Author: Paul

2009 Governor Fauquier from Philip Carter

/ Paul / 1 Comment

We’re back! Happy New year! After about a two week hiatus we have returned. We haven’t stopped drinking Virginia wine, we’ve just taken a break from reporting what we’re enjoying. Tonight we’re back to reporting what we’re tasting. We have always enjoyed the wines from Philip Carter Winery. The 2009 Chardonnay and the 2009 Cabernet Franc just won silver at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Congratulations! Those are our two favorites from Philip Carter Winery.

Tonight for our sipper we had the 2009 Governor Fauquier. We had it with some soft and creamy brie cheese on crackers. We noted pear and citrus on the nose. In the mouth we picked up pear, citrus, a spice character, nice acids, and a longer finish. It paired really well with brie cheese and crackers. We could also see pairing it with holiday ham, turkey, or shellfish. We thoroughly enjoyed this wine and would recommend it for those looking for a nice white wine to have with dinner or nibbles before dinner. Plan a trip to Philip Carter soon and tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

New Finds At The Holiday Wine Mall

/ Paul / 3 Comments

On Sunday we went to the Holiday Wine Mall at the Dulles Expo Center. It was a great opportunity to taste many Virginia wines and pick up some gifts for all the special people on our holiday shopping list. We took the opportunity to taste wines from some of our favorite wineries, taste wines from a few new wineries, and of course chat about Virginia wine.

We tasted the wines offered by the newest additions Kilaurwen and Annefield Vineyards. Have you heard of either of these?

Kilaurwen is so new they don’t have a tasting room open yet. They plan to be open in April 2011. They are located in Stanardsville Virginia. Until the tasting room is open they will be pouring and selling their wines at festivals. We were able to taste their Rose, Fiesta White, Cabernet Franc, and their Fiesta Red. Of these I enjoyed the Cabernet franc with its raspberry and blackberry notes and hint of pepper. When Kilaurwen opens up next week, we’ll have to plan a trip to taste their wines again. They are working on creating a website so I don’t have a link to include.

Annefield Vineyards was the other newbie. Annefield is located in Saxe, Virginia. The tasting room is a renovated plantation house dating back to 1858. We had a great time chatting with owners Stephen Ballard and Michael Leary. They told us all about their property, vineyards, and tasting room all while we were tasting the wines. We had the chance to taste their Chardonnay, Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, the Annefield Red and the Annefield White. Michael Shaps is the winemaker for Annefield and has done an amazing job with these wines. I placed one gold star next to the Chardonnay which is light and crisp with hints of pear and lemon. I placed my other gold star next to the Cabernet Franc. I noted integrated tannins, spice, and pepper. I consider these the absolute stand out wines from the whole show. I only bought two bottles of wine from the event….the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Franc from Annefield Vineyards. If you get the chance to taste their wines, you simply must. And be sure to tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Holiday Open House

/ Paul / 3 Comments

On Saturday we went to the Gray Ghost Holiday Open house. They hold this event annually and we try not to miss it. Each year they have a different holiday glass design. This year its train. Turns out, Al Kellert also made a train out of corks for the yearly cork contest.You have to guess how many corks it took to create the train. Warren and I guess every year but never win. We aren’t the best at guesstimation. At this time of the year the tank room is decorated for the holidays showing all the previous creations for the cork contest.

During the event we enjoyed some wonderful foods and all the delicious wines offered at Gray Ghost. I noticed the Victorian Red had changed slightly since the last time I tasted it. This time it had some big cranberry notes on the nose and in the mouth. It was a surprising change that I thoroughly enjoyed. Warren decided his favorite of the day was the Reserve Chardonnay. He has always been a big fan of the Reserve Chardonnay.

Here are some pictures from the Holiday Open House at Gray Ghost: