Graduation Weekend, anybody?

If there are any folks out there wanting to come for University of Virginia's graduation weekend, there are a few room nights left.

Arcady Vineyard - we had a cancellation and have Saturday night available at www.arcadyvineyard.com
Inn at High Meadows - has the Friday available at highmeadowsvineyardinn@hotmail.com
Inn at 400 West High - has two rooms for Friday only at
www.400westhigh.com

Release of Starr Hill's "Monticello Reserve Ale" on Presidents' Day!

Left is Chris from Arcady, right Mark Thompson from Starr Hill Brewery

We visit Starr Hill all the time with our hybrid brewery/winery tours and have been so impressed with the vast knowledge of Brewmaster Mark Thompson. Not only does he brew a mean beer, but if you ever get a chance to chat with this busy fellow you will learn all kinds of interesting facts as to the history of beer in America.

For instance, did you know that as wine was an expensive import in early America, Thomas Jefferson drank beer with dinner? It was brewed at Monticello, while wine was enjoyed as an after-dinner beverage!

Yesterday, on Presidents' Day, Chris went over to Monticello (all in the name of research, natch) to taste the release of the new Monticello Reserve Ale seen here in Mark's hand which is the result of a team effort of Starr Hill Brewery and Monticello. It will be Monticello's signature beer and was created by carefully studying what kind of beer was created at Monticello during Jefferson's time.

More information can be seen at Starr Hill's blog on this tasty new treat!!

The Latest at Arcady

We made it through the "busy" season and what a ride that was! Fortunately we have a wonderful couple who have an innsitting business to cover for us at the B&B entertaining and checking in guests for us while we are out driving wine tours or we would never have made it through October and November. It was so much fun with so many great guests but the time went by in a whirl and winter snuck up on us!

Chris now has a barrel of port style desert wine sleeping and aging at Virginia Wineworks, the custom crush winery owned by Michael Shaps. Don't miss this low-key winery where some of the best wines in the state are made! They are there most days now rather than just weekends, f you want to pop in for a tasting and to purchase some award-winning wines. 

Recently in an interview a Virginia winemaker stated that it would not come to be to see a Virginia wine that would sell for $6-7 a bottle. 

Just to show you how FAST things move in Virginia Wine Country, that statement is now disproven! Michael Shaps has brought in the equipment to box wine. We now have two super crowd-pleasing everyday wines - a lightly oaked Chardonnay and a great Cabernet Franc. The box holds the equivalent of 4 bottles of wine and retails for $30. That comes to $7.50 a bottle!!! So go on down to Virginia Wineworks or to Kroger Rio and enjoy that one or two glass of wine with dinner with NO pumping the bottle, and NO wine going to waste. The glass of wine you enjoy after first opening the box is the same a week down the road. Fresher, saving you money to purchase, saving waste, and, I'm sure, much "greener" than the bottle! I personally love, love love the convenience!!!

Wine tasting is now a much more leisurely experience after the hectic crowds of fall. It's now a great time to visit our area and enjoy the wineries as the tasting staff have time to answer all your questions with no lines waiting for space at the tasting bar!

Pictured here is a treat we had on an Arcady Wine Tour last week - it was quiet in the tasting room and guests were allowed to taste the freshly pressed grape juice for a dessert wine alongside of the finished product.

We also love a new winery in the area - Glass House. Whimsical artwork greets you at the entry. The tasting room is to the left and an impressive glass atrium filled with tropical plants to your right.  We enjoyed their first offerings - they are the only winery in the immediate Charlottesville area that makes a Babera besides Barboursville!  Along with that we enjoyed some artisan chocolates made right there at the winery. Bottles come with cool glass stoppers, too. They will be open on New Year's Day if you want to taste wine in an exotic ambience!

This is the time of year when you want to double check before taking off to wine taste to see if any of the wineries you plan to visit have changed to winter hours.  Many are still open every day, but some are working shorter weeks - Pollak and White Hall are closed on Monday and Tuesday right now. Only a few close for the winter months - Mountfair is closed until March, for example.

At Arcady Vineyard B&B while business is quieter during the week we're working on the addition of our second wing. The County allows a bed and breakfast to have up to five rooms, so this wing will hold four rooms. Two will have private decks and two will have private terraces. They'll connect through a door in the existing sitting room which we'll convert into a game room.

Right now the roof is half finished - we're waiting for the shingles to be delivered. Then when the window man comes back from Christmas vacation we'll order our windows. This shows the addition from the back, looking from the vineyard.

The final events of the year in our Wine Country include the Masked Ball at Veritas Vineyards  New Year's Eve and  New Year's Day Brunch at DelFosse Vineyards.

See you in the New Year! 

First Harvest at Arcady Vineyard

It was a bit of a nail-biter for our first harvest. We had the B&B and wine tours booked and were watching the brix count of the grapes, scampering over to our wine friends asking about this and that...when we were finally told, "You have to pick them NOW" we were lucky that we only had guests in the B&B and no tours. Our guests were from Spain and had a Viognier vineyard,  so they understood exactly what was going on.

Fortunately, they were planning to visit Monticello and didn't need any service from us that day other than breakfast!

It's been a strange season, with the red grapes ripening a week ahead of normal. All the dry weather means that we'll have less fruit but it should have great flavor.

So Riki took the day off from work,  Chris dashed out to borrow lugs, and there we were the Tuesday before Labor Day with 90 degrees heat and high humidity picking away. We were pouring as much water on our heads to keep cool as we were drinking!


The fruit was so ripe it had to be picked in a very careful manner or the berries would fall off if handled too roughly. We carefully pulled apart the hay netting and started to work .

It was a scorcher - Chris called Riki a wimp when she give up in the heat after four hours, leaving him the last half row to do on his own.

We could swear there were some clusters weighing a pound! They were dried and pressed, fermented, mixed with a little Merlot, and right now going into a French barrel. In about two years time we will have a port-styled dessert wine.

Reports from top winemakers were very complimentary on our juice, so we are excited!

Tasting in Charlottesville

Festivals in Town
The Festival of the Book opens today, March 17, 2010 so there will be more folks in town than normal on the Downtown Mall pictured here.

I don't know that it will make tasting any more crowded, but dining in the area will be so if you are visiting from out of town try and make reservations, or go to the local gourmet shops and pick up something delicious to eat in and avoid the crowds. Of the several here we visit most often Feast and Brix.   


Wine News
As far as wine news - lots of excitement from the Governor's Cup. This year they decided to restrict the tasting and judging to reds and awarded the cup to King Family for their 2007 Meritage (a Bordeaux Blend).  As a result they are now out of it and pouring their 2008 Meritage which is very smooth-tasting for such a young red. King also released their dry rosé  which I like just as much as the one from last year.

But I'm still waiting for my favorite to be released from Pollak - the Pinot Gris. Hurry Up!!!


Passport to Three Wineries
If you're tasting in March, don't forget to start at Keswick and ask for the $10 tasting Passport. This pays for your tasting at Keswick, tasting at Jefferson, and the regular tasting at Kluge (not the sparkling tasting) . And while you are at Kluge don't forget Blenheim, where tasting is $5 and you keep the glass. If you return with your glass to Blenheim, a future tasting will be free. We love Kirsty's wines and hear that they will be expanding the back deck which will be wonderful - it's a gorgeous view!

Virginia Wines in the Press
Some Virginia red wines are getting great ratings from the Wine Enthusiast magazine.

Congrats to:
Kluge for the 2005 New World Red Blend (87 Points)
DelFosse (pictured) for the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (86 points)
Cooper Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc (85 points)


Of course, I'm reminded that we have to take what the wine magazines write with a grain of salt. The recent article from Wine Spectator points this out to me when they talk about Virginia making wine from their native grapes like Niagra. I had to search to see who makes wine from that grape. I would have mentioned Norton myself.


Afton Mountain is almost finished with their outdoor renovations for seating and wine sipping while viewing the magnificent views. The tasting room inside is completed and beautiful. My favorite tasting there is the Reserve list. 


Another of our favorites, Mountfair, has released their Inaugural 2008 Bordeaux Blend, and we have great news from them! They are now open Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday from 12 to 5. Check out their website and their release party on March 27!

Wine by the Glass Week

The first year for this event which joins local wineries with restaurants and wine shops. Those participating will offer a minimum of two Virginia wines by the glass. Charlottesville has a number of local restaurants that are stocking local wines and I hope this encourages more!

Charlottesville Participating restaurants and wine vendors:

Bistro 1834

Clifton Inn

Kroger

Market Street Wine Shop

Inn at Meander Plantation (GREAT restaurant just north of C'ville)

Ivy Inn and Restaurant

Montpelier

Old Mill Room (at Boars Head Inn)

The Virginia Shop

If you are not dining at any of these, just ask for a Virginia wine. Many restaurants have one on the list. In the past at one of our favorites, The Local, we have had a wonderful Pollak wine, and one from Gabrielle Rausse. At Hamilton's we have enjoyed A6, a food-friendly Chardonnay/Viognier blend from Cardinal Point, and at Tavola we have had Brad McCarthy's  Bradford Reed Merlot!  Chris had a barrel tasting recently of Brad's upcoming Cabernet Franc, and said it is magnificent, even though it's not bottled yet!

See you in the tasting rooms!

Erika

Charlottesville Area Wines in Washington DC!

Well not only has the White House served a Charlottesville area Virginia sparkling wine - Claude Thibaut's Sparkling Chardonnay - Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello at that infamous White House dinner not long ago, but last Sunday at the Governors Ball another local Charlottesville wine was served: the 2008 Metit Mansang from Sugarleaf. Way to go, local winemakers!

We also did very well at the San Francisco Wine Competition - which is the largest competition of US wines in the world. I can attest to that - having been there once. It was HUGE. Virginia wineries this year took 23 medals with everything from Viognier, to Petit Mansang, to Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot to WHAT??? Cabernet Sauvignon???!! Good show!! How did Charlottesville wrestle a medal from Northern California for a Virginia-grown Cabernet Sauvignon!! They usually don't give ours a chance!!

What's upcoming now?? Check Pollak Vineyards for their barrel tastings - they are coming up soon - March 21-22 and March 28-28 is what I hear. Tasting fees will be $10 for non case club members

They plan to taste 5 wines at the barrel tasting: 08 Cabernet Sauvignon, 08 Meritage, 07 Meritage, and the port-styled Viognier. Yum! We sampled the port-styled Viognier at their wine dinner not long ago and loved it.

Later in March on the 20th will be Jefferson's Barrel Tasting Dinner which will allow guests to taste the 2009 wines that are aging. I don't see a menu so call them to find out what they'll be serving at 434-977-3042.

What’s Up in Wine Country the Weekend of February 19

There is normally not any thing special planned for the tasting rooms the weekend after Valentine’s Day here in the Charlottesville area, as most of the principals are in Richmond pouring for a premier wine tasting event known as The Virginia Wine Expo. This is the hotly contested competition for the Governor's Cup, awarded to the best wine submitted this year.

February 26, 27 & 28. 2010

Virginia Wine Expo – Highlighting the Quality and Diversity of Virginia Wine

Location: Greater Richmond Convention Center

Attendees will enjoy fine food from top restaurants and vendors, live chef demos, wine seminars and more! Your entrance fee includes a Schott Zweisel crystal wine glass. Guests are invited to taste and purchase wine.

Now if you are in the Charlottesville area to taste wine and don't feel like the 45 minute drive to Richmond, never fear! All of the tasting rooms are open, and when we drove our wine tours last weekend, all the roads were clear.

Don't wear any of our favorite strappy shoes, however! As you can see here the current weather is only enjoyed by our Russian Wolfhound, Sasha. Tie on your hiking boots as the walking in and out is either slushy, muddy, or both!

Other tasting events this weekend:

Cooper Vineyards - Saturday,
February 20 11 am - 5pm $20 per person

Mardi Gras at Cooper Vineyards! Souvenir tasting glass, beads, King Kake. Obrigados will provide New Orleans' style jambalaya. $15.00 per person advance ticket purchase here.