Happy #DrinkLocal #Wine Week; Happy DrinkLocal Wine Week!

Happy #drinklocal #wine week! Toast with a glass from your backyard! Vanessa Camozzi and yours truly get our drink on in this fun vid!

For more fun musings on regional American wine, visit http://www.drinklocalwine.com. 

Wine of the Week

Viva Virginia! Just tasted an amazing Virginia Viognier this week that merits mention: The 2005 White Hall Vineyards Viognier. What a STUNNING wine. Notes of intoxicating tropical fruit, honeysuckle, white peach, and mango. Balanced acidity and medium body. Lingering finish. Served chilled on your patio.

Bottle image courtesy of White Hall Vineyards

Tasting in the Blue Ridge

Recently had the opportunity to visit Veramar Vineyard, one of the area's newer wineries. Located a little over an hour from DC in Berryville, Virginia, Veramar opened to the public in 2001 and produces a variety of premium Virginia wines from both vinifera and hybrid grapes. The winery is set in a picture perfect valley with rolling hills on the west side of the Blue Ridge.

My tourguide for the excursion was Jenni McCloud, owner of Chrysalis Vineyards. We set out from Chrysalis late one Saturday afternoon, twisting and turning through the Northern Virginia countryside on narrow back country roads. Upon arrival, we were greeted by Della Bogaty, co-owner of Veramar.

Della led us through a tasting of the current offerings:

2004 Seyval Blanc--Pale yellow/green color with notes of lime, lemon and grapefruit. Crisp, racing acidity. Suggested pairing from the winery: veal scallopini with lime-walnut sauce.

2004 Tres Blanc--blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Vidal. Notes of ripe peach and lime. Suggested pairing from the winery: oriental shredded chicken or seafood dishes.

2004 Cabernet Franc--notes of sweet black fruit, ripe raspberries, spice, and slight herbal aromas. Round and full on the palate with soft tannins. Suggested pairing from the winery: NY strip steak with chipotle sauce.

2003 Cabernet Franc--a tough year for Virginia wines with a cool, wet summer. Notes of toasted oak, pepper, gun powder. On the palate, raspberries and blackberries. Light tannins and a smooth finish.

2004 Rooster Red--Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Notes of blackberry, black cherry, a touch of earth and spice. Light and refreshing on the palate. Would be great served slightly chilled. Suggested winery pairing: cheese tortellini topped with Feta cheese.

2004 D'Ora--Made from late-harvested Vidal grapes in a desert style. Notes of sweet peach, pineapple and floral aromas. Rich and full on the palate. Suggested pairing from the winery: Asian foods or chocolate fondue.

Aside from the quaint tasting room, Veramar has a magnificent back patio, perfect for sipping a glass of wine and staring off into the valley.

Veramar Vineyard
905 Quarry Road
Berryville, Virginia
540-955-5510

Virginia Wine Takes the Cake

Its official: Virginia is crafting some incredible wines. Today, this became apparent as I tasted through some wines with Jenni McCloud of Chrysalis Vineyards. Of course, the proprietress of a vineyard and winery would like to think her wines are world-class--and after tasting through three Tannat based wines over dinner, I think she is right.

We settled down for a light summer meal of deer tenderloin and tomato/mozarella salad paired with 3 wines: 1999 Tiger Mountain Vineyards Tannat from Georgia, 2000 H. Stagnari Viejo Tannat from Uruguay and the 2002 Chrysalis Vineyards Papillon (51% Tannat). The Chrysalis wine stood out among the crowd: it showed incredible depth and structure, much more than the other two. The Tiger Mountain wine had a pleasant fruity and floral noise, but was overly acidic. The H. Stagnari Tannat was a little more full bodied but lakced the richness and complexity of the Papillon.

The show-stopper was the 2001 Locksley Estate Norton from Chrysalis--an incredibly rich, sily wine which blew the other wines from the table. If you have not tried one of the premium wines from Chrysalis Vineyards, I suggest you pick up a bottle very quickly!

Wine of the Week

After many requests, I have decided to post a blurb on a wine of the week. Sure...I taste quite a few wines every week and most of the wines I savor are worthy of being noted; however, some do not make the cut. Chalk it up to lazy restauranteurs pouring boring wines by the glass just to make a profit.

So here goes:

2003 Barboursville Sauvignon Blanc

So where is this exquisite wine from? None other than right here in Virginia, near Charlottesville to be exact. There must be something in the terroir down there that allows the Sauvignon Blanc grape to flourish or maybe it's the winemaker. Regardless, this wine exhibits notes of pungent, tropical fruit on the nose with a hint of herbaceousness. Clean and crisp on the palate, with lemon and piercing acidity. I think the acidity levels were quite high for the 2003 harvest due to the cooler summer and also the hurricane that blew through in mid-September '03. Pair this beauty with fish dishes, salads, and lighter preparations of white meat. Zing!!!!!

Sunday in the Vines

Sunday was blessed with a spectacular spring day--bright sun, a cloudless sky, and scents of flowers wafting past on a light breeze. I decided to make a date with the vines and one of my favourite vineyars, Chrysalis--a mere 45 miles from downtown Washington.


The perfect day for a sip of wine on the patio at Chrysalis

I grabbed my friend Matt, who has been begging to visit a winery for a few months, and off we went to see Ms. Jenni McCloud and her estate. The day could not have been more perfect--a cool breeze, great company, and of course, the tantalizing wines from Chrysalis. Jenni tasted us on her entire line of wines: Viognier, Chardonnay, the new 2004 Verdejo, Sara's Patio White and Red, the Estate bottled Norton, and the intense Locksley Reserve Norton.


Jenni McCloud pours wine at the tasting bar

Everytime I taste the wines from Chrysalis, I am amazed by their sheer delicacy and complexity. My personal favourites are the 2002 Viognier, which bursts with fresh tropical fruit notes and the perfume of a bouquet of flowers. No wonder Viognier from Virginia competes with the best from Condrieu in France's Rhone Valley.

I also am becoming particularly fond of both the Estate bottled Norton and the Locksley Reserve Norton. Both are produce from the Norton grape, which is native to Virginia, but almost completely disappeared during prohibition. Jenni McCloud is trying her hand at bringing this amazing grape back to the forefront, and with the largest planting of the grape anywhere in the world, I would say she's doing quite well. The Chrysalis Norton bursts with notes of leather and earth followed by plum and cherry. A few months back, Jenni presented me with a blind tasting during one of my many visits to taste unique wine collected during my travels. After a whif, I immediately thought I had a Chateau Mouton Rothschild in my glass. To my surprise, this was no First Growth Bordeaux, but a bottle of the Locksley Reserve Norton!


This gives a new meaning to the term "chicken butt"


"Buk-buk-bukgack!"

A visit to Chrysalis is not complete without a visit to the chicken coop. Jenni's pride and joy are her flock of Buff Orpington Chickens, who lay organic eggs which she sells in the winery. You have not tasted eggs until you have tried a dozen of Jenni's Farm Fresh Eggies!


Jenni holds one of the 'girls'


Chrysalis Vineyards can be reached via www.chrysaliswine.com or 540-687-8222