Tasting- AmRhein's 2011 Traminette

Name: AmRhein's 2011 Traminette

Variety: Traminette

Region: Virginia

Country:United States

Year: 2011

Price: $11.99

Professional review: A delightfully crisp wine featuring the flavors of pineapple and grapefruit. The acidity is balanced with the natural residual fruit sugar reminiscent of the German Spätlese style of winemaking.

My review: As soon as I saw the words German Spatlese on the label, I had to grape it and compare it to other Spatlese wines I have had. It was definitely similar. The wine had a little bit of a fritz to it, but was not sparkling so that was intriguing. The nose was very crisp with a kind of cleaner smell to it like freshly scrubbed floors. It had sweet citrus flavors like lemon and grapefruit. I had this wine with creamy brie cheese and crackers, which cut down on the acidity of the wine. Overall, a pretty good porch drinking wine.

Tasting- La Vieille Ferme Recolte 2010

Name: La Vieille Ferme Recolte 2010

Variety: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre

Region: Rhone Valley

Country: France

Year: 2010

Price: $7.99

Professional review: The La Vielle Ferme wines come from the Perrin family of the famed Chateau Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley, France. While this wine is at a lower price point than those made by Chateau Beaucastel, it benefits from the family’s experience and masterful wine making skills. While not a complex wine, the La Vieille Ferme is straight forward wine with bright fruit. If you love fruity wines, this wine is for you.

My review: I was really disappointed with this wine. I kept hearing about how it was a great value and a "crowd-pleaser" wine, but I disagree. It was very light and hollow. I couldn't smell much on the nose because the alcohol was so overwhelming. For the taste, I got a little bit of cherry and oak, but it was not complex at all. I had this wine with a shrimp pasta and I really wish I had a nice white wine instead.

Winery Visit- Vintage Ridge Vineyard

On Sunday, April 15, 2012 I visited Vintage Ridge Winery in Rectortown, VA with my friends. It is a really small winery hidden tucked into the hills of the country. Inside, the winery was really elegant and nicely decorated. They also had a great patio area where we did the tasting.

The inside of the tasting room with old stainless steal vats.

The winery was closed from December to March for the whole winemaking process. They grow all of the grapes except for Syrah and Merlot, which they get from a vineyard in Madison County. Then they do the pressing, fermentation, and bottle all of the wines on site. Customers are invited to be a part of almost every step in the process, which is pretty neat. We were lucky enough to see some of the wine being bottled when we got there!

These are the Maiden Voyage Wines being bottles at the winery.

A really neat thing that Vintage Ridge does is their Premier Pairing. They make little, tasty bites for each wine and tell people to sip the wine without food and then with it to get the full affect. They have a person on staff who chooses which wines will go with what types of food. Definitely a job I would like :)

The wines are displayed beautifully when you walk into the tasting room.

  The wines we had included:

Maiden Voyage- this is a blended wine of Vidal Blanc and Mourvedre, which is a red grape, but they don't let the wine soak on the skin. This was definitely a unique wine. They explained that it is perfect by itself so we did not have a pairing with it. On the nose it was citrusy mixed with a gasoline smell. I definitely got more citrusy and tropical fruits on the pallet like pineapple and lemon. This was the driest wine and very interesting, but not my favorite.

Syrah- This was a spicy, light wine. It had earthy, dirty and slightly acidic flavors that went really well with the peppered tomato and peach pairing. I really enjoyed this wine. It was easy to drink with great flavors and complexity.

Drinking the Cabernet Franc with a pairing of Manchago Cheese and Spicy Plum Chutney. Yum!

Cabernet Franc- this wine was more medium-bodied than the last one. It was really well-balanced between the dark fruity cherry flavors and the peppery, green flavors. There was a hint of a clove at the end that left a nice taste in my mouth. We had this wine with Manchago cheese and spicy plum chutney. While I think I liked the previous wine on its own better, this was hand-down my favorite pairing of the whole tasting.

Petite Verdot- this was the biggest, boldest wine of them all. It was really heavy on my pallet with very dry, tannic, black tea components. I got a little bit of oak and leather mixed in with dark, dark, over-ripened cherries. I think this is one of those wines that goes perfectly with a huge, fatty steak. We tasted this wine with salami and three pepper mustard. The fattiness in the salami was perfect with the wine and even though i don't like mustard, it wasn't too bad either.

Summer Night- wow, this wine was yummy. It had more residual sugar than many white wines, which scared me at first, but was really well contained by the fruity, fig flavors in the wine. They suggested pairing the wine with Thai food, which I think would taste fantastic. However, we tried this wine with spiced pecans. The cyan pepper from the glaze was amazing with the wine. I definitely took a bottle of this home with me!

A listing of the wines they carry and the prices.

I will definitely come back to this winery again. It is probably the best one I have been to so far.

Outside at Vintage Ridge Winery with the vineyard in the background.

Tasting- Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia

Name: Cantina di Casteggio Moscato di Pavia

Variety: Muscat

Region: Lombardy

Country: Italy

Year: 2011

Price: $7.95

Professional review: Bright, light golden color. Very aromatic nose of ripe apricots, sage, honey, and a slight minerallity. Medium bodied, sweet and fruity with flavors of apricots and tangerine. Well balanced acidity and medium finish with layers of sweet and citrus fruit.

My review: Although I am trying to keep an open mind with wines, I have never been a big fan of Moscato and this wine did not change my mind. All I got from the nose was sweet, syrup sticky peach jam. It tasted very artificial with all of the sugary flavors. I did not have this with wine, but I imagine maybe a good cheese could help?

Tasting- Montebuena Rioja Crianza 

 

Name: Montebuena Rioja Crianza

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Crianza

Country: Spain

Year: 2007

Price: $7.95

Professional review: 100% Tempranillo. Dark red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with hints of cracked pepper and dried rose. Crisp and dry on the palate, with spicy redcurrant and cherry flavors, light tannins and a fresh, energetic finish. An excellent value, and surprisingly elegant for this price point.

My review: Although I cant pinpoint the specific type of spice, but I could really smell the spice in this wine with hints of black cherry. The spice and pepper also really popped on my pallet, which I didn't really like. I did not have food with this wine and would definitely stay away from anything with even a tiny bit of pepper or spicy taste to it.

Tasting- Varas Vinho Tinto

Name: Varas Vinho Tinto

Variety: Castelao, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Pinot Noir

Region: Lisbon

Country: Portugal

Year: Not Found

Price: $21.95

Professional review: This smooth Portuguese red is a blend of Castelão (45%), Tinta Roriz (25%), Tinta Barroca (20%) and Pinot Noir (10%). The vineyards are located near Lisbon, planted in sunny gentle slopes of clay and limestone soils. The wine was aged in oak barrels.

My review: This wine was pretty good and a great value. It was definitely a dry red and could have used some time opening up, which is difficult with boxed wine. However, the flavors were very nice with some light oak, spice, and dark fruit like juicy blackberries.I did not taste this wine with food, but would definitely consider when having a larger group of people over.

Tasting- Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rose Reserva

Name: Oveja Negra Syrah-Cab Rose Reserva

Variety: Syrah and Cab

Region: Maule

Country: Chile

Year: 2010

Price: $6.95

Professional review: Oveja Negra Reserva Rosé is bright cherry-red in color and has an attractive nose with aromas of raspberries and strawberries as well as plum and a bit of green apple. Crisp and juicy on the palate with a slight sweetness that accompanies the red fruit flavors. Pleasing natural acidity with medium high intensity, nice persistence, and a fresh finish.

My review: This wine was light in color as the rose name suggests. The nose and flavors were both very fruit-forward with a lot of berries coming through. It smelled sweet and like very ripe strawberries. This flavor kind of attacked me with its bitterness and showed the fruit off at the end. It was a little too shocking at first taste for me even though it left a sweet finish in my mouth. I did not have this with food and would love to find out what it pairs well with because food could definitely help or hurt this wine.

Tasting- gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio

Name: gPG Garganega Pinot Grigio

Variety: Pinot Grigio

Region: delle Venezie

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $8.95

Professional review: gPG is from the delle Venezie regions of northeastern Italy. A clean and crisp palate with plenty of texture and weight follows aromas of apples and zesty lemons. It's perfect with grilled white fish or light risotto.

My review: This wine was not bad and not wonderful. The citrus notes were really obvious on the nose and I definitely got the zesty lemon taste. The weight of the wine was a little bit lighter than the description made it sound, but not exactly thin. It was almost a little too bitter, which kind of turned me off. However, I did not taste this wine with food so that would probably make it more balanced and less stringent.

Tasting- 2010 Cupcake Malbec

Name: Cupcake Malbec

Variety: Malbec

Region: Mendoza

Country: Argentina

Year: 2010

Price: $9.99

Professional review: Known throughout the world for their fleshy reds, Argentina and its signature grape Malbec don't disappoint. Grown at over 2,400 feet in the shadows of the Andes mountains, our lush, well structured wine offers generous plum and raspberry notes. A round, full palate with a touch of creaminess yields into flavors reminiscent of a dark chocolate, flourless cupcake accented with fresh berries.

My review: I've never had a Malbec before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed this wine. The nose was really rich and I definitely smelled raspberries. It tasted like black cherries with a little bit of dark chocolate or mocha. It was fruity and had a mouth-watering with a dry, smooth finish with a little spiciness. I had this wine with steak and roasted potatoes. The fattiness of the meat mellowed out the wine even more than it was before. I would definitely buy this wine again.

Tasting- 2010 Little Penguin Pinot Noir

Name: The Little Penguin Pinot Noir

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir

Region: Southeastern Australia

Country: Australia

Year: 2010

Price: $5.99

Professional review: Australian Wines have long dominated the import category here in the united states. While the pinot noir has become one of the most popular varietals, the Little Penguin's home is still an untapped region for pinot noir. Seeing the potential in Australia to become the next big producer of pinot noir, The Little Penguin is pleased to announce the latest addition to the family - The Little Penguin Pinot Noir! (From the label)

My review: This wine had a really deep purple color. It smelled smokey and like strawberry jam, which was also evident in the flavor. It was very thin and light in body and totally lacked complexity. You definitely get what you pay for with this wine, which is why it is so cheap. I had this wine with vegetable soup, which didn't really enhance the flavors but I don't think many foods would complement it well.

Winery Visit- Barrel Oak Winery

My lovely mother was clearly very excited about all the yummy wines at Barrel Oak.

On March 9, 2012, I visited Barrel Oak Winery in Delaplane, Virginia with my parents. We did a wine tasting, talked to the owner, and ended the visit with a bottle and a cheese platter. Unfortunately, they were not doing tours of the winery at the time we visited, but I've visited this winery a year ago and did the tour at that time.

The entrance to the tasting room at Barrel Oak

We talked to Brian, the owner, about the history of the winery. He told us that they started planting vines in 2006. They have roughly 20,000 vines that produce 90 tons of grapes and they get some of the grapes from local vineyards. The 22-acre vineyard grows Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Petit Manseng, Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Traminette and Chambourcin. The sun was setting and the view from the tasting room was amazing.

View of the vines from a window in the tasting room at Barrel Oak.

Brian said that they really strive to make the winery a community place where everyone feels free to come and hang out. While we were there, a group of parents in their children came in with pizza boxes for the kids while some of the parents did a tasting. I thought it was a little odd, but it definitely showed that people felt comfortable here and thought of it as a great place for everyone to get together. Brian handed us over to one of the tasting room mangers who poured each of the wines for us.

An upstairs section of the tasting room where they sometimes do tastings if the downstairs area is too crowded.

The pretty glasses we tasted from. After the tasting, you were allowed to buy them for $3.

Below is a list of the wines we tasted from my favorite to my least favorite:

2009 Bowhaus Red- this was my favorite wine of the day. It smelled like berries with a little bit of spice. It was semi-sweet with great body and complexity. The spiciness, woodiness, sweetness, cherry and fruity flavors all came together really well and made for a very tasty wine. We were told that there were four different types of red grapes in the wine and that it was aged in three types of oak

2009 Viognier Reserve- a very well-rounded wine. It was also very tropical on the nose and somewhat citrusy, but creamier and felt heavier in my mouth. This wine definitely had an oak component, but it wasn't overwhelming. The tasting room manager told us that it had undergone partial malolactic fermentation, which was evident on the pallet. 

2010 Bowhaus White- a Riesling style wine that had a very tropical nose and flavor. It was a little too sweet for me, but would probably be enjoyable slightly chilled and on a nice, hot summer day.

2009 Merlot- a medium body wine with lots of tannins. This had a dark fruit aroma and a little more spice to it. The bottle we tasted from was just opened so I think it might have been better after decanting for a little while. This wine definitely had a lot of potential, but needed to breathe more.

2009 Cabernet Sauvignon- a bold, dark wine. It reminded me of toasted almonds and plum. This was definitely a bold wine, but a little softer because the bottle had been open for a while. This was a good wine, but didn't have as much depth as some of the others.

2009 Chardonnay- described as a new world style with hints of oak. However, I definitely got more than "hints of oak" in this wine. I wouldn't say it was an oak monster, but it was a little too much for me and made it hard to taste other flavors in the wine. It smelled really buttery and had the buttery finish as well. Not the greatest Chardonnay.

They are almost as passionate about dogs as they are the wine. Each bottle has a cute picture of one of their dogs and a nice quote and description on the back.

A bottle of the 2009 Bowhaus Red that we had with a cheese platter.

After the tasting we decided to get a bottle of the 2009 Bowhaus Red and a cheese platter. The platter included varies types of cheese like Drunken Goat Cheese which tasted really good with the wine. We also had baguettes, salami, mustard, grapes, apricots, and figs on the platter. Almost everything tasted amazing paired with the wine.

Our cheese platter with baguettes and our bottle of Bowhaus Red.

We had a really great time at Barrel Oak. The winery is located only a few minutes from my house so I will definitely be returning with friends over the summer.

My Dad and I enjoying a glass of the Bowhaus Red in the upstairs area of the tasting room.

Tasting- Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling




Name: Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Variety:  Riesling
Region: Pfalz
Country: Germany
Year: 2010
Price: $8.95

Professional review: Flint and mineral notes accent pineapple and lime aromas, while on the palate, the wine shows plenty of ripe, citrusy fruit flavors. Tangy acids on the long finish provide balance.

My review: This wine was pretty different. The aromas in this wine were very pungent and tropical. I didn't really get all of the mineral, rocky references until I tasted it. This was a little off putting and didn't seem to blend well with the sweet tangy, citrus flavors of the wine. I tasted this without food and I can't really figure out what it would go well with.