noble European grapes.

Thanks to Jennifer McCloud for hosting these events; Hump Astorga; and all the participants; included Michael, Dezel of My Vine Spot, Chris Parker from New Horizon Wines, Raelinn from Wine Ophelia, and Alleigh from A Glass After Work.

Wines we tasted from:

• Chrysalis Vineyards
• Adam Puchta Winery
• Stone Hill Winery
• St. James Winery
• Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery
• Stonehaus Farms Winery
• Les Bourgeois Vineyards
• Davenport Winery
• Kugler's Vineyard
• Westphalia Vineyards

Keeping up the Kluge winery

Here's the latest happenings going on at Kluge via c-ville.com.

By BRENDAN FITZGERALD
Mere weeks before the auction that will convey Patricia Kluge’s wine empire to the highest bidders, 20 former employees of the Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard continue to maintain the foreclosed property’s vines and facilities. The workers, says winery employee Tim Rausse, are touching up everything from a 34,000-square-foot carriage house to an unglamorous “modular office” before the auction. The hum of a pressure washer is audible; Rausse explains that an employee is cleaning the winery production building.

The Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard, divided into six tracts totaling roughly 900 acres, will be sold at absolute auction on April 7—an event that may attract business tycoon and potential bidder Donald Trump, reportedly a friend of the Kluge family.

When a winery doesn’t make bank, then the bank takes back the winery. However, after Farm Credit of the Virginias foreclosed on the Kluge operation, the subject of a $34.8 million lien, a December foreclosure auction failed to attract a sufficient bid. The bank bought the winery back for $19 million and plans to offer the business and property in six separate tracts, totaling more than 900 acres, at an April 7 absolute auction. The farm and winery equipment will be auctioned the following day.

Gregory Brun, former director of winery and vineyard operations at Kluge Estate, now serves as Chief Operating Officer for Grand Cru Properties, a limited liability company launched by Farm Credit to manage the property until its sale. “Right now, Farm Credit is not making wine,” says Brun. However, he says, the current staff is “doing what needs to be done at the winery.”

Read more...

Stop HR 1161 - The Odyssey Continues

HR5034; which would have drastically threatened the direct shipping of wine, beer & spirits; died in the last session of Congress. But like the Phoenix it has risen anew in the current Congressional session as HR1161. The Terroirist blog has the links you need to stay informed and to help stop the Wholesalers from restricting consumer choice and the ability of small wineries, breweries, and distillers to sell their products out of state.

Virginia Wine TV Covers the Virginia Wine Expo 2011

Here's our companion blog covering the Virginia Wine Expo.

Norton virtual tasting for DLW 2011: Missouri

With the assistance of Dezel from My Vine Spot and Jenny McCloud, proprietor of Chrysalis Vineyards, we will be hosting a virtual tasting of various Midwestern Norton wines on Wednesday March 23rd in anticipation for DLW 2011: Missouri. Even though Chrysalis possesses the world's largest planting of Norton grapes in their Virginia estates, Norton is most popular in the Midwest and Plains states with the largest plantings in Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. Norton is best served aged, so we will be opening 8-10 year old wines from Chrysalis as well as the wineries listed below. We encourage everyone to open a bottle of Midwestern wine on the 23rd, whether Norton\Cynthania or St. Vincent, Chardonel, Vignoles; or any other grape variety. Just use the #DLWMO hash tag to share your thoughts. Cheers.

Kansas
Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery
Davenport Winery
Kugler's Vineyard

Missouri
Stone Hill Winery
Stonehaus Farms Winery
Les Bourgeois Vineyards
Adam Puchta Winery
Bethlehem Valley Vineyards
Röbller Vineyard Winery
St. James Winery

Virginia Wine TV Celebrates Virginia Wine Week

Check out this video promoting Virginia Wine TV and Virginia Wine Week. On a fairly regular basis they will be releasing videos covering many facets of the industry; interviews with winemakers, the Virginia First Lady, and critics; discussions about grape varieties; as well as short entertaining segments such as this video and soon, on dog friendly wineries. Plus each video will contain a musical theme performed by a Virginia born or based musician. In this case, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge provide the score. Check back often for new video releases.

Where in the World is Slovenia?

I've always had a fascination for Slovenia, not sure why, maybe its history of being swallowed by various empires - Austria to the north, Italy to the west, and of course, the old Yugoslavia. This attraction lead us to visit Ljubljanica and Lake Bled, taste some local beer and wine, and enjoy the country. However, the wine never really registered until we sampled them again at the Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival and then a week ago at a special trade tasting held at the Slovenian Embassy. The truth is that they are crafting excellent wines in this hidden region.

Slovenian vineyards are primarily situated in two regions, the Podravje Region (Stajerska Slovenia) in the northeast and the Primorska Region (Brda-Collio and Vipava) in the southwest. The Podravje Region is the largest "appellation" and is more mountainous with plenty of southern exposure for the vineyards. The gravel and clay soils drain well and the hot summers and cool evenings provide an ideal climate for Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Traminer, Yellow Muscat, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. In fact this region is the source of German Lemberger. On the other hand, the Primorska Region borders Italy and consists of gently rolling hills and a micro-climate produced by the Adriatic Sea. Traditional Bordeaux and indigenous varieties are planted here - both made in the earthy European style.

The Slovenian white wines were extremely impressive. We first re-tasted the Pullus Sauvignon Blanc and Pullus Pinot Grigio, which attracted our attention (and others) at the D.C. festival. These wines are crafted by the oldest winery in Slovenia, Ptujska Klet and are flavorful with balanced acidity - very nice everyday wines. The winery also offers a Pullus G collection crafted for the restaurant market that are fuller from extended lees aging and partial malolatic fermentation. Besides the Sauvignon Blanc, the Pullus G Traminer was very good. Another excellent white wine from Stajerska was the Sanctum Chardonnay. This is the low alcohol Burgundy style - not the California fruit bombs. It is barrel fermented and aged on lees, but doesn't retain much oakiness since its aged in steel. Our type of Chardonnay. Yet, the most interesting white wine was the Mansas Klarnica, an indigenous grape grown on only 15 acres in the Vipava Valley. This rare treat is supposedly off-dry, but is much drier on the palette. Very interesting.

There were several good red wines, although they seemed to be over shadowed by the white selections. Pullus and Sanctum both had very drinkable Pinot Noirs - nice and gentle. The Bordeaux blend Klinec Quela bio-dynamic wine was easily the most noticeable - red fruit flavors, strong tannins, and a long tail.

We highly recommend researching and sampling Slovenian wines. They are both affordable and delicious. To find these wines in your area check out Fine Croatian Wines and Vinum USA.

Third annual DrinkLocalWine.com Conference - St. Louis

"We don't need no stinkin' vinifera: The grapes of Missouri" - now that's a seminar I'd like to witness. And you can too by attending the Third annual DrinkLocalWine.com Conference, held at the Doubletree Westport - St. Louis on April 2nd-3rd. Yes, there are a few vinifera wines crafted in the midwest, but local wine drinkers imbibe in plenty of Norton\Cynthania, St. Vincent, Chardonel, Vignoles, and several other labrusca and hybrids. Having traveled to the area for the better part of a year, the wines are very good. Tickets to the conference start at a very reasonable $35 per session, with discounts for multiple sessions. Don't miss Doug Frost moderating the Grapes of Missouri session - he will make it entertaining; and plus there's the standard twitter taste-off and winery tours. Cheers.

MyJoogTV Brings Local Drinks and Music Together in Perfect Harmony

On Tap Magazine features our companion site at MyJoogTV with this piece in the March issue. The article, written by Jessica Strelitz, mentions the episodes featuring Tarara Winery and Black Ankle Vineyards.

Fox Meadow Winery "Le Renard Rouge" Honored with 2011 Virginia Governor's Cup Award

Out of hundreds of wines entered and six finalists, the Fox Meadow Winery Meritage "Le Renard Rouge" was awarded 2011 Virginia Governor's Cup Award. First Lady Maureen McDonnell presented the cup to Cheryl and Dan Mortland, who along with their son Robert, own and operate the Linden Virginia up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The winning wine is a 50-50 blend Cabernet Franc and Merlot crafted from estate grown grapes and aged 20 months in French oak barrels.

“3” - A Monticello Wine Trail Collaboration

“Three winemakers, three vineyards, three varietals, one wine” is the unique tagline for a unique Virginia wine named “3”. A triumvirate effort from winemakers Emily Pelton, Jake Busching and Matthieu Finot was born over a friendly beer and a what-if statement. ‘”Wouldn’t it be fun if…’”.

The three winemakers decided that this would be an opportunity not only to work together and show the collaborative nature of the industry, but also to highlight the creative process of sharing and learning from one another. The winemaking industry is distinctive, in that it is a wonderful combination of artistry, science and vintage expression. Each of the three winemakers’ personal style joins forces in a product that reflects the blending of terroirs and personalities.

“3” is a Bordeaux blend of three varietals in equal one-third portions from the 2009 vintage.

The Merlot was crafted by Matthieu Finot from King Family Vineyards, the Petit Verdot by Emily Pelton from Veritas Winery, and the Cabernet Franc by Jake Busching from Pollak Vineyards.

With more than 30 years of combined winemaking experience, these 3 winemakers carefully selected two barrels from their cellars that they felt would highlight their colleagues’ wine. The resulting product is a wine with perfect proportion and balance. This wine is a limited edition crafted in friendship and bottled to show the unity of the industry. The expansion and quality of Virginia wine is mirrored in the growth of these three young winemakers’ careers.

The premiere introduction of “3” will be at Pollak Vineyards on Thursday, March 3 from 3:33 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Tastings of this limited production will only be available at this release event and at the three participating wineries all day the following Sunday, March 6. Each winery will have 45 cases for sale at $33.33 per bottle.

Team 3
Matthieu Finot was born in Crozes Hermitage in the Rhone Valley. From a family of viticulturists and wine lovers, Matthieu was predisposed to continue his family's pursuit of winemaking and enjoying. He first studied viticulture and oenology at Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy. After graduating in 1995, Matthieu worked in many different wine regions around France including Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence, and Jura. Matthieu then wanted to gain world-wide experience. He worked in Italy and South Africa before settling in Virginia. Since arriving in 2003, Matthieu has worked with wineries throughout the state. He enjoys working in the Monticello Appellation most because he likes the excitement of the region’s growth and being close to Charlottesville. When not at the winery, or with his brand new son, Matthieu likes to play rugby, snow board, rock climb, cook, and drink wine with his friends.

Emily Pelton graduated from Emory University with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, and a focus in Infectious Diseases. She happily moved to Virginia from Atlanta in 1999 to take a year off, and work alongside her parents in the development of Veritas Vineyard and Winery. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was not going back to her original field of study. After completing her Masters in Oenology at Virginia Tech, Emily joined the family venture full-time. Focusing primarily on allowing the Virginia terroir to show through in her wines, Emily is emphatic about being true to the grape. Elevated by a strong family business, Emily has grown up making wine solely for Veritas Vineyard and Winery. Outside of wine she has an extensive orchid collection and two beautiful girls.

Jake Busching began growing wine grapes in the Monticello region in 1997. Having grown up as a cattle farmer, the transition into winegrowing was a natural step. Pollak Vineyards has been his home as winemaker and general manager since 2003. Having learned viticulture and winemaking through mentors and hands on application, Jake believes that wine is an expression of the soil on which it is grown. Beyond the world of wine Jake plays bass guitar, thinks about playing golf, and has 2 sons that keep him very busy. In 2011 Jake will release a very limited amount of his own wine under the label Pythias.

Photographs, Courtesy of Jack Looney
www.kingfamilyvineyards.com
www.pollakvineyards.com
www.veritaswines.com

More Forgotten Grapes Coming to D.C. Area

What do Helen Mirren, Beyonce, Joey from “Friends”, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Major League Baseball have to do with wine? DC-area wine lovers will have two opportunities to taste for themselves as America’s Uncommon Wine Expert and Founder of ForgottenGrapes.com CHRIS KERN present two nights of “Getting Friendly with Forgotten Grapes: An Evening of Uncommon Wine Tasting” on Tuesday, March 1st at 6:30pm at Open City DC in Washington DC, and again on Thursday, March 3^rd at 6:30pm at Twisted Vines Bottleshop & Bistro in Arlington, VA.

Chris Kern, America ’s Uncommon Wine Expert is returning to the nation’s capital, and he’s bringing five all-new Forgotten Grape wines with him for you to taste. You’ll sample these uncommon and lesser-known wine varietals while Chris introduces you to each wine and its pop culture doppelganger through songs, jokes, skits, costumes, and interactive games. It’s unlike any other wine tasting you’ve ever attended. It’s irreverent, it’s off-the-wall, it’s unpredictable, it’s “Getting Friendly with Forgotten Grapes”.

Admission at both events is just $35 per person, which includes generous pours of all five Forgotten Grape wines, the two-hour show, and palate-cleansing snacks provided by the venue. Reservations are extremely limited and this event sold out the last time it was in the area, so make your reservations now.

Reservations for the March 1^st tasting at Open City DC can be made by e-mailing Heather at Open City at heather@opencitydc.com. Open City DC is located at 2331 Calvert Street NW in Washington DC . Visit www.opencitydc.com for more information.

Reservations for the March 3^rd tasting at Twisted Vines can be made by either e-mailing Twisted Vines at twisted@twisted-vines.com or by calling them directly at (571) 482-8581. Twisted Vines Bottleshop & Bistro is located at 2803 Columbia Pike in Arlington . Visit www.twisted-vines.com for more information.

2011 Governor's Cup Red Wine Medal Winners

This Friday night, February 25th, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and his wife Maureen will unveil the winner of the 2001 Governor’s Cup for red wines at the Virginia Wine Expo. We will be on hand filming the awards ceremony for Virginia Wine TV and interviewing the finalists. In total, 196 wines were submitted from 60 wineries, with six of these receiving Gold medals. These gold medal winners are the finalists for the Governor’s Cup. Let's see, three cabernet varietals, a Meritage, a Norton, and a Petit Verdot. All food groups represented. We've tasted almost all of these - except for the Fox Meadow. Sad, we were just in their neighborhood last weekend. Time to return.

Keswick Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Franc
Hiddencroft Vineyards 2008 Cabernet Franc
Afton Mountain Vineyards Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Fox Meadow Winery Le Renard Rouge 2008
Cooper Vineyards 2008 Norton
Barboursville Winery 2008 Petit Verdot

Support HB777 for reduced taxes for craft distillers!

Join Catoctin Creek Distilling Company and lobby Congress to support HB777 a bill introduced by Congressman Hinchey (NY) that would reduce the federal distilled spirits excise tax rate to $2.70 per proof gallon for distillers that produce fewer than 65,000 gallons annually. This discounted tier structure mirrors what the small beer and wine producers have enjoyed for decades and how that's helped micro brewers and small wineries to flourish throughout the country. This tax reduction will enable these small distilleries to invest in new equipment and provide new, high-quality and sustainable jobs in communities across the United States.
If you are interested in joining in this effort to provide needed tax relief to these new American enterprises or if you would like additional background information, please contact Kristin Cook at Congressman Hinchey's Office: Kristin.cook@mail.house.gov

"Tokaj and Beyond" - The Best Wines of Hungary

On the heels of tasting some fabulous eastern European wines at the Washington D.C. Int'l Wine Festival, we were invited to attend a special trade tasting of just Hungarian wines held at that country's embassy. There was an expanded selection from those presented at the festival which gave a fuller picture of the styles of wines produced primarily from Tokaji and Villány. Tokaji is located in the northeastern section of the country and is known for making sweet dessert fines from Furmint, the Tokaji Aszú . And there were plenty of the highest quality - 5 and 6 puttonyos - available. These wines are sweet, with generally strong apricot flavors. But they are balanced - with no gritty or syrupy finish. Two we really enjoyed were from Alana-Tokaj and Béres Vineyard and Winery. Both these wineries also had examples of dry Furmint as well as semi-dry Hárslevelü - which along with orange muscat are the only grapes authorized to be grown in the region. And Béres also provided a bonus - two versions of Hungarian palinka - these made in a grappa style. Excellent.

Villány is located in the southern region of Hungary is is known as "Little Bordeaux" for its ability to grow Cabernet and Merlot grapes. And wines from these grapes are made in the old world earthy style as opposed to the new world fruit bombs. We started with the wines imported by the Blue Danube Wine Company which culminated into the Attila - a blend of grapes that would give many premier or second crus a battle. Blue Danube also presented wines from native grapes - Kékfrankos and Kardaka which we profiled in our previous post. We then tasted several dry reds produced by the Château Teleki. They were pouring several single varietal Bordeaux style wines which were all representative of the old world miner-ally wines and tasty. But we were more pleased with their Pinot Noir, which shows that Burgundy also has a presence in Villány. This wine is velvety smooth and full bodied - very nice. The final set of reds were offered by Heumann Winery, which is owned and operated by Evelyne & Erhard Heumann. The couple found a suitable Villányi vineyard over 15 years ago and have been producing wines from native and Bordeaux grapes since. And, Mr. Heumann was present to showcase the wines personally. He offers several single varietals - including a Kékfrankos - but its his two blends, Terra Tartaro and Heumann which will remain in our memory. These are smooth classic Bordeaux cuvees, with light tannins and balanced acidity. And priced to sell - we start searching this week. As a bonus, we tasted the Heumann Chardonnay - a very impressive wine - full bodied with apricot flavors and a slight nutty finish. Perhaps the only version of Hungarian Chardonnay available.

Introducing Virginia Wine TV

The creators of MyJoogTV - who pair musicians with makers of fine wines, brews, spirits - have released a new series called Virginia Wine TV. This new series focuses exclusively on the wines and winemakers in the Commonwealth.

Eastern European Wines Shine at the Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival

This weekend we attended the 12th Annual Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival and spent the majority of time tasting wine produced in Eastern Europe and the Finger Lakes. Yes, other wine regions were well represented, but on the heels of our article, Blue Frankish - A Great Wine By Any Name, we decided to taste the wines we described in the article. Our day started comparing Hungarian Kékfrankos and Finger Lakes Lemberger; although they weren't exact comparisons because the Finger Lakes versions were 50/50 blends with Cabernet Franc. On the Hungarian side we tasted the Heumann Villany Kékfrankos and the Pfneisxl Sopron Kékfrankos. The latter is lighter, made organically, but with the same smoothness and cherry flavors as the Heumann. On the Finger Lakes side, Fox Run Vineyards and Anthony Road Wine Company were both pouring Lemberger\Cabernet Franc blends. These wines reflect the natural balance that occurs with blending these two grapes - the fruit forwardness and spiciness of the Lemberger and the green fullness of the Cab Franc. We actually experimented, creating our own 50/50 blend of
Heumann Kékfrankos and Heumann Cabernet Franc - and this mixture was easily more enjoyable than each as a single varietal. Just remember, whether Hungarian Kékfrankos or Finger Lakes Lemberger, all are very good, affordable, every day drinking wines.

We also tried several other Hungarian wines, from dry reds and whites to the famous Tokaji Aszu. We tasted the Eszterbauer Szekszárd Kardaka Nagyapám, a dry, medium bodied wine with some similar characteristics as the Kékfrankos - without the complexity. Kardaka is a traditional Hungarian grape that was once the dominate grape in the famous Egri Bikaver - Bull's Blood. Its nice to see a single varietal Kardaka make the journey West. There was also plenty of dry Furmint available, another traditional Hungarian wine grape that is normally vinified into Aszu. Made dry, it is a refreshing wine, balanced between fruit and mineral characters. And we had to sample the sweet Furmint displayed in two wines: Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos and the 6 Puttonyos Aszu. Both had the powerful apricot flavors - definitely strong - but not gritty or syrupy. The "Dessert Wine of Kings". Check out the Blue Danube Wine Company more more information about these wines.

After tasting the various Hungarian wines, we moved to neighboring wines produced in Croatia and Slovenia. We are more familiar with Croatian wines, particularly those made from Crljenak Kastelanski - better known as Primitivo and Zinfandel. Another familiar grape is the indigenous Babić as well as its parent Placac Mali. Both of these were available today: Babić Piližota and the Lirica Plavac Mali Peljesac Dalmatia. Both these wines are produced in the warmer climates in the Dalmatia coast. The Babić was smooth and silky, balanced between fruit and earthiness. The Plavac Mali featured more red fruits and seemed more tannic and spicy. Both were very good and extremely affordable. Check out Fine Croatian Wines for more information.

Even with a visit to Slovenia, we are not very familiar with Slovenian wines, but after tasting the wines made by Ptujska Klet, that will change. This winery is the oldest in Slovenia with its cellars dating back to 1239. We started with the Pullus Pinot Grigio Ptuj. Normally not fans of wines made from this grape, this wine was more than drinkable - fuller than most of its kin with an actual tail. Not bad. But the second we tasted was the bomb; the
Pullus Sauvignon Blanc. This wine had everything you would expect from that variety - refreshing acidity, tropical flavors - this wine just exploded in the mouth. Will definitely give some New Zealanders a run. Wow. Once again, check out Fine Croatian Wines for more information.

We did try other wines, in particular several Pinotages from the large contingent of South African wines. The best trend was that most lacked the strong tobacco - smokey characteristic that repelled us from consuming more of wine varietal. In fact, most resembled its parent, Pinot Noir, with silky bodies and creamy texture. These were nicely done and very affordable. Time to re-evaluate these wines.

Then, of course, we had to sample the Finger Lakes dry Rieslings and the Rhatiselli from Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars. Combined with the reds we tasted earlier - we must include a trip north this summer. Too much good wine being made in that region to miss.

And finally, there were a few spirits. It was nice to see our friends from St Lucia Distillers Group, producers of Castries Crème, rolling out a new line of rum under the Chairman's Reserve brand - Chairman’s Reserve and Chairman’s Reserve Spiced. The spiced rum was very interesting - with the spices and botanicals contributing like a fine gin rather than a chemical additive as with many spiced rums. And Philadelphia Distilling returned, pouring their Vieux Carré Absinthe and Bluecoat American Gin. We didn't sample today, but expect a future episode featuring these spirits from MyJoogTV.com.

In sum, another enjoyable wine festival with enough diversity to keep us interested. Until next time....

Reminder - Weekend Wine Festivals in D.C. Area

Just a reminder that this weekend brings two major wine festivals to the Washington D.C. metro area. At the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, over 100 domestic and international wineries will be pouring more than 600 wines during the Washington D.C. International Wine & Food Festival. Hours are from 2:00pm-6:00pm both days.

And out west, the Virginia Wine Showcase is being held at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly where 37 Virginia wineries will be pouring wine. Tickets are very reasonable $45 for a tasting; $20 for non-tasting; and children under 11 are free.