So I was just watching 60 minutes and they had a company named Sirtris on. Sitris has released a study stating that one of the main components of red wine, resveratrol, has been linked to slowing the effects of aging. Resveratrol is an ingredient found in grape skins and protects the skin from bacteria and disease. Unfortunately you have to drink about 1000 bottles of red wine a day to get the amount of resveratrol needed to really slow the aging process. Lucky for us, scientists have come up with capsules that can be taken daily and are now testing them on cancer and diabetes patients.
Well, until it's our turn, we'll just have to take our medicine one sip at a time ;).
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Vino to Compliment the Inauguration
The past few days included a great many things...
1. A visit to Rappahannock Cellars
2. Lasagna lunch is in full effect at Naked Mountain Vineyards (posting to follow)
3. The swearing in of our 44th president :)
Unfortunately I'm just going to blog about the wine and not about the dawn of a new day for the US.... but HEY what a better way to start off Obama's first day as President than with some fantastic vino!
The winter scene was in full effect this past weekend, putting about a 2-3" coat of snow throughout the western parts of VA. To me, nothing goes better with snow than a nice glass of Cab Franc. So I'll start this week's posting with Rappahannock's Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc 2006
This wine is up there with Linden's Claret in regards to drinkability. This is the perfect wine to drink with a good book in a bubble bath or by the fire. Hell it's the perfect wine for pretty much anything... when I was having my tasting the man pouring the wine said he enjoyed it with pepperoni pizza... I could see that too.
Nose:
cherries, tobacco
Taste:
mild tannins, very smooth, currant, rassberries
Rappahanock is a beautiful cellar set in the foothills of the Shanandoahs. Their tasting fee is a little high for the area ($7.50 per tasting or $3.00 if you've tasted there before), but you get to go home with the glass and you do get a fair bit of wine for what you pay for. Typically their tastings consist of 8 or more wines. In the busy months they offer two different flights of wines to choose from. So as you can see there's a lot of variety. The Cab Franc was my favorite, but they have other exceptional wines as well, including their 2007 Viogner and 2006 Meritage.
1. A visit to Rappahannock Cellars
2. Lasagna lunch is in full effect at Naked Mountain Vineyards (posting to follow)
3. The swearing in of our 44th president :)
Unfortunately I'm just going to blog about the wine and not about the dawn of a new day for the US.... but HEY what a better way to start off Obama's first day as President than with some fantastic vino!
The winter scene was in full effect this past weekend, putting about a 2-3" coat of snow throughout the western parts of VA. To me, nothing goes better with snow than a nice glass of Cab Franc. So I'll start this week's posting with Rappahannock's Cabernet Franc:
Cabernet Franc 2006
This wine is up there with Linden's Claret in regards to drinkability. This is the perfect wine to drink with a good book in a bubble bath or by the fire. Hell it's the perfect wine for pretty much anything... when I was having my tasting the man pouring the wine said he enjoyed it with pepperoni pizza... I could see that too.
Nose:
cherries, tobacco
Taste:
mild tannins, very smooth, currant, rassberries
Rappahanock is a beautiful cellar set in the foothills of the Shanandoahs. Their tasting fee is a little high for the area ($7.50 per tasting or $3.00 if you've tasted there before), but you get to go home with the glass and you do get a fair bit of wine for what you pay for. Typically their tastings consist of 8 or more wines. In the busy months they offer two different flights of wines to choose from. So as you can see there's a lot of variety. The Cab Franc was my favorite, but they have other exceptional wines as well, including their 2007 Viogner and 2006 Meritage.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Starting off 2009 with a bit of a dissapointment
This past weekend the hubs and I visited Phillip Carter Winery in Hume. PC is a relatively new vineyard and was previously called Stillhouse vineyards, but is now under new ownership. PC has done some large additions to the small scale schoolhouse style building that previously occupied the land, although the large banquet room addition gives a more cold than cozy feeling.
You'll notice under their logo they have the date 1762.... sounds crazy right? How could anyone possibly be making wine in Virginia since 1762 when good old Thomas Jefferson planted his first vines in 1774 and TJ IS afterall, the father of Virginia wines (no matter how unsuccessful he was). Well my friends, I'll explain the little story behind PC's 1762... Charles Carter, was part of a commitee in London created to brainstorm ways to economicly diversify Virginia. Carter, after some research, decided that winemaking would be a good industry to get started in VA. In 1762 Carter had 1800 vines in his vineyard. Unfortunately due to a drought, they were unable to produce a large amount of wine from those vines. So there's where the 1762 comes from.... Now on to the wines....
Late Harvest 2006
Nose: honey, fruit
Taste: coats your tongue, honey, apricot
Nice white dessert wine, thick, syrupy, but not over-powering
Sweet Danielle 2007
Red Dessert Wine
Nose: Rasberries
Taste: Rasberry, currant, sweet, dark, drink more than one and you're sure to have a headache.
This wine was named for the owner's wife... aweeeee howwww sweeeeeet.
I cannot tell a lie... the other wines (especially the reds) left something to be desired. Maybe they're just really young, but only the Cab Franc and Chardonney had any nose. The Chambourcin and Meritage didn't have much complexity or anything else for that matter. I would say it was just me, but half the tasting bar dumped theirs out.
You'll notice under their logo they have the date 1762.... sounds crazy right? How could anyone possibly be making wine in Virginia since 1762 when good old Thomas Jefferson planted his first vines in 1774 and TJ IS afterall, the father of Virginia wines (no matter how unsuccessful he was). Well my friends, I'll explain the little story behind PC's 1762... Charles Carter, was part of a commitee in London created to brainstorm ways to economicly diversify Virginia. Carter, after some research, decided that winemaking would be a good industry to get started in VA. In 1762 Carter had 1800 vines in his vineyard. Unfortunately due to a drought, they were unable to produce a large amount of wine from those vines. So there's where the 1762 comes from.... Now on to the wines....
Late Harvest 2006
Nose: honey, fruit
Taste: coats your tongue, honey, apricot
Nice white dessert wine, thick, syrupy, but not over-powering
Sweet Danielle 2007
Red Dessert Wine
Nose: Rasberries
Taste: Rasberry, currant, sweet, dark, drink more than one and you're sure to have a headache.
This wine was named for the owner's wife... aweeeee howwww sweeeeeet.
I cannot tell a lie... the other wines (especially the reds) left something to be desired. Maybe they're just really young, but only the Cab Franc and Chardonney had any nose. The Chambourcin and Meritage didn't have much complexity or anything else for that matter. I would say it was just me, but half the tasting bar dumped theirs out.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Kinda stoked
Last week I volunteered to design a logo for Loudoun Valley Vineyard. This has to be up there for cool design projects. Granted it's just a logo, however, it's for a place that contributes to my favorite past time. Enjoying wine. The sad thing is that I've never actually been to Loudoun Valley Vineyard, but have heard good things. Apparently they have events where you can bring your dog and they also have fall/winter soup days. To me there's nothing better then having an oaky, buttery Chardonnay on a fall day while sipping some butternut squash soup.
So back to the logo. I'll admit I didn't spend a plethora of time on it (after-all I'm just getting paid in wine ;)), but I have to say I think it turned out pretty good. I sent them two options, but this one is my favorite.
After designing the logo I decided to check out some of the other Virginia vineyard logos to see how it compares. Here's a list of logos that kick my logo's a$$ :/.
Blue Mont Vineyard
Box Wood Winery
Flying Fox Vineyard
Gray Haven Winery
Three Foxes Vineyard
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Hurricane season and it's effects on the vines
For those of us living in Virginia we just had an extremely wet Saturday. Actually, the past three weeks have been on again off again rain. Tropical storm Hannah just came through and dumped a few inches on us. For those in the grape growing business, this is not the most ideal of weather. Usually with grapes the drier, the better. With excessive rain comes root rot as well as dilution and splitting of the grapes. It will be interesting to see how the 09s fair from this weather.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fox Meadow
A short drive from Linden Vineyards is Fox Meadow Winery. This winery probably has one of the best views in the area and rivals what you would see if you hiked a mile on skyline drive. They're situated about 1700ft above sea level. It's a very nice set-up with a large wrap around deck that overlooks the stunning views.
Fox Meadow updates their tasting menu week-to-week which makes it a good option to keep coming back. Another nice thing they do is that they pair their wines with recommended foods. Granted it's a morsel of food, but still it's nice to have a pairing to bring out the flavor of the wine. They definitely get creative with their pairings as well (think rice krispy treats).
WINE REVIEW FOR FOX MEADOW WINERY
Chardonnay 2006
Nose: floral, fruity, honeysuckle, pear
Taste: floral, fruity, butter, fig, pear, zippy
This Chardonnay has a brightness that dances on your tongue. It's steel barrel fermented but still has the big bold flavor of a chardonnay that's been fermented in old, french oak.
Fox Meadow updates their tasting menu week-to-week which makes it a good option to keep coming back. Another nice thing they do is that they pair their wines with recommended foods. Granted it's a morsel of food, but still it's nice to have a pairing to bring out the flavor of the wine. They definitely get creative with their pairings as well (think rice krispy treats).
WINE REVIEW FOR FOX MEADOW WINERY
Chardonnay 2006
Nose: floral, fruity, honeysuckle, pear
Taste: floral, fruity, butter, fig, pear, zippy
This Chardonnay has a brightness that dances on your tongue. It's steel barrel fermented but still has the big bold flavor of a chardonnay that's been fermented in old, french oak.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Linden Vineyards
I can't think of a better vineyard to start with than Linden. The vineyard and property completely charmed me the first time I entered it (not to mention their wine). I've been to Linden over 50xs and their wine never seems to disappoint. They're an hour away from DC off of exit 13 on 66. The drive up is very scenic.
Once you've made it to the vineyard you'll notice that the location is gorgeous with views of farmland and mountains. The architecture is rustic, but contemporary with wood beams across the ceiling and modern art on the walls. There are tastings in the front room and they have cellar tastings for $12 every 45 minutes. They have an indoor seating area with a wood burning stove to warm you up in the winter, plus they have outdoor seating on the deck and picnic tables on the main lawn. You can order cheese, baguettes, smoked salmon etc. However you have to be a case club member (purchase a case a year) in order to take advantage of the seating/picnic areas. To be honest Linden wines are excellent, so it's well worth the case. If you can't do the case, at least enjoy a tasting. The wine is fantastic and the people are very knowledgeable and friendly.
WINE REVIEWS FOR LINDEN VINEYARDS
Seyval 2007
Nose: Grapefruit, apples, lemon, hint of honey
Taste: Bright, refreshing, crisp, grapefruit, citrus
This wine literally dances on your tongue... almost effervescent. It's incredibly bright and crisp. Perfect poolside wine for those of us who don't like sweet wine and want something light and refreshing.
Claret 2004
Nose: Spicy, fruity, black cherries, black currents, hint of spice
Taste: Woody, fruity, very smooth, but heavy in flavor. Black cherries, mild tannins, subtle spice flavor
The wine is a rich, dark red and completely unfiltered. The nose is extremely pleasant, lots of black cherries and currents. The flavor is robust, but smooth... lots of cherries, but a slight spiciness to it. It's full-bodied with a lasting finish.
Hardscrabble Red 2005
Nose: Barnyard, fruity, grassy, earthy, plum, currants
Taste: Flinty, fruity, black cherries, earth, plum, smooth finish
Mild tannins with a slight bite. Has a mild earthy flavor and nose that compliments the heavy plum undertones.
Once you've made it to the vineyard you'll notice that the location is gorgeous with views of farmland and mountains. The architecture is rustic, but contemporary with wood beams across the ceiling and modern art on the walls. There are tastings in the front room and they have cellar tastings for $12 every 45 minutes. They have an indoor seating area with a wood burning stove to warm you up in the winter, plus they have outdoor seating on the deck and picnic tables on the main lawn. You can order cheese, baguettes, smoked salmon etc. However you have to be a case club member (purchase a case a year) in order to take advantage of the seating/picnic areas. To be honest Linden wines are excellent, so it's well worth the case. If you can't do the case, at least enjoy a tasting. The wine is fantastic and the people are very knowledgeable and friendly.
WINE REVIEWS FOR LINDEN VINEYARDS
Seyval 2007
Nose: Grapefruit, apples, lemon, hint of honey
Taste: Bright, refreshing, crisp, grapefruit, citrus
This wine literally dances on your tongue... almost effervescent. It's incredibly bright and crisp. Perfect poolside wine for those of us who don't like sweet wine and want something light and refreshing.
Claret 2004
Nose: Spicy, fruity, black cherries, black currents, hint of spice
Taste: Woody, fruity, very smooth, but heavy in flavor. Black cherries, mild tannins, subtle spice flavor
The wine is a rich, dark red and completely unfiltered. The nose is extremely pleasant, lots of black cherries and currents. The flavor is robust, but smooth... lots of cherries, but a slight spiciness to it. It's full-bodied with a lasting finish.
Hardscrabble Red 2005
Nose: Barnyard, fruity, grassy, earthy, plum, currants
Taste: Flinty, fruity, black cherries, earth, plum, smooth finish
Mild tannins with a slight bite. Has a mild earthy flavor and nose that compliments the heavy plum undertones.
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