Half Price Wine Bottle Saturday at Ramparts in Alexandria

Caitlin and I met some friends at Ramparts in Alexandria on Saturday night. Much to our delight, Saturday is half price wine bottle night. Even more delightful is the fact that Ramparts has a very good wine list for a neighborhood bar

Ramparts does what it does well. Although its recent renovations give it a bit of a sterile atmosphere, it still has the feel of a very unpretentious, neighborhood hangout - a neighborhood hangout that has a good wine list. And good food, too. If you ask for a burger medium rare, it actually comes out medium rare.

Our burgers came out the way we wanted them to, and our friends ordered other standard bar food that was also well-prepared. For wine, we ordered a bottle of 2007 Hess Allomi Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which usually runs $60. It was a great deal for only $30 – especially since it is currently going for only $26.99 on Shopper’s Vineyard.

I am a fan of Hess Vineyards – particularly their Mount Veeder selections. Their 2007 Allomi Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep, dark red color with the characteristically fragrant aromas of a Napa Valley Cabernet. You start smelling cherries and chocolate and plums almost as soon as you lift the glass off the table. The wine is full-bodied and loaded with flavors of dark cherries and spices with hints of oak and vanilla. It went very well with a medium rare burger, and since it was half price, I didn’t feel guilty drinking it with a burger rather than, say, a steak.

It wasn’t too long ago that I, like many other overworked and underpaid DC transplants, could rattle off which bars and restaurants has which food and drink specials on which nights. Being young and hungry and financially stretched meant that you could overlook the fact that your half-price burger would generally be small and overcooked compared to its full-priced brethren. And sure, paying $3.00 for a glass of Yellow Tail seemed like a great deal once upon a time. And while those deals will always serve a purpose, it is refreshing to spend a night at a place like Ramparts where you can get good food as well as a great deal on a great bottle of wine.

Holidays Call for Good Wine

Merry Christmas to all Virginia wine lovers, Virginia winemakers and anyone and everyone else who may read this.

Whether or not you are looking to serve good wine during the holidays because it is a special occasion, or if you are entertaining relatives and in-laws and need a bit more bang for your buck, there are thousands of choices for both approaches. And Virginia wineries can help in both ways.

For quality Virginia wines to serve for the holidays, I am a fan of Fabbioli Cellars' Cabernet Franc and Paradise Springs' Chardonnay. Both are great wines that will please your wine-loving and wine-phobic guests alike.

Fabbioli Cellars' Cabernet Franc is a nice, medium-bodied red. It has a touch of sweetness reminiscent of raspberries and dark chocolate. It is not, however, a sweet wine. Rather, the sweetness gives way to an interesting complexity of pepper and nutmeg on the finish. The sweetness and spiciness work well together to give this medium-bodied wine a very well-balanced and enjoyable flavor.

I have sung the praises of Virginia Cabernet Franc in the past, and Fabbioli's is one of the best you can find. Plus, at $19, the wine is a great value for the quality.

As for white wine, if you haven't tried Paradise Springs' Chardonnay yet, you should definitely make it a priority. Not only did it win the 2010 Governor's Cup for white wine, but it is a robust, well-made white that would be a great addition to any meal regardless of official accolades. With crisp pear, green apple and brie flavors throughout, this wine would be a perfect accompaniment for appetizers or to serve at a holiday party.

Although I have been more impressed with Virginia Viogniers in the past, Paradise Springs' Chardonnay has convinced me that Chardonnay can do well in the state as well. At $29 the Chardonnay is a bit pricey, especially when compared to other chardonnays at the same price-point, but it is worth trying and sharing with guests.

This past year has been a good one for the Virginia wine industry, despite the sluggish economy. There are many options out there for very good Virginia wines that you can serve during the holidays.

Whatever you drink and serve this holiday season, have a safe and merry Christmas.

8 Chains North: A New VA Winery that's not yet a 10

If you have ever asked yourself what wine and old refrigerators have in common, your answer can now be 8 Chains North winery in Waterford, VA. What struck me first about one of Virginia’s newer wineries is that it is decorated in two very distinct styles: one could be called “Cost Plus World Market Floor Model” and the other design theme is old refrigerators. The first one I can understand. Who hasn’t walked into a Cost Plus and thought: “I like all of these styles of furniture. I’ll take them all and decorating will be a cinch!” Putting all of them in the same space, unless it is in the store, feels a bit confused and jumbled.

8 Chains North in general is very much like its tasting room. There are a lot of good ideas but the overall execution is a little confused without any real purpose. And seriously, why all the old refrigerators?

I give a tremendous amount of credit to anyone who opens up a winery. The amount of time, effort and money needed to start a winery from the ground up is daunting. Yet the more wineries that open, the more good wine will be produced which will add to Virginia’s reputation as a wine-producing state in general. Like the tasting room, I felt that the wines being produced at 8 Chains North could use a little work.

Of the wines that Caitlin and I tried, their Furnace Mountain Red was the most enjoyable. With a pleasant aroma of blackberries and a hint of vanilla, I was expecting a bigger, heartier red than the light, soft one that it turned out to be. The body is on the thin side and the pleasant aromas give way to oaky hints that lead to an unexpected sourness on the finish. Like the winery itself, I was expecting one thing and got something totally different when I tired this blend.

The other wine worth mentioning is their LoCo Vino white. Like their Furnace Mountain Red, LoCo Vino is a blend, using traminette and vidal blanc grapes. As Virginia whites go, I could see drinking this one again. It had more complexity that I was anticipating, with a floral aroma that opened up nicely into a pleasant, albeit thin, body that accentuated its citrus and grassy flavors. This would be a good wine to take to a BBQ, or a picnic.

With so many things wine, experiences can change from sip to sip or from trip to trip. 8 Chains North does have a great space that could easily be modified to become a more welcoming tasting room. The views are beautiful, and I could tell that the person working the wine bar was very enthusiastic and excited about the winery. Also like wine, with a bit more aging and maturity, I know that 8 Chains North will reach its full potential.

An Unbiased Look at Finger Lakes Reds

To recap what I have said in the past about wine from the Finger Lakes: they make some fantastic Rieslings, a few other notable whites, and their reds tend to be on the light, watery and not terribly interesting side. It really wasn’t all that long ago when the difference between a New York white and a New York red may just as well have been a few drops of food coloring. There is a good reason why most people—myself included—are skeptical of reds from the Finger Lakes, namely that for a long time, they haven’t been very good.

As the region’s wine industry continues to evolve, some of the reds produced in the Finger Lakes are starting to hold their own. Heart and Hands Winery, for example, is focused on producing a high-quality pinot noir. They produce two types of non-sparkling wines: Riesling and pinot noir. Pinot is, if not an obsession, certainly, an area of intense focus for this small winery. Their obsession is starting to pay off in the form of a medium-bodied, silky pinot that has both fruity and spicy notes with a great, satisfying finish. As a young winery that is taking an extremely focused approach, Heart and Hands sets a good example for what Finger Lakes reds can be.

Anyela’s Winery is also doing their part for the red wine cause. Like Heart and Hands, Anyela’s is relatively new. And like Heart and Hands, Anyela’s makes very good reds for the region. Heart and Hands has very much of a “work-in-progress” feel to it—from its grounds that under construction to its pinot noir obsession which is nowhere near exhausted. Anyela’s demonstrates what is possible when good wines and beautiful, natural settings come together. No wonder why Caitlin and I held our rehearsal dinner here.

Perched atop Skaneateles Lake, the inside of the winery looks like a grown-up’s clubhouse with big, comfortable chairs, a central fireplace, wine barrel tables and natural wood walls. Panoramic views of the vines and the lake are available from just about everywhere. To top it off, their wine’s good, too. Taking a page out of Heart and Hands’ playbook, Anyela’s produces a pinot noir—and a very good one at that. There is an initial sweet and mellow aroma and fruit-forward taste of raspberry that evolves into a pleasant smoothness and finally finishes with hints of figs and exotic spices.

Another red that Anyela’s offers is their very approachable and drinkable Overlay blend. Comprised of 35% Cabernet Franc, 15% Pinot Noir, 20% Shiraz, and 30% Merlot; this thick, jammy, velvety red could, in a blind test, have people convinced they were drinking something from Napa Valley. I lost track of how many people complimented us on the wine served during our rehearsal dinner, and how impressed they were that it was local.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention Goose Watch Winery. They have been around for longer than either Heart and Hands or Anyela’s, but are also contributing to the Finger Lakes red march towards respectability. We served their chambourcin at our wedding. The deep, ruby red color and thick, well-rounded aromas of dark fruit and hints of leather, cherries and oak went perfectly with the steak that was served.

Heart and Hands, Aneyla’s and Goose Watch all serve as the exception, and a good example, for the caliber of reds that the Finger Lakes region can produce. With the influx of new wineries opening up in the area, let’s hope at least some of them put the same amount of care and effort into producing interesting, well-made reds.

Part Two of a Two Part Series: The Hiatus is Over!

It has been a while since I have updated this blog - too long, in fact. There are perfectly good reasons and explanations for the lapse. Living in DC, where status is measured by who returns who’s phone calls and how quickly, I will spare everyone the “I’ve been busy” excuse. We have all, no doubt, used it and have had it used on us. Everyone is busy all of the time, and my delay in getting a new post up is totally on my shoulders. I hope you were all able to get by while drinking some whites, reds, sparkling wine and even roses in my absence.

Instead of saying “Beltway Bacchus has been too busy to write,” I will simply say that life away from the computer was calling. And I answered. And it was calling with great material for future blog posts. A shortlist of what I have been doing since July, when I last posted:

• Planning a wedding (most of the credit goes to Caitlin and her parents, but I helped, dammit!)
• Planning a honeymoon (again, with fairly precise instructions from Caitlin, but I had to call and stumble through French and English conversations)
• Planning a rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner was, of course, at a Finger Lakes winery
• Getting married
• Going on a honeymoon
• Missing being back from the honeymoon
• Getting caught up on the comings and goings of my non-Beltway Bacchus life
• Getting out to some of the newer wineries in Virginia

With all that said, all of the aforementioned events involved wine in some way, and will be excellent fodder for good posts – mixed in there with general reviews of what I’m tasting, drinking, and enjoying. I haven’t even written about my and Caitlin’s most recent trip to Napa and Sonoma (congrats, again, Ryan and Jessica).

As much as I love writing about wine I have tried and wine experiences I have enjoyed, I don’t feel all that bad about the lapse in posts. Yes, I love to share what I have tried and talk about the DC area’s wine culture particularly, but when events in the actual, rather than the virtual, world pop up, I will take advantage of them and blog about it later. Virtual viticultural experiences will never replace the real thing – nor should they. Wine is to be shared, enjoyed, and experienced by using all of your senses. I like to think that I can describe the smell, the taste, and the appearance of wine fairly well on this blog. I do have more than 75 readers, after all. But reading about tasting wine is never as good as actually tasting wine.

Feel free to use the above bullets as a Table of Contents for upcoming posts, and remember to check back here often. I promise I will post more.

The Hiatus is Over!

The last time I posted, it was July, it was hot in DC and my wedding was fast approaching. Now it is October, it is still hot in DC, the wedding and honeymoon have come and gone and Beltway Bacchus is back to writing!

I apologize for the long absence, and will have more up very, very soon.

There has been a lot going on, and I look forward to sharing with everyone.

Stay tuned...

Check Out the Washington Wine Academy!

For anyone not familiar with the Washington Wine Academy, I would highly encourage you to check them out. Celebrating 10 years in business this year, WWA offers a host of different wine tasting and education events around the region. Since Washington, DC is among the largest wine markets in the country, WWA provides an invaluable service to a thirsty region.

I first learned about WWA through one of the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse’s Wine Nights some years back where WWA had a wine tasting set up and the Drafthouse had discounts on glasses, carafes, bottles and flagons of wine…Maybe not flagons, but there were certainly some good wine deals. WWA also sponsors wine tours, and has a prensence at many different food and wine events around the area.

I didn’t think much else about WWA until Caitlin recently got us tickets to one of their hour-long wine education courses. The class provided a great overview of enjoying wine for people of all levels - from novices to those who scrutinize the finest of wine lists to regional wine bloggers. There was enough information for everyone to make the course worthwhile and informative, while also making wine much more approachable. The instructor, Tom Finigan of Washburn Wine, did a great job of explaining the characteristics of wine, dispelled some of the common myths and misconceptions about wine, and most importantly, walked us through what to look for during a wine tasting.

The tasting included a Virginia wine: Barboursville Vineyards Octagon IX Edition 2006. The 2006 Octagon is a velvety red wine that has hints of blackberries, currants and oakiness on the nose. Based on the smell alone, it would be easy to think that Barboursville’s Octagon is simply trying to be a Virginia zinfandel, yet when you taste it, and sense the dryness and high tannins with a spicy, thick, fruity finish, then you know that it is not a zin knockoff at all but something else all its own. If you want to splurge on a Virginia red, you could do worse than this one at $40 a bottle.

Now that DC is in the full throes of summer’s heat and humidity, it is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the Washington Wine Academy. It is nearby, well-run and air-conditioned. They do a lot throughout the region and certainly are worth the support of the community.