Virginia Wine Time

Take a large outdoor farmers’ market featuring fresh Virginia produce. Add in flavorful Virginia wines, specialty foods and a barbecue cook-off. Sprinkle in an entertaining and educational kids’ zone. And mix in a dash of live music.

That’s the recipe for the Save Our Food Summer Festival, a fun-filled family event that will run from noon to 6 p.m. on July 25 at the Farm Bureau Center exhibition hall at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. The indoor/outdoor event is free for Virginia Farm Bureau members and $10 per carload for nonmembers.

“The Save Our Food Summer Festival is our way of celebrating fresh, local food and other products that go hand in hand with summer in Virginia,” said Wayne F. Pryor, president of Virginia Farm Bureau. “We believe this event offers something for the entire family.”

The festival will feature indoor and outdoor components. Outside, guests can enjoy the farmers’ market and live music. They can cool down with Virginia wine, specialty foods and children’s activities inside the Farm Bureau Center.

·Large Outdoor Farmers’ Market – shop and visit with Virginia farmers (produce and farm fresh meat producers) who bring their offerings from the farm to your table.
·Indoor Virginia Wine and Specialty Food Showcase – taste some of Virginia’s finest wines and sample Virginia barbecue sauces, salsas, vinegars, cheeses, desserts and much more.
Virginia Barbecue Cook-Off – watch five local barbecue masters work the grills to become the Save our Foods rib champion.
Family Cool Zone and “Down on the Farm” Kids’ Area – youngsters can learn more about agriculture and healthy eating in an area produced by the Children’s Museum of Richmond.
·Live Music – Jackass Flats, Susan Greenbaum and the Venture Rays will entertain throughout the day.

The Save Our Food Festival is presented by Virginia Farm Bureau and sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, Flavor magazine, the Goochland Center for Rural Culture, Richmond magazine, WWBT-12, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.

The three-part event will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30th with a wine tasting and public fair intended to inspire action on lowering the carbon footprint in the community. Enjoy free organic snacks from MOM’s Market and unlimited sustainably brewed free beer from Sierra Nevada Brewery as you connect with other community members and get the scoop on options for greening locally. The three featured eco-friendly wineries are Barrel Oak Winery, Black Ankle Vineyards and Tarara Winery.

The film, a quirky hybrid of “I Love Lucy” and An Inconvenient Truth, follows the adventures of Abby Brouchard (Caroline Winterson), a stubborn mother of two who sets off to prove that combating global warming starts with local community involvement. Several of the key filmmakers will be present at the screening, including the director, Tom Reilly, musician, Rob Lynch, who wrote five original songs for the movie, and Director of Photography Jon Van Gorder.

I felt very privileged to be invited to a wine tasting that featured wines from the Lombardy region of Italy. This was a media event, and we were thrilled to receive an invite from Tiffany van Gorder, general manager of Balzac Communications and Marketing.

The event was held at the Palomar Hotel in Washington, D.C., and a luncheon was included in this exclusive tasting event. The wines were outstanding, and the Italian tasting associates were friendly and knowledgeable. (They were also quite conversant in the English language.) I will present to you my personal favorites from the event, but I will say that all of the wines that I sampled were quite good; alas, only a few will receive the coveted gold stars.

Before I list my favs, I must provide a brief description of the region. Lombardy is located in the northern part of Italy, and vineyards there belong to tightly regulated consortiums. Grape varieties grown in this region can date as far back as the Roman Empire! However, I will spare readers the history lecture on this matter and declare that some of the varieties grown in Lombardy are unique to the region and have ancient roots. What I did discover is that most wineries in Lombardy are similar to local wineries/vineyards in that they are small producers and therefore overlooked in the grander scheme. For example, most wine drinkers may associate Italian wines with southern Italy or (regrettably) with the more generic offerings. found in straw-covered bottles—the pizzeria wines. However, the wines that I sampled were as terrior-focused as any French wine on the market. Tasting associates described soils that were optimal for the grape varieties grown in particular vineyards, and they emphasized the premium placed on limited yields that then maximized wine profiles. In short, the wines offered were those that were produced from well-managed vineyards. The result? Well-crafted wines, of course.

I should also describe how these wines were tasted. Guests were able to pre-sample wines that were going to be poured at the luncheon; once this tasting event was completed, tasters and tasting associates were seated for lunch. Given the number of wineries that participated, the dining tables were organized so that a cluster of Lombardy wineries could be represented at each table. I was seated at a table which featured such wineries as Sorsasso Winery and San Michele ai Pianoni . Tasting representatives were seated at these tables, and we, the tasters, were all able to interact with the reps as food and wine were served. After the luncheon, another tasting was available which featured wines not poured at the luncheon event. (Did I mention that coffee was offered, too?)

Ok—what were my favorites?

Cantina Cooperativa Villa Bianzone Valtellina Superiore DOCG Incontri 2003: 95% Nebbiolo, 5% local varieties—characteristic red-brick color with dark fruit, tobacco, and spice. Age worthy!

Sorsasso Terre Lariane Bianco Vigne del Largo 2008: blend of Verdesa and Sauvignon Blanc. Pear and stone fruit characteristics with minerality to boot. Best pairing with the smoked salmon that was served at the luncheon. Crisp and refreshing. Summer wine to sip on its own or with food. Did I mention smoked salmon?

Calvi Oltrepo Pavese DOC Barbera Tre 2006: 100% Barbera. Bramble berries and a peppery nose; violet notes, too. Favorite pasta dish with this one.

San Michele ai Pianoni Oltrepo Pavese DOC Pinot Nero Riserva Pynos 2004: 100% Pinot Noir. Yes, Pinot Noir from Italy but produced from vineyards located 350-380 meters above sea level. At the tasting,I thought this one needed decanting. By lunch time, it was ready to be served with both the salmon and the steak. (Filet mignon followed the fish course.) Dark currants and anise were noted here with a longer finish.

Lantierie Franciacorta DOCG Rose Arcadia 2006: 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. Nice pink color. “Bready” with vibrant fruit notes.

Civielle Garda Classico DOC Chiaretto Pergola: 2008 Rose—My ultimate favorite. (It was 98 degrees outside!) Made from Groppello, Marzemino, Sangiovese, and Barbera. Lovely pink color with strawberry and melon characteristics. Yum!!! Again, the smoked salmon? Yes!

Torti Oltrepo Pavese DOC Ponot Nero Poker di Vino Re di Denari 2006: 100% Pinot Noir—Young, fresh and fruity. Drink now or later. Lovely!

So what up with the DOCG/DOC? DOCG means Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, and DOC means Denomination of Controlled Origin.

In search of unique wines from Lombardy? Inquire about these wines at your local wine shop to find out how they can be purchased. Mention that you read about them on Virginia Wine Time.

This past Sunday, we attended the Manassas Wine & Jazz Festival. At least 21 wineries were on hand to offer samples of their wares, and our quest was to find the best summer wines. These would be wines that complement a hot, balmy summer day and do not require food. They simply need to be well-chilled—a wine glass and shade tree, of course, are demanded! I’ll list our favorite summer wines that we sampled at the festival:

Delfosse Vineyard and Winery: 2008 Reserve d’Oriane (always a favorite of mine)

First Colony: 2008 Chardonnay; sweeter wine lovers like our friend Michael Tyler might prefer the Sweet Shanando

Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard: 2009 Albemarle Rose

The Winery at La Grange: 2008 Cuvee Blanc

Paradise Springs—Vidal Blanc

Philip Carter Winery: Governor Fauquier 2008 (although the newly released 2009 Chardonnay was our favorite of the festival)

White Fences: Meteor Firefly (off-dry rose)

Willowcroft Farm Vineyards: split decision here—I voted for the Riesling Muscat-Ottonel; Paul favored the 2009 Chardonnay Stainless Steel

We tend to avoid festivals, but I must admit that the Manassas Wine & Jazz Festival was a class act. We sampled artisan cheeses, appreciated local crafts, and tuned in to some fine jazz. In fact, we grabbed some crab cake sandwiches along a glass of wine and found a shady spot near the stage. It wasn’t long before Paul was bopping to the jazz beat of Marcus Johnson who performed a jazz arrangement of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. Quite an unusual take on the grunge classic, but we (and the crowd) enjoyed it. So what about the glass of wine? Did we pick from our favorite summer sippers list? Not quite—we both went for the Philip Carter 2009 Chardonnay.

Looking for that refreshing deck sipper or that favorite Wolftrap wine? Visit the wineries listed here to find the perfect pour for you. Be sure to mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

We’ll be going, will you?