We know we’re in the middle of a series of posts about our winery visits in the southern part of the state, but this weekend we visited Gadino Cellars to find out what is new at the tasting bar. We were pleased with what we found.

Upon entering the tasting room it was good to see the familiar faces of Aleta and Bill Gadino, owners of Gadino Cellars. They recognized us and offered a tasting of their wines. We began with the whites and were curious to see what was new. First on the list was the 2006 Pinot Grigio. Paul gave this one a gold star right away. We then tasted the 2005 Premium Chardonnay, the 2005 Reserve Viognier, and the 2005 Viognier.

It’s always best to taste the reds after the whites so that’s what we did. We began with the Moonrise, which Bill told us is a new blend he’s trying. Next up was the 2004 Merlot, the 2005 Cabernet Franc, and finally the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. All lovely reds.

After chatting with Aleta and Bill while finishing our tasting, we decided to enjoy a glass of the 2006 Pinot Grigio on their deck with beautiful views of the vineyards. This was a wonderful glass of wine. It was a crisp, dry sipper with notes of grapefruit and just a hint of lemon. Before leaving Paul purchased two bottles for his wine rack. He also secured a bottle of the 2005 Reserve Viognier for his wine rack. Bill informed us they would be releasing a Reserve Merlot in a few weeks. We took this as a good reason to return to Gadino soon!

It’s always a pleasure to visit Gadino Cellars. If you visit, tell them Virginia Wine Time sent you!