Shaps Chard

https://worklivelaos.com/1city/ Our evening sipper last night was the 2008 Michael Shaps Chardonnay. We paired this one with a creamy Brie smeared on baguette slices. Recently we’ve gotten into having our cheeses with bread instead of crackers. The creamy brie with its slight nutty flavor seemed a perfect match with the fuller-bodied Chardonnay.

Has anyone noticed that I’m trying to include the Virginia Wine Month coaster in many of my pictures this month?

Zolpidem 5Mg Order Online The 2008 Michael Shaps Chardonnay presented pear mores, toasted hazelnut, and pineapple on the nose. We noticed similar flavors in the mouth with a touch of apple and a creamy mouth feel. The texture of the cheese went really well with the mouth feel of the wine. This is one really nice Chardonnay. Tell us what gems you are finding during Virginia Wine Month. This is our first post for Regional Wine Week. Yay!

Special Reserve Petit Verdot

For dinner last night we had filet mignon with sauteed mushrooms and roasted vegetables. Warren selected the 2005 Special Reserve Petit Verdot from Ingleside Vineyards. Knowing we wanted to savor this one with our meal, Warren chose to decant it for about an hour before serving.

Order Soma 350Mg Online Right away we noticed the dark color and how it was almost impossible to see through in the glass. We noted dark plum, anise, earthiness, and a lengthy finish. We thought this one could have lived longer on the rack but enjoyed it just the same with our food. It was a perfect pairing.

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Buy Soma 350 Mg Online We are certainly using Virginia Wine Month to open some of best Virginia wines on our racks. What Virginia wine have you uncorked so far this month?

Seyval Sipper

Before preparing dinner this evening, we selected the 2009 Seyval Blanc from Gray Ghost Vineyards to enjoy with goat cheese and a baguette. The Seyval Blanc is aged in Hungarian oak for four months and of course the pairing was perfect.

On the nose we noted subtle smoke, citrus, and a hint of pear. In the mouth we had similar characteristics but also noted some minerality. We enjoyed the nice crisp edge and how it complimented the goat cheese. You simply can’t go wrong with any of the wines from Gray Ghost Vineyards.

Wine and Dine at Potomac Point Winery

Buy Xanax Online Overnight To celebrate the arrival of fall, we donned our favorite sweaters and took an afternoon drive to Potomac Point Winery. It was a gray day for sure, but the temperatures were cool and the breeze was crisp. As we made our approach to the winery, we were certain that we would enjoy a lunch ordered from the winery’s care with whatever wine we favored at the tasting bar. Of course, that required tasting wines first—oh well!

Tasting fees are paid up front, and tasters can choose from options that include a basic tasting or a premium tasting that includes all white wines, red wines and dessert wines. We opted for the premium tasting. Of the white wines, I favored the gold-medal winning 2008 Chardonnay Reserve that was fermented in French oak barrels. Pear and melon characteristics prevailed with subtle almond flavors at the end; it gave a buttery mouth feel, too. A classic! Paul preferred the crisp 2009 Chardonnay that was aged in stainless steel yet possessed the mouth feel of an oak-aged Chardonnay. An interesting dessert wine was created with the Petit Manseng varietal. The 2007 Vin de Paille was produced from Petit Manseng grapes that were wind dried for 45 days, and the result was an amber colored, sweet wine that presented aromas and flavors of honey, dried apricots, and almonds.

On to the red wines, and we reached a unanimous decision. Our gold-star winner was the smoky 2008 Petit Verdot. Tobacco on the nose with fruit characters of dark plums, and black cherries were noted with a splash of anise to boot. Buy now but serve later—it’s certainly age worthy. Norton lovers might prefer the jammier 2009 Norton with its violet nose and spicy edge. However, red wines need not be bold and complex; they can be lighter and more forward with the intent to enjoy now. That was the case with the 2009 Abbinato which was a blend of Sangiovese and Touriga Nacional. It too presented a smoky nose with cherry and herbal notes to suggest a bistro-style wine to be served with pizza, burgers, picnic fare, or a variety of cheeses.

With our tasting done, we were ready for lunch. The winery features an on-site restaurant that serves cheese plates, tapas, or fuller entrees. Seating arrangements include an indoor setting complete leather sofas, patio seating, and a second-floor veranda. We were determined to enjoy the cool yet refreshing autumn breezes while out on the patio, and we ordered a deli platter that included spicy pepperoni, baguette, and an assortment of cheeses. Our wine of choice? Any of the reds would have paired quite well, but we deemed the 2009 Abbinato to be the most versatile with our plates and palates. An easy sipper, it complimented the variety of flavors and food textures on our plates.

So fall is in the air, and it’s also Virginia Wine Month. Celebrate with fall colors and Virginia wine with a trip to Potomac Point Winery. Mention that Virginia Wine Time sent you!

Yorktown Wine Festival

October is Virginia Wine Month, and Virginia Wine Time kicked things off with a trip to Yorktown to participate in the Yorktown Wine Festival. The Yorktown Wine Festival was held this past Saturday, and at least twenty-one wineries poured their latest releases for festival goers.

I visited almost all the booths and I must say the stand out wines of the festival were from Montedomaine. Montdomaine has been around since the 1980s but they don’t have a tasting room and only pour their wines at festivals. This is the first festival where we’ve seen Montdomaine and we really enjoyed their wines. They poured three wines, and I sampled their 2009 Chardonnay, the 2008 Viognier, and the 2008 Merlot. All three were consistently well-crafted.. It was too difficult to pick a gold start winner. I’d give gold stars to all three. Nice job, Montdomaine!

Of course I sampled many other wines. Here is a list of the wines I thought stood out at the festival.

San Soucy-Cabernet Franc

Grayhaven-2008 Sojourn Petit Verdot

Saude Creek-2008 Meritage

Montdomaine:
2009 Chardonnay
2008 Viognier
2008 Merlot

Democracy Vineyards-Revolution

Vault Field-Chardonnay (the white wines and the rose here were all consistently good)

Athena-Meritage

DelFosse-2008 Chardonnay and the Merlot

The Yorktown Wine Festival was unique in that festival goers were treated to the scenic beauty of the York River shore line with its sandy beaches and rhythmic splashing of tidal waves. On a perfect clear and crisp fall day the setting was perfect for wine, food, and music. There was even an opportunity to visit historic sites; after all, Yorktown was the site where Cornwallis surrendered to end the American Revolution in 1781.

The advantage to attending small wine festivals such as the Yorktown Wine Festival is that tasters can sample the wares from more distant or remote wineries. The Yorktown Wine Festival featured such distant wineries as San Soucy, Davis Valley, and Rebec. Think about attending one of the smaller wine festivals soon. For a list of upcoming wine festivals, be sure to visit the Virginia Wine website.

Here are some other photos from the festival.

A Virginia Classic

Its Virginia Wine Month! What better way to celebrate by selecting a wine that’s been resting gently on your wine rack waiting for the right day. Last night we decided it was time to chill the 1999 Linden Hardscrabble Chardonnay. We enjoyed it with herbed chicken and rice with cream sauce.

In the glass we noticed the beautiful amber color. On the nose Warren noted roasted pear, toasted hazel nut, and carmel or butterscotch. Similar flavors were found in the mouth with a lengthier finish. It paired very well with our meal. It was a wonderful bottle of wine. Of course when the bottle was empty, I wondered if we should have kept it on the rack for a little longer. Would it only get better with time? It was worth it.

A classic pour to kick off Virginia Wine Month. Consider uncorking one of your Virginia classics this month!

Afternoon Sipper

Our late afternoon sipper today was the 2009 Vidal Blanc from Hume Vineyards. We had it with Cowgirl Creamery Buckaroo cheese with Gallettine Tuscan Crackers from Whole Foods. This vidal blanc is slightly off dry (1% RS). We noted a nice floral nose with peach and melon as well. On the palate we noted melon, apricot, a hint of lime and a touch of sweetness. It went very well with the cheese and crackers. Nice job Hume! We need to return to Hume Vineyards soon to see what’s new.

Dinner Wine

For dinner tonight Warren made turkey cutlets with pasta. We selected the 2009 Keswick Vigonier accompany the meal. It was the perfect selection. This viognier spends time in both stainless steel and oak. On the nose we noticed a nice floral presence with peach. On the palate Warren noted white peach, white pepper, stone fruit, and minerality. We enjoy all the Keswick wines and this one didn’t disappoint. It went well with the turkey cutlets and pasta.