Yesterday Warren and I went to Gadino Cellars with our friend David. The wines were actually well crafted; this is a first-year winery in Rappahanock County, and they’ve created some very good wines. The whites were particularly good. The Chardonnay was done in a California style, but less oaky and certainly very crisp. The Viognier was a surprise—less oaked with more prominent fruit flavors. Warren bought a bottle of this one, and Viognier is not usually his “glass of wine”. Gadino only had two reds to taste. The first was a Merlot, and it was quite good though perhaps a bit young. Red currants and cherries came to mind with a nice finish; Paul, Warren and their friend David, all enjoyed this one and bought a glass to sip on the deck. The Cabernet Franc was the weakest of the offerings; it was not a bad wine, but nothing seemed to be outstanding about it. Cab Franc is one of Virginia’s strongest wines, and Warren expects that Gadino will be producing very good Cab Francs in the future. All in all, this is a very good winery, and we will be back to Gaudino with a nice picnic lunch!
Thanksgiving Pours
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. There was plenty of food and delicious wines with each course. Here are the wines we had with dinner and what we paired them with:
Windham Fume Blanc: with appetizers: very crisp wine with nice tropical fruit characters; nice sipper or could pair with a seafood dish.
Butternut Squash soup with Willowcroft Traminette: dry white wine with spicy aroma; dried apricot and pineapple flavors. I would think that this would also pair with glazed ham.
Harvest Salad with Tarara Pinto Gris: very crisp and clean white wine; stainless steel fermented; citrus aroma and taste.
Turkey and dressing with cranberry relish; green beans with carmelized onions; mashed sweet potatoes paired with Gray Ghost Cabernet Franc: Dry, peppery red aged in French oak. Lots of raspberries. This one has been written up in the Washingtonian as a holiday favorite.
Oasis Winery
Here’s a photo of us at Oasis Winery in July 2005. We enjoyed the scenery and the merlot while sitting out on their deck. We always find something to enjoy no matter what winery we visit and Oasis always has something to enjoy. Future posts will include more detail about the wines we enjoy as well as the atmosphere of the facility at the winery.
Welcome!
Welcome to Virginia Wine Time. We are two wine enthusiasts who enjoy visiting Virginia wineries and tasting the various wines produced in Virginia. We will be posting our impressions of the wines and the wineries here at Virginia Wine Time. We will also post photos and videos from our visits.