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Dear Virginia
Wine
Lover:
In this issue of the WINE LOVER
Newsletter, we highlight a few of the hundreds of wine
events that take place throughout the Commonwealth
beginning in May and continuing through the summer. May
days are festival days at many of Virginia's wineries,
so pull out your Virginia Wineries 2007 guide and plan
your wine
weekends! |
"Virginia, First in Wine" in
London
Virginia winemakers are in London this week to
demonstrate the quality of Virginia wines and to promote
the fact that Virginia was the first place in North
America where English settlers deliberatley set out to
produce wine, hence the theme "Virginia, First in
Wine." The delegation hopes that Virginia's
European-styled wines can impress a potentially
skeptical British wine trade that equates "American"
with "Californian."
The historic wine tasting in London on May
2 was organized by the Virginia Wine Experience in
London, LLC, which was formed by six Virginia wineries
including Keswick Vineyards, Kluge Estate Vineyard &
Winery, Pearmund Cellars, White Hall Vineyards,
Williamsburg Winery and Veritas Winery. In February, 10
wine experts tasted 88 wines from 33 Virginia wineries
to select the wines for the London event. The selected
wines will be introduced to an exclusive audience of
media and wine trade members at the renowned Vinopolis
wine tasting venue and presented as worthy of comparison
to fine wines from any region in the world.
Richard Leahy, executive director of the
Virginia Wine Experience in London, LLC, points out that
Virginia is both literally and stylistically between
California and Europe. In announcing
the competition, he said that due to its favorable
mid-Atlantic location, between north and south, Virginia
wines represent both New World and Old World wine making
styles.
Virginia's climate produces the most versatile
range of fine wines in the eastern United States. Leahy said that
Virginia is on the cutting edge of the regional wine
industry, with a national reputation for Viognier and
with major awards in national and international
competitions.
A complete list of judges, participating
wineries and the wines selected for presentation in
London on May 2 can be found at www.vawineinlondon.com.
Stay tuned for a full report of the London wine
tasting in our June newsletter.
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| Virginia
Welcomes Pinotage
By Peter F. May
Virginia wine
drinkers are becoming more adventurous in the varietals
they buy. For instance, the top selling South
African wine in Virginia, according to ACNeilson, is not
Cabernet, Merlot or Shiraz, but a little known variety -
Pinotage from Golden Kaan winery.
Pinotage is South Africa's own red
variety, and indeed many sources will
tell you that it is produced only there.
But it is growing in Virginia and by coincidence both Grayhaven
Winery and Horton
Vineyards are releasing
their first varietal Pinotages in
2007.
"Pinotage has become one of our favorite
grapes in the vineyard, producing some world class fruit," Neil Glaser of
Horton told me, "We planted our first Pinotage grapes in 1998 and have
been using it in a blend with our Syrah. We will continue
with the blend as well as making a varietal wine
out of Pinotage. Our first varietal
release will be a 2005 vintage."
Pinotage has the advantage of not only
ripening early and being a good cropper but also being resistant to many
vine diseases - although Virginia presents its own challenges, as
Grayhaven's Max Peple-Abrams
told me. "We haven't had any problems, save for
Japanese beetles and birds and drought
and monsoons and all the lovely things
mother nature throws our way." She
adds, "One can certainly understand why
Thomas Jefferson didn't quit his day
job!"
Max fell in love with Pinotage after
traveling in South Africa. She says "My husband is a native South African who
grew up in Johannesburg & Cape Town. I spent several years trying to
locate Pinotage nursery stock before I found a few hundred in New York State."
Those first plantings in 2000 failed. Max says "We lost every single
plant. We scrambled and found another thirty vines and they all
survived. We graft our own now."
So what sort of wine is Pinotage? The very
thing that makes Pinotage so exciting for many is what deters others.
For there is no one style that is
Pinotage. Since it is a fairly recent
variety and there is no old world model to copy, wine makers have been
interpreting Pinotage in several styles, including light fruity, like
Beaujolais; rich and spicy like Rhone & red Zinfandel; and,
restrainedlike Bordeaux.
My take is that the taste profile of a
good red Pinotage should be found within the enological region bounded by
southern Rhone Syrah, northern Italian red and California Zinfandel.
There is the spiciness of Zinfandel and warm depth of Syrah with a twist of
the slight sharpness of Italian reds. Plus a sweet mouth-feel that is
uniquely Pinotage.
Pinotage is a grape that
very much reflects terroir, so that while you
should find a strong similarity with
Pinotages from South Africa and California, both
Horton and Grayhaven will show something extra that no
other Pinotages can ever have - the unique
taste of Virginia.
Be the first to taste them. But don't
delay, these are hand crafted wines made in small quantities.
Cheers!
Peter F. May
is the founder of
The Pinotage Club, an international cyber-based fan club for wines made from
the Pinotage variety. He was awarded Honorary Membership of the
producers Pinotage Association in 2004 and he judged the
annual Pinotage Top 10 Competitions in 2004 and
2005. Peter is a wine writer, educator and author.
His book 'Marilyn Merlot and the Naked Grape - odd wines
from around the world' was published in summer 2006.
You can
visit his blog at www.pinotage.org and his Unusual Wine
Labels site at www.winelabels.org.
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A Tail-Wag'n Good Time
at Cooper Vineyards!
Cooper Vineyards will host its
Fourth Annual Wine Festival to benefit the Richmond SPCA
on Saturday and Sunday, May 26 & 27. A short drive
from the West End of Richmond, Charlottesville or
Fredericksburg, the vineyard is located on Shannon
Hill Road in
Louisa.
Take I-64 to Exit 148 (Shannon Hill Road, Rt 605)
then north on Rt 605 for 8
miles.
 The event is dubbed Lucy's
Weekend in honor of the winery's hound who was
discovered on the side of the road a few miles from the
winery on Memorial Day 2001. She was starved and
had gunshot wounds, as well as a broken leg from having
been hit by a car. Lucy, (pictured to the right)
now famous as a featured canine in Wine Dogs
USA, will be present to greet guests and sign
copies of the book.
The Richmond SPCA adoption bus,
"Tail Wag'n", will be on site with kittens, puppies and
adult dogs available for adoption hoping to find their
"forever" home.
A portion of ticket sales, as well as a "Pet and
Wine" themed raffle will be donated to aid in animal
rescue at the Richmond SPCA which was recently honored
nationally as a model "no kill" shelter. (www.richmondspca.org)
Lucy's Weekend will include live
music from "DogTown" bluegrass band, as well as several
local artists including Adele Castillo and Foust. It will also
serve as the kick off for Cooper Vineyards' series "Wine
A Bit Café" which will feature live music and sponsor
animal rescue groups throughout the
year.
Tickets are $20 at the gate or $15
in advance at www.coopervineyards.com or by phone at 540-894-5253. Admission
includes souvenir pet lover's wine glass, pesto tasting
and a glass of your favorite Cooper Vineyards wine. Guest winery,
Tomahawk Mill will join in the festivities. Picnics, lawn
chairs and leashed furry friends are
welcome.
Cooper Vineyards celebrates
Virginia's own native grape Norton as its primary
red.
Discovered growing wild on the banks of the James
River in 1820, Norton is a new world grape producing a
vibrant, round, full-bodied, deep complex wine with
intense dark berry flavors. It was the first
grape variety planted by Cooper Vineyards in 1999 and is
the only grape grown ungrafted. This month,
Cooper Vineyards' award winning Norton 2004 will be
poured in London as part of the Virginia Wine Experience
in London in conjunction with 400th
Anniversary of Jamestown. (See article on
Virginia Wine Experience in London.)
Lucy's Weekend at Cooper Vineyards
is not to be missed!
Jacquelyn
Hogge
Cooper
Vineyards
www.coopervineyards.com
(540)
894-5253 |
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Praise for Virginia Wines from The
Homestead
John Loeffler of The
Homestead was good enough to share a favorite
recipe and some of his personal favorite Virginia
wines. Mr.
Loeffler is manager of the main dining room at the
Homestead, one of Virginia's premier
resorts.
"The sparkling wines of Oasis and
Kluge are two of my favorites with wonderful minerality
and richness that go well with shellfish, or spring
canapes - or a grilled New York Strip on a summer
evening.
Viognier has definitely become a superstar, like
the 2005 Rappahannock Cellars Viognier Reserve that has
great citrus notes and a noticeable style influenced by
their South African winemaker.
"Brad McCarthy from Blenheim
Vineyards makes a Viognier that I mistook for Condrieu
in a blind tasting. It has beautiful
flavors of honeysuckle and floral notes and would pair
well with poultry or fish with a citrus sauce, or even
crab cakes.
Cellar producers are making wonderful red wines,
especially Barboursville and their 2005 Cabernet Franc
Reserve, Keswick Vineyards 2004 Heritage or the 2005
Jefferson Meritage. All show
wonderful color and great fruit. They do well
with lamb and wild game."
Baked Trout in Foil
"Homestead"
Note: It is imperative
to use fresh trout for this purpose
1 Serving:
1 fresh trout approx. 12 oz. before
boning
A small dash of salt, a sprinkle of
ground white pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
1 ½ tablespoon maitre d'hotel
butter (recipe follows) softened at room
temperature
½ teaspoon white
breadcrumbs
Oil for foil
1 piece 14x14 inches aluminum foil,
lightly oil on 1 side
If possible have butcher bone the
trout of rib bones and backbone and leave butterflied
with the halves attached along the back.
IF NOT: rinse trout under cold
running water and then butterfly using a boning
knife.
Split trout open along the belly, leaving the
halves attached along the back, carefully remove all
bones including ribs and backbone, the head and gills
and trim ¼ inch along belly flap. Season lightly
with salt, a sprinkle of ground white pepper, a squeeze
of lemon juice and spread both trout halves with maitre
d'hotel butter.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the butter
spread.
Fold trout halves together, place on oiled foil
leaving 3 - 4 inches foil open facing you. Fold other end
over trout.
Fold all edges lightly together for a complete
seal.
If you are not ready to grill or
bake trout, refrigerate the trout package until ready to
use (refrigerated trout may take 1 more minute to cook).
However the procedure up to this point can be done up to
24 hours ahead under good refrigeration 38-40
degrees.
When ready to grill, place foil package on
preheated hot grill rack for 2 minutes. Turn on the
other side for 2 minutes, then move trout to a spot over
medium/low heat to finish cooking 3 more minutes. Do not overcook
fish. Serve
with lemon wedge.
For indoor cooking place the trout
package on preheated baking sheet pan and cook in
preheated oven at 380 degrees for 7 minutes on each
side. If
trout is larger increase cooking time accordingly. Serve with small
boiled (or new in the skin) potatoes, rolled in butter,
pinch of salt and fresh cut chives.
Maitre d'hotel Butter (1/2
cup)
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots
1 teaspoon butter
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at
room temperature
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh
squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon fine chopped lemon rind
(no white skin)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fine cut chives
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
(Lea & Perrine)
In a saucepan over medium/low heat
simmer shallots in 1-teaspoon butter until soft (without
browning).
Add to a bowl with remaining ingredients and
proceed in rolling butter into long logs in waxed
paper.
Refrigerate or freeze for future
use (well wrapped).
The Homestead
Hot Springs, VA
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2007 Vintage Virginia Wine Festival Explores
State's Riches & Traditions
The Vintage Virginia Wine
Tasting Festival, held annually on the first weekend in
June, is one of the largest and longest-running wine
events on the East Coast. The event, which
features over 50 wineries pouring unlimited tastings of
over 350 award-winning Virginia wines, attracts an
annual crowd of some 20,000 wine enthusiasts. This year's
festival on June 2 & 3 returns to Bull Run Park
Special Events Center in Centreville for a showcase
weekend of sampling and
shopping.
In addition to wine sampling and
purchasing, Vintage Virginia offers educational seminars
on food pairing, as well as the opportunity to peruse
the wares of more than 100 artisans, including
spectacular jewelry, stained glass, pottery, woodwork
and other unique crafts. The festival
also features children's activities, including the Ocean
in Motion from the Virginia Marine Aquarium, family
comedy from "Those Two Guys," the children's musical
group Gamelan, face painting, caricature drawing and
amazing balloon tying.
There are opportunities to indulge in
fresh regional cheeses, along with seeded Decem bread
fresh from an on-site wood fired brick oven, homemade
bruschetta, fresh Greek salads and Maryland crab
cakes. You
can shop for homemade gourmet ingredients such as
spices, jams, sauces, nuts and sweets. Whatever your
fine food preference, you'll find it to complement your
favorite wine.
The 2007 roster of musical entertainment
at Vintage Virginia may well be the best ever offered at
a Wine Festival, with headlining performances by the
Dirty Dozen Brass Brand, Soullive, Jon Cleary and the
Absolute Monster Gentlemen, in addition to renowned
regional performers American Dumpster, DJ Williams
Projekt, William Walter & Co., Blue Mule, Sol Creech
Band and Scott Perry.
Visit www.vintagevirginia.com for
additional information about the festival, ticket
purchase and directions to Bull Run Park. |
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Order Your Virginia Wine License
Plate Now!
 The Virginia Wineries Association has
announced the pre-sale of a new license plate bearing
the phrase, "Virginia, first in wine." Cost of the
plates is $25 (or $35 personalized plates). This is a great
way for people all across the Commonwealth to show their
support for Virginia's vibrant wine
industry.
Before the plates can get into production,
a total of 350 must be presold, and the VWA must
receive completed applications and payment by the
deadline of June 15, 2007. If the number is
not reached, applicants will have their money
refunded. If the tally reaches the 350 mark, the
plates will be available after January 1, 2008.
Like many other specialty tags offered
through DMV, after 1,000 plates are sold, $15 from each
sale is contributed to the sponsoring
organization. The winery plate has a bit of a
twist in that the funds would go to Virginia Tech's
enology research department, a program that supports
Virginia wineries and vineyards by providing soil
testing, viticultural research, and other educational
support. For more information on the
research at Virginia Tech, visit the website www.vtwines.info.
For more information about the wine
plates, contact Tonya Rideout at (703) 373-6000 or visit
the VWA website at www.virginiawines.org.
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WINE FESTIVALS AROUND THE
STATE
Arts in the Vineyard at James
River Winery
At James River Winery in Glen Allen on May
19, you'll experience the height of sophistication and
culture.
Arts in the Vineyard Wine Festival is a wonderful
opportunity to enrich your senses with exceptional
regional art and award winning wines. Meet the artists
and enjoy live entertainment as you sample the wines of
James River along with three other guest wineries. Tickets are $10
in advance, $15 at the door. For tickets and
directions, visit the website at www.jamesrivercellars.com.
ALSO IN
MAY:
Montpelier Wine
Festival
May 5-6 on the grounds at
Montpelier
www.orangevachamber.com
Luray's 2nd Annual
Festival of Spring
May 12 in Luray
www.luraydowntown.com
21st Virginia Wine
& Craft Festival
May 19 in Front Royal
www.frontroyalchamber.com
"Romance by the River" Hampton
Wine, Art and Jazz Festival
May 19 in Hampton
www.vasc.org
Ash Lawn Highland's
13th Virginia
WineFest
May 19-20 on the grounds at Ash
Lawn
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The Official Virginia WINE
LOVER Magazine
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