October has been Virginia Wine Month. It comes to an end today. We’ve enjoyed many Virginia wines this month. As a way to bring the month to a close, we had a Halloween party over the weekend. We poured only Virginia wines. You can see the wines we poured below. Among the guests at the party were Kim, Kirsten, and Erica from Cellarblog as well as Kurt and Carol from Wine About Virginia. Most guests wore costumes and Kirsten from Cellarblog won the prize for the best costume. Some of the wines mentioned as favorites of the evening include the Chrysalis Chardonnay and Viognier, the Linden Claret, the Jefferson Vin Rouge, and the Pollak Cabernet Franc. The party was a great way to showcase Virginia wines and have one more celebration of Virginia Wine Month!
Category: Events
Virginia Wine at Whole Foods
October is Virginia Wine Month and Whole Foods is celebrating with special wine tastings at all of the Virginia locations. We attended the Tysons store on Friday to check out the wines and the foods they paired with five Virginia wines. Whole Foods Fab Five Friday events showcase five wines with foods that go well with the wines. They have five stations set up around the store and move from station to station enjoying the foods and the wines. It’s a great way to get to taste wines you might not normally get to taste. Here’s what we tasted and the foods paired with each wine. Check out the poster at the end of the post to see when the Whole Foods near you will be holding their event.
The first course was a tomato bisque paired with the the Chatham Unoaked Chardonnay. I really enjoyed this chardonnay and left the store with a chilled bottle to enjoy later in the evening.
The second course was a Quinoa broccoli casserole paired with the Lovingston Rotunda Red.
The third course was classic chicken pot pie paired with the Gadino Cabernet Franc. Earthy, spicy, and blackberry were the notes we jotted down.
The fourth course was roasted fall vegetables with sage and thyme paired with the Tarara Viognier. It was light and fruity with a nice crisp edge.
The fifth and final course was a strawberries and cream cake paired with the Sans Soucy Ginger Dessert wine.
Virginia Wine Month
October is Virginia Wine Month! There are lots of events happening this month to celebrate Virginia Wine Month. Whole Foods will even be having special tastings of select Virginia Wines. We’ll be busy enjoying lots of Virginia wines this month. We got started a little early. On Sunday we enjoyed the 2011 Seyval Blanc from Gray Ghost Vineyards. We enjoyed it with a picnic lunch at the Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral.
Our celebrating will continue this weekend when we head to Charlottesville to visit some of our favorite wineries. Stay tuned for more coverage of Virginia Wine Month! And if you visit any wineries, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!
Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival
Come visit Chrysalis Vineyards in the gorgeous MIDST of harvest Saturday, October 6th from 10am – 6:30pm and Sunday, October 7th from 10am – 6pm for the 12th Annual Norton Wine & Bluegrass Festival! We have returning and new bands, exciting artisan crafts and new delicious food vendors to offer you for more of a compelling experience for this year’s hottest festival! Always included are tour-driven hay rides, case specials and a special 9-wine tasting that includes ALL of our Norton wines with a commemorative take home glass.
Enjoy our finger-picking bluegrass bands of Jackass Flats, King Street Bluegrass, Circa Blue, and A Good Natured Riot throughout the weekend while enjoying a choice of food selections for sale! Our delicious offerings include Uncle Fred’s BBQ, Paella to GO!, featuring tacos and tapas, Country Pride Cheese, Jubilee’s Confections, featuring cupcakes and cake pops, custom Norton grape chocolate, and more!!
Care for a little retail therapy? Our exquisite artisan crafts and top-notch designers include DEW Wood Products (made right here at Locksley Estate), Karen Holick handcrafted wine lamps, Carried Away Gifts wine gifts, Jacqueline Handley Designs handmade handbags, NovaGem Jewelry, Sparkle Event photobooth (Sunday only), and more!
Admissions at the door are $20 per person or $15 in advance. VIP Club members celebrate for FREE!
For more information and/or to buy your advance tickets please call Tammy Cavanaugh at (540) 687 8222, ext. 206 or email Tammy at TCavanaugh@ChrysalisWine.com. Advanced admissions close on Thursday, October 4th at 5pm.