The article is not online yet, but October's Washingtonian magazine has an article entitled Ten Must-Have Wines. I'll post a link to the article when it becomes available. Here is the list:

1. Champagne
2. Amontillado
3. Riesling Spatlese
4. Chablis
5. Bourgonge Rogue
6. Casis Blanc
7. Cotes du Rhone Rouge
8. Dolcetto from Piedmont
9. Riesling Auslese
10. Tawny port

Some of these are obviously good choice, and I am not going to quibble with anyone's personal taste, but two Rieslings??? I like Riesling as much as the next person, and would certainly include it on my list of Ten Must-Have Wines, but two different types? This list is designed to be pretentious. It will undoubtedly have Washingtonian readers scrambling to Total Wine and More asking for Amontillado...even though they do not have smoked almonds and Spanish olives (the recommended pairing in the article). Rather than waste your time with that you should develop your own "Ten Must-Have Wines", based on food you actually eat or events you actually attend. My list:

1. Champagne
2. Tawny Port
3. Riesling
4. Cotes du Rhone Rouge
5. Eiswein
6. Bordeaux
7. Meritage
8. Shiraz
9. Chianti
10. Chardonnay (keep a bottle of oak-aged and steel-aged depending on the occasion)

Now, none of these wines are particularly interesting or daring (that is a different list), that wasn't the point of this list. These wines will cover you for just about any occasion from popcorn and a movie to 5-course steak dinner, from Chinese takeout to a rich chocolate dessert.

Of course keep in mind that Don Rockwell gets paid a lot more to write about wine than I do :).

CellarBlog has made it onto the list of Top 100 Wine Blogs. Who knew?

The 31st Annual Virginia Wine Festval is this weekend. 57 wineries from around the state will be present along with craft and food vendors. The event is being moved from the The Plains, where it has traditionally been held, to the Morven Park Equestrian Center.

Tarara had its Grape Festival this weekend. It was a great chance to see grapes getting stomped, learn how apple butter is made (if you have never had it, try it with peanut butter on a sandwich) and they had a lot of fun things for kids to do.

And, in case you are wondering, the list of DC Wine Bars (in no particular order):

Sonoma
Mendocino
Bistro Lepic
Fleming's
Bar Pilar
Dino

and, of course:

Bardeo

I realize some of these are a bit of a stretch, but with the slim pickings we have available I wanted to include as many as possible. If you know of any others please email me. I would love to develop a comprehensive list.

Err..Because I am a total link whore, DC wine bars.

Natalie at the Liquid Muse has a good profile Julie Brosterman creator of Women & Wine. The site is interesting, although I am not sure how I feel about a wine and reading club :).

One of my complaints about Washington DC area is the lack of wine bars. I e-mailed Amanda at Metrocurean a couple of weeks ago on this topic, and between the two of us we could only name 7 in the DC Metro area (although, she told me that there is another one on the way -- check out her site for the announcement). Of course, as a wine blogger, I consider it my responsibility to visit all of them :).

Last night I went to Bardeo with a friend of mine. Of all the wine bars, this one seemed most like the ones I have visited in San Francisco and it was. I was nervous because some of the reviews were less than stellar, but they were also older. I was hoping things had improved.

First, the service was excellent. Our waiter/sommelier was attentive and knowledgeable about the food and the wine. We started off with a cheese flight and a bottle of 2003 Chateau Thivin Cote de Brouilly. It was a good match, the sweetness of the Gamay complemented the cheese well and the tannins were very light. It was also well-priced at $34 (versus $20 in a store).

For dinner we ordered the Calamari and the Tuna Tartare and a bottle of 2000 Chateau Saint-Anne. This Bordeaux from the Pauillac region was heavier with heavy tannins and a strong finish. It was also well-priced at $66.

Overall, a great time and I highly recommend Bardeo.

I went to Breaux Vineyards with a friend on Sunday. Breaux is located in Hillsboro and, as the name of the town would suggest, is surrounded by hills...making for great views:











The $5 tasting fee allowed us to sample 10 of their wines, 7 whites and 3 reads. Highlights of the tasting:

2004 Alexis: Late harvest Vidal Blanc, makes a great ice-style wine. Very smooth, excellent aromas and it was a good wine for sitting outside enjoying the afternoon.

2001 Layfayette: A blended red made up of 75% Cabernet Franc, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot. This is a spicy wine with good body and a peppery taste. Soft tannins with a good finish.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon: This wine had just been released the day before. They describe it as earthy, which is very appropriate, it had hints of tobacco and coffee. Full-bodied and still young, but a good wine.

Wine:2003 Rockbridge Tuscarora Red



Review: For those not native to Virginia, Tuscarora refers to a type of sandstone that is common along the Appalachian Trail. The name comes from Tuscarora Mountain in Pennsylvania, and that name comes from the Tuscaraora Indians in North Carolina.

This is an inexpensive blended wine comprised of 54% Chambourcin, 21% DeChaunac, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9% Pinot Noir. The blending makes for a soft wine with a full finish and very low tannins.

Price: $9

Grade: 85

Wine: 2005 Selaks Ice Wine



Review: This ice wine is a blend of Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes. Like most ice wines, this one comes in a 1/2 bottle, but it is relatively inexpensive at $20 a bottle. It had a deep yellow color and a faint aroma of honey. The wine itself was sweet, but underwhelming, if I had paired it with a dessert it would overtaken by any flavors in the dessert.

A good stand alone wine.

Price: $19

Grade: 85

Congratulations to Winesmith on his wedding, it sounds like the bride and groom picked out a few good wines for their guests.

I took a friend of mine out to dinner for her birthday on Friday. We went to Tuskies, one of my favorite local restaurants. We ordered a bottle of Pillar Box Red with dinner, it was excellent.

I tried to find my original review yesterday, but it took me a while to locate it. One of my goals in starting this site was to keep track of my reviews. I have done more than 35 reviews, but I don't have a good way to locate them. I think I am going to add links to reviews on the sidebar. They probably won't be useful to anyone but me...but that's what matters ;).

Wine: 2003 Chateau Les Grands Marechaux Bordeaux



Review: Two things stand out about this wine: It has an incredible aroma and a great price. If you can get your hands on this wine, and you love Bordeaux it is a great choice. It is not your typical Bordeaux, it has a style similar to California Pinot Noirs, in that it has strong aromas and a full-bodied taste.

However, unlike a Pinot Noir, it has a complexity that has developed quickly and hopefully will continue to grow as the wine ages. It also boasts a strong finish with heavy tannins. I bought a couple of extra bottles to age -- at this price there is no reason not to do so.

Price: $19

Grade: 95

Wine: 2004 Cardinal Point Vineyard Cabernet Franc



Review: One of the worst feelings in wine drinking is popping a cork and seeing sediment gathered around the cork and the top of the wine. Normally, I like Cardinal Park wines, and I have heard good things about their Cabernet Franc, but even with decanting I could not get out all of the sediment.

I am going to reserve judgement on this wine until I can get my hands on another bottle.

Price: $18

Grade: N/A