Red is not the only one who ran into problems getting to the festival this weekend. It is clear, there was very poor planning on the part organizers when it came to getting people into the wine festival. Several people I talked to decided not to go because of the backups.
The festival itself was pretty nice. The tastings were pretty crowded Saturday afternoon, but much better on Sunday. The weather held out, and there were a lot more craft vendors than in previous years. The parking was also better/
There were only two food concession stands, so the lines were rather long once people started getting hungry.
In addition to the old stand-bys there was one new winery. White Fences Vineyard is in Irvington, VA. They had a really interesting red called Meteor Red, a blend of 60% Chambourcin and 40% Merlot. Very good,
Going through the tastings reminded me how much I love Virginia's Cabernet Franc, and I am glad to see more Virginia wine makers using it in Bordeaux-style blends in addition to great stand-alone wines.
On the other hand, and I am telling you this for your own good Virginia wine makers, please stop with the Pinot Noir. Seriously, the grape just doesn't do well here. And, let's be honest...Sideways sucked, and people who saw the movie and decided that Pinot Noir is a to-die-for wine are idiots. There are so many other grapes that grow well in Virginia, please please please focus on those.
The festival itself was pretty nice. The tastings were pretty crowded Saturday afternoon, but much better on Sunday. The weather held out, and there were a lot more craft vendors than in previous years. The parking was also better/
There were only two food concession stands, so the lines were rather long once people started getting hungry.
In addition to the old stand-bys there was one new winery. White Fences Vineyard is in Irvington, VA. They had a really interesting red called Meteor Red, a blend of 60% Chambourcin and 40% Merlot. Very good,
Going through the tastings reminded me how much I love Virginia's Cabernet Franc, and I am glad to see more Virginia wine makers using it in Bordeaux-style blends in addition to great stand-alone wines.
On the other hand, and I am telling you this for your own good Virginia wine makers, please stop with the Pinot Noir. Seriously, the grape just doesn't do well here. And, let's be honest...Sideways sucked, and people who saw the movie and decided that Pinot Noir is a to-die-for wine are idiots. There are so many other grapes that grow well in Virginia, please please please focus on those.
posted by allan at 11:12 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Alan,
I visited Saturday, and opted not to return Sunday due to traffic and because it was a tad crowded and tasting was somewhat difficult.
On the plus side...wineries were offering great deals on bottles.
Luckily we arrived early Saturday so traffic was minimal, I did hear the nightmare stories however. I agree planning could have been a lot better. Overall, the weather cooperated and I met with some new wineries as you.
I agree with you on the VA and Pinot Noir comment; I do enjoy Pinots from the Russian River Valley and New Zealand of late. I think when done correctly, after haggling through the soil, climate, cloning, etc issues… Pinot presents itself very well. Hope the movie didn’t sidetrack your thoughts of the ‘problem child’ variety. (lol)
BTW, I like your list below, have a nice week man.
Happy Sipping!
Dezel
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