Tag Archives: Charlottesville Virginia

Chris Breiner PVCC Viticulture and Enology Scholarship

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Last night family and friends gathered at Horton Vineyards to honor and celebrate the memory of Stone Mountain Vineyards’ winemaker, Chris Breiner. Guests were asked to share a favorite story about Chris and raise a glass to his life. I had met Chris a few times and on my last visit to Stone Mountain Vineyards, chatted with him at length about the direction they were going with on-tap wines. He seemed very proud of this venture and am sorry that his life and enthusiasm were cut so short. The idea of a scholarship to help students of the wine industry is an ideal way to remember him and his contributions to the Virgina wine community.

In memory of Chris, the Virginia wine industry has created a need-based scholarship for students in the Piedmont Virginia Community College Viticulture & Enology Certificate Program.

Chris supported this useful program every year since its launch in 2005, teaching the bottling class at Stone Mountain and helping with the wine marketing class. Make a donation in any amount to the scholarship in his name at this event or online at the PVCC web site at www.pvcc.edu/giving_to_pvcc/.
A friend, Mark Simpson attended and had commented below:
The Hortons certainly paid a fine tribute to Chris. Chris’ family was there as well as many tearful friends. His distributor is donating $20 to the Chris Breiner scholarship @ PVCC for each case some SMV wines sold in March 2012. Other wines will garner $10/case. The scholarship is intended for students seeking a viticulture career and not for those who only want to take one class. If you donate, be sure to indicate on your check or online donation that it is for the “Chris Breiner Scholarship.”

Dreaming Tree Wines-Cork or Not To Cork?

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Courtesy of a friend at Coran Capshaw’s Red Light Management Company in Charlottesville, a much anticipated package arrived at my doorstep.  Carefully tearing open the shipping box and immersed in peanuts (not sure if they’re recycleable?) I found an artistically packaged box containing the first three bottles of Dreaming Tree wines.    The  labels are made with 100% recycled paper,  the bottles weigh 1/4 pound less than normal bottles so they cost less to ship showing their commitment to saving energy and sustainability.

The crossover between wine lover and music lover placed me in an immediate quandary.  First instinct: Invite my closest family members for a blind tasting to determine how really good these wines are OR close second: save the wines as a collectable bit of Dave Matthews memorabilia. The jury is still out and I’m looking for feedback from wine afficionadoes and/or  Dave Matthews Band fans.  Everything about me is in battle over this decision.  I looked on the website and the wines are sold out but I think I can find the wines individually at retail stores.

The Dreaming Tree Wines

The Chardonnay- “When I first met Dave, we talked about making a Chardonnay that captured the distinct citrus notes of the Central Coast. With its big fruit and loads of spice, we think this wine lives up to that promise. We hope you agree.” – Steve Reeder

The Cabernet Sauvignon- has classic aromas of blackberry, cherry and herbal notes wrapped by toasted vanilla. They had this one at our local Target store.

Crush is the wine I’m most curious about especially since it’s had such rave reviews!

“…maybe most important is where you drink it, and who you’re with when you do. When it came time to pick the flavors for their Dreaming Tree Crush wine, Steve, Dave and Tom already considered each other pretty good company (and Dodger and Moose just sweetened the deal). But something about an afternoon under a warm California sun, on an old pier down by a quiet pond and suddenly that wine’s giving up flavors you never knew were there. “  Dodger and Moose are beloved vineyard dogs of Tom Gore!   Tom Gore is the director of vineyards at Simi Winery in california.

Returning to my dilemna, the bottle is so cool, the seal on the cork is reflective

and the cork itself is collectable. For the moment I have determined to keep the set in the box-this is probably bad for the wine so maybe I should lay it down?  Also, the whole reason that Dave and Steve made this wine is to drink it!  Contra-purpose if I store it.  Hmmmmm….as for now, no tasting notes from Charlottesville, I’m keeping the bottles corked!

Your thoughts?

Virginia Wine Highlights of 2011, Optimism for 2012

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 Wine Enthusiast Magazine has named Virginia as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012. The article, listed online and in the February issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, highlights Virginia as one of only three domestic destinations to make the list of wine regions that are ideal for wine lovers to visit in 2012. Virginia was named along with regions in Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Hungary, Germany, France, Chile and two regions in California. The article cites Virginia’s rich history, natural beauty and wine makers as some of the many reasons why Virginia is a hot wine travel destination. This article just out on Virginia.Gov!

2011 proved to be an exciting year for Charlottesville and the wine industry throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The North American Wine Bloggers Conference made their way to the East Coast bringing along international publicity for Virginia wines. Over 300 wine bloggers descended on Charlottesville visiting local wineries, dining on the lawn at Monticello and tasting food pairings along Main Street and  the Downtown Pedestrian Mall.  Governor McDonnell and First Lady Maureen have promoted our vineyards and wineries enthusiastically.  First Lady Maureen McDonnell has  incorporated wine and wine tourism promotions into her First Lady Initiative Team Effort or FLITE. More domestic and international promotions are planned for 2012.

Having only recently started blogging about wines, I was thrilled to sip alongside world-wide experts at the wining/dining table. Despite intense heat, Virginia wines showed well and local wine-makers relished the opportunity to present their best.  Almost simultaneously, Charlottesville was thrust into the limelight by the demise of the Kluge Estate and the “intervention” of consummate real estate investor, Donald Trump. Thus, the new Trump Winery.

Following a year hit by weather extremes, please read the following excerpt from Stephen Barnard’s blog post Mother Nature Ruled 2011 for Keswick Vineyards which illustrates 2011 better than I ever could.

After the 2010 vintage in Virginia [arguably the best in recent times], the 2011 growing season was also going to struggle to reach the lofty standards of its predecessor. To say that 2011 failed miserably, would be similar to saying that Drew Brees had an okay year [this makes sense if you know that he broke Dan Marino's all time passing yards in a single season, 5084 set in 1984 when Marino played for the Miami Dolphins].

Mother Nature ruled this year and her awesome power was on display more times than anyone of us would wish for. From a devastating earthquake in New Zealand to the horrific Tsunami in Japan, 2011 was littered with catastrophic natural disasters. Closer to home, Tuscaloosa was hit hard by the April 27th Tornado, Virginia experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on August 23rd, quickly followed by the August 27th appearance of hurricane Irene. 2011 was certainly unforgettable, but for all the wrong reasons.

All in all though, I think we manged to dodge a bullet, in that it would have been far corse than what it was. I am thankful for having some experience in Virginia and after working the 2003 harvest, I was way more prepared this time round. I can only shudder and imagine what would have happened had this been my first vintage in Virginia. Overall I give the vintage a B+, the wines are developing character and should be fantastic. Although lighter in style than 2010, these are vibrant wines and will no doubt bring pleasure to many a wine drinker.

I love the end of his blog post extolling the best blend ever, he and wife Kat’s baby girl, Aria, born in December.  A 50% blend of each parent, expecting to take 80 years to mature! 

 After all, it was a very good year.

My friends at Drs. Viglione, Haines and Bagheri selected a new winery-Pippin Hill,  to kick off their new name, Charlottesville Dental Health Partners. A fun time for all who could participate, it was the unveiling of their philosophy, Our Focus is On You. Toasting a relationship between health and dental health, dentists partnering with their patients for total body health.

I had the pleasure of visiting many wineries in Virginia this year and even some in England.  Lots of fun with family and friends. The potential for the 2012 Virginia wine industry  is exciting and I look forward to the progress of our friends and encourage the support of  ”Drink Local”!  I think I made that up?

Cheers from Bob and Tricia!

Dave Matthews’ Dreaming Tree Update

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Dreaming Tree Afoot!

Paulette Musselman snapped this at Dave's Blenheim Winery in Charlottesville

If you’re a fan of Dave Matthews and a wine lover, you already know aboutThe Dreaming Tree Wines.  I wrote a post about Dreaming Tree Wine in September when very few people were aware of it; now, in a short period of time fans are all over their wines  (disclaimer-not because of my blogpost).  If you have “fanned” or “liked”  their Facebook page, the prevailing question is regarding availability.  The Crush wine is very high on DMB fans Christmas wish lists.   Even though the Dreaming Tree representatives respond quite well to comments on Facebook  questions still persist.

So, here’s the lowdown:

  • You can order from their website, but shipping regulations restrict them from shipping to certain states
  • Dreaming Tree Wines is licensed to ship wine to the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
  • At this point, they do not ship internationally.
  • Unfortunately, the website does not have a list of retailers, although it may be coming soon, retailers that carry Clos Du Bois is a good bet, small local discount liquor and wine stores, Randalls, Central Liquor Stores Jewel grocery stores and where I found it, Target!
  • Definitely follow them on Facebook for the latest events.
  • Dreaming Tree Wines Customer Service
    Phone: (855) 839-2962
    Fax: (707) 251.4995
    E-mail: customerservice@dreamingtreewines.com
  • Suggestion for Dreaming Tree Wines-Add a list of retailers for your fans!

I Spy…Dreaming Tree Wine

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Dreaming Tree Wine for Sale in Charlottesville

Only 14.99 at Target

I’m expecting some Dreaming Tree wine any day delivered to my doorstep.  Just like a little child waits for a birthday card, a valentine or  a toy ordered out of a catalog.  In the meantime, I headed off to pick up cold medicine and herbal tea  trying to avoid an ensuing cold.  Lo and behold, sidestepping down the wine aisle I fortuitously stumbled upon the Dreaming Tree Wine!  Yes, TARGET has the Chardonnay  and the Cabernet Sauvignon. So, if you’re out shopping and want a taste of something a part of Dave Matthews, try your local Target store! Look for future reviews of the wine when I feel better and can actually taste and smell.

Trump Winery Open for Business!

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Tuesday, October 4th, heralds the grand opening (or re-0pening) of the former Kluge Estate Winery  in Albemarle County, Virginia under a new name,  (can you guess it?)  Trump Winery.  Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump is President  and Patricia Kluge and her husband William Moses will serve as Vice Presidents of the winery.  Attending the celebration were the aforementioned, as well as Governor Bob McDonnell. The Governor  has played a key role in promoting Virginia wines in the United States as well as Europe and soon will be encouraging business with Israel. According to Todd Haymore,  Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry,  McDonnell and Virginia’s first lady,  Maureen McDonnell are credited  with helping boost Virginia’s wine sales.  The McDonnell administration  passed a program giving tax credits to individuals establishing or expanding wineries and vineyards in the Commonwealth.

The media were present to photograph, video and ask questions of Donald Trump, and I  found him to be just like he is on television-assertive and gregarious, but better looking in person!  There is no question that Trump knows how to deal with the media.  When asked by  reporters why Donald could make this venture successful when Patricia Kluge could not, he came to her defense in typical “Trumpian” manner and explained that he had the advantage of not having a mortgage! Touche! Another question regarded the intentions of the real estate aspect of his investment . 

Mr. Trump  said  he planned to keep the property “high-end”.  When a reporter from The Hook asked about Albemarle House, Donald Trump tossed the question back and asked him if he would want to buy such a big house on such little property! We know who owns the surrounding estate!   He is still in the market for Albemarle House but feels the bank  has it valued too high. 

 

 
 

 After answering several questions, the baton was then passed to his son for details about the winery itself.    Patricia Kluge joined Eric at the microphone and remarked on her role in the business.  Geraldine Fabrikant, a senior writer for Business Day at The New York Times, interviewed  Patricia Kluge  recently and found her to be, not surprisingly, quite resilient and up to the task of re-establishing herself in the wine industry. Subsequently, Eric Trump stepped aside allowing Gov. McDonnell  to praise the wine industry in Virginia.

Ultimately, Donald and Eric  Trump and Patricia Kluge  plan to expand the vineyards and employ new marketing ideas to the wines and their labels.  They refused to elaborate and left it as a surprise for wine lovers.  Additionally, Eric mentioned the potential for  ”hundreds” of jobs associated with the growth of the winery. 

No matter what locals think, the Trump name creates fervor and  excitement in a realtively sedate area of Virginia. I know it  certainly was fun for me to sit in the Trump   helicopter even though I couldn’t wrangle a ride out of the pilot!  The pilot  did however mention that he loved  flying over our  scenic Virginia wine country!  Planning a trip to Charlottesville?  A must-do after visiting  Monicello, home of Thomas Jefferson,  is  the new  Trump Winery and the neighboring  vineyards  owned by Dave Matthews,  Blenheim Winery!

Wine Blogging at Monticello!

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After spending a day at the Omni Hotel on the Charlottesville downtown pedestrian mall ( I write this description for non-locals) we climbed on busses heading up curvy route 53 to Monticello for a dinner reception featuring Virginia wines. Extremely muggy hot weather was not the best conditions to show off our fair city and Blue Ridge Mountains. I still think despite the New Orleans Bayou-thick air, out of state visitors were impressed with the history and beauty of Monticello.  Efforts were made to keep the guests comfortable, hand-held fans printed with “Virginia Is For Lovers” were distributed and outdoor air conditioning was provided at strategic locations, fans with water reservoirs diffusing cool mist on the more aggressive heat relief seekers (Me!).  TJ look-alike mingled with the guests  along with celebrities like the Zonins, owners of Barboursville, just in from Italia! 

The wine makers were sheltered under a vast tent, keeping their bottles in coolers before opening them  for the bloggers. I couldn’t be more proud of our winery owners, wine makers and hosts-cheerfully pouring (more requested) whites  and reds and extolling the quality of their wines. Meanwhile, I shed my heels at Ankida Ridge’s table and walked barefoot in the grass,  meeting other wine bloggers and tasting wine.  As I wandered around, I couldn’t help but wonder what Thomas Jefferson would think about these techy wine lovers traipsing around his home and sharing thoughts regarding an industry that he started centuries ago  in Virginia!  

I was a little despondent about the demise of the 200+ years old White Oak and Poplar trees flanking the west side of Monticello. Noticeably missing, the large tree stumps look void and sad, so I toasted Thomas Jefferson quietly to myself.  The value of some of the wines attributed to his collection have reached record prices at auction!

Ankida Ridge, Glass House, Stinson, Gabrielle Rausse,  Flying Fox and Pippin Hill Farm Vineyard were stops for me, unfortunately I missed several others due to waning energy. The food was excellent!  Shrimp and cheese grits, mini crab cakes, tiny stuffed red potatoes were all tasty pairings for the wines offered. Water bottles were the most coveted item on the menu, Keswick Hall did a fabulous job!

All in all, a lovely event and I overheard many guests discussing return travel plans to Virginia!

Great job, Charlottesville and Virginia Tourism!

Charlottesville Hosts Wine Bloggers Conference 2011

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Jancis Robinson, keynote celeb-speaker, is the most sought after photography subject so far at the conference!

Just attended an incredible class on the Aromas of Wine, and now I’m in the Drink Local session, sitting next to Richard Leahy. It is fun to know your winemaker, the vineyard manager and winery owners and feel like you’re supporting your community  while enjoying the “fruits” of your local vineyards.

Detailed posts coming later!

NEXT UP! Live Wine Blogging, Uh, Oh!

Audio Wine Blogging in Charlottesville 7/18-7/24

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This is a practice test for voice blogging during rapid tasting, hopefully their won’t be any slurred words on Friday!

Cheers to Good Taste at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards

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In the previous post I spent much of the focus on the surroundings,  but very little attention to the experience at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards.  When we arrived, the final tear down and post wedding reception clean up was  in progress.  It was actually an opportunity to get a glimpse at the attention to detail offered at Pippin Hill.  We passed through the Granary in the direction of  the Tasting Room and spied a table of leftover  floral arrangements  by  Pat’s Floral Designs, lovely mini garden urns of hydrangeas, berries and David Austin roses. One of the gentleman offered us some of the flowers and we selected a beautiful apricot rose and strolled out to the veranda.

Our visit was at a leisurely pace, encouraged to linger and savour the experience.  Mariah, one of the excellent tasting hostesses, greeted us and took the initiative to set up outdoor seating for us, pulling a low table to the center and arranging chairs for conversation.  She obliged us with a wine tasting outside and brought each wine out in adorable hand crafted  carafes!  I wanted to take one home and wondered if they would be available for guests to purchase in the future.

I’m afraid we enjoyed the wine and food pairings so much that we weren’t quite attentive to the description of each wine. The tastings are separated into whites and reds, each flight 5 dollars per person. The  chardonnay was really nice, not too oaky, fermented partially in steel and new french oak barrels.  We chose two different tapas style pairings, one of roasted garlic and lemon hummus, crusty bread and marinated olives.  The other appetizers paired well with the red wines, a charcuterie platter of dry cured salami, Kite’s country ham, La Quercia prosciutto picante with bread from the wood burning oven sweet spiced pecans and marinated olives. 

 Later, we were treated to a surprise from the chef, a plate of Oysters Rockefeller.  I can really get used to this lifestyle!  Of the red wines we tasted, the Winemakers Select Red was my favorite, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chambourcin.  Some liked the 2008 Shaps Petit Verdot with spicy and bold, with deep crimson color.

Happy Father’s Day to my sweet husband of 29 years!  He is very indulgent taking me to yet another winery on Father’s Day and so is Brian, our youngest son, by hanging out with us! Needless to say, they are my usual partners in crime along with Carolina, bride- to-be!

During our tasting the afternoon humidity became a touch sweltering and we moved indoors,… ahh, nice and cool inside.  The vantage point here was just as well thought out, with windows framing the patio and the wood burning fireplace centering the room.  Tables, sofas, and seating were comfortable and I believe Architectural Digest would do well to write about this place! Can you tell I liked it?