Busy Busy Busy Virginia Wine Weekend

There is no shortage of fun things to do this weekend with Virginia Wine and September is a great month for drinking wine:

Great Grapes is returning to Reston Town Center for its Fall run. A lot of great wine, great food and a special treat: Breaux Vineyards is going to have a booth!

If your tastes run more toward Polo you can check out the Wine Festival at the Plains. More than 275 different wines, great food and polo.

If, like me, you are not a big fan of the crowds at wine festivals you can spend time at Notaviva Vineyards Worldfest on Saturday (the 11th). Enjoy wine paired with music from all over the world.

Finally, for a real treat. Lew Parker the legendary winemaker at Willowcroft Winery is presiding over a "Meet the Winemaker" luncheon at Tuskies on Saturday (the 11th) at 11:30. You can make reservations at 703-771-9301. This is a rare treat and a unique opportunity to learn from someone who has been making wine in Loudoun County for 26 years!

Is Chardonnay on the Wane?

Steve Heimoff takes a look at the dip in Australian market for Chardonnay and wonders if the same thing isn't happening in the United States:

My anecdotal experience is that there is greater interest, among the media and foodies in California, for white wines other than Chardonnay. We’ve all heard of an anti-Chardonnay movement among sommeliers and restaurateurs seeking leaner, drier, higher acid and more minerally white wines to pair with their food. We see the same sort of reaction among critics. I, myself, recently headlined a story in Wine Enthusiast “Getting Serious About Sauvignon Blanc.” In it, I noted a turn toward Graves-style wines from producers such as Mondavi, Chalk Hill, Brander, Illumination, Dutton Estate and Gainey.

Along more factual lines, you may find it hard to believe that in 2009, there were fewer bearing acres of Chardonnay planted in California than there were in the year 2001. But it’s true.

I've noted a similar thing in Virginia where Viognier has become the ascendant white over the last few years while fewer wineries are even bothering to make a Chardonnay. I think this is partly to do with climate, Viognier simply does much better here in Virginia so it is easier to grow and experiment with that varietal, but I also think it has to do with changing tastes.

It is very rare that I attend a dinner party where someone offers me a Chardonnay, or suggests we order one. That may be due to the fact that I am in a self-select group of non-Chardonnay drinkers, but I think it is more likely that there is just less interest in Chardonnay. I think Steve has the right idea, I will check to see how much Chardonnay Virginia has planted compared to several years ago.

Worries About Rain in Bordeaux

Jane Anson and Panos Kakaviatos write in Decanter about the lack of rain in Bordeaux:

If Bordeaux does not have rain by 10 September, top consultant Jacques Boissenot may advise clients to pick at less than full phenolic maturity – causing a risk of greenness in the wines.

The lack of rain is bad for all varietals, but it is particularly harmful to young vines and Merlot:

‘We had rain in the spring, but it was not sufficient and the grapes are not ripe enough now.’ Conditions in Pomerol where ‘the grapes are almost dry’ are particularly difficult.

The Merlots are particularly fragile, already weakened by uneven flowering. Because the Cabernets flowered later, they were not as sensitive to the weather conditions and are ‘more homogenous,’ Boissenot explained. ‘But even the Cabernets need water,’ he added.

The good news is that there is a light rain this morning in parts of Bordeaux, the question is whether or not it is in the right places and if it is enough. Over the next three days there is a 30% chance of rain, hopefully that will come through. You can track the weather here:

Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast

If you are wondering how things are going in Sauternes/Barsace, Aline Baly is also quoted in the article:

In Sauternes, vignerons report that in the last two weeks there had been morning mists necessary for the onset of noble rot in the vineyards. Aline Baly at Chateau Coutet said the grapes showed ‘great promise’.

New Releases at Hunters Run

I wrote about the Hunter's Run Rose about a month ago, but now both the Hunters Run Rose and Hunters Run Red have been officially released and are available in the Hunters Run Wine Barn:



The Hunters Run Red is a blend of 70% Estate Grown Cabernet Franc, 25% Malbec and 5% Tannat. The wine was aged for 6 months in oak and made by Lori at Corcoran Vineyards with heavy input fro Geri.

Despite its young age the wine is surprisingly smooth. I got blackberry and spices on the nose, and picked up a little black pepper. It was a full-bodied wine with a long finish. A very good wine.

Bottling at Veramar Vineyards

I've gotten addicted to bottling this summer. It really is a great way to spend a day and it gives you a real sense of accomplishment to see the palettes fill up with cases of wine.

A couple of weeks ago I want out to Veramar Vineyards to help them with their bottling. Like most of the wineries in the area, Veramar does not have their own bottling line, so they use a bottling truck instead.




Using the truck means you want to get as much bottled as you can while you have the truck (the bottling trucks are generally scheduled a year in advance). So, that day we bottled 6 different wines.




The bottling truck is pretty efficient. All you have to do is adjust it for the size of the bottles and feed it the labels and it works very well. In fact, we had to stop a couple of times because of truck issues.

I was working with 7 other volunteers plus, Justin the winemaker, and his staff. They had pulled out most of the wine they wanted to bottle and placed it in containers that they attached a hose to and ran it into the truck. From there the wine was fed into the bottles and sent down the line to be loaded into cases which were then sealed, labelled and stacked.

Everyone worked hard and we managed to get through more than 600 cases by the end of the day.

I am trying to line up some time in the field over the next few weeks so I can get some good harvest pictures.

Derenoncourt Interview in Vineyard & Winery Management

Stephane Derenoncourt has a wide ranging interview in Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. He has a lot to say winemaking today and is especially complimentary about our own Boxwood Winery:

When Boxwood approached me in 2006, they asked me to visit the vineyard and winery. They had already done a lot of homework with regard to planting the vines and developing the local terroir. They were determined to have a scientific approach to vineyard management and winemaking. They also had the means to their goals. Also, I clicked immediately with the family. Finally, Virginia is an easy stop on my way back from California to Bordeaux. So I had no hesitation to work for Boxwood.

As far as Virginia is concerned, it is true that its wines are not very well-known outside of the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. Some of the white wines were well-received internationally, but red wines have been trailing. The issue is that people have been trying to make wine there since Thomas Jefferson, but with limited success because of the weather, which triggers a lack of concentration in grapes, as well as pest and mildew. Today, there are a number of interesting wineries leading the way. I believe that Boxwood is a key component of that effort to put Virginia on the map. From my experience there over the past few years, I am now persuaded that the key red variety for Virginia is cabernet franc.

Its worth reading the whole article.

Wine Dinner with Loudoun Valley at Vinifera

The first wine dinner we hosted with Fabbioli Cellars at Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro was so successful, Jason asked if we would be interested in doing a second one with Loudoun Valley Vineyards. I have always loved Bree's wines so I jumped at the chance!




Jason and Bree have known each other for a while, in fact, the Vinifera White and Vinifera Red are made specifically for Vinifera (though, they are sold at the winery as well). The two of them made a great team, sharing stories and talking about the wine. Like Doug Fabbioli, Bree is very passionate about her wine and loved sharing her winemaking philosophy with us.

We started off the evening with cheese platters and a glass of Viognier, the Viognier is done Condrieu style -- aged in steel and barrels -- which is different than most Viognier in Virginia.

Next we were served a mixed green salad with prawns and a passion vinaigrette dressing paired with the the 2009 Traminette. The Traminette is a very crisp wine, with lots of citrus on the nose, it is also one that sells out very quickly.

The main course was a seared Bison Filet, served with smoked purple potatoes and Vinifera red wine sauce. This gave Chef Bo the chance to use his new smoker. The main course was paired with the Vinifera Red and the Dynasty Reserve. The Dynasty Reserve is the heavier of the two wines and really went well with the potatoes and the sauce, but the standout pairing was the Vinifera Red with the Bison -- excellent choice.

The final course was an apricot stuffed with Mascarpone and served inside a phyllo, this was topped with a Legacy caramel and paired with the Loudoun Valley Legacy, a port-style wine that is 100% Touriga Nacional.




Chef Bo came up throughout the evening to tell us about his creations and why he chose the pairings he did.

Many, many, many thanks to Bree, Jason and Chef Bo for making the night a great one!!

Being Vinifera, we could not leave without a cork tower...



Look for the next wine dinner in October, I am hoping we can pair Breaux Vineyards with the Cajun Experience.

Posted Without Comment

Charlie Adler was interviewed by the local NBC Affiliate's Nightside team:

"I don't watch the show regularly, but I do know the Salahis and I can tell you Michaele Salahi doesn't know a thing about running a winery or wine in general," Adler told Niteside. "Michaele is just there to be a girl on (her husband Tareq's) arm. She has no clue what she's doing."
"Don't be fooled by television."

New Optical Sorting Machine at Chateau Brane-Cantenac

During En Primeurs, when lavish praise was being heaped upon Bordeaux winemakers, the joke was often made that many Chateaux owners had already placed down payments on Maseratis and Lamborghinis.

Over at Chateau Brane-Cantenac, Henri Lurton had his eye on another piece of machinery:

Au chai, la vendange est triée manuellement sur deux tables disposées en parallèle. Après l'érafloir, une ligne de tri optique, Delta Vistalys, prend place dans la réception. Toute la vendange éraflée est filmée par une caméra. Un calculateur, quasi instantané, analyse l'image obtenue. Des buses d'air éliminent toutes les impuretés.

Il est ainsi possible de trier en fonction de la couleur et de la forme de la baie (fragments de rafles, baies flétries ou porteuses de botrytis). Ce procédé innovant permet une qualité de tri jamais atteinte auparavant. Il a valu à son concepteur, l'entreprise Bucher Vaslin, de se voir décerner une mention spéciale par un jury de journalistes scientifiques, lors du Salon international de l'agriculture en février 2009.

For those who don't speak French, this is from their press release:

Sorting quality has always been of utmost importance on the property - the first sorting table was adapted at Brane in the 1970s. And in 2008, the Viniclean system was introduced. But this year, Henri Lurton decided to radically modify the receiving of the harvest in order to take advantage of a brand new technology: optical sorting. Now, grapes are transferred from the vines to the cellar using the Air Tec Wine system, the goal of which is to prevent crushing. It is based on the use of small low-floor bins equipped with an automatic compressed-air suspension system. These bins are fit with wide low-inflated tires. They are emptied slowly through vibration. The advantages of this system are that it preserves the integrity of the grape berries and limits oxidation since the grapes are treated rapidly within the half-hour after they are collected (less handling versus the crate system).

When they arrive at the cellar, the harvested grapes are sorted manually on two tables arranged in parallel. After a new destemmer, a Vistalys optical sorting line was brought into the receiving area. All of the destemmed harvest’s constituents are filmed by a camera. An ultra-fast computer analyzes the resulting image. Jets of air specifically remove all impurities. It is therefore possible to sort not only by color (stem fragments, shot berries, etc.) but also by the health of the berry (withered or affected by Botrytis). This revolutionary process achieves a state-of-the-art sorting quality. It is reliable, fast, consistent and progressive.

I actually wrote about this machine last year. You can still see the video online.

The Next Generation of Loudoun County Winemakers

One thing that has contributed to the fame and success of the best wineries in Europe is family. Children who grew up surrounded by wine and played in the vines learn to respect the land and the generations of winemakers who have come before them.

So, it is nice to see that Loudoun County winemakers are creating the second generation of winemakers. Of course, it is surprising that so many are doing it at the same time :).

Congratulations to Chris and Jen at Breaux Vineyards, Jordan and Jen at Tarara, and Cameron and Bree at Loudoun Valley! I wish you all best during your pregnancies and beyond.

I am also thinking that we may want to re-bottle Loudoun wine as a fertility treatment.