I can't believe that came from your mouth!
Wineries
Windham Winery
Jul 19th
Sunday was the perfect day in Northern Virginia to go wine tasting. It was sunny and warm, and the standard humidity was gone. We made our way to Windham in beautiful Loudoun County’s rolling wine valley in Hillsboro, VA and tried their excellent wines.
Windham touts the fact that most of their wines earn awards, but then again, many Northern Virginia wines win awards. The climate in northern VA is comparable to France and the Napa Valley, and as such, the wines are rated among the best in the world. And Windham does have some excellent wines.
All of the white wines are among the very best in the region. The Chardonnay has a rich buttery taste from its oak aging. Most surprising was the Riesling. I am used to Rieslings being sweet and used as dessert wines, however, Windham’s Riesling was a dry, refreshing wine that had a slight peach flavor. Their very best, in my opinion is the new wine called Doukenie. It is a blended white with a hint of apple, rose petals and a spicy finish.
The reds were very good and smoother than many in the region. The wine that stood out the most was the new Rasberry Merlot. Windham tossed some rasberries into oak aged Merlot and came up with a smoky, slightly sweet, fruity Merlot that could be used as a dessert wine.
I purchased a bottle of the Doukenie and the Rasberry Merlot. They have an online store at this site, but if you get a chance to visit their beautiful grounds and enjoy a picnic lunch on the back patio overlooking the duck pond.
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Loading ...Virginia RenFest and Mead
May 30th
Virginia has its own renaissance festival located at the Lake Anna Winery. Its on the small side, but for a winery, this festival should be a major attraction. They have several food vendors, lots of games for the children and some nicely priced crafts and clothing.
It was so hot when we went, we skipped the wine tasting, so there is no review on the wines at the Lake Anna Winery.
But I bought a kit for making mead, along with 2 pounds of honey. The term “honeymoon” has been associated with drinking mead during the month long celebration following a wedding in pagan times.
I cooked the stuff up last night, and it takes about a week to complete its fermentation. I’m looking forward to finding out how this goes. I will be sure to update with the results.
The making of the mead seemed pretty simple. I took a gallon of distilled water, brewed a tea made from cinnamon, spice seeds and dried blueberries. I added 2 pounds of honey to the rest of the distilled water, and shook it hard for about 5 minutes until the honey was completely dissolved in the water. Once the tea cooled, I added that to the water jug and then added the yeast. I took a piece of filtering cloth and tied it around the top to allow the gas to escape, and set it in a dark place to ferment for a week. I am supposed to do a sample taste on Thursday or Friday to see if its at the right sweetness/dryness, and when its right, I am supposed to cap it and put it in the fridge.
If it turns out well, this can be a fun distraction for me and I will try to experiment with other recipes.
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(No Ratings Yet. Rate It!) Loading ...North Mountain Vineyard
May 30th
North Mountain Vineyard is located about 15 miles southwest of Winchester in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The house features a tasting room and a large shaded deck for relaxing with a bottle, and the small kitchen can prepare a nice cheese plate for a good price on request.
After spending the early afternoon at the nearby Shenandoah Museum, we stopped by the vineyard for a tasting and a picnic lunch, and even though the winery was very busy, we were able to find a nice shady spot by the garden for lunch.
All of the wines are very good at North Mountain, but unfortunately, we were unable to try the Chardonnay since it had already sold out. In addition, the prices are very reasonable, averaging about 13 dollars per bottle.
The Virginia Claret is a dark red wine that is slightly sweet, but crisp and refreshing. We also really liked the Mountain Sunset wine, which is an apple blush wine with a sweet apple taste with a hint of cinnamon. We purchased each of these to take home.
Our favorite was the Tom’s Brook Red, which is a blend of the red and the white, and we drank that one with the lunch. It went amazingly well with summer sausage, and it was absolutely savory with dessert chocolate. It was so good in fact, that I tried to buy an additional bottle to take home, but it sold out while we were eating. I have a list of local vendors, and perhaps I can get lucky and find a bottle at the store.
If you enjoy winery tours, and are in the Winchester Area, be sure to put North Mountain Winery on your list.
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(No Ratings Yet. Rate It!) Loading ...Tarara Winery
May 21st
Tarara Vineyards is a large vineyard north of Leesburg, VA. The vineyard is nestled among large orchards and farmland for tomatoes, asparagus, blackberries and apples. The vineyard also has vast tracts of open field which they use to host wine festivals and other large events.
Tarara had the Winds and Wine Festival this past weekend, which featured live music, arts and crafts vendors, kite flying demonstrations and of course, wine tasting. The afternoon was cool and breezy, and the festivities made a great way to spend a Sunday.
Tarara’s wines are affordable and varied. Most of the whites and reds were unremarkable, but this may be due to the vintage. 2003 was a very rainy summer, which seems to have washed out much of the flavor from the wines. One exception is the white table wine they call “Charval” which is a crisp, floral scented wine with a sweet after taste, which made for a great sipping wine on .
Tarara also has a sweet red wine called Wild River Red that is quite fruity with a blackberry taste. It would be an excellent dessert wine, or it would go very well with chocolate.
If you are looking for a winery that offers lots of activities for family, this is a great and fun place. If you are looking for finer wines, Tarara has a line of Reserve Wines which is a bit pricey, but comparable wines can be found at other vineyards for a better price.
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(No Ratings Yet. Rate It!) Loading ...Chrysalis Vineyards
May 8th
Chrysalis is a modern, moderate-sized winery located in beautiful Middleburg, VA, about halfway between Chantilly and Winchester on Route 50. The drive out there into Virginia’s Horse and Wine country is beautiful, and nearby villages offer quaint shopping and roadside antiques if you want to make a day of the visit to the winery.
Chrysalis is the largest grower of the Norton Grape on the East Coast. The Norton grape once stood among the world’s finest species of grape, but the fruit was almost lost due to the American Civil war and the purges of the vineyards in the Prohibition years. Fortunately, small parishes and churches kept the fruit alive for use in sacrament ceremonies, and Chrysalis has revitalized it, and it flourishes now in Middleburg.
Most of Chrysalis’ wines are on the expensive side, and this year, many were short on taste. For instance, I was looking forward to tasting the Chardonnay again. I had some at the winery back in 2004 and remembered it fondly for its buttery, oaken taste. But this year’s was dry, with a taste of apples, but the buttery oaken taste was gone. You could see the difference in the two vintages too at the cash register. The old 2002 Chardonnay that I loved was on display with 9 medals hanging from the bottle from the many awards it had won. The newer brand only had one medal.
Rather than go on about the other flavors that didn’t appeal to me, I will tell you what I did like: The Sarah’s Patio Red and the Norton Estate. The Sarah’s Patio red is a dark blush wine with a sweet berry taste that is perfect chilled for sipping in the shade on a warm day. The wine is named for the daughter of a previous 19th century landowner of the vineyard, Sara Lynn, whose grave and headstone is next to the tasting patio. The Norton Estate is a very dark red wine made from the Norton Grapes, and it has a rich, earthy taste that would go great with a grilled steak. I took home a couple of bottles of this fine-tasting wine.
The vineyard’s guest area is large and hosts events throughout the year, and could accommodate large parties under its expansive sheltered picnic tables, and it has a large barbecue on grounds for cooking lots of meat. The place would be great for corporate events, weddings or other celebrations.
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(No Ratings Yet. Rate It!) Loading ...Fox Meadow Vineyards
May 1st
I had the pleasure of being invited to the Grand Opening of Fox Meadow Vineyards by friends who happen to live very close by the mountaintop winery. It was a lovely day, and it was perfect to sample the delicious wines, nibble on sausage, cheese and chocolate and gaze out across the mountaintops of Manassas Gap.
For those that do not know, Virginia is quickly becoming famous for its wines, and one of the greatest things about living in Northern Virginia is that there are so many wineries close by. I even got married in a beautiful Mountainside winery, so the vino is close to my heart.
Fox Meadow does not yet offer its own red wines, but is selling another vineyards’ wine under its own label while Fox Meadow’s wines finish aging. But its white wines are available and they are very good, especially the Pinot Grigio. The Pinot is sweet and dry, and has an aroma of spring flowers and a hint of a Pear taste.
The Chardonnay was from last year’s harvest and you could taste the flavor of the oak casks quite well. However, I think it needs just a bit more age before it is really smooth.
There was a scrumptious 2004 Red Syrah wine that had the color of black cherries and was neither too dry nor too sweet. In fact, with a bit of chocolate on the palate, this wine turned into a wonderfully decadent beverage.
I got bottles of both the Pinot and the Syrah.
The winery is brand new, so the owners have not had a chance to finish decorating. But with the gorgeous mountain-top view, overlooking the vineyard and the dozen peaks of Manassas Pass, there is little need for any competing decor. If you get out toward Linden, or if you visit the Hartland Orchard (very popular for fruit picking!) you should take the time to stop by Fox Meadow Vineyards for a tasting.
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