Grape Leaves Online is Going On Extended Vacation
June 4, 2009Hi all! I really appreciate all of the readership and support of this site as I have tried to get my wine life off the ground. I have enjoyed trying local wines as well as wine bars and sharing my experiences with you. Unfortunately, my work life is making it difficult for me to dedicate the time that I would like to this blog. So while I slave away, GLO is going to the beach (or mountains, or paradise of your dreams). I hope to continue with this in the near future, but for now I just do not have the time to dedicate that I think is necessary to make this blog work.
In the meantime, I couple of things that I've had swirling in my head:
1) Wine dinners at Chef Geoff's: go go go! The wines are supurb and the food pairings are right on. This local restaurant chain offers periodic wine dinners at each of their locations. The next one is scheduled for Lia's in Friendship Heights on Tuesday, June 9th. Hope to see you there!
2) Tarara Winery - located in Loudon County, Virginia, this winery is headed in a positive direction. Under the expertise of their new-ish winemaker, Jordon, the wines are improving considerably. In particular, check out the Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc Reserve.
3) www.localwineevents.com - not to give away all of my secrets, but much of the information that I pulled together on my events page comes from these guys and other websites that I have stumbled upon over the years. You can subscribe to the newsletter for your area to keep posted on local wine activities and events.
Thanks again to everyone that reads regularly. As I said, I hope to be back in action soon. In the meantime, happy wine-ing!!
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Thirsty Thursday - Gabriele Rausse 2008 Pinot Grigio
May 29, 2009Well, the humidity is back and here to stay in the DC area, so it's time for refrshing light white that will carry us through the summer season. Say hello to the Gabriele Rausse 2008 Pinot Grigio!!
This is a clear pale lemon wine with youthful aromas of citrus, stone fruit, and vanilla. It is a dry wine with light body. The Pinot Grigio is very easy drinking with flavors of green fruit, stone fruit, and a touch of honey. I found the wine to be extremely pleasant and perfect for the deck on a hot day or with light foods such as seafood or salad.
Oddly, Gabriele Rausse does not have a winery that is open to the public. If you want to grab a bottle of their wines you must seek them out in retail shops, most of which are in the Charlottesville area. Your other option is to catch them at a Virginia wine festival. Of the wines I recently sampled, the Pinot Grigio is, without a doubt, the best of the bunch.
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Thirsty Thursday - Keswick Vineyards 2006 Heritage Estate Reserve
May 21, 2009The Keswick Vineyards 2006 Heritage Estate Reserve is a Bordeaux style blend made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Keswick uses only the finest grapes in their Heritage Reserve. The berries are hand sorted by the winemaker to ensure a fine, high quality wine.
This wine has a beautiful dark ruby color. It is a full bodied wine smelling of black fruit and cedar. The flavors are similar. It is smooth on the tongue and not overly tannic. Tannins are what often make your mouth feel dried out when you drink red wine. Here, they give the wine structure and balance.
This is a wine that will age well. It is enjoyable on its own, but enhanced by food. My guest taster agrees that the Heritage would be perfect with a nice piece of grilled steak. Once again, Keswick puts forth a winner.
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Thirsty Thursday - 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Barboursville Vineyards
May 14, 2009The 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from Barboursvile Vineyards is a clear, deep, ruby wine. It has aromas of blalck fruit, mint, and sweet spice. It tastes of black fruit, plum, pepper, and oak.
Have you ever known me to be so succinct? That is exactly how this wine is. Simple and succinct. It is bizzare. The flavors are fine but not exciting. It is not overly tannic nor is it lacking in structure. It is just really, really, boring. I cannot find a specific fault with it. But this wine is nothing remarkable. I truly have nothing else to say about it. I cannot imagine a food that would enhance this wine. There are many others out there that have more to offer.
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Gadino Cellars Goes Green
May 11, 2009Save Mother Earth - Drink Local! Ok, that might be overstating it a bit, but by supporting local wine producers you truly do help by reducing the volume of wine that is shipped all over the earth. The drink local movement is gaining national traction which you can check out on www.drinklocalwine.com. To learn what Virginia winery Gadino Cellars is doing to go green, check out this information that they recently sent out in their newsletter:
Gadino Cellars recently became certified as a GREEN FARM WINERY. Virginia Green is the statewide program that works to reduce the environmental impacts of Virginia's tourism industry. It is a partnership between the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The program awards Virginia Green Certification to tourism-related business such as hotels, restaurants and attractions taking voluntary actions to reduce harmful impacts on the environment.
So what does "BUY LOCAL" have to do with Virginia Green? 'Recently, an article in National Geographic magazine titled the TOLL OF WINE provided the Carbon footprint of shipping a bottle of wine from various locations. Not surprisingly, the largest carbon footprint stated in pounds of Carbon Dioxide equivalent is for wine shipped by truck from Napa or other locations on the West Coast to the East Coast. Shipping from places like Australia or Chile are also high because of the great distance involved. So how does this relate to YOU? By choosing to BUY LOCAL Virginia wines, you can help to reduce the carbon footprint and thus the negative impact on the environment.
So not only does buying your favorite local wines help to improve the environment but it also supports local small businesses owners. A win-win. Don't forget to tell your friends in families in other regions about www.drinklocalwine.com so they can also do their part.
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