Springtime in the Virginia Wine Country!

It's finally spring and the vines have budded! Chris now has to fit in vineyard management around driving the wine tours. As you can see in the photo below the baby clusters have formed. We were thrilled that we had no freezes to worry about this spring. The gardens at Arcady Vineyard Bed & Breakfast are blooming too and with all this rain they are looking great! Now, if we can just keep up with the weeding...

We've had a little time to go and taste some of the new releases, and we're impressed!

The semi sweet whites at Cardinal Point are stellar again this year. Even proclaimed "Red Wine Only" wine drinkers on our tours have fallen for them. They are mildly semi-sweet and very clean, crisp and refreshing - perfect with spicy foods.

Pollak has a new Pinot Gris that they left on the skins for more flavor and it's absolutely delicious as is the whole lineup. We also found all the reds wonderful - the Cabernet Franc is soooo smooth! The only thing they're worried about right now is running out of wine before the year is out!!

King has a lovely lineup as well. I am especially fond of their Rosé this year! It has a great grapefruit essence to it that will be perfect on a sunny day.

We also stopped by Mountfair north of town. Their Bordeaux blends are something we really enjoy, and they told us that they will also soon be carrying Brad's Reisling which will be called, well, -Brad's Reisling". (Another favorite local winemaker -Brad McCarthy)

Virginia Wineworks open on Weekends!

We love to find new spots to bring our guests to taste the local wines. The reason we were excited to see partners Michael Shaps and Philip Stafford open Virginia Wineworks is because it is a "custom crush" facility.

To us, a custom crush winery means that our Monticello Appellation is becoming a TRUE wine region. This type of winery is a winemaker's winery. The vineyard grower can bring his fruit here and rent equipment and/or expertise and advice in making wine.

Here in Virginia there are roughly 130 or so wineries. The number of vineyards double that. Just like my home state of California, not all wineries are able to grow all the fruit that they need for production of their wines. Then again, there are vineyards who want to make wine but cannot afford the equipment.

On top of that, there are people like us here at Arcady. We have a small vineyard for the B&B guests to enjoy and as a future backdrop for small custom weddings. But we have not yet decided what we'll do with the fruit!

They can also source the fruit for the client who wishes to make wine and assist throughout the whole procedure.

Virginia Wineworks is a great place to visit for those interested in WINE. They don't care about the frou frou stuff. I love it because it's the real winery experience. While we love the beautiful tasting rooms for serving our lunches and cheese plates, there's something so FUN about walking up and having to really SHOVE the door open to enter...turn left and walk past the bottling machine sitting there waiting for its next batch...are they closed? No... if you listen you can hear voices and see a light under the garage door pulled down to keep the winter chill out of the barrel room where all the wines are sleeping.

Give a knock and you'll be invited to hoist up the garage door and join the merry group inside tasting wine produced by one of the most successful winemaker/consultants in the Charlottesville area.

You'll sample an offering of the everyday Wineworks line, and Michael Shaps fine dinner wines.

Bring your checkbook or cash for payment, and if you're running late - say after 4pm, give them a call to let them know you're coming. Tastings now during the winter months are on Saturday and Sunday, and the winery is located just past First Colony Winery.

Directions:

From I64 take the 20 south exit towards Scottsville.

Drive about 15 minutes - about 11 miles and look for the grape sign on your right at Harris Creek Road.

One mile up the road and you'll see First Colony Winery. This is also a great place to stop and taste, and they have plenty of inside and outside tables for picnic lunches!

Just past First Colony you'll find Virginia Wineworks.

Yes, it does say "Montdomaine" over the door, but don't let that fool you. You're in the right place!

Virginia Wineworks, LLC

1781 Harris Creek Way

Charlottesville, VA 22902

434-296-3438

info@virginiawineworks.com

Wine Tasting in the Winter Time

Guests are always asking me when the best time to go wine tasting would be. My answer ? "It depends!"

The cooler weater of Spring starts showing the grass and flowers starting to bud as well as the grape vines. It's not hot yet so the tasting rooms are not so busy. Many wines are released at this time so there are lots to choose from for your tastings.

Tasting in the summer is fun - the weather can sometimes be hot, but the sky is a beautiful clear blue, you can just throw on your shorts and flip-flops, and dine outside. Of course we have to work hard to keep the cheese and chocolates on our tour plate chilled, but have developed a talent for that.

Fall is stunning for tasting - the leaves on the trees and the vines turn beautiful colors, the weather is comfortable inside and out, and the wineries are harvesting grapes so it's often we get a chance to catch some action like grapes being destemmed. We’re often offered tastings of grapes as well as wines. You do have to book early since it's a popular time to visit our wine country, and be prepared for some crowds, but wine tasters are a jolly bunch!

But winter, ah... I love tasting in the winter! The busy crowds are gone, the wineries have recovered from their frantic long days of harvest, and are relaxed and ready to spend some time with us, often taking us into the cellar to try this or that. Fireplaces are burning warm and bright, and to me, the vineyards, dormant against the winter sky and snow are a romantic sight.

But then again, I'm a native San Franciscan, and we think our morning fog is romantic and beautiful!

The Heck with Matt Lauer - Where in the World is Brad McCarthy??!!

The Answer?

EVERYWHERE!

When we started out wine tours about 6 years ago, our guests' favorite stop was with Winemaker Brad McCarthy!

They loved his no-nonsense wine explanations, they loved his dog Avril, and, best of all, they loved his wine!

Since he's gone off on his own again, we keep getting asked where the heck he went so we made it our mission to find out.

He went everywhere! He went virtual! He's making wine at several local wineries - and this year, 2008, is his 21st vintage.

His independent label Bradford Reed Wines has released a 2006 100% Merlot, made again with fruit from King Family Vineyards. We tasted it (11/22/08) at the Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. I'm loving the fruit forwardness which to me is a typical Brad style wine. Here are his tasting notes on his first two 2006 releases:

Bradford Reed 2006 Merlot
This is a ripe, intense, single vineyard Merlot (100% King Family Vineyards). Its deep purple color alludes to its full flavor. This wine has the flavor of a lot of black fruits with an earthy undertone. Medium body with supple tannins and good acidity. It pairs well with a broad range of foods.

Bradford Reed 2006 Virginia Meritage

This Virginia Meritage has the classic Bordeaux flavors. It is a supple wine with a cedar edge to the currant and spicy flavors. 45% Cabernet Franc, 42% Petit Verdot and 13% Merlot. It has a full, complex flavor that will take the first glass to fully explore.

Bradford Reed wines soon to come in 2009
from Ox-Eye Vineyard fruit grown by John Keirs:

Riesling, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Franc!

Monticello's New Welcome Center Opens!

We had some free time so drove the two miles from our B&B to Monticello to check out the new welcome center. It's about time! When we moved here in 2000, tickets were purchased in an old mobile unit, and the only food available was at a little outdoor stand.

It's beautifully done in wood and other elements that blend in with the surrounding forest.

We found that they moved the nursery to the front which we love. They don't have much to offer right now as winter is approaching, but you can see that it will be beautiful when spring and summer hits.

The building is designed around a courtyard. Right now the Welcome Pavilion, the Café at Brix, and the Monticello Museum Shop are open. Down the road they will also have the Carl and Hunter Smith Education Center. I thought I saw some areas that will house artist studios, but I'm not sure yet.

While I'm sorry to see Brix no longer operating at the end of our road (how convenient was that!) we are thrilled to see them running the Café at the Welcome Center.

In the past when guests planned to tour Monticello, lunch was another trip to either Brix for fabulous sandwiches, salads, pastries and more for outside picnics, or to Michie Tavern or Kluge.

Now you can see above that the Café is lovely and allows visitors to lunch right there after touring Monticello. And we can still visit
Brix's other beautiful location in Pantops in Charlottesville to get our sandwiches for our Wine Tour lunches.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the people making the choosing "chose wisely" as the saying goes, and chose Brix to manage the food venue here.

We didn't have time to enter the Museum Shop, but noted that it sure is spacious compared to the little shop up by Monticello! Lots of room to walk around and check out all the wares.

The International Food and Wine Experience of Charlottesville

January 23, 2009 ***NOTE*** The First International Food and Wine Experience has been moved from January 2009 to July 2009 ****

WOW! I've just met with Tim O'Brien, (website http://www.ifweoc.com/) to find out about this wonderful new Event.

He kindly gave me some press releases to use to inform Arcady's guests here in my blog.

The first of what we are sure will be many many years of the:

International Wine & Food Experience of Charlottesville!

What it's NOT: Not a festival. Not a wine tasting. Not a wine dinner.

What it IS: The Internationsl Food and Wine Experience of Charlottesville will be one of the most distinctive experiences in Virginia for the serious epicurean and wine connoisseur.

This year's Experience will feature around 100 wineries from around the world, numerous fine dining restaurants, gourmet foods, celebrity chefs, champagne breakfasts, 14 wine tasting seminars, a live auction and a silent auction.

When: Starting at 10:00am Friday, January 23 through Sunday, January 25

What: A complete and elegant Wine Experience to include:

• A Grand Tasting on Friday from nearly 100 of the most prestigious wineries around the world!


• Special wine seminars on Friday and Saturday


• A Gala Dinner on Saturday Night at the Omni Hotel with the Unexpected Boys who harmonize Franki Valli and the Four Season's best hits


• Sunday Brunch

Seminars Include:

Southern Hospitality - Fried Chicken, Grits and Wine

A South African Wine Safari

The Artist in Wine

Fins, Zims and Ray C. Wines

Tiny Bubbles - A Discussion of Growers Champagne

Green Wines - Organic and Biodynamic Creations

Dirty Thoughts - A Study of Terroir

D'Vine Divas

It's a Cheesy

Charlottesville Sugar Shack featuring Grand Cru by Kluge Estate

Crystal Clear: Does a Glass Make a Difference?

The Perfect Pair: French Wines and French Food --ooh la la!

An American in Paris - One Chardonnay Which Changed the World

Red, White, and Barbeque

Speakers and Presenters include:

Luca Pashina, of Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia
Claude Thibaut, Master of the "methode champenoise", of the new lable Thibault-Janisson "Blanc de Chardonnay", Virginia
C. Matthew Cain, a wine marketing profesional, owner of J. Soif, Inc, wine import company

Sponsors include:

The Omni Hotel, located on the downtown pedestrian mall. The Omni will be the site of the Grand Tasting, numerous seminars, and the Gala Award Dinner

Monticello Media Group, and it's six stations

Charlottesville Newsplex, and it's 6 television stations

Tickets:
Grand Tickets $759 with 2 night hotel stay, $559 without hotel room include:

Choice of 3 seminars

Champagne Breakfast

Grand Tasting

Blind Tasting

Gala Dinner

Sunday Brunch

I'm still collecting information about this wonderful Event, and I'm sure it is still evolving as more and more wine enthusiasts get involved.

A portion of the funds will go to scholarships to Virginians in the food and wine industry

Main contacts/organizers:

Timothy P. O'Brien, MPAff, president

George Benford, Consultant, Owner of SIIPS on the downtown walking mall.

For updates on this Event, please keep an eye on the website at http://www.ifweoc.com/

Chris and I have worked backstage at Napa's Wine Auction which is held every year, so we're excited to see this Event starting here in Charlottesville. It should be great fun!

October - Charlottesville's Busy Wine Month

October is an exciting time here in the Charlottesville Wine Country. It's also exhausting! The grapes are carefully watched and as soon as they are the proper brix they are harvested. That can happen anytime. 

I can remember a time while we were in Napa, California and Chris was working at Newlan Winery. The grapes were ready at 1 am so by golly that's when they were picked. 

Later that morning after the fruit was delivered to the winery, Chris was running the destemmer and saw something shiny - a flashlight that had been forgotten in the lug and traveled to the winery with the fruit! He had to make a quick dive to retreive it or so it didn't travel through the machine and ruin an expensive batch of grapes. Later that vintage won some great awards and we teased him that he should swim in all the fruit before we sent it to fermentation!!

Anyway, if you are planning to travel to our area anytime in October look for your accommodations NOW. Everyone could be booked completely already. We are at our B&B for weekends, and have few tour seats left. During the week we still have some openings for both the B&B and the wine tours.

The exciting news right now is that a great new winery Mountfair is now open on both Saturdays and Sundays for tastings. Open hours are from 12 noon to 5 pm. 

Previously they were open only on Sundays or by appointment. Our guests are really loving their reds! They have a great location to sit outside while it's still warm and enjoy a picnic. Of course there is also their golf game up there...you'll have to ask them how that's played! Pictured here is a view of the vines and pond from outside the tasting room.

The other winery that has gone from appointment only to open hours on Saturday and Sunday from now through December, is 

our new Custom Crush Winery, Virginia Wineworks. This is a winery where they not only make wine but have facilities for other grape growers to bring fruit and make wine with or without

 assistance.  Their hours will be from 11 am to 5pm. Pictured here is the tasting area from the barrel room.

So remember - when you go tasting right now you'll have a chance to possibly see some winemaking action but it's going to be crowded since it's a popular time to visit the wineries. 

And be patient while waiting to taste - many are working on little sleep since there is so much to be done right now!

Salut!