Wines from Weathervane Winery
December 30, 2008Over the holidays my sister and her husband traveled up from North Carolina to spend time with the family. They brought a couple of wines from one of their favorite wineries to share. Weathervane Winery is located in Welcome, North Carolina and produces a range of wines from dry to sweet. We sampled three: Evening Breeze White Wine, Rooster Red, and Blushing Santa.
Evening Breeze is labeled generically as white wine but the winery website describes it as a crisp Riesling with 12% alcohol by volume. It has a clean nose but is closed - it was difficult to really get the aromas to come up out of the glass. It had lemon and other citrus ntoes. The taste was of apple and citrus. It had good acidity and some residual sugar, but the sugar was low. The wine, alone, was too sweet for my personal preference as I like dry wines, but paired perfectly with our dinner. The dish was a combination of shrimp, prosciutto, and potatoes that had been seasoned with cayanne pepper. The slight sugar in the wine balanced well with the spicyness of the food and they made for a delicious combination.
The Rooster Red is described as a Chianti style wine with a hint of cranberries. Right away on the nose you can smell the cranberry. In fact, it's all you can taste as well. This wine tastes nothing of wine but of cranberry juice. With only 7% alcohol by volume it is much more reminscent of juice than an alcoholic beverage. This is also true of the Blushing Santa. This wine is not described on their website as it is a special holiday wine for wine club members only. Blushing Santa smells and tastes of cranberry fruit punch. Somehow they managed to capture the aroma and taste of ginger ale without the carbonated beverage actually being added in. Both of these wines are very basic, slightly sweet, and one dimensional. I can see how they could appeal to beginning wine drinkers as they are easy to drink, but for true wine lovers they are more juice-like than anything else.
I would be very interested to try some of Weatervane's dry wines. It is a new winery that shows some promise in a state with an up and coming wine industry. If ever in the Welcome area give them a try.
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Café Caturra Coffee & Wine
December 22, 2008The desire to have a relaxing lunch or a laid back business meeting has spurred wine bars and cafes to pop up in our region. I recently visited Café Caturra Coffee and Wine in Midlothian, Virginia, just outside Richmond. The atmosphere is casual and comfortable. Hanging over the cashiers are menu boards with the options for food. Behind the cashiers you can see the bottles of wine that they have available by the 4 ounce poor, glass, or bottle. If ordering on the fly is too overwhelming for your first visit, they are happy to provide you with both a food and wine menu and let you take you time before you make a selection. I wasn't sure which wine I wanted and they let me taste two as well as gave me helpful recommendations before I ordered my glass.
After you order go have a seat at a standard café style table or in a comfy chair by the rustic cofffee table in front of the crackling fire. The staff will bring your order to your seat after it has been prepared. The menu ranges from breakfast sandwiches and coffee for early morning hours to paninis and imaginitive salads for afternoon and evening. Just interested in light fare with your wine? Then order from the cheese and charcuterie menu that includes a selection of artisan cheeses, cured meats, and pâtés. The menu is fairly simple and the food good. I had a delicious habenero chili and a curry chicken wrap. The staff recommendation of a glass of Entre Deux Mers Semillion was great with the chili. The wine list is fairly well rounded and Café Caturra also has a small selection of beer for those not interested in the wine.
If you are looking for a wine education or entertainment then check out Café Caturra on Wednesdays when they have complimentary wine tastings or enjoy live music on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30. Café Caturra has three locations all in the Midlothian area. They state that their mission is to "provide the community a memorable social experience encompassing fresh roasted coffee, high quality food, and unique wines." They basically accomplish this goal. The atmosphere is comfortable and friendly, but could be more comfortable with more lounge type furniture and less cafeteria style seating. But they do well by having a small, fairly simple menu so that they can focus on the quality instead of quantity. Overall a very enjoyable experience.
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Vote Grape Leaves Online Your Favorite Blog
December 18, 2008Grape Leaves Online has been added to www.localwineevents.com in their listing of food and wine blogs. Please click HERE and vote for it as your favorite wine blog. Thanks again for your constant support!!
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Thirsty Thursday - The Winery at La Grange 2006 Meritage
December 18, 2008This week I was looking for an enjoyable red that would work well for the holidays with flavorful meats and side dishes. Unfortunately, I'm going to keep looking. The 2006 Meritage from The Winery at La Grange did not impress but was a drinkable mediocre wine. I purchased this bottle for $27.99 at the Cork and Fork in Gainsville.
The Meritage had a clear, deep garnet color. There was a slightly odd smell initially that I tend to associate with unbalanced local wines. There was also the smell of red fruit and slight hints of vanilla, but the aromas were very difficult to get out of the wine indicating that it is still youthful. On the palate the Meritage had medium-high acid and a sharp taste toward the back of the mouth. In fact, most of the taste was toward the back of the mouth - it was not well balanced. This wine really did not have many discernible flavors and had a thin mouthweight. Overall, it was not unpleasant, but was not the complex robust wine I was looking for, especially in this price range. My husband summed it up best when he took a sip and just shrugged his shoulders. Drinkable, but not a good value.
NEXT WEEK: A holiday special Thirsty Thursday. My sister will be in town with a few of her favorites from North Carolina. So sit back and relax, as I slightly expand my "local" taste testing and give you some ideas for your next trip south.
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Linden Claret v. Coppola Claret
December 15, 2008I really enjoy blind tasting of wines because it forces you to abandon any preconceived ideas and evaluate the wines just as they are. This weekend I compared the 2006 Claret Diamond Series from Francis Ford Coppola and the 2005 Claret from Linden Vineyards. Claret is the term historically used by the British to describe Bordeaux style red wines or wines that are predominately made from Cabernet Sauvignon. I purchased the Coppola from the Montgomery County, Maryland Liquor Store for $18.95 and the Linden was purchased at the Gainsville Cork and Fork for $24.99.
Wine A had a deep purple color and smelled of blackfruit, currant, plum, blackberry, and vanilla. It had a pleasant, well balanced taste with the same flavors as aromas. It was smooth and very enjoyable. Wine B had an identical color and very similar aromas and flavors. It was difficult to tell the two apart other than Wine B having slightly higher acidity. In fact, I was not entirely sure that my husband hadn't poured the same wine in both glasses just to see if I would notice. I could not say that one was better than the other.
The results? Wine A was the Coppola and Wine B from Linden. Kudos to both wineries for making such pleasant, smooth, enjoyable wines. Extra applause goes to Linden for pulling it off in our local region. It is impressive that a local wine could compete with such a California staple.
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Thirsty Thursday - 2007 Linden Seyval
December 10, 2008The 2007 Sevyal from Linden Vineyards, Linden, Virginia, is another good compliment to their impressive 2007 vintage. Seyval Blanc is a grape that is resistant to cold weather and does well in oak. This particular Seyval is 12.5% alcohol by volume.
The Linden Seyval has a clear, pale, lemon-green color. It has a clean, youthful nose smelling of citrus, apple, and grass. You will also be able to detect an aroma of oak. It is a dry wine with medium high acid with similar flavors to the aromas except that the oak is not as noticeable. It is a bit bitter at the finish. The wine has a medium length.
This is a refreshing wine that is pleasant without being particularly remarkable. It would pair well with shellfish or lightly grilled poultry. Perfect for salad or cheese.
NEXT WEEK: 2006 Meritage from The Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, Virginia. This wine can be purchased at these retailers. Please join me next week with a bottle of Meritage and get ready for a big red that will hopefully get us ready for a Hanukkah brisket or Christmas roast.
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Consensus Blending at Keswick Vineyards
December 8, 2008This weekend I had the unique opportunity to participate in a wine blending contest at Keswick Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia. Once a year the winery opens their barrel room and wines to members of the wine club. They provided us with four individual wines: 2007 Touriga, 2007 Norton, 2007 Petite Verdot, and 2007 Malbec. As teams we were tasked with blending a wine from these four that would win in a blind tasting and then later be bottled under the label "Consensus."
We started out by tasting each individual wine in order to discern what each brings to the party. We learned that the Touriga and Petite Verdot balance each other with Touriga being noticeable in the front of the palate while Petite Verdot is more noticable in the back of the mouth. Then we added Malbec for fruit and Norton for body. After trying multiple different blends and different percentages of each we settled on the blend that we thought was the best and would beat out the other 10 submissions. After bottling our blend we turned it in and then participated in a blind tasting of all 11 wines. Individually we scored the wines on appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste, and overall impression.
The results? We came in second. But after getting over our initial disappointment we simply appreciated the fun learning experience. It was facinating to see how the individual wines interact with each other and how changing the percentage just a small bit makes a huge change in the taste of the wine. It was also interesting to see what a wide variety of blends people created. For example, our second place blend was 55% Touriga, 10% Norton, 10% Petite Verdot, and 25% Malbec. The first place team had a whopping 40% Norton which is a very strong and distinguishable grape. The third place blend was 35% Touriga, only 5% Norton, 30% Petite Verdot, and 40% Malbec. Not only did we leave with an increased knowledge of wine, but also an understanding of what goes into winemaking and blending. We have a greater appreciation for how the skill and personal preference of a winemaker goes a long way into making the perfect wine. If you ever have a chance to participate in an event like this jump on it because you will learn a lot in the process as well as have an extremely enjoyable time.
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Wine Skins - So Your Wine Can Come With You
December 2, 2008I just got back from a whirlwind weekend in the Dominican Republic. (Congrats Julissa and Mike on your wedding!!) I've gotten in the habit of traveling with some of my favorite wine since you just never know what kind of free time you'll have to kill when away from home. Since you can't carry on a bottle of wine you have to put it in your checked bag. How confident are you that a bottle rolled up in a sweatshirt or towel will survive the airport baggage handlers?
Let me introduce you to WineSkins. These are plastic, wine bottle shaped sleeves that are lined with bubble wrap. You slide the bottle into the skin and then seal it with the adhesive seal on the end. Want to reuse the skin? Seal it with your own packing tape instead of the provided adhesive seal. I brought two bottles in my suitcase with me and had no problems at all. The WineSkin is thick and I was confident that it would protect the bottles. I still packed them toward the center of my bag to be safe, but you can travel with your wine worry free.
Where to purchase these nifty items? I got mine for $1 a piece at Best Cellars in Dupont Circle. Definitely worth the investment.
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