Washington Wine Academy's "State of Virginia Wine" Tasting

Jim Barker is passionate about wine. For the past 15 years or so, he has done everything to educate Washingtonians about how to properly appreciate, drink, buy, taste and enjoy wine through his Washington Wine Academy. He has been able to turn his passion into his profession and it shows with his dedication to any and all things wine.

Go to the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse on a Friday, there he is, pouring wine and trying to take a few moments to share what people are tasting rather than just pouring. 

If you happen into Crystal City seemingly any time during the summer months, there's Jim and his Washington Wine Academy volunteers pouring wine and appearing to have a great time. 

Barboursville is ubiquitous at Virginia Wine Events, as well as being one of the industry's leading spokeswineries

In a city that has both an established as well as an emerging wine culture, people like Jim and organizations like the WWA are vital - especially when the focus changes to wines that are produced locally. Such was the event the WWA recently hosted in a vacant storefront in Crystal City - the "State of Virginia Wine" tasting. 

Pearmund was serving their Bordeaux-style blend as well as a Chardonnay and Viognier during the "state of Virginia Wine" Event

The tasting brought together some of the state's most prominant wineries, and the $55 price tag meant that the crowd - while small - was a good mix of wine lovers and hipsters who felt like paying $55 to hang out in an empty retail space, drink wine and snack on cheese and crackers. There were good numbers of both types of people at the event. 

Tasters sampling some of Virginia's best wines: Linden, RdV, Barboursville

"I wanted this event to be all about the wine," said Barker. "I didn't want to put on another event where people can see how much wine they can drink for twenty bucks."

Jim Barker chatting with a sleazy member of the wine press

In order to keep the event all about the wine, Mr. Barker used his extensive contacts in the Virginia wine industry to get both the big names - Barboursville, Trump - and the elusive, craft wineries - RdV, Linden - to participate. Ten wineries in all were present, many of them highly rated or highly regarded in their own right. If the purpose was to highlight the "best of the best," the sample was well thought-out.

"The DC market still doesn't understand what Virginia wine is all about," said Barker. "We're damn lucky to be here and wanted to showcase the best of Virginia wine to the DC area." 

Indeed, Virginia wine is starting to become a victim of its own success. With so many wineries moving into the state, Barker predicts that there may be a serious grape shortage in the near future. There are now over 200 wineries in the state, and the quality ranges from highly sought-after, coveted bottles - Barboursville's Octagon, RdV's Rendezvous - to low-quality, fruit wines that are designed to lure tourists to a tasting room, but little else. 

With demand rising, wineries continuing to open their doors, and massive amounts of money flowing into the industry from people with names like "Trump" and "Case," the sense one gets when speaking to Barker, those who work in the wineries, or those who cover Virginia wine is that between the continuing increase in quality wines being produced in the state, the increase in money being pumped into the industry, and the increase in accolades that wine writers are giving Virginia wines, Virginia wine is poised to take off in a serious way.  

The "Taste of Virginia Wine" reflected the Virginia wine industry's recent self-confidence and demand to be seen as a major region in the world of wine. 

2013 Football Wines

With the NFL season just past the quarter-mark, the Chicago Bears playing tonight, and Notre Dame with a bye-week, I have a rare weekend during the football season where neither my Saturday nor my Sunday plans are set in stone. What better time, then, to offer up some of the best wines to drink while watching football?

The first caveat is that - yes - you can drink wine while watching football. Don't let the tens of millions of dollars that the big, watery beer companies pay sway you otherwise. 

In terms of the sorts of wines that go well with football, there are several of considerations - one is the sorts of game food you're eating and the second is cost. If you're watching the game with friends, you don't want to break the bank. 

Start with the South American reds. Chilean Merlots, Malbecs from Agrgentina and Carmeneres - also from Chile - are all good bets. These are all versatile wines that are approachable, drinkable and very, very reliable to find good ones in the $10 - $15 price range. 

Chilean Merlots are a favorite of mine - and have been for some time - because of their great cost-to-value ratio. Add a little green and white pepper in the jammy flavor profile and these wines can stand up well to the likes of pizza, wings with blue cheese sauce and salsa. 

Argentina is the land of Malbec and steak. Stick with Malbecs if you are going to have burgers, mini-burgers, chili, meat on a stick, meat in a box or carne asada. Malbecs continue to be popular - not just because they are great performers for the price - but also because most of the ones in the $15-20 range have layers of complexity that other wines in the same price range don't have. 

For the more esoteric choice, show up with a Carmenere. Typically, these wines are brimming with earth, wood and green pepper flavors. They are interesting, full-bodied and robust and go well with nachos, wings, brats (for the fellow Midwesterners out there) and pulled pork. 

If you want domestic wine, there are even more choices. From fan-favorite red blends to Zinfandels. North Coast Cabernet to Oregon Pinot Noir. These wines will all serve you well. Virginia's Chambourcins and Cabernet Francs are also great performers, as well as tasty options. 

All the above selections can be found easily and in the $10 - $20 range. If you want to try something a little more expensive, a little more high-end, but still stay in the football spirit, then there is McGah Family Cellars. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it's the same McGahs who helped to cofound the Oakland Raiders. 

McGah Family Cellars, located in Napa Valley's Rutherford subappelation, currently makes two wines - a Sauvignon Blanc (called 10 70 Green) and a Cabernet Sauvignon (called Scarlett). Rutherford does both of these varietals well, and it is no surprise that McGah's offerings live up to their expectations. 

Make no mistake about it, Scarlett is not a casual wine for any given lazy Sunday. It is - like most Rutherford Cabernets - a big, bold, complex wine that requires some time to open up. Once it does, the plumb, cedar, oak and coco flavors help to define this smooth, robust wine. At $60 a bottle, it is a wine best saved for when your team makes the playoffs, but there is no better way to celebrate making it to the postseason. 

Whatever you choose to drink, you will enjoy all your games a little bit more with the right wine. 

Grading the Beltway's Wine Access

It has been a while since these came out, but the information is still relevant, and DC still ranks very highly, Virgina is respectable and Maryland - particularly Montgomery County - is an absolute disgrace. 

According to new data released by the American Wine Consumer Coalition, residents of the DC region have it pretty good when it comes to wine access.

In fact, DC ranks as one of the most open jurisdictions in the country when it come to wine.

Virgina also gets an A+ rating when it comes to consumer's choice and access to wine.

Of course, both DC and Virginia have reason to allow - say - bring your own laws, allowing wine to be sold in grocery stores and no arbitrary blue laws. In fact, with DC leading the nation and Virgina trying to expand its own wine market, 2/3 of the Capitol region can enjoy a vast array of different wines.

Pity if you live in Maryland, though. They received a D- in AWCC's latest survey, which seems generous. Anyone coming back from the mountins or the beach know how frustrating it is to stop off at a grocery store in Maryland only to know that, if they were hoping to get a bottle of wine, they would need to make two trips.

And that doesn't even drill down into the Montgomery County Liquor Politburo which is even more strict and arcane.

The ratings have real consequenses for our region. As DC and Virgina continue to be more welcoming to both wine consumers and retailers, Maryland and it's economy will be left behind.

To read the ratings for yourself, please visit: http://www.wineconsumers.org/news-and-info/research/

Cabernet from Washington, Malbec from California, What!?

Wine these days continues to evolve - with different regions trying their hand at different varietals and seeing what happens. At least in the New World. In Europe, it is still pretty strictly controlled which grapes can be grown where to ensure a region's quality and continuity remain in tact - a Burgundy will still be a Burgundy (made of Pinot Noir grapes if we're talking reds) a Chianti will still be a Chianti (made primarily of the Nebbiolo grape and blended with other locals varietals) and a Bordeaux will still be a Bordeaux (the 5 Nobles, Left Back primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and the Right Bank primarily Merlot). 

But in the New World, these requirements are far less strict. In the United States, for example, you can pretty much grow anything anywhere. The label requirements are for location rather than varietal - as long as there is 75% of one type of varietal in the bottle, it can be labeled as such. 

This is all to lead into the fact that in both established and emerging wine regions, interesting wines produced from varietals not typically associated with the region are producing some great results. 

Take, for example, Washington State. For a handful of years now, Washington State - and particularly the Walla Walla Valley - has been earning its reputation for quality wine on the backs of Merlot and Syrah. Both of which it makes very well. But Merlot and Syrah aren't the only grapes grown there, nor is the only good wine coming out of Walla Walla either Merlot or Syrah. 

Pepper Bridge Winery's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon is a great example. There is a lot of dark fruit, spice, wood and mocha to detect in this full-bodied Cab. Having never tried Washington State Cabernet before (preferring their Merlots) I was not only pleasantly surprised, but determined to write a blog post to spread the word about Washington State Cabernet. 

For what it's worth, the Pepper Bridge Cabernet is, in fact, a Bordeaux-style blend comprised of 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 2% Petit Verdot. The blending adds structure and balance to this wine, but make no mistake about it - this is a big, bold Cabernet through and through. It can easily hold its own against the Cabs coming out of Rutherford (though would be a little too fruit-forward to be confused for an Old World wine). 

This is also a wine the opens up, changes in complexity and flavors over time, so you would be wise to try a glass upon opening and then let the second glad sit for a while either in your glass or a decanter and notice how it changes.  

Pepper Bridge's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was a Great Introduction to Washington State Cabs

Speaking of Rutherford - and Napa Valley more generally - has the opposite problem. The region is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon. So much so that planting much of anything else is almost economically unfeasible nowadays. 

But Napa Valley does produce other really, really good wines. Take, for example, the Hess Collection's Small Block Series 2010 Malbec from the Mt. Veeder sub-appellation. Given that Napa Valley is known for its Cabernet, and Argentina has pretty much cornered the Malbec market, it is interesting to try a Napa Valley Malbec with the expectations of Napa Cabernet and Argentine Malbec floating around my head. 

Needless to say, this wine is unique based on past experiences from Napa and Argentina. It is well structured, with ample dry-fruit and a big, long spicy finish. It is not a fruit-forward as a Argentine Malbec and is not as big and bold as a Napa Cab. What it is is earthy, spicy and smooth. A great robust steak wine that has enough earth on it to keep it interesting.   

You know the Hess Chardonnay with the Green Label and the Hess Cabernet in the Red Label You can get at the Supermarket? This is way, way better.

What both of these wines demonstrate is that no matter how well-established a region is, trying new varietals can lead to some great results. As wine regions around the world continue to grow and develop, continuing to keep an open mind and letting winemakers experiment will likely yield some very tasty and unique results. 

A New Voice for Wine Lovers

For those of us who live in the DC area, we all know the maddening patchwork of different liquor laws that exist in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Anyone who has stopped off at a grocery store before crossing the Bay Bridge, for example, knows that if you want a bottle of wine with your fruits and veggies, you have to make two stops because in Maryland, you still can't buy wine in a grocery store.  

Travel further north to Pennsylvania and you are still pretty much in the era of Prohibition - except that the colorful gangsters have been replaced with mid-level bureaucratic functionaries who have the final word in what wines can be sold in their state in their state-controlled liquor stores. And to make matters that much more confusing, beer is sold under totally different rules. You see, in Pennsylvania, a state-run tribunal knows what choices consumers should and can make far better than the consumers do themselves.

Each state, county and even city can come up with their own alcohol laws, which is fine in practice, but it is usually the consumers who lose in the end. 

Enter the American Wine Consumer Coalition, a new advocacy group that wants to give wine lovers a voice in ongoing policy debates on the state and federal levels. Or, to parrot that AWCC's website:

For too long wine consumers have been ignored as special interests fashion wine laws and regulations that dismiss the needs and desires of the consumer. By joining AWCC you raise a glass and raise your voice for the rights of wine lovers.

The AWCC aims to give wine lovers and wine consumers a seat at the table when laws that restrict, limit, or prevent a free market to flourish when it comes to wine. In Virginia, Governor Bob McDonnell has been a huge champion of expanding access to wine - with good reason. The more open the Virginia's wine market is, the more likely it is that Virginia's wine industry will flourish. True, there are still some confusing rules that wineries must follow to stay within the three-tiered system, but slow, steady progress is better than no progress at all. 

In other states without a burgeoning wine industry, the status quo prevails, limiting choice and access in a myriad of different ways. Luckily, the AWCC is working to help ensure that a free wine market becomes the norm across the country. 

If you want to see how your state stacks up, you can check out their state-by-state interactive map here.

While the AWCC is a new organization - only launched in the last month - it is growing, and with the more members it gains, the louder the voice of the American wine consumer becomes. The cost of membership is only $35, but every member makes the interests of American wine lovers that much louder. 

Hopefully you will consider joining today. 

What to Drink when it's This Hot and This Humid

Washington, DC has a unique characteristic during the summer. When it rains in the summer, it doesn't cool things off but rather adds to the swelter. 

As Kermit the Frog - or anyone within the Beltway can tell you - drinking heavy reds in the humidity of a swamp in the summer is not always the most pleasant. So what is the wino to do during the summer months?

First, anyone who "only drinks reds" needs to shut up. Obviously, everyone has their preferences, but to shut out three quarters of wine available is just absurd. Be open-minded to whites,  rosés and sparkling wine. When it's 95 degrees out with 80 percent humidity, do you really want to pour that thick, jammy Zinfandel? Try some wines you wouldn't other. Not only will you likely be surprised, but they will actually be refreshing and enjoyable.

Second, be willing to try pink wine. White Zinfandel has done more to destroy the otherwise good name of rosé than we may ever know, but those willing to try these oft-maligned wines will be not only surprised, but become fans. Every year I feel like Sam-I-Am on this topic and every year, there are a couple of converts who admit that rosés are much better than they thought. For those skeptical about trying rosé, Rosé d'Anjou is a great place to start. Made predominantly from Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, these light, crisp and dry rosés are perfect for everything from a BBQ to a day at the park. And at $8.00 - $12.00 for a decent bottle, they are French, pink wines that won't break the bank.

When it comes to whites, Sauvignon Blancs are the perfect for the summer. Even though New Zealand has put these wines back on the map, I prefer the ones coming out of Chile, Bordeaux, the Loire and the domestic ones. These all tend to be less intense with respect to the gooseberry and citrus flavors that the New Zealand ones have, yet still have the balance and crispness that make these wines so perfect for the summer.

Finally, there are sparkling wines. Not all sparkling wine needs to be champagne, nor does sparkling wine need to be for a special occasions only. Spanish Cava is great this time of year. Not only are they crisp, complex and refreshing, but they work in any budget and are versatile enough to go with just about anything.

Any of these options work extremely well during the summer months - and with Virginia Viognier still coming into its own, and more producers making dry rosés - there are plenty of local options for grat wine to drunk during the summer as well.