Virginia Wine Keeps the Accolades Coming

February was a good month for Virginia wine, and March is shaping up to be just as good. In terms of recognition, February saw Virginia wines receive several prestigious awards both near and far and March has been dubbed, “Virginia Wine and Dine Month.” If it seems as if there is a Virginia Wine marketing tie-in for every month of the year, you’re not too far off. Indeed, the wines are getting better and those tasked with marketing Virginia wine are certainly earning their salaries.

The Governor’s Cup was awarded to Glen Manor for their 2009 Hodder Hill Meritage. Glen Manor was up against some of Virginia’s other great wineries and the honor is well-received for their Meritage, which is not a variety of grape, but a name given to American wines that blend traditional Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petite Verdot) into a single wine. I have mentioned the Old World characteristics that Virginia wines have in the past, and the Glen Manor Meritage is a great representation of this. With Virginia growing some of the best Cabernet Franc in the world, it is no surprise that blends that incorporate this grape – as well as the single varietal offerings made from Cabernet Franc – are helping Virginia stake its claim in the wider world of wine.

Other wines that went up for the Governor’s Cup included Meritages produced by Delfosse, King Family Vineyards, Potomac Point and Veritas, as well as both red and white single varietal wines. Past winners have included fantastic whites and reds from all of the state’s growing regions – from Charlottesville to Fairfax.

Glen Manor certainly is in good company, and the accolades keep coming for Virginia Wine. Internationally, a Loudoun County wine – BreauxVineyards Viognier – made British wine writer and top wine taster Oz Clark’s list of the 250 best wines in the world - breaking the top 100 at number 87. What is more remarkable is that Breaux Vineyards is one of only three U.S. wineries to appear on Mr. Clark’s list.

Certainly, the awarding of the Governor’s Cup and the inclusion of Breaux Vineyards in Oz Clark’s 250 best wines are just two honors that have been bestowed on Virginia wine recently. With the quality of Virginia wine continuing to increase, and word trickling out that Virginia is making world-class wines, the honors will likely continue as well.

In Praise of Mutts

The name of this post is not just a shameless excuse to put up a picture of our dog Kopek, as appropriate as it is. Rather it is to highlight a few of the really nice red blends we have had recently. Until recently, I have been more interested in the single varietal wines. I want a Cabernet that tastes like a Cabernet because it is a Cabernet - Sauvignon or Franc. In my attempt to stay true to my misguided one type of grape in one bottle philosophy, I was missing out on some really spectacular wines.

Blends are, essentially, mutts. Take a little Cabernet, a little Merlot, throw in some Syrah and see what happens. This is, of course, an incredibly naive oversimplification. Bordeaux wines are blends, with Cabernet Sauvignon being the dominant grape for wines from the Left Bank and Merlot being the dominant grape for wines from the Right Bank. Recently I have started familiarizing myself with Bordeaux wines and domestic Bordeaux-style blends more and more. I have been skeptical of developing too much of a Bordeaux habit, and have also been skeptical of the Meritage movement for domestic blends. Recently, I have come to terms with the fact that even though it is a made up term, there are still some great Meritage blends out there. There are other blends that don't use the Meritage label that are worth trying.

Two that I have enjoyed recently are the Courtney Benham 2009 Paso Robles Lucca Red and the other is Sobon Wines' Vicious Red Blend. Even though I was drinking the Lucca Red as I watched an embarrassing Bears loss to the Green Bay Packers for a trip to the Super Bowl, I still really enjoyed the wine. It was a powerful, full-bodied, yet elegant blend that had a nice balance between the fruit-forward flavors of blackberry, cherry and boysenberry and the vanilla and oak flavors on the finish. Who knows if I would like it even more if I drank it while not being distracted by a football game.

I really liked the Vicious Red - especially for the price. Another full-bodied wine, it had a bit more fruit up front than the Lucca Red did - black and red cherries along with a hint of anise gives way to a nice, soft finish that has vanilla, oak and earth accents. I could see this becoming our new house red if there weren't so many other great wines out there that I haven't tried yet.

Blends no longer intimidate me, nor do I immediately brush off blends right away. Like mutts, when blends are done well, the best attributes of all the different components shine through.