The Passport to Virginia wineries lists all the wine events that take place throughout the year. These events appeal to the wine aficiando of all levels from novice to expert; in fact, these events are fun for those who do not ordinarily drink wine but tag along with friends to enjoy food, music, and well-carted wine. One such event was Chrysalis’ 5th Annual Wine and Swine; we wanted to take advantage of the cool, late spring weather and decided to check in with the Virginia Passport to find a fun, outdoor event that provided food, music, and wine. The Chrysalis event fit the bill; it was held this past Saturday, we decided to attend. We had a blast!
For $50 ($35 for VIP members) we enjoyed southern BBQ provided by Red Hot and Blue, and the menu included beef brisket, baby back ribs, pulled pork, and grilled chicken. In addition, we received a souvenir glass to use for the Estate wine tasting. Now we should clarify the term, Estate—these were wines produced with the grapes grown and harvested on the Chrysalis properties. These wines included the award-winning Viognier, the newly released Verdejo, and the Chardonnay. Special attention must be paid to the Norton; Chrysalis considers the Norton to be the premier red wine of Virginia, and Chrysalis’ stated objective is to bring the Norton grape to a position of prominence enjoyed by te Norton arietal in the 19th century. In fact, in 1873, Norton wines produced in the United States received international acclaim in Vienna; however, with the prohibition movement in full swing not long afterward, Norton’s potential was never developed. Chrysalis has successfully returned Norton to it place of prominence, and we gladly tasted the results of this effort.
After the Estate tasting,we enjoyed the BBQ and listened to Billy Clement and The Pickups. Billy Clements and his Pickups returned us to the 1950s, and we heard classic tunes by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Buddy Holly. Paul stopped himself from wildy dancing the watusi while Billy serenaded us with these rock classics. With our BBQ lunch, we both decided to pair the BBQ with the 2002 Estate Norton. The raspberry flavors and rustic characteristics of the Norton paired quite nicely with the BBQ; the slight sweetness accompanied the smoky flavors that dominate BBQ, Warren is not a huge fan of Norton, but he had to admit that the Norton was the perfect partner for the barbequed brisket, sausage, and ribs. Paul really enjoyed the Norton enough to have two glasses and even bought a bottle of the 2002 Norton to bring home. Warren opted to have a glass of Chardonnay after lunch, and we both enjoyed the rock-a-billy sounds of Billy Clement and the Pickups.
Ultimately, we decided to taste the Reseve wines. This tasting included all the wines we sampled in the Estate tasting as well as the Reserve wines; some Reserve wines were produced from grapes grown on other properties. The Lockseley-grown wines were featured, and we sampled the Lockseley Norton along with the Petit Verdot and the lovely Albarino, a white wine that will receive special attention in our feature article. Please indulge and taste these wines; Petit Verdot is fast becoming another Virginia specialty. Petit Verdot is used in France to blend their world-famous Bordeauxs, but Petit Verdot on its own can produce an excellent, medium-bodied wine that will conjure dreams of roasted leg of lamb or even veal chops.
Chrysalis’ Wine and Swine was well attended, and we encourage our readers to take advantage of winery events whenever possible. At these events, a full tasting of wines will be offered, and foods served will give even the food and wine pairing novice an idea of how to pair food and wines. If that’s not enough to entice, then at least attend with family/friends to enjoy a lovely late spring afternoon with nice wine and food. You won’t regret the experience.