Monday, April 30, 2012

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.

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