Last weekend, we made an appointment for ourselves…with each other!  Bob and I headed out to take a peek at the most recent winery opening on the Appellation Trail, Grace Estate Winery, neighboring already established Stinson Vineyards and White Hall and just down the road apiece from Mountfair and Glass House wineries. If you judge someone by the company they keep, we have another winner in Western Albemarle County.  Jake Busching, formerly known for bringing attention and awards to Pollak Vineyards, has taken Mount Juliet Farm and Grace Estate to a new height (be sure to check out the silo, speaking of height).  His experience in farming and wine making goes back to Jefferson Vineyards, as well as Keswick and Horton.  The fruit at Mount Juliet will be kept for local use in wine making, thus remaining true to the terroir (still have a hard time saying that word!).

For years, local Crozet and White Hall residents have driven past the mature vineyards at Mount Juliet Farm and now, we have access to enter the property and admire the vines up close.  White varietals are Viognier, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Sauvignon Blanc, and Vidal; red varietals are Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Personally, I’m looking forward to Pinot Gris which are planned for the future! All of the wines are made from Grace Estate grapes and Jake plans on keeping it that way.

Grace Estate Winery Mount Juliet Farm 5273 Mount Juliet Farm Crozet, VA 22932 tel & fax: 434-823-5014 web: http://www.graceestatewinery.com

With one toe still wedged in the doorway between 2012 and 2013,  I reluctantly find it is time to take down our beautiful Christmas tree  (after all it is Valentine’s Day)  and start a new year of wine blogging.  My own mini-vacation, a touch of procrastination, added to an already  busy early Spring real estate market; the days speed ahead and we approach March!  I find drinking  wine easy, hanging out at a winery listening to music with friends certainly no rough task,  but describing it in print  requires a little effort from the grey matter that is already tinted a touch  purple.

Reflections of Winter 2012

We wrapped up 2012 with a memorable tree trimming  Christmas Party at Ankida Ridge and a delightful note to end the year.  The famed Pinot Noir that the Vroomans are already known for was served along with their newest  label, Rockgarden Cellars.

Sourced from grapes grown in neighboring Virginia vineyards that  have made the journey up 1800 feet to become  “The Voyager Series,” and in keeping the French theme, we are calling this “green-style”  spritzy white wine “Voyage (voy-AJH) de Vert” and the red blend of Merlot,  Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc “Voyage de Rouge.”  We really enjoyed the Rouge as well as the family style sing along and many, glass in hand, headed further up the mountain via a tractor-pulled hayride. Here’s a little snippet of Christine Vrooman’s talented niece, Jessie Rogowski, leading the carols:

Keep your eyes on this boutique winery in the Amherst region of Virginia.  They have an active intimate wine club and visits to the winery are arranged by appointment or scheduled events, next one is St. Patrick’s Day 3/17.

Early 2013

For Valentine’s, our celebration was highlighted by opening a Port wine saved after a visit with friends to Cross Keys Vineyards. It lies a little south of Massanutten in the Shenandoah Valley in Mt. Crawford. Cross Keys commands a rather regal presence over the valley with its palatial architecture. A perfect locale for weddings and grand photo ops that would please any bride. Move over Kate Middleton

Cross Keys does an excellent job by teaming up with Massanutten Resort, the Shenadoah Park Hotels and local B&B’s to provide dining, tastings and special events for vacationers.  We stepped in midway through a tour and due to the number of visitors, extracted ourselves up to the tasting room and beat the crowd. Aren’t we the clever ones!  Typically, port style wines don’t intrigue me, but this 100% Touriga Nacional was so aromatic with dark cherry fragrance and a slight orange scent, I had to bring it home for my husband.  Aged for two years in French and American Oak, garnet red in color, with a smooth round velvet mouth feel, I felt it the perfect choice to set the mood for a romantic evening.

Cheers to a happy and prosperous, healthy New Year!

Last Saturday turned out to be an unseasonably warm day in Central Virginia,but the Christmas spirit was alive and flourishing at the Early Mountain Vineyards' Holiday Open House. The tree was decked with gilded angels and grapes, beautifully appointed to greet guests.

Local vendors in the grand were set up for shoppers to purchase gifts and treats while sipping on some Early Mountain wines. Richard Leahy was signing his book, Beyond Jefferson's Vines, and if you're looking for a great gift for a Virginia wine lover, this is perfect.

Hot Chili and cornbread, vegetarian bouillabaisse with crostini were available to pair with your wine selection. We had a bowl of each and the veggies in the bouillabaisse were scrumptious and the crostini was buttery and crisp, suffice it to say, I didn't share any of my soup.

Santa made an appearance for the children and music was provided by Greene County Ensemble, Antioch Baptist Church, Uno Baptist Church and Madison Bel Canto. Unfortunately, we arrived just a touch late for the music but seeing the children rolling down the hills and sitting by the outdoor fireplace made for a lovely holiday afternoon.


One of the highlights was Margaret Prior sharing her German friend, Irene's hot mulled wine recipe! There is a secret ingredient and the Cabernet France is priced so well that you could use it for this recipe   Thanks for sharing!  

At Thanksgiving many families are pairing their meals with the more versatile Pinot Noir wines, but perhaps a nice dry Riesling would be just as enjoyable, especially for guests who prefer a white or more fruity wine. I imagine many families in New York will be including a Riesling  in their wine selections to pair with appetizers at least.

The Region

The Finger Lakes region of New York was selected by Trip Advisor as the #4 Wine Travel Destination in the U.S.

Finger Lakes Wine Country, New York is a great weekend getaway destination conveniently located within a five-hour drive of most major metropolitan cities in the Northeast.

The region is made up of three major lakes including Cayuga Lake the eastern most lake of the three major Finger Lakes.   Stretching almost 40 miles in length, it is the longest of the lakes.  I had no idea that the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is the oldest wine trail in America, celebrating 25 years in 2008.

The Keuka Lake Wine Trail is home to some of the oldest vineyard and most historic wineries in the region. Interesting note, Keuka Lake is the only lake in the United States to flow both north and south.

Seneca Lake is the second longest of all the Finger Lakes at 38 miles long.  with a mean depth of 291 feet and a maximum depth of 618 feet, It is the deepest of all the lakes! Seneca Lake is home to the largest wine trail in the Finger Lakes region and the Seneca Lake Wine Trail has 36 member wineries.

Montezuma Riesling 2011

I’m not sure why I selected this one first, but perhaps the name or label made me think I’d like this one the least. After all, what does Montezuma have to do with New York? This winery actually started out as a Honey Farm and Meadery, later branching out to wines and now, a distillery of Vodka and Brandies. This wine was actually a surprise,  with a refreshing dry, citrusy taste and hints of peach, it turned out to be my second favorite wine of the evening. As it turns out, this wine garnered double gold medals in The New York Wine & Food Classic 2011. So much for first impressions!

Three Brothers Zero Degree Dry Riesling

This dry Riesling was pale straw in color with some green apple notes. For some reason it didn’t bowl me over. Would have to give it another try.  Possibly looking for something with a bit more  body to it or fruitiness. It would be interesting to try all of the Four Degrees Rieslings. They produce four Rieslings beginning with zero as the driest and working up to the Three  as the sweetest.

Wagner Riesling 2011

I’m not a big fan of screw-tops, for no other reason than I love the ritual of  pulling out the cork screw and the little pop sound when the cork comes out.  I found this screw-top bottle Riesling very appealing.  As far as I know it hasn’t won any medals, but perhaps, it hasn’t been entered in any competitions?  Apple and peach aromas, more fruity than the previous Riesling, but still dry with stone fruit flavors and minerality, it had a nice crisp finish.

Hint for Christmas shopping at Wagner Vineyards: Vixen is a Semi Dry Riesling and Blitzen is a red blend. Cute bottles with reindeer on them! Would make a nice “His & Hers” gift.

Fulkerson 2011 Semi-Dry Riesling

This was the lightest of the Rieslings, in my humble opinion, peach aroma with a delicate almost citrusy  flavor. Possibly pair this with ham for those of you who avoid the traditional Thanksgiving gobbler.

A bit of history, the Fulkerson farm has been in the same family since 1805, black raspberries were the main crop and grapes were planted in the 1830′s. It wasn’t until the 1970′s that the vineyards were expanded, with more concentration now on wine production.

* I certainly enjoyed participating in this tasting event again this year and feel like I’ve learned a little more about our American Riesling wines. Thanks for including me!
I

According to Virginia Wine Lover , the results are in from the  September poll asking readers to vote for their Favorite Virginia Winery Tasting Room.  Some 3,000 responses accounted for the top 25 winners selected from Virginia’s 220 wineries with tasting rooms. Selections were made on the basis of Friendliness of Staff (39%), Attractiveness of Location (37%), Staff’s Knowledge of Wine (19%), Proximity (3%) and Price of Tasting (2%). Several of the wineries that are local to our Charlottesville area made the list.

Cooper Vineyards in Louisa County, midway between C-ville and Richmond, took top honors as favorite tasting room. Perfect! Planning our first trip there this weekend which also coincides with their Holiday Open House ( free tastings Sat. & Sun. 1-5).  Many of you may already be familiar with Cooper Vineyards.They were selected for the Cooper staff friendliness, the architectural design of the tasting room and for their fine wines. Cooper Vineyards recently earned the coveted LEED Platinum certification( the highest standard) for excellence in “Green” building technology. They have one many awards already and their Noche dessert wine is extremely popular.  Made with Norton grapes and infused with chocolate, Noche is a versatile wine. According to Cooper Vineyards, it has hints of black cherry and raspberry complement rich aromas of cocoa with a chocolate ganache finish. Great for sipping, drizzled as a chocolate sauce over ice cream or combined with nutella for a chocolate fondue. This wine is definitely on my shopping list for Thanksgiving. These recipes can be found on their website or on VWL’s site.  

2nd place honors for best tasting room went to Early Mountain Vineyards.  Agreed!  This winery is a very popular spot, augmented with a most hospitable tasting room staff, offering select wines from the Commonwealth and an attention to detail to create a most enjoyable wine tasting experience. Located in southern Madison County, EMV has already established themselves as a TGIF spot and situated conveniently between NoVA and Charlottesville, a premier wine tasting destination. The event facility rivals Pippin Hill for country elegance and an exquisite wedding venue.

Prince Michel nabbed the 4th favorite tasting room for its Madison County location. Prince Michel was chosen as the exclusive winery to produce the official 250^thanniversary commemorative wine for this year-long celebration. The  two wines chosen to pay tribute to this historic occasion are Prince  Michel’s award winning Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines are  made from grapes grown in the Monticello appellation of Virginia.  Embellished with the custom designed commemorative label, these wines  will be available in over 200 locations around the area. They will also  be available April 21 for tasting and purchase at the First Annual  Monticello Wine Festival at the pavilion on Charlottesville’s downtown  mall. Prince Michel also has a tasting room on Carter’s Mountain with beautiful vistas over  Charlottesville extending down to Nelson County.

Barboursville Vineyards,  Glass House Winery,  Keswick Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and  Pollak Vineyards made the top 20 tasting rooms in Virginia.  Each winery is unique in its own right offering a little something different from the others. Barboursville for its history, longevity, and 5 star restaurant, Palladio, serving award-winning wines like Octagon and Nebbiolo. Glass House lends an atmosphere of the tropics with its glass conservatory and warm welcoming tasting room staff.  Top that off with Michelle Sanders’ gourmet chocolates and you could wrap up Christmas gifts right there.  Keswick Vineyards is a cozy tasting room in the heart of hunt country with a beautiful backdrop of historic plantations. With this many delightful wineries to choose from, it’s no wonder Charlottesville has become such a great weekend destination. I think you’ll need more than a couple of weekends to get a real taste of Thomas Jefferson’s wine country.

As a real estate agent, I’m finding more and more people choosing the Charlottesville area as their home. Parents who have adult children graduating from the University of Virginia are building homes here after becoming acquainted with all Central Virginia has to offer. The wine industry, education, the arts, temperate climate, health care and more are inspiring weekend visitors to purchase second homes within driving distance from New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. If you’re interested in viewing homes for sale in the area, please call or email to schedule a visit. We’d love to welcome you to Charlottesville!

Reflect and Write it Down

Basically, a blog is a computerized journal published to share with others. Many friends over the years have told me that they “journal”. I really didn’t understand why. Now I do. It is a release, an opportunity to be introspective and it also, as a bonus, enhances lazy verbal skills. I think one of the greatest benefits is the ability to read back what you have written and see the growth and progression in your life. Where you were, where you are and where you are headed. In Conclusion, this is a good venue for personal growth and I believe anyone can derive satisfaction from this type of effort. Discover yourself.

Find Your Passion!

Start with something you love doing and through it you’ll find your passion. I love wine, luscious grapes in  any color, grapevines, clean air and being outdoors (unless I’m indoors by the crackling fire). But through visiting wineries and vineyards, I discovered a passion for photography. Now I want  to develop that skill and learn everything I can about that!

Change up your Environment!

“Oh, the places you’ll go!” (Quote from my fav M.D., Dr. Seuss). We’ve had opportunities to visit some breathtaking vistas that we never would have seen sitting home watching NFL football on a Sunday afternoon. We’ve visited beautifully appointed tasting rooms, rusticly elegant wineries and sipped wine with friends on fabulous decks, patios and conservatories. So, I encourage you to get up, get moving, charge up your camera and discover this beautiful world we live in! It’s right there outside your front door.

The People You’ll Meet!

And when you finally set out to explore, discover, and find your passion; you’ll meet  many interesting people that you never would have encountered. People with similar passions, different personalities, unique individuals from all walks of life. You’ve now broadened yourself and gifted yourself with new friends. A double discovery! And guess what? You continue to grow.

Final Lesson, It is the People that Matter the Most!

This year, it’s been six years since my father passed away. What have I discovered? That the faces in the pictures are more important than the most scenic landscape, waterfall or sunset. When you flip through a photo album, what to do you seek? The faces of loved ones. I’ve now come full circle because my father’s passions were people, travel and photography. Hmmm, I think know where it comes from and blogging helped me realize that….and that is why I continue to blog.

I love you Dad!

September 26, 1932   –  September 14, 2006

Tricia

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of being invited to a mid-week patio dinner party. Hosted by Bill and Joyce Sykes, to christen their new stone patio and inspired by the quadrifecta (a term coined by Bill) of fabulous food, wine, friends and weather. We were accompanied by our camera buff and fellow oenophile friend, Paulette Musselman and joined by the Sykes’ award winning architect Fred Oesch, new friends Henry & Laverne Chandler and Two J’s Smokehouse’s, Joshua and Megan Ball.  The common denominator was a fondness for excellent wine, bubbly, and support of the Wildlife Center of Virginia…oh, yes…and dining al fresco!

The wine that received a startling reaction was  Chatham Vineyards Church Creek Chardonnay causing a simultaneous applause for best choice to kick off the evening. I’ve written about this wine before, having enjoyed it at least four different times at Early Mountain Vineyards. Apparently each of us had experienced this wine separately and unanimously found this Chardonnay to be the exception to most Chardonnays, having been fermented in steel tanks and  resulting in a slightly creamy but crisp refreshing wine. Described as below by Chatham Vineyards:

100% Dijon clone 95/96 Chardonnay fermented and aged in stainless steel. With delicate hints of pear and green melon, crisp acidity and mineral elements, this unoaked Chardonnay, at a sensible 12.5% alcohol, recalls Burgundy more than Napa. This is a pure expression of the varietal and Eastern Shore terroir.

Excellent with oysters, clams, and seafood pairings. (Agreed!!)

The highlight on the menu was the magnum of Janisson & Fils Champagne brought back from a recent trip to France by the Sykes. I believe we all were a little greedy about refills We missed Claude Thibaut and wife Pamela Margaux at the party but savored the Thibaut-Janisson sparkling Cuvee’ d’ Etat Blanc de Blanc. Heavenly!

We’ve reached that “delicious” time of year in Virginia for pulling on a warm sweater, early leaf changes, football and fire pits. Why not grill some seafood and toast Autumn with a Virginia wine?

Besides the lovely apparel including denim from 7 For All Mankind, Citizens For Humanity and J Brand in addition to the dressier items (a taupe lace overlay dress that I reeeeally wanted) it was just fun shopping and reconnecting with friends. Bonus, meeting other lady bloggers.  I met Dana Holler of Cville Fashion for the second time in a week, (other encounter at Cville SheBlogs ) and her good friend, Jeannine of Small and Chic Home having a good time as well.

Fashion bloggers Dana and Jeannine

Eric Kelley was on site photographing for EMV’s soon to be launched new website. Love to see his photos! Thanks to Peter, Eric, Wendy, Michelle, Heather and Margaret for the attention to everyone’s comfort and enjoyment!

Along that vein, the remaining portion of this post is devoted to photography, the pictures speak for themselves…

Enjoying our Red, White and Blue Flight

• One- Early Mountain Vineyards only recently opened after taking over Sweeley Estate Vineyards, an excellent winery that struggled to get established.
• Two- EMV appears to be masters at marketing and giving patrons what they’re looking for in a winery experience.
• Three- I have had a couple recent experiences there that could have been awkward and the staff at EMV made it anything BUT!

Lessons and Faux Pas

When you consider a wine tasting event, one envisions jewel hued wines poured by knowledgeable servers in rusticly elegant surroundings enhanced by a backdrop of grapevines and vibrant sunsets. The reality is that sometimes it’s rainy and outdoor patio seating is no longer an option. Note the following scenario…

On our most recent trip to EMV, the weather forecast was absolutely not in our favor.  Our favorite vino amigos (vinigos?) had just moved back to C-ville and the last time we had been together was at the same winery under the former ownership. It  was absolutely fitting to return together for the Sippin’ Into Sunset hosted weekly on Friday evenings. Armed with our best goodies, we headed to the winery anticipating our patio picnic listening to music. That evening the headliners was the acoustic trio, the Local Vocals: Mike Perfater, guitarist/vocalist and Cindy Perfater, former lead singer of the Houserockers band were joined by Pat Burns, also guitarist/vocalist formerly of the Kool Kats and City Lights.

Ironically, one of the Houserockers, Jeff Pugh and his wife Pam were the friends I just mentioned!  A nice spontaneous reunion ensued for our friends and we decided to enjoy our picnic inside. Early Mountain provides the music, however, the musicians must perform inside and even though you can hear it on the patio, the sound is better indoors. We selected the center round table in front of the tasting bar and spread our feast, pouring two excellent wines. Sounds perfect, right?

Pam & Jeff Back in Town!

Not quite, my cheeks flushed and not as a result of the wine, it was quietly and politely called to our attention ( I’m not one for reading the fine print, or even regular print ) that picnics were reserved for the patio unless you were purchasing food from the winery.  I take sole responsibility for the faux pas. Instead of asking us to relocate, we were very graciously allowed to remain at our primo spot and thus, had a wonderful time. The bonus, our friends from Ankida Ridge, Nathan Vrooman, Christine Vrooman and Rachel Stinson of Stinson Vineyards were pouring their 2011 Chardonnay and their fabulous Pinot Noir.

It never did rain, sunset was less than spectacular and guess what? Nobody cared! Also, the servers were knowledgeable and charming ( Margaret Prior) and the wine was excellent!  We chose the Ankida Ridge 2011 Chardonnay and the Barboursville Nebbiolo. Thank you Early Mountain Vineyards for a memorable evening.

Helpful Hint: If the sunset and outdoor fire pits and fireplace are more important to you than the music you can choose the delicious fare at EMV or pack your own picnic. Otherwise, stay inside and leave your picnic basket at home

TOMORROW- Sip & Shop

Bring a friend or three and enjoy a complementary glass of sparkling wine while styling and shopping the latest accessories by jewelry designer Hyla DeWitt, experiencing Rochelle Behrens’ The Shirt firsthand, and picking up tips and tricks from Wardrobe Stylist and the founder of Spendalla Wardrobe Styling Wendy Pilch.

Urban Chic, a contemporary clothing boutique, first opened in Washington, DC’s posh Georgetown neighborhood in 2004. It is a mainstay of the DC-area fashion community, hosting trunk shows, supporting community organizations, and producing a full-scale fashion show/charity benefit in Baltimore each fall.

The entire team at Early Mountain Vineyards is excited to have Urban Chic and its dedicated team of fashion professionals bringing the very best of DC fashion and the latest fall trends to our corner of the world!

Designers featured at the event include: Shoshanna, Vince, Joie, Trina Turk, Rebecca Minkoff, Tibi, Autumn Cashmere, Citizens of Humanity, Seven for All Mankind, Paige Premium Denim, Rochelle Behrens, Hyla DeWitt

The Vroomans, owners of Ankida Ridge, planted tightly spaced vines of  Burgundian grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, at an elevation of 1800 ft, amongst the rocks and steep narrow rows of vines. The result according to  Dave McIntyre of The Washington Post picks Ankida Ridge’s 2010 Pinot Noir near the top of his favorite regional wines of 2011!  Esteemed wine writer, Richard Leahy,  posts this review of our Pinot Noir! …  “The new, small, Burgundian-style winery Ankida Ridge high in Amherst County is not only focused and passionate, but has done their homework from the ground up, hiring viticulturist Lucie Morton and paying attention to every detail in the process. The result is the most remarkable pinot noir I’ve had from the Eastern U.S.“….