On a recent Saturday we met our wine friends, Steve and Joe at Chester Gap Cellars for some wine tasting and some catching up.

As you travel down the driveway to the tasting room, you can’t miss the gorgeous views. Of course visiting in fall makes it even more colorful.

We decided to do the self-guided flight tasting. We tasted the 2017 Viognier, the 2020 Rosé, the 2017 Petit Manseng, the Lighter Side of Red and the 2017 Cabernet Franc. While we enjoyed them all, the 2020 Rosé and the Lighter Side of Red were our favorites. The 2020 Rosé reminded us of warmer times. It’s light and crisp and strawberry and melon flavors stand out. The Lighter Side of Red is perfect for lighter meals like pizza, pasta, sandwiches or even on it’s own. It’s a good starter red for those who aren’t red wine drinkers.

After our tasting we had a chance to chat with Jeff Seese, the winemaker and one of the owners. He let us taste several other wines that were not on the flight tasting. One standout was the 2019 Roussanne. I haven’t been a fan of Roussanne in the past but this one was different. It was light and fruity and didn’t have the oily, petrol aromas sometimes associated with roussanne. Jeff informed us it was aged in stainless steel. That certainly explained the crisp lightness of this one. It would be a perfect sipper on a warm day or the wine to go with some lighter meals that call for a white wine.

We finished our visit with some nibbles and a bottle of the 2017 Vintner’s Red. Before leaving we secured half a case to bring home. If you haven’t visited Chester Gap Cellars recently, it’s time to plan a visit soon! And when you do, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!