Virginia Wine Time » Video

2010 Galena Creek White

Paul — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:45:17 +0000

Click on the picture to see a short video.

“3″

Paul — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 01:10:00 +0000

Here’s a short video of our impressions of the new wine “3″ by Pollak Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, and Veritas Winery. Click on the picture to see the video.

Cheese and Wine

Paul — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:35:51 +0000

Here’s the last in our cheese and wine pairing videos. Click on the picture to see a short video.

Cheese and Wine

Paul — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:14:01 +0000

Here’s the second in our cheese and wine pairing videos. Click on the picture to see a short video.

Cheese and Wine

Paul — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:50:55 +0000

Here’s the second in our cheese and wine pairing videos. Click on the picture to see a short video.

Cheese and Wine

Warren and Paul — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:48:37 +0000

Click on the picture to see a short video.

The 2007 Kluge SP Rose

Paul — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 19:47:35 +0000

Click on the picture to see a short video.

The Inn at Meander Plantation

Paul — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:58:52 +0000

We just spent the last five days staying at The Inn at Meander Plantation. We have stayed here before and have loved it. It’s a wonderful place to stay. We felt this was a central location to visit many of the wineries in the Charlottesville area. We will be sharing more information about the Inn and our stay here in the next edition of the Extra Pour. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, watch this short video showing you a little of The Inn at Meander Plantation.

Click on the picture to see a short video.

Take note of this:

August 27-28 2010

Wine snobs and wine snob “wannabes” are invited to participate in a fun wine-centric weekend, Aug. 27 and 28, offered by The Inns at Montpelier, a group of nine Central Virginia bed-and-breakfasts. The convenient all-inclusive “Wine Snob Weekend” package features unique Virginia wine tastings, transportation to all events, classes and creative regional fine cuisine. “Wine Snob Weekends” are designed to be paired with two nights at the luxury Inn of your choice.

Wine Snob Weekends start on Friday evening with a reception highlighting several Virginia sparkling wines. After Saturday morning’s Inn gourmet breakfast, the day offers a full range of fun activities and lunch. Relax at your chosen Inn before enjoying wine and discussion with guest Virginia winemakers in the vineyard at the Inn at Meander Plantation and dinner in the Inn’s acclaimed restaurant.

“We are pleased to launch these educational and fun August weekends for our guests, showcasing the Inns at Montpelier and Virginia wines,” says Suzie Blanchard, Inn at Meander Plantation Owner/Chef. “You select one of the nine Inns, make a phone call and reserve accommodations for a very special B&B and add this incredible wine experience package. The Wine Snob Weekend package makes it easy to plan a fun wine-filled weekend and unwind in the beautiful countryside in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Planned weekend activities include (transportation included):

Friday Evening:
‘Who has the Best Bubbles” ~ Comparison tasting of Virginia sparkling wines with an hors d’oeuvres buffet at Mayhurst Inn.

Saturday:
“Wine 101 Grapes to Glass” ~ General wine knowledge class and discussion led by wine snob, wine instructor and lecturer Warren Dunn at Inn at Westwood Farm.

“Wine Pairings” ~ General discussion on pairings along with Virginia wine and local cheese tasting at Holladay House.

“Picnic and Porch Wine” ~ Al fresco lunch with light summery “porch” wines at Ridgeview Bed and Breakfast.

“Blind Tasting” ~ Imagine tasting Virginia’s finest wines from a paper bag! There will be wine, fun and prizes at Inn at Poplar Hill.

“How to Host a Wine Tasting Party” ~ Learn how-to in your own home with session at Chestnut Hill

Dinner at the Vineyard ~ Pre-dinner wine and conversation in the Inn
at Meander Plantation vineyard, followed by five-course, candlelight wine-paired dinner in the Inn’s dining room.

Sunday:
Pick up Complimentary Winery Tasting Coupons & Touring Guide at Ebenezer House.

Southern tour ~ Sweeley Estate Winery, Barboursville Vineyards, Horton Vineyards and Keswick Vineyards.

Northern tour ~ Sweeley Estate Winery, Prince Michel
Vineyard and Winery, Old House Vineyards, Gray Ghost Vineyards and Pearmund Cellars

Wine Snob Weekend package price is $450. per couple plus your room rate for 2 nights

Call one of the Inns at Montpelier to make your reservation:

Chestnut Hill Bed & Breakfast 888.315.3511 www.chestnuthillbnb.com
Ebenezer House 888.948.3695 www.theebenezerhousebb.com
Holladay House Bed & Breakfast 800.358.4422 www.holladayhousebandb.com
Inn at Meander Plantation 800.385.4936 www.meander.net
Inn at Westwood Farm 888.661.1293 www.innatwestwoodfarm.com
Inn on Poplar Hill 866.767.5274 www.innonpoplarhill.com
Mayhurst Inn 888.672.5597 www.mayhurstinn.com
Ridge View Bed & Breakfast 866.852.4261 www.virginia-ridgeview.com
The Old Mill House 540.948.6287 www.virginiaoldmillhouse.com

Inns at Montpelier are nine luxurious Inns located in Central Virginia’s Orange and Madison County. All are a short drive from many award winning Virginia vineyards and James Madison’s Montpelier. This bucolic Virginia countryside is graced with rolling landscapes and incredible views of the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. Visit www.innsatmontplier.com

NOTE TO THE MEDIA: Please contact Suzie Blanchard at 540.672.4912 or inn@meander.net.

Stone Mountain View

Paul — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:04:41 +0000

Click on the picture to see a short video of the view from Stone Mountain Vineyards.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:09:28 +0000

Click on the picture to see a short video.

YouTube and Flickr

Paul — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:24:32 +0000

We are now on YouTube and Flickr. You can see all the videos we’ve posted at our YouTube Channel. Click on the link below or in the sidebar to see our videos. Feel free to subscribe to the YouTube Channel. We are also now on Flickr. We have uploaded many of the photos that we’ve taken at the wineries we’ve visited. You can see them all in one place at Flickr. Click on the link below or in the sidebar to see all the photos.

McHenry Cellars

Paul — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:13:17 +0000

Happy New Year!
Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Holiday Wines

Paul — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:11:08 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Pollak Vineyards

Paul — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:10:42 +0000

We went to Charlottesville this past weekend and one of the stops we made was at Pollak Vineyards. Here’s a short video of our lunch and wine at Pollak.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Gray Ghost Harvest

Paul — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:15:50 +0000

On Sunday Warren, his parents (flew in from New Orleans), and I went to Gray Ghost to help harvest the chardonnay grapes. We’ve harvested several years in a row now and always have a good time. I was so distracted by the harvesting that I forgot to take some video of the actual harvesting. However, I did shoot some video of the process after picking the grapes. Here’s a short video of what happens to the grapes after they are harvested.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Michael Shaps 2007 Viognier

Paul — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:15:07 +0000

We are in Charlottesville enjoying the Michael Shap 2007 Viognier.
Click on the picture below to see a short video.

2005 Estate Bottled Norton

Paul — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:30:33 +0000

Warren and I met a friend at Chrysalis Vineyards for a tasting and a picnic lunch. We enjoyed the 2005 Estate Bottled Norton. We decided to make a short video.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Wine Review

Paul — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:31:42 +0000

Believe it or not, we don’t always drink Virginia wines. From time to time other wines make it into our glasses. This past weekend we visited friends of ours and they were serving an Echelon Merlot. I got the video camera out and decided to do a little wine review.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Time To Drink Naked

Warren — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:36:41 +0000

Well, we kept our clothes on, but at Naked Mountain winter season is lasagna and wine time. We look forward to the sausage lasagna with garlic bread served up at Naked Mountain, and of course, we also look forward to sampling current offerings on the wine menu.

Paul and I both agreed that the 2005 Barrel Select Chardonnay was the gold star white wine. Pears and honey on the nose and a creamy texture makes this one a classic. We were more interested in the red wines since we already knew that lasagna was on the lunch menu. In a rare moment, we again both agreed that the 2005 Cabernet Franc was the best red wine. Dark cherries and spice on the nose gave way to similar flavors in the mouth with a smoky finish. Small portions of Merlot, Tannat, and Petit Verdot are blended into this lush Cabernet Franc.

For those who are tired of winter’s chill and promises of snow that never seems to fall, the 2008 Cabernet Franc rose may bring summer closer to home. Strawberry characteristics abound here with a nice tart finish that conjured images of summer concerts, picnics, and barbeques!

Feeling the cabin fever this winter? Get out to Naked Mountain and enjoy lasagna and wine; of course, mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Cutter & Buck American Classic Wine Set

Paul — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:58:06 +0000

We received a Cutter & Buck American Classic wine set from Forte Promotions and thought we’d review the products. In the set you get a classic waiter’s corkscrew, a drip ring, and a wine pourer. We chose to open a bottle of Woodland Vineyards Merlot with the set and record the opening for others to see. Other wine accessories from Forte Promotions can be found here.

All the products were of high quality steel and came in a decorative leather topped case. We started with the foil cutter part of the wine opener. The foil cutter does not have a serrated edge so be careful when cutting the foil. A serrated edge would make the foil removal easier. The corkscrew worked as expected. It opened the bottle without issue and the grip was very comfortable. The drip ring slid over the top of the bottle smoothly. The wine pourer fit snugly in the bottle but we must report that when pulling the wine pourer out, the rubber casket came off the pourer and stayed in the bottle. We had no problem getting it out of the bottle though. Overall it’s a nice product and works as expected. The packaging is very attractive and would make a nice gift.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Winter Holiday Wines

Paul — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:01:27 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Thanksgiving Wines

Paul — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 22:17:00 +0000

Click on the picture below to see the video.

Gray Ghost Harvest

Paul — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:41:09 +0000

Click on the picture below to see the video.

Wine and Cheese

Paul — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:39:17 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Notaviva Vineyards

Warren — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:52:04 +0000

The last time we visited Stephen and Shannon Mackey of Notaviva Vineyards was March 2006. At that time they were concentrating on the vineyards. They had viognier and cabernet franc planted with plans to expand in the future. The plans for the tasting room were set and things were in motion to begin the construction. Since that time the tasting room has been built; in fact, they have bottled their first vintage of viognier! They have also planted an eighth of an acre of petit verdot. The 2007 Vivace Viognier will be available for purchase later this spring. Plan to purchase this one upon release, because it’s very good!

After chatting with Stephen about all the hard work they’ve been through over the last few years, we got down to tasting some wine. (Even though it was a rainy, chilly Sunday, it was warm and cozy inside the new tasting room.) We tasted the 2007 Vivace Viognier. Notable descriptors like crisp, grapefruit, and honeysuckle came to our minds, and it was a lovely first effort from a promising winery.

Notaviva is currently selling red wines from Fabbioli Cellars until they are able to produce their own reds. Their own 2007 Cantabile Cabernet Franc will be coming out late this fall. We anticipate this release. While we weren’t able to taste the 2007 Cantabile Cabernet Franc, we were able to taste the Fabbioli wines. These included Fabbioli’s Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Tre Sorelle, and his Raspberry Merlot. Doug’s reputation as a skilled winemaker is well known, and his wines that we sampled at Notaviva are top quality!

After our tasting we selected a bottle of the Cabernet Franc for lunch. We enjoyed the wine and our food while enjoying the views from the beautiful tasting room. Below you can see a video of tasting room. We think you’ll agree it’s beautiful. In the video you’ll see the three levels of space. The very top level will be a performance area for music. The tasting room is nicely equipped with the latest in technology. There are HD TV’s, a large HD rear projection screen, wireless internet and more speakers than we could count. The sound in the tasting room is amazing. Before leaving Notaviva, we purchased a few bottles of wine and were able to chat with Shannon and Stephen a bit more. They informed us that HGTV will be airing the series, Dream House, about the building of the tasting room at Notaviva. The series begins on July 5th at 7:00 AM. Be sure to check out the show and see what went in to creating this beautiful space. Notaviva is just one of several new wineries opening in Virginia. Plan a visit to Notaviva soon and mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Holiday Wines

Paul — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 19:54:18 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Gray Ghost Harvest

Paul — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 20:13:59 +0000

Last weekend it was time to harvest the vidal blanc grapes at Gray Ghost Winery. Here’s a short video of our harvesting experience.

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 20:20:56 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:56:11 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 21:30:10 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 21:56:45 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video about food and wine pairing.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 22:00:43 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video about food and wine pairing.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 22:03:10 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video about food and wine pairing.

Gray Ghost Harvest

Paul — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:17:32 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video about harvesting grapes.

Food and Wine Pairing

Paul — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 22:20:26 +0000

Click on the picture below to see a short video about food and wine pairing.

Pontchartrain Vineyards

Warren — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 23:32:37 +0000

Last week we went to visit Warren’s family in New Orleans, Louisiana. Besides all the damage we saw from hurricane Katrina, we made time to visit Pontchartrain Vineyards. There are very few wineries in Louisiana and Pontchartrain Vineyards is the only one right now with a tasting room. Our goal was to try their Cynthiana Norton and see how it compares with the Norton from Chrysalis. We will be writing more about this comparison in an article for the Daily News Record.

Until then, enjoy this short video from our visit to Pontchartrain Vineyards. Click on the image to see the video.