Spring Wines

If anyone's getting sick of hearing me sing the praises of Virginia Cabernet Franc or Chilean Merlot here, fear not! With spring officially settling into the DC area - and the weather not that far behind - the bigger reds will stay on the rack in the coming months as the lighter reds, whites and roses start to feature more prominently into regular rotation.

For reds, that means this in Pinot Noir's seasonal heyday. Lighter-bodied, with loads of fruit and - with the best from Burgundy and Oregon - spice, earth and complexity that proves that a wine doesn't need to be a big, heavy wine to have a lot going on in terms of what you can taste and discover.

That last sentence was veering extremely close to wine blogger snobbery and pretentiousness, so I apologize and will strive to do better when discussing the whites - especially because there are so many that are approachable, interesting and affordable.

While the Virginia Cabernet Francs and Petite Verdots are being put away for the warmer months, Virginia is no slouch in the white category either. Viognier, in particular, is a great choice, and one that I anticipate enjoying quite a bit of during the spring and summer. Pear, apricot and a little honeysuckle give these wines a lot of fruit while balancing it out with slate on the finish gives Virginia Viognier is why these wines continue to grow in popularity. According to Jordan Harris of Tarara, who makes a great Viognier in his own right, these wines don't show well during wine competitions, but that should take absolutely nothing away from what these wines can offer.

When it comes to pink wine, Rose d'Anjou is a solid go-to. Made predominantly or entirely from Cabernet Franc grapes and coming out of The Loire Valley, these wines - with their abundance of strawberries and raspberries, well-balanced structure and dry, refreshing finish - these wines are great any time during the warmer months and are version utile enough to pair with anything from barbecue ribs to charcuterie.

If you need good come backs when people make fun of you for drinking pink wine with your ribs, check back. That may well be a future post.

Finally, one should not ignore sparkling wines. Cavas from Spain are great, inexpensive sparkling wines that can be opened any time and enjoyed by a diverse crowd. Once you get out of the CVS brands of cava, there are some great options for under $10 maki them some of the best values in the wine world these days.

Whatever you choose to drink during the warmer months, enjoy it, and if you so dare, try to be a wine evangelist for all the beer drinkers.

Governor's Cup Winners Announced

Earlier in the week, the Governor's Cup winners were awarded to to Virginia's outstanding wines. Governor McDonnell bestowed the top honor, again, on Barboursville's Octagon. Octagon continues its march as Virginia's most recognized and awarded wine, and Barboursville continues to follow the Robert Mondavi model of winemaking and education - serving as an ambassador for the Virginia wine industry as a whole while also improving their own reputation.

While I have been critical of some aspects of Barboursville's approach and philosophy in the past, Octagon deserves the honor it has just received and any and all accolades in its future. The entire team at Barboursville strives to get Virginia wine a bit more respect, and who can argue with that?

Rather than try to say what has already been said about this year's Governor's Cup competition and winners, I encourage you to check out what Drink What You Like has said about it - particularly the lack of Viogniers included in this year's Gold Metal winners.

http://drinkwhatyoulike.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/the-virginia-governors-cup-its-all-about-red-blends-for-now/

It's also worth reading Jordan Harris' comments for an insider's perspective on the recent lack of love for Virginia Viognier.

What a 90-Point Virginia Wine Tastes Like

One of the Virginia wines that recently received 90 points from Wine Enthusiast was the Tarara 2010 Cabernet Franc. WIth so much of the wine press focused on the wineries of the Charlottesville area, I was glad to see Linden and Tarara - both Northern Virginia wineries - do so well in the recent issue of the Enthusiast.

So what does a 90 point wine produced less than two hours from Washington, DC taste like? In the case of Tarara's 2010 Cabernet Franc, it tastes like a big wine, finishes like a big wine and makes no apologies about being a big wine.

I first noticed that the color was almost exactly the same as the ruby sacrificial ring in the movie HELP! Am I using this post to reiterate my not-quite latent Beatlemania? Perhaps, but there are worse ways to spend an evening watching the Beatles and drinking Virginia wine...

Tarara's Cabernet Franc is a BIG wine in every way - big dried fruit, leather and cedar aromas, big flavors of plumb, currant, tobacco with a peaty bite, big alcohol and a big finish. It continues to be a big wine though it does open up over time.

The wine is so big that I tried it over a couple of days and on the second day, it was still big though the tannins did soften a little. This is certainly a wine that could become friends with your decanter. If you don't have one, open it at the beginning of the night and serve it second if you're entertaining.

More to the point, Cabernet Franc does really well in Virginia and Tarara's demonstrates what the grape can accomplish when given the right soil, climate and winemaker. This wine is a great example of what happens when all three come together, and the national wine press is starting to take notice.

Wines I'm Thankful For

This time of year, there seems to be a lot of chatter both in the wine blogger world as well as in the dead tree wine press about two topics: great wines for Thanksgiving and great gift wines. The former is a rotating crop of up and coming wines from new regions - one year Malbec from Argentina was the greatest wine ever for Thanksgiving. Rioja, Pinot Noir, Cotes du Rhone and Chianti have all also held that distinction for reds, while Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Torrontes have all had a share of the limelight for white wines for Thanksgiving. Ultimately, these reports all end by saying that people should drink what they like - and maybe get something a little nicer than usual for the occasion.

Holiday gift writing tends to explain why wines in the $30 and up are worth it for non-wine drinkers and explain why certain wines cost what they do and why, for a gift, they are worth it. These usually end with a little joke that the card should indicate that in five years, the giver would be happy to help the recipient drink the gift wine.

To do something little different, I wanted to offer up a list of the types of wines I am most thankful for this year. These are not, necessarily, good wines for Thanksgiving. Nor are any of them really good gift wines unless you are a cheapskate. Rather, these are the wines that I find myself cracking open more often than not on a regular evening, or that I have come to appreciate throughout this last year.

1. Chilean Merlot. Chile and Washington State have put Merlot back on the wine map, and Chilean Merlots - with an abundance of dark fruit, chocolate, spice and earth - almost always punch above their weight. Usually under $10, Chilean Merlots have become some of the best value, versatile, everyday drinking wines out there.

2. Virginia Cabernet Franc. I have written a lot about this wine on this blog, and with good reason. The quality and diversity of the Cabernet Franc produced in Virginia continues to grow and is helping to pave the way wider acceptance of Virginia wines in general.

3. Virginia Viognier. Viognier is doing for Virginia white wine what Cabernet Franc is doing for reds. If word gets out on how good Virginia Viognier really is, it could become a go-to white of choice for Chardonnay drinkers looking for something a bit more complex and aromatic as well as Pinot Grigio drinkers who are looking for more body. With its melon, slate and honeydew flavors, it is also a great brunch wine.

4. Cotes du Rhone. While these wines are still gaining and popularity - and increasing in cost - you can still get some very good ones under $15 that are full of clove, spice and blackberries.

5. Grenacha. Spain's second major red wine varietal is starting to gain attention. While these big, bold and smokey wines can be a little rough around the edges, there are some great values out there - especially if you are looking for bigger, more full-bodied wines that pack a punch and are a great value.

6. Argentine Sauvignon Blanc. Let's face it - California Sauvignon Blanc under $15 is rarely good, and the New Zealand stuff is good, but can be fairly acerbic. Argentina is coming into its own with this varietal. There is still the minerality and slate of the New Zealand stuff, but without the over-abundance of gooseberry that turns some people off. These are great light, crisp and refreshing wines.

7. Blends. While pretty much all wines are blends - you only need 75% of a single varietal to put the name on the label - winemakers are becoming more comfortable to put "red blend" or "white blend" on the label. Of course, Bordeaux is still making great wines which, by law, need to be blended, but the trend is catching on in the New World, too. Blends offer depth and complexity that you can't get otherwise. And as long as you stay away from the overly-sweet blends, there are some really good values available.

All of the wines are simply the ones I have developed a greater fondness and appreciation for this year, and all of them tend to have great cost-to-value ratios. During the season of holiday parties, dinners and happy hours, any of these wines would make great gifts or things to order off the menu that won't break the bank, but will leave you satisfied.

Jefferson Would be Proud

Yes, Barboursville has ruins, cows and wine. It also has large crowds and a theme park atmosphere

 On our recent trip to Charlottesville, we visited a lot of wineries and tried a lot of wine. This was my first trip to the region, and while I had heard many good things about the wine and the wineries in Thomas Jefferson's old stomping ground, I wasn't prepared for just how different each winery was in terms of atmosphere and ambiance, though I was pleasantly surprised. Since I have already mentioned Barboursville in a previous post, there isn't much more I need to say about it. True, it is big. Their wines are good. Still, I can't help the feeling that they are the Virginia wine industry's circus barker - imploring people to step right up to try wines from the state. The assembly-line atmosphere in their tasting room does little to counter this impression.

All in all, given its reputation, size and location, Barboursville is a good place to start - especially as an introduction to Virginia wines. And there are many other wineries located nearby. The other wineries we went to on the first day were Reynard Florence and Keswick Vineyards. Neither of these had the crowds or chaos of Barboursville. True, they didn't have Thomas Jefferson-designed ruins on the property either, but that's a small price to pay for tranquility.

Another view from another winery. For the life of me, I can't remember which one

Reynard Florence, a fairly new winery, was our second stop, and it couldn't have been more different. It is a small, family run winery. The tasting room feels more like a living room than anything, and we had the place to ourselves. One of the owners was pouring behind the bar. I first heard about Reynard Florence during this year's Virginia Wine Bracket Challenge where its Cabernet Franc was one of the contestants. I remember liking the wine and was impressed by the other wines they produce. They also make a Petit Manseng and a Grenache - both unique for Virginia.

Rounding out our wineries for the day was Keswick, which does a hefty wedding business for good reason. The winery grounds are beautiful. Finishing off a day of wine tasting with dry Rose on a porch in a comfortable chair is never a bad thing.  And, lest I forget to mention it, their wines are quite good, too. I was a fan of their Viognier and their Rose, though their Verdejo is also worth trying given that it is a unique varietal in Virginia.

This trip was also some of our friends' first experience with Virginia wines, and I am proud to say that they have now become fervent fans of Virginia Viognier. A weekend in Monticello will do that to just about anybody.

This Year's Bracket Challenge

Jefferson Vineyards was the Big Winner Among Stiff Competition

Once again, we stole a perfectly good idea from the NCAA and turned it into a wine tasting event. Unlike last year, which was co-hosted by Jessica Milby at One Classic Wino, this year's tasting was cosponsored by Fabbioli Cellars - last year’s big winner.


To level the playing field, this year’s Bracket Challenge consisted of all Virginia Cabernet Francs, with a number of bloggers, restaurant and wine industry professionals tasting and judging the wines. Other bloggers included Allan from CellarBlog, Kurt from Wine About Virginia and Frank from Drink What You Like. Unlike the men’s basketball tournament, there are a lot fewer fake injuries and poor refereeing during wine tasting.

Tools of the Trade for this Year's Challenge

The 16 wines tasted were from wineries from all around the state, and all had won Governor’s Cup honors. While all the wines were Virginia Cabernet Francs, the diversity of the wine’s appearances, aromas and tastes led to some interesting discussions and opinions. Some were overflowing with green pepper, some had more graphite to them, and others smelled like a cranberry bog.


Pitting 16 Virginia wines against one another demonstrated not only the diversity of flavors and growing regions around the state, but also of increasing quality. While some of the wines were on the light, thin side, others could more than hold their own with Cabernet Francs – or Cabernet Franc-heavy blends – from other winegrowing areas of the world.


Of the wines that made it to the Final Four, one was from Loudoun County and the other three were from the Charlottesville area. Jefferson Vineyards was the night’s overall winner. Congratulations to the winemaking team at Jefferson Vineyards for creating this year’s Bracket Challenge winner. 

This Year's Winner & Runner-Up.  Next Year, the Winning Winemaker will get to Cut Down a Net

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.

Converting Skepics

Virginia wine is in an interesting place as 2012 gets underway. The quality continues to improve as more and more people realize that Virginia's wine industry isn't just a fad. Despite great advances in quality - I'm not the first person to admit that Virginia makes some damn good wine nowadays -  the broader wine-drinking population still scoffs at Virginia wine as being of poor quality, too sweet, or "a headache in a bottle." Several people have used that last phrase on me. 

While I wish Virginia wine had a better reputation, that Virginia wines were not segregated to the "local" section of most wine shops, and that consumers viewed Virginia wines as a viable and highly enjoyable option, changing mass opinion is a huge undertaking. Changing an individual's mind is far easier than changing a collective mind. All it takes is a corkscrew and a bottle that you like.

When someone scoffs at Virginia wine, I try to convince them that they are misguided and missing out. I will mention the advances in quality, the Old World characteristcs some of the wines now have have and the praise that the world's wine critics now bestow on wine from the Commonwealth. 

When I can, I much prefer to show rather than tell people that there is some great wine being made in Virginia. I had the opportunity to do just that not too long ago. Someone was planning to host a party with local food and wine, but backtracked on the wine. "Virginia wine, to me, just sounds terrible," she said. After the party, I brought over a bottle of 2007 Chateau O'Brien Buddy's Bistro Red. It's deep, dark color, smooth tannins, ample dark fruit and spice characteristics made it a huge hit with everyone.

Buddy is the dog on the label. His wine is quite good

In fact, everybody who tried it wanted to know where they could buy it, how far away the winery was and what other Virginia wines I would recommend. I gave them a few selections to try that were also $20 or under and urged them to visit the wineries, try the wine, meet the people involved in making the wine, and then let others know about their positive experiences. 

Make it a New Year's Resolution to try different wines from Virginia and tell others about the ones you like. 

 

Great Wines for Thanksgiving

The second-largest eating day is upon us. Unlike the largest – the Super Bowl – people tend to agree that Thanksgiving is a meal that is best paired with wine. Unless you have reservations to the French Laundry, it is also the only time of the year that people will make a cross-country trip for the purpose of eating dinner.

Given the traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc., the question really becomes what wine to serve? Pinot Noir has long been popular, and given its versatility, elegance and lighter-body, it is fast becoming the standard for Thanksgiving.

Why Butterball is still the safest bet

Don’t let the fact that this is the most American of holidays deter you from drinking a wine made abroad. New Zealand, Chile and France – Pinot Noir’s home – all make great Pinots that all go extremely well with Thanksgiving. Indeed, wines from these areas range in price, quality and flavor but all can match-up to the turkey and trimmings.

From New Zealand, The Crossings is a very light Pinot Noir. It is easy-drinking with cherries and a nice minerality on the finish. It is a very well-made Pinot Noir, though the tartness of the finish may turn off some people.

If you’re looking for a wine with a little more body and spice, give the Llai Llai from Chile a try. It is a little less expensive than the Crossings and is also a bit more versatile and appealing for crowds.

Speaking of appealing to crowds, we went to Graceland over Thanksgiving last year. Above is Elvis' Jungle Room where The King ate many a turkey leg

That’s not to say that Pinot Noir is the only thing to serve this Thanksgiving. After all, what would a celebration be without bubbles? I find it amusing that sparkling wine producers spend 42 weeks out of the year trying to convince people that sparkling wines are not just for holidays and celebrations. Starting around Halloween, though, the emphasis is on how it isn’t really a celebration or a holiday without sparkling wine.

Marketing aside, sparkling wines make a great addition to any table. Gone are the days when you had to spend a boatload for bubbles. Jaillance produces some of the best sparkling wines that France makes that aren’t from Champagne - though the flavor profiles are very similar. Ranging from toasty, buttery and dry to very sweet, you can find something for every palette for under $15.

If you want to spend even less on something festive, get a few bottles of Cava. These sparklers from Spain offer the best value in sparkling wine – if not wine period – that you can get these days.

Of course, what would this post be without giving a shout-out to Virginia wines? One of the best options to serve something local this year would be Chambourcin. Many of the ones I have tasted recently – from Fabbioli Cellars to Notaviva to Hidden Brook are easy-drinking, medium-bodied and loaded with cherry and cranberry flavors.

Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars with his Chambourcin Vines

Whatever you choose to serve this year, make sure you have plenty on hand, and have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. 

A Successful Virginia Wine Month

While there is still dismay that Virginia actually makes wine by the vast majority of the wine-drinking public, the industry as a whole is making great strides towards getting the word out. October was Virginia Wine Month and everybody I spoke with from winemakers to wine reps to sommeliers were enthusiastic about being a Virginia wine evangelist for the month. Wineries hosted harvest festivals and live music, and restaurants offered specials on Virginia wine throughout the month. Overall, the push to raise awareness about Virginia wine was seen as a huge success and one more step on the road to winemaking respectability around the world – or at least the country.

One thing that the Virginia wine industry does have is an active and enthusiastic champion in the Governor’s Mansion. Actually, they have two of them as both the Governor and First Lady of the state have made it clear that they fully support Virginia’s wine industry and are working to see it thrive.

Gov. McDonnell Discusses the Importance of Virginia's Wine Industry.
Later He and My Wife Discussed All Things Notre Dame.
Go Irish!

At a recent Virginia Wine Month event held at Lincoln Restaurant in the District, Governor McDonnell sounded more like a wine geek than a public official when he spoke about the Chambourcin that was planted recently on the grounds of the Governor’s mansion. He told the crowd about his travel schedule which would make Bono blush: India, China, London, etc. to be the face and advocate for the industry. Through his efforts, Virginia winemakers know that they have an ally rather than an adversary that is working to see the industry grow.

And why not? Virginia is producing some great wine and the quality is only getting better. As winemaker and vineyard managers continue to take a more sophisticated approach to what grows well in Virginia’s soil, the quality will continue to increase and the potential to blend different varietals will continue to grow. Many of the wines I tasted at the event had a distinctive, almost Old World, quality about them.

Even though it is no longer October, there are still plenty of opportunities to raise a glass of Virginia - particularly Loudoun – wine and spread the word. 

Celebrate Virginia Wine Month with Great Virginia Football Wines!

October is Virginia Wine Month. Make sure to support your local Virginia wineries during the month.

October is also when both college and pro football are in full swing, as is baseball's post-season. So many sports, so little time. And so much watered-down, bad beer...

Until now.

Check out my latest column in the Loudoun Times-Mirror to learn about great Virginia wines to enjoy next time you settle in to watch a game.

The key takeaway is that there are many, many great wines coming out of Virginia that go with football and all its trappings.

Are you brave enough to be seen at your next game-watch sipping wine? You won't be disappointed if you are!

Americans Love Their Wine

For those of you who haven't heard, Americans lover their wine. This trend has been growing for some time, and it was recently reported that the United States now consumes wine than any other country in the world. Good job everyone. Let's keep it up! You know that some countries - I'm looking at you France - are going to double their efforts to regain their prominence as the world's top wine consumers.

The trend towards wine has become so pronounced that even morning news shows are starting to take notice. Recently, CBS' The Early Show aired a segment on American winegrowers and American wine consumption. It is a good piece that discusses the American wine market and new, boutique American winemakers.

One of my favorite Finger Lakes wineries, Heart and Hands, was profiled as one of the new breed of high-quality, boutique American wineries that is meeting the growing demand.

I would suggest you check out the Early Show segment and, more importantly, keep supporting your local wineries. Heart and Hands is just one example of the great quality wine being made in small batches in places like the Finger Lakes and Virginia.

High-quality and local wine consumption is trend that should continue.

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.

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.