An Offline Blog... I think they're Called "Newspapers"

The Loudoun Indie, now part of the Loudoun Times-Mirror recently published a piece I wrote a while back about getting the word out on Virginia wines. I tried finding a link of it online to share with everyone, but to no avail. The Indie website hasn't been updated in some time.

In any event, if you are out in Loudoun County, pick up a copy. Sometimes there is still something very satisfying about having an actual newspaper in your hands - preferably with a glass of wine nearby and not in heat-indexed temperatures around 120*.

Since I couldn't find the piece online, the original blog post is reprinted below. Check out the other great Virginia wine bloggers and support your local Virginia wineries!

It's hard to believe, but there was a time before the Internet. In those cold, dark days, people had to learn about wine through their local wine shop, newsletters, and local wine festivals. Basically people had to interact with other people. Luckily, those days are long gone. The problem is you still can’t taste wine online. Hopefully this will change one day in the future - I’m looking at you, Google Labs - but until then, there are plenty of resources available.

Just this week Virginia Wine Trips launched. It is a blog that not only focuses on Virginia wine but also outlines specific itineraries you can follow in different parts of the state. As the blog grows, more itineraries will become available. Virginia Wine Trips is a welcome addition to the Virginia wine blog community. Virginia Wine Trips is from the same team that is responsible for the always-enjoyable Swirl, Sip, Snark blog.

Other Virginia wine blogs worth reading are My Vine Spot,Drink What You Like, Virginia Wine Time and Virginia Wine in My Pocket. These blogs and the myriad others vary in depth, breadth and scope. Each offers a different take on the wines and wineries throughout Virginia. There are many others, but these are a good place to start.

If you want to get out from behind your computer screen to actually taste, rather than just read about, Virginia wine you can still do that, too. There is no better place to start than the Virginia Wine Showcase which is happening this weekend. With close to 40 Virginia wineries, chefs giving cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, a blind wine tasting – “Virginia vs. The World” - and even speed dating, this year’s Wine Showcase is the perfect opportunity to spend a weekend familiarizing yourself with all that Virginia wine has to offer.

Last year’s Virginia Wine Showcase was hampered by Snowmageddon. This year promises to be different. The weather looks like it will cooperate, and I am looking forward to actually attending the Showcase this year. Tickets, a schedule of events and a layout of the Showcase are all available on the website.

As the Virginia wine industry continues to grow, so too will your options for learning about all Virginia wine has to offer. There is still, though, no substitute for visiting a winery and trying their wine firsthand.

Finally Going on a Virginia WInery Tour this Year

It's been a crazy year so far. Caitlin and I thought that we would have more time to relax and explore the area's wineries now that our wedding and all its planning and most of our friends' weddings and all the travel involved are behind us. That hasn't been the case. In fact, we have had very few weekends where we have been free to explore Virginia Wine Country.

Luckily, tomorrow we will correct this injustice of having too much to do and not enough time to do it all. We are visiting three wineries that I am really excited about: Chateau O'Brien, Philip Carter Winery and Hume Vineyards. I have never been to any of these three wineries, but know them all by reputation. I have, of course, tried some of their offerings. Philip Carter's Chardonnay made it to the semifinals in One Classic Wino's and my Virginia Wine Bracket Challenge back in March.

I have tried Hume's Detour Blend and was very impressed with it. They were also planning to make a Rosé this year, which I am really looking forward to trying.

Chateau O'Brien also makes great red and white terroir-driven wines with a really great, earthy and full Petit Verdot. They also feature their dog, Buddy, on their labels. Dog-friendly wineries always get a few extra points in by book. The fact that all three of these wineries have wine that can be fully enjoyed and appreciated my dog's best friend to boot means that tomorrow will be a great day for trying some great Virginia wine at some wineries I have been eager to get to for some time.

If you're planning to be at any of these wineries tomorrow, let me know!

35 Years After the Judgment of Paris and 2 Months After the Virginia Wine Bracket Challenge

If you haven’t seen the movie Bottle Shock, it is definitely worth watching, preferably with a bottle of wine or two. The movie depicts the organization of the Judgment of Paris wine tasting where California wines beat out their French counterparts through a blind tasting that was comprised of all French judges. The movie is very enjoyable, and not just because Severus Snape is cast as the wine merchant who organized the tasting.

35 years ago today, the Judgment of Paris put the international wine world on notice that terrific wine doesn’t need to come just from France or Italy. The New World is more than capable of creating high quality wines – and is even capable of producing superior wines – than those of the Old World. What constitutes "the New World" of wine keeps growing and expanding.

California is now part of the wine world’s Establishment – with Napa Valley wines rivaling those of France in terms of both reputation and price tag. What was true of the Judgment of Paris, however, is still true today: upstart wine regions are capable of holding their own against more established wine regions. Wines coming out of Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Oregon, New York and Virginia can stand toe-to-toe with wines from France, Italy, Germany, Napa and Sonoma Counties. What’s more, you can find much better values on wines coming from emerging wine regions than you can on wines from more established regions. I have recently had a Chilean Pinot Noir by Anakena, an Argentinean Syrah by Fingerprints, and a Virginia Rosé by Fabbioli Cellars that rival similar offerings from the Old World or California.

Our Virginia Wine Bracket Challenge was held two months ago, with wines from Virginia and Chile taking top honors. I’m not claiming that our tasting will put Virginia on the wine map the way the Judgment of Paris put Napa Valley on the wine map. For one thing this blog is far, far away from being Time Magazine. For another, the fact that great wine is now being produced all over the world isn't all that newsworthy. It seems like there's a hot new wine region emerging every year. As wine consumers, it means that we’re fortunate to be able to have such an abundance of high quality wines readily available to us at great prices. Some are from further away than we could ever have imagined while others are from our own backyard.

For Mother’s Day, Give a Bouquet of Rosés

Every year there’s a spike in flowers in the early part of May for Mother’s Day. And why not? Who doesn’t want to do something special for their mom on Mother’s Day? Flowers, chocolate, maybe a spa treatment… These are all great ideas, but by this point, they’re all tired, too. You’d be better off making her a macaroni picture or gluing some shells to a picture frame.

Or you can get her something she would actually enjoy, use and appreciate. I am talking, of course, about some dry Rosé. Virginia is starting to make more Rosé and what it’s producing is startlingly good. Rosé is also becoming more and more popular in other wine-growing areas - and with good reason. Rosés are light, crisp, refreshing and complex. Often with an abundance of strawberry, raspberry and cherry flavors, Rosés are perfect for the spring and summer, and your mom will likely love them, too.

A few really good Rosés coming out of Virginia are Ingleside Winery’s Rosato di Sangiovese, a 100% Sangiovese Rosé, Fabbioli Cellars’ Rosa Luna, which is also 100% Sangiovese, Bluemont Vineyard’s “The Donkey” Dry Rose which is a blend of Nebbiolo, Viognier and other grapes and Tarara Winery’s Dry Rosé which is a blend of all the red grape varietals that they grow. Hume Vineyards is also expected to release a Rosé later this spring, which I am looking forward to. Hume’s owner and winemaker is from the Loire Valley, which is home to some of my favorite Rosés. One that Caitlin and I have been drinking with some regularity this spring is the Bougrier Rosé D’Anjou, which is primarily Cabernet Franc.

All these Rosés are extremely drinkable and each of them is helping to dispel the myth that pink wines are artificially sweetened fruit juice for grown-ups. What’s more, your mother - as well as everyone else - will love them. Bring your mother some Rosé on Mother’s Day and become her favorite child. The only problem is that roses will last longer than Rosés after people get a chance to taste them.

Paradise Springs is All Grown-up

It seems like only yesterday that a new winery in Fairfax was fighting with local authorities to be able to open its doors. Looking back at all the struggles Paradise Springs faced initially, and all of the winery’s subsequent success, the opening of their new facility - and their successful opening weekend - serves as a nice reminder to all Paradise Springs has overcome and accomplished in its brief history thus far. To recap: yes, there are still rural parts of Fairfax County. Yes, Paradise Springs makes good wine. Yes, the new facility will help Paradise Springs take their operation to the next level. The fact that they are just a quick trip from downtown DC – I-66 permitting – is just an added bonus to plan a visit.

Paradise Springs is receiving ample support from both the Virginia wine industry and from local and state officials now that they have established themselves and their Chardonnay has won the Governor’s Cup. Their award-winning Chardonnay was one of the wines served at the Grand Opening. The other was their Cabernet Franc, which readers of this blog may have heard once or twice, is one of the varietals that grows extremely well in Virginia.

Gone are the days when Fairfax County zoning officials tried to claim that the winery was actually a manufacturing plant and not a farm. Even with the new facility, Paradise Springs is very much a farm, a winery, and a welcome addition to the exploding wine industry in the state. Virginia Wine Time has a good run down of all the big wigs, fat cats and honchos who were in attendance as well as lots of pictures of the event.

As for the new facility itself, there are essentially three different areas: a tasting room with bar large enough to accommodate several busloads of guests at a time, a production facility/barrel room and a large patio with a fireplace, tables and wooded views. The new building fits in with the current feel of Paradise Springs. Prior to the new facility opening, tastings were done in an old farmhouse and overflow crowds could taste in the barn as well. There was almost always overflow because, as charming as the old farmhouse is, it wasn’t big enough to accommodate the crowds. The barn and the new facility are adjacent to one another with the new facility mimicking the look and feel of the old barn’s exterior. The inside balances modern with traditional very well. The tasting bar side has a cozy feeling to it, despite being a large, airy space.

A portrait of Thomas Jefferson hangs on the wall, and I’m sure he’d be proud of what Paradise Springs, and Virginia wine in general, has accomplished.

And the Winner is...

Last month Jessica Milby of One Classic Wino fame and I hosted a March Madness-style wine tasting. It was a great event and a Virginia wine won the whole kit and kaboodle.

Want to know which wine emerged from the field of 16 victorious? Head over to Snooth to find out!

As a reminder, here's how I filled out my bracket:

The final bracket, and a write-up of the tasting, is available at Snooth which is a great wine website - and would be even if I didn't write for them occasionally.

Virginia’s Wine Industry Brain Trust

Next month, Doug Fabbioli will again teach a series of courses on the wine business - running the gamut from general winemaking concepts and vineyard management to tips on starting a winery in Virginia. I was able to attend a few of the sessions and each of them was enlightening, educational and a lot of fun. Doug’s passion for wine certainly came through in the classes and his breadth of knowledge makes him a great instructor to boot.

I would highly recommend anyone that is interested in learning more about the wine business in general or the Virginia-specific wine industry to attend the classes when they start back up again on May 18. It is clear that Doug, as well as others in the industry in the state, love what they do and where they are doing it. The classes also make it very apparent that anyone who wants to get into the wine industry because of a Peter Mayle-ish romantic notion that all it takes is wandering among vineyards and tasting wine to own a winery is sorely mistaken. There is a lot of hard work, stress, and factors – both natural and manmade – that can destroy an entire year’s worth of work.

That reality check is important to get, especially for anyone who seriously considering jumping into Virginia’s wine industry. The classes will give you a much-needed primer on how to go about doing starting a winery if the warnings of hard work and toil don’t dissuade you.

Of the three classes I attended, my favorite had to be the last class, which included a panel discussion with Doug, Stephen Mackey from Notaviva Vineyards and Jordan Harris from Tarara Winery. The three of them are a combined wealth of information about the wine industry and it was fascinating to hear them talk about their approach to winemaking, how that approach had to be modified to Virginia’s climate and where they see the state’s wine industry going.

The general consensus is that Virginia is on path more akin to Oregon than Australia: becoming well-known for making high-quality wines rather than inexpensive and mass-produced wines. It certainly seems like the state is on that path, and these classes demonstrate that there is both the interest and the need to bring more people into a demanding, but highly rewarding industry.