Wine Festival- Fork and Cork

On Saturday April 28th, my 8 closest friends and I shivered in the rain waiting to catch the shuttle bus to drive us to the much anticipated Fork and Cork at First and Main.  This is Fork and Cork's 4th food, wine and art festival and the first festival I've been able to legally enjoy.  The festival brings innovative winemakers, chefs, and artists from all around the state of Virginia to soak in the local culture that surrounds us.  Additionally, this was the 2nd annual Can do! which is a canned food sculpture competition that takes place right outside the festival.  All the cans collected assist local food banks and shelters in need of a helping hand.  The proceeds from this event go towards The Blacksburg Partnership, which is a non-profit economic development organization formed by Blacksburg officials, local businesses, and the Virginia Tech community.

Our group arrived a little after 12 and immediately began to make our journey through the exciting wineries on display.  The event as a whole was smaller than what I had envisioned, but I was impressed with the array of activities available to me.  The festival begins near Sal's Italian eatery and weaves toward the back of the shopping district.  The first few tents on both the left and right are all local Virginia wineries.  If you make your way further there's a small stage set up for guest speakers (including our very own John Boyer) to discuss their wine knowledge.  Further down there are tents that showcase local restaurants from the New River Valley and Roanoke area.  Intermingled within the food tents there were a couple of tents set up for local artists and jewelers to display and sell their craft.  Closer to the parking lot there were about 5 additional winery tents as well as a main stage and table area to enjoy live music as you sample your wine.  For the most part I thought the event was organized very well and was able to manage the crowds in an effective manner.  I never felt like I had to spend a substantial amount of time waiting in line and was able to visit many different venues over a four hour time period.  At the end of the festival I finally needed to sit down and unwind and the cooking demo was the perfect way to do just that.  I thought it was a great idea to bring in local chefs to teach the crowds how to cook quick and easy dishes to compliment the wine we tried.  Unfortunately, at the end of the event the microphones weren't working well and all I could really hear was static, which eventually started to give me a headache.  All in all, I found the festival to be a great way to end my four years at Virginia Tech and truly epitomized the local, friendly vibe that I associate with Blacksburg.  I would certainly recommend Fork and Cork for anyone looking to have a great saturday afternoon with great friends, great company, amazing wine, and wonderful food. 

During Fork and Cork I successfuly sampled wine from five separate wineries: Well Hung Vineyard,  Notaviva, Naked Mountain, and Fincastle Vineyard & Winery. 

Well Hung Vineyard:
This winery hails from Charlottesville and was started by three bold women hoping to embark on a new, exciting adventure.  They were sampling 5 of their biggest wines, which were reds,whites, and roses:

• 2010 Everyday Chardonnay- priced at $20 I was actually happily surprised by this Chardonnay.  It was definitely lighter and less oaky than the typical California style white wine.  On the nose I could detect citrus, grapefruit and lemon which are perfect for summer night, relaxed drinking.  Pairs well with light fisgh and white meat dishes
• 2011 Viognier- priced at $25 this is a perfectly light white wine to enjoy with or without food.  Well balanced, easy drinking, but isn't overwhelmingly sweet.  Perfect for spicy dishes and bold flavors.
• 2011 Blush- priced at $ 18 this is Well Hung's variation of a Rose.  Pairs well with barbeque, pork and other heavy dishes.  I found this wine to lack substantial flavors and was a bit too sweet for my liking.  At the finish I could detect a little bit of whipped cream, but wasn't strongly displayed.
• 2010 Cabernet Franc- priced at $20 this wine had rich plum and cherry flavors with a little bit of spice and heat behind it.  Like all of the other Cab Franc's I've had I didn't enjoy it
• 2010 Merlot-Verdot: priced at $22 this a blended wine with Merlot and Verdot grapes.  The blend balances well, because it masks the typical dry characteristic of Merlot and pairs it with the strong berry, fruity aspects of the Verdot.  Pairs well with red meat, particularly burgers and steaks.

Naked Mountain:
This vineyard is based in Markham,Va with the Blue Ridge Mountains as its backdrop.  The winery is chalet-style and appeals to those looking for a calm weekend getaway to be one with nature.  The first vines were planted in 1976 and has grown into a 6 acre vineyard that makes 6,000 cases annually.  At Fork and Cork they brought four of their premier wines for us to try:

• 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay- was an example of a New World Chardonnay with minimal oak,buttery components in the wine.  Was a very light, white wine with a puckery, green apple aspect on the mid palate.  Pairs well with Mac & Cheese and roast chicken.  I was not overly impressed with this wine, was a bit too sweet for me
• 2011 Chardonnay/Riesling- this was one of their blended wines that combined Riesling and Chardonnay.  On the nose I could detect peaches, pears and other citrus fruit.  The sugar content was too high for my tastes and was overly sweet.  Best for summer nights and pairs well with peach cobbler and swordfish
• 2007 Cabernet Franc- this was a medium bodied, dry red wine.  I found the alcohol content was too high in this wine, there was a lot of heat on the palate.  I was unable to detect any of the berries and fruit characteristics that they suggest you should be able to taste.  Was not impressed with this wine at all
• 2010 Make Me Blush- the server described this light rose as a "fruit cup" because of the strong fruit components of this wine.  Was way too sweet for me, but I did enjoy the variety of herbs and fruits I could find while tasting this wine.  Pairs well with chocolate, cherry mouse, and strawberry shortcake

Fincastle Vineyard & Winery
This small-scale winery is located roughly 20 minutes North of Roanoke and sits on the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Fincastle is known for producing old, small- scale Bordeaux style wines. 

• Chardonnay- this was an example of an Old World style chardonnay with its bold buttery and oaky components.  I could also detect a hint of caramel on the front of my palate.  After the initial taste I couldn't find any other welcome flavors or characteristics that would excite my interest.  I found this wine to largely be dull
• Cabernet Sauvignon- high alcohol, high acidity, bold red wine.  Had strong cherry and black currant characteristics that appealed to my senses. 
• Cabernet Franc- was extremely dry with a tremendous amount of spice and heat.  Did not enjoy this wine at all
• Rose- blend of Chambourcin and Vidal Blanc this wine is perfect for easy, summer drinking.  I thought this wine struck a great balance between the alcohol and sugar content.  Could detect some light fruit flavors, particularly cherry and strawberry
• Hybrid Vigor- blended from French-American hybrids of Chardonnel, Vidal Blanc and Traminette.  I was excited to try this wine, because the description suggested that I'd find bold tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and mango.  Mango is by far one of my all time favorite fruits to consume.  Unfortunately, this was horrendously sweet to the point that it reminded me of artificial sugary candy.  Very disappointing
• Sangria- made with their Rose and fresh strawberries, this was a sour adaptation of the traditional sangria with a blend of lemonade added at the end of the process.  A bit too sugary and less pure fruit than the sangria's I typically enjoy.

Notaviva Vineyards
Notaviva is located in Western Loudoun County, Virginia which is in Northern Virginia.  The interesting aspect of this vineyard is that all of their wines are named after a musical genre or lyrical inspiration. 

• "Vincero" Viognier (2010)- priced at $17 per bottle this Viognier has 88% stainless steel Viognier and 12% barrel-fermented Vidal Blanc.  Had a lot of heat and spice on the front of the palate. However, this was still a very light, easy wine to enjoy.  Didn't get much fruit or other appealing flavors from this tasting
• "Ottantotto" Viognier (2010)- priced at $19 per bottle this Viognier was completely fermented in French Oak barrels.  I enjoyed this wine better than the first Viognier I tried.  I could detect soil and earth on the nose with subtle vegetable aromas.  I found this wine to be refreshing with peach and pear fruit on the palate.
• "Calor" Chardonnay (2010)- priced at $22 this wine is made with 100% Chardonnay that is fermented in French oak barrels.  Although it was fermented in oak barrels it did not have the typical buttery components of Chardonnay.  Perfect for light, easy drinking
• "Celtico: Chambourcin (2010)- priced at $17 this wine is composed of 90% Chambourcin, 4% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.  On the nos there was an overwhelming buttery, oak component that shown through.  This had a great, dark, ruby red color with intense berry flavors.  I enjoyed this wine as a whole.

Winery Visit-Chateau Morrisette

On Saturday, April 21st my close friend and I braved the impending storm to visit the well acclaimed Chateau Morrisette.  Chateau Morrisette is located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, but of course our GPS told us to take the dangerous, unpaved back road, which made the ride their very curvy and bumpy.  Once our little car survived that little adventure we were immediately captivated by the elegance of Chateau Morrisette.  The staff immediately welcomed us to the property and a friendly valet driver quickly offered to park our car for us.  Chateau Morrisette has a separate building that contains their well reviewed restaurant and is the first building you notice when you drive onto the property.  The design and architecture of the restaurant and winery blend well with the rural aspects of Floyd.  I particularly liked the rock fountain right by the parking lot, because it sets a relaxing and calming tone for the experience. 

Once we entered the winery we were amazed by the beautifully adorned main entrance with a classic chandelier and wooden balcony in which visitors may look down and enjoy the atmosphere of it all.  Apparently we went on a good day, because the staff informed us that it was an official open house day, which meant our tasting was complimentary.  Unfortunately, because the tasting was free we were unable to keep our wine glass, but I was thankful to save a few bucks.  The local kennel club was hosting an event when we went so we were unable to take a tour of the winery, because that part was closed off.  Many wine enthusiasts brought their dogs with them so I was overwelmed with all the cuteness that surrounded me.  The tasting area reminded me of a classic tavern bar with classic, dark wood and dim lighting.  Our tasting included 10 of Chateau Morrisette's well esteemed wines with an array of different types that included red, white, and dessert:

• 2010 Chardonnay- boasting 13.3% alcohol, this Chardonnay was higher in alcohol than most white wines I've tasted thus far.  I don't typically like Chardonnays, but I found this one to be a light and refreshing change from the typically over buttery characteristics of old world Chardonnays.  On the nose I could detect vegetable, soil aromas, which are commonly found from the oak barrel fermentation process.  On the palate, it tasted sour, tart, could definitely feel the pucker sensation often found when biting into a green apple.  Wouldn't mind drinking this wine during warm summer nights out on my back porch, very light and easy drinking.
• Independence- a blended wine made from Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Riesling, and Chardonnay grapes with 12.2% alcohol.  I wasn't very impressed with this wine, seemed a bit dull with very little aroma to detect.  This is a very light, easy drinking wine with very subtle flavors.  There wasn't enough going on in this wine to entice or excite me.
• 2011 Dry Rose-made by extracting juice from the grapes prior to fermentation allows for the pink color of the wine.  This wine is best paired with fish and other lean proteins and is best suited for light summer meals.  I found this wine to be very sweet, yet no visible fruit or other flavors from this wine. 
• 2010 Chambourcin- 12.5% alcohol this a light bodied and light violet red wine. Black pepper and spice are definitely evident in this light red wine with subtle plum and berries to balance the heat from this wine.  This wine would particularly pair well with dark chocolate as well as grilled meats and mushrooms.  Although I wasn't particularly impressed with any of Chateau Morrisette's red wines I found this one to be my favorite of the ones I tried.
• 2010 Cabernet Franc- medium-bodied red wine, one of Virginia's best planted grape varieties with plenty of spice and heat on the mid palate.  This best pairs with spaghetti, marinara sauce and steak dishes.  Dark raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are welcomed from this medium-bodied wine.  This wine was a little too dry and had a little too much spice for my liking, which is rather disappointing since this considered Virginia's premier grape.
• 2008 Petit Verdot: the server informed us that this is Chateau Morrisette's special wine and should be paired with higher cuts of meats and cheeses.  This wine was appealing, because it was velvety and smooth without being overly dry like many red wines can be.  The berry components were not detected during my sampling, but perhaps that can only be extracted when paired with food. 
• The Black Dog: blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot and is described as a semi-dry red wine.  On the nose it was very earthy, soil, nature aromas that are common from oak barreling red wines.  I found this wine to be a bit too sweet for a red wine for my wine preference. 
• Our Dog Blue: a semi-sweet blend of Riesling-Traminette blend with the addition of Vidal Blanc and Petit Mensanf for depth and character.  On the nose I was excited to find pear and melon components that would indicate a light and refreshing white wine.  This wine is perfect for easy, summer drinking because it is light and refreshing, but isn't too overly sweet.  I would certainly like to drink this wine again.
• Sweet Mountain Laurel: this was the first dessert wine I tried and was made from Native American grape varieties.  This both tasted and smelled like grape juice, way too sweet for me.  I couldn't even tell that this was a wine that I was trying
• 2010 Frosty Dog: this was the last wine we tried for our tasting and was by far the absolute sweetest wine of the day.  This dessert wine is special, because they freeze the grapes in concented juice to heighten the sugar content of the wine.  This wine could stand alone as the dessert for the wine, that's how overwhelmingly sweet it was.  To me this wine tasted artifically sugary like sweet tarts or lemon heads with corn syrup rather than real sugar.  Not a wine I'd look for again.

After completing the tasting my friend and I enjoyed a nice relaxing picnic outside on one of the outside tables at the front of the winery.  We decided to be adventurous and buy a wine we didn't get to sample, which was the Liberty.  The Liberty was a blended red wine with Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  At first I was very excited to try this wine, because I typically like blends that include Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but I found this wine to be rather bland and didn't really have any strong characteristics to entice my taste buds.  However, the laid back atmosphere overlooking the beautiful mountainous landscape more than made up for it.  Unfortunately, the picnic had to be cut short, because there was a nasty storm heading our way and we didn't want to be caught outside in the downpour.  I hope to return to Chateau Morrisette someday and would love to bring my mom, she'd love the architecture and laid back atmosphere of this country vineyard.

Winery Visit- Attimo Winery

On Friday, March 23, 2012 three of my closest friends and I visited the charming and quaint Attimo Winery.  I hadn't heard much about this winery before my visit, but was pleasantly surprised once we arrived.

Attimo Winery is located on the outskirts of Christiansburg with the beautiful rolling hills as its backdrop.  Rik and Melissa Obiso graduated from Virginia Tech in 1997 and returned to southwest Virginia in 2006 to make their winery a reality. Attimo winery includes a large vineyard as well as a tasting room located in their tuscan style home.  The Obiso's began vine planting in 2007 and document 2010 and 2011 as their largest production years to date.  Currently, there are over 10,000 vines on the property and believe their is further potential to grow in the upcoming years. 

I found Attimo shattered my preconceived notion of how wineries and vineyards looked and the type of vibe associated with it.  In my head, I often associate wineries with fancy dinner parties, grand decor, and elegant attire.  Attimo evoked relaxation, comfort, and warmth with modern decor choices and friendly staff.  The tasting room was about the size of a family room, which only reitereated my earlier sentiments of comfort and warmth.  My friends and I had a choice of sampling our wines on a cozy couch or a small circular table and ultimately chose to sit at the table to get the full effect.  The tasting room used minimal lighting and relied a lot on natural lighting, which allowed us to appreciate the atmosphere and natural beauty that surrounded us.  Our waitress was very patient and attentive making sure to check in on us throughout the tasting experience.  She was extremely friendly and welcomed the many questions we threw her way with insightful and intriguing answers.  I would love to go back to this winery with my mom to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at a winery that is more like a quaint, country lounge than a formal winery environment.  While at Attimo we were able to sample an array of white, red, and dessert wines that displayed the diverse wines produced there.  During our tasting, we sampled 9 of the following wines:

• Sonnet 98(2010): a vidal blanc with a soft floral nose and light color.  I found this wine to be very light and refreshing with subtle hints of vegetable, soil or earth on the nose.  I enjoyed this wine a lot, because it had a light body, but wasn't overly sweet.  I would recommend this wine for warm summer nights outside with a light salad or spicy dish to compliment this white wine
• I do (2010): this was another white wine, but with completely different characteristics than the sonnet.  I'd describe this wine as bubbly with a zing or spice on the initial taste.  This is a blended wine with 80% Traminette and 20% Petit Manseng.  I found that this wine almost reminded me of a sparkling wine, because it was sweet, bubbly, and light which are characteristics I often find with sparkling wines.  This was an exciting wine for me, because on the nose it was light and citrusy, but on the palate there was a hint of spice that created depth in this seemingly light wine.
• Deep Silence (2010): This was the first red wine we tried during the sampling and was their Cabernet Franc wine.  On the nose I could easily detect buttery, vegetale aromas that indicate that it took on some flavors from the oak barrell.  It was extremely dry to the point that I needed to drink a substantial amount of water to wash that dry feeling away.  Our server said we should be able to taste hints of berries, but was unable to detect much flavor from this wine at all.  Was largely disappointed with this wine, because I keep hearing how great Virginia Cabernet Francs are, but continually am underwhelmed by them.
• AD 325 (2010): this was Attimo's Chambourcin wine and was 13.8% alcohol.  Our server informed us that this red wine was completely unoaked, which means that the wine was stored in stainless steel so that the only flavors you detect are from the grape itself.  I could certainly tell the difference between this wine and the oaked wines, because it didn't have the overall buttery, vanilla tastes and aromas that I found in the other wines.  Could taste hints of cherry and found that this wine would pair well with dark chocolate. 
• Sweet Berry Sunset:  One of Attimo's dessert wines, this wine actually adds raspberries to a red blended wine to intensify fruit flavors.  I could definitely taste the raspberry within the wine and found it was similar to berry juice.  This was a very easy wine to drink, but was a bit too sweet for me, unless I used this wine as my dessert.
• Sudden Downpour: another infused wine, this blends Chardonnay, Sauvignon lanc, Apple wine and is finished off with Bourbon.  I found this wine to be extremely sugary to the point that I almost felt nauseus.  Even though this wine is only 12.5% alcohol, I could feel the heat from the bourbon which made it feel strong and heavy to me.
• Masquerade (2010): This is Attimo's Chardonnay wine with typical new world characteristics.  On the nose I found this wine to be very earthy, buttery, and soily.  On the palate it was very silky and smooth, but couldn't actually taste much of anything.  This was certainly one of my least favorite.
• Vertex (2010): Attimo's Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% alcohol.  Our server informed us that the Cabernet grapes were imported from California, because they can't seem to flourish in Southwest Virginia.  Can definitely tell that this wine has been oaked for a long period of time, because I could smell butter, vegetation, and vanilla on the nose.  On the palate there was rich berry flavors that awakened my taste buds and was not too dry.  I'd say this was my favorite red wine out of all the wines I tried.
• Seduction (2010): Attimo's variation on a ruby port with Tinta Moderal, Touriga nacional and Sauzao grapes imported from Portugl.  This wine had the highest percentage of alcohol with 18% and it was certainly evident when I tasted this wine.  It had way too much heat and felt way too strong for a low-key wine drinking night.  However, I did enjoy the strong berry and fruit components of this wine.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Attimo Winery and would recommend it to anyone that's looking for a low-key environment to sample a few great wines from our region.  Although I wasn't overly enthused about any of the wines in particular, I was impressed with the variety and diversity of wines they produced on a relatively small vineyard. 

Tasting- Peter Mertes Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen Qualitatswein

Name: Peter Mertes Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen

Variety: 70% Riesling, 15% Silvaner, 15% Muller-Thurgau

Region: Rheinhessen and Palatinate

Country: Germany

Year: 2009

Price: $5.95

Winery Review: "Leibfraumilch is a soft, delicate wine of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate districts.  The original wine was named after the Leibfraumilch monastery in Worms, where the monks were the first wine growers and produced an unusually pleasing wine.  Wines of the Rheinhessen and Palatinate are noted for their noted for their aroma, well-balanced harmony, and fragrance.  Leibfraumilch, as all excellent white wines is best served chilled.  We suggest serving with cold entrees, as well as poultry, such as chicken or turkey, or even with a mild Cheddar, mellow and slightly nutty with a medium consistency"

My Review: The body of this wine is very light yellow-green in color but easily permeates through light.  This wine has very little aromas on the nose, which was a bit disappointing.  On the palate it was very light, refreshing and clean, which allows for easy summer drinking.  However, I couldn't detect any recognizable tastes or characterisics that elevate or bring uniqueness to this wine.  I may try this wine again if I'm looking for a simple, light wine.

Tasting- Col Des Vents Corbieres

Name: Col Des Vents Corbieres

Variety: 50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah

Region: Languedoc

Country: France

Year: 2009

Price: $7.95

Winery Review: "50% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 15% Syrah. Bramble berry, cherry, and raspberry, spices, black pepper.. all are present in this authentic French country"

My Review: On the nose this wine has welcoming blackberry, blackcherry, and raspberry aromas that draw attention to the full body and fruitiness of the wine.  On the palate there are numerous berry components that excite the taste buds, but the wine is very spicy and dry.  It is clear that this wine has a lot of tannic acid which can be too strong for many wine drinkers.  I might try this wine again with a full cheese or heavy pasta dish and see if that calms the wine at all.

Tasting- San Elias Carmenere

Name: San Elias Carmenere

Vintage: Carmenere

Region: Central Valley

Country: Chile

Year: 2010

Price: $5.95

Winery Review: "The grapes for this Carmenere are selected from vineyards in the Central Valley.  Beautiful red fruit aromas.  Supple and round in the mouth, the wine pairs well with full flavored cheeses and lamb."

My Review: On the nose there are definitely vegetable, soil, earth components to the bouquet.  On the palate it was extremely dry and had hints of butter.  This isn't one of my favorite red wines, because I couldn't detect any hints of fruit and was too dry for my liking.  Perhaps this is a wine that approves with food, but it's not likely that I will try this wine again.

Tasting- Estrella Chardonnay

Name: Estrella Chardonnay
Vintage: 100 % Chardonnay
Region: Napa Valley
Country: USA
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95

Winery Review: "Intensely flavored and balanced with layers of vanilla, butter and pear, followed by apple, banana and oak.

My Review: This was a surprisingly light and refreshing example of a Chardonnay.  Can definitely smell pear and green apple on the nose and the body is a very light yellow-green.  On the palate this wine exhibits a nice balance of malic acid and sugar and has a hint of vanilla that makes this an easy drinking wine.  I would certainly recommend this wine for light, summer night drinking.