Willowcroft had its Cabernet Franc tasting on Sunday, featuring Cabernet Francs from all over Virginia.









The wines, featured in order of tasting:

1. 2002 from Breaux Vineyards
2. 2004 from Cardinal Point Vineyards
3. 2000 from Horton Vineyards
4. 2003 from Pearmund Cellars
5. 2004 from Prince Michel
6. 2002 from Tomahawk Mill
7. 2002, 2004 and 2005 from Willowcroft Farm Vineyards

I have reviewed the Willowcroft 2002 Cabernet Franc and that review still stands. The 2004 was okay, but it needs to age, the 2005, on the other hand, was interesting right out of the bottle. It also needs to age, but not as much as the 2004 will need.

Other highlights from the tasting: The Breaux has aged really well, but retained much of the peppery kick associated with Cabernet Franc -- that was my favorite. The Horton has also aged well, losing most of its tannins. The Pearmund has also aged well, but it was a little too bland for my tastes...if you like a more mellow Cabernet Franc, you will like this wine.

The pourers at this event were excellent, they were engaging and knew a great deal about the regions and the different wineries, it made the tasting that much more enjoyable.

Saturday was the Wine Tasting Association's 21st Annual Holiday Wine Tasting. Held at the Holiday Inn in SW the event featured over 200 wines and two huge cheese tables. First some pictures:









Among the highlights of the tasting was the Banfi Rosa Regale I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. Also pretty impressive, Fonseca 10 year old Tawny Port, Sullivan Vineyards Red Ink, Rozes Port Reserve White (yes, white), Maculan Dindarello, Selaks Ice Wine, and a 1/2 dozen low-cost Bordeaux wines that were excellent.

A great show, and I highly recommend it for next year.

Wine:2005 Shotfire Ridge Shiraz



Review: Normally, I prefer blended Shiraz, but this is a unique wine. Mike, at the Leesburg Vintner recommended this wine and it was an excellent choice.

The 2002, 2003 and 2004 vintages have been consistent high scorers with both Parker and Wine Spectator and I imagine this will be no different.

The wine is a deep purple color and, oddly, contains flavors of both chocolate and vanilla. I was expecting it to be a little young, but it was surprisingly mature with a flavor that lingered, without being too tannic.

Overall, an excellent value.

Price: $18

Grade: 90

Wine:2005 Keswick Les Vents d'Anges: Rives Red Table Wine



Review: A blend of 31% Merlot, 24% Tannat, 24% Cabernet Franc, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Norton this non-vintaged (grapes were harvested in 2002 and 2003, it was bottled in 2005) table wine is a decent table wine, and a good value.

The Cabernet Franc gives it a little bit of kick and the blends make it complex and interesting. It is not as earthy as most Virginia-based Merlots, instead offering more of a plum flavor.

$2 of every purchase is used to support Asthma research, through Charlottesville's annual Asthma walk.

Price: $13

Grade: 85

This week's WWA presents a conundrum. The Wine Tasting Association is having its 21st Annual Holiday Wine Tasting on Saturday from 2:00 to 5:00. That looks like a lot of fun, with some great wines.

At the same time, Cecile's Fine Wine is having a Burgundy tasting featuring winemaker Pascal Maillard, one of my favorite Burgundian winemakers.

Sunday is easy. Willowcroft Vineyard is having a Cabernet Franc tasting! You all know how I feel about Cabernet Franc :). That is from 12:00-5:00.

Whatever you decide on, enjoy your wine and your weekend. I have some reviews I have been meaning to post, I will try to get them up tonight or tomorrow.

I am not involved with the wine industry, other than as a (heavy) consumer, in any way shape or form. In addition, this blog takes no advertising (not that anyone would to advertise on it) and the thoughts are all my own.

These two factors allow me to say unequivocally and without fear of reprisal that this editorial is complete and total crap.

Since the new law has gone into effect Virginia wine has virtually disappeared off the shelf of local wine shops. Only the larger wineries, those that can afford to take the forced price cut imposed by wholesalers, can continue to sell to wine shops. To smaller wineries, which constitutes about 90% of those in Virginia, it is not worth the loss in profits. So, they sell through their winery and at the various wine festivals.

This line served to particularly annoy me:

Forced to live with the same set of rules as their out-of-state and foreign competitors, the wineries changed tactics and tried to weaken the rules. Earlier this year they sought legislation that would have allowed the vast majority of wineries worldwide (themselves included) to bypass distributors and sell their products directly to Virginia stores and restaurants. Obviously, this bill would have had devastating consequences for wine distributors and their nearly 3,500 employees.

What is wrong with that plan? That is something I fully support. The manufacturer of just about EVERY other product on the market has the ability to walk into a store and try to sell their goods directly to the owner, they can try to get restaurants to serve their food, grocery stores to shelve their products. Winemakers are already limited to those places that are licensed to sell alcohol, now they are unable to sell directly -- why should they be treated differently?

As far as winemakers from outside the state selling directly to merchants, that is just laughable. There are tens of thousands of wine sellers around the country. There is no way that any winery is going to be able to sell to each of them directly, it makes sense to use distributors for selling wine outside of your home area, hell, it makes sense for a lot of the larger wineries to use distributors to sell wine in-state.

The point is Virginia wineries should not be forced to used distributors to sell their wine in restaurants, grocery stores, or other wine sellers. Just like no other product is forced to do so...

One thing that I agree with in this editorial:

The strict requirement that distributors stand between producers and retailers, the so-called three-tier system, for example, goes back to the end of Prohibition.

Prohibition was a bad idea, we know that now, and laws stemming from Prohibition were also bad. The law put in place earlier this year needs to be reversed, and winemakers need to be able to sell their products on their own.

Looking for your WWA (Weekend Wine Activity)? Check out Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon and Wine Festival. Tickets are only $10 and there is nothing like sipping wine from a hot air balloon :).

I missed this article on CNN (a reprint from Southern Accents magazine) about the Monticello Wine Trail and Barboursville specifically. I thought this passage was particularly interesting:

Through expertise and patience, Rausse succeeded, and today, the state boasts more than 250 vineyards and attracts half a million winery tourists every year. Now the head viticulturist for Monticello, Rausse passed the Barboursville mantle on to Paschina, who oversees 150 acres of cabernet franc, sangiovese, viognier, pinot gris and other vinifera varietals, as well as the production of 30,000 cases of wine a year.

I follow Virginia wine pretty closely (duh) and I didn't realize there were that many Vineyards. Dezel, Wineona, Paul? Does that number sound right to you?

Wine:2004 Banfi Rosa Regale



Review: A friend of mine bought me back this wine from Italy and it was truly a unique experience. A sparkling red wine very flavorful and full-bodied but not too sweet, it was an excellent complement to the dark chocolate strawberries I served as dessert.

The sparkling wine is made from the Brachetto grape with a deep rich, almost Pinot Noir like color. One of my favorite dessert wines.

Price: $20

Grade: 98

Looking to pick up some good deals on wine? Cecile's Fine Wine is hosting their annual wine festival and tent sale this weekend at their McLean location. There were some really good deals and some unique wines, especially in the under $15 range.

I went with the Northern Virginia wine club and it was a lot of fun, the pourings were quick and informative and the representatives from the distributors were really nice.

The highlight for me? St. Francis Red a good blended wine from Sonoma for under $10? I'll post a more detailed review tonight after I finish the bottle :).

Last night a friend and I attended A French Wine Affaire sponsored by the French Wine Society and held at the French Embassy.

There were more than 200 wines and I think we managed to taste most of them :). When I think of French wine I normally think of Bordeaux or Champagne so it was nice to see the other regions well-represented. There were some really good wines from Burgundy, Rhone, Loire and the South of France.

One of the more interesting wines was from Boisset, the producers of the French Rabbit wines I have mentioned previously. The wine, called Lulu B, is from the South of France and they make a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Syrah (aside: the representative from Boisset had a great sense of humor he joked that they had talked about making a blend that was 50% Syrah and 50% Shiraz). The label is clearly designed for an American audience, focusing on the varietal not the region and keeping the labels simple and colorful. And, Lulu B is a cute mascot :).

Another winery of note was from the producers Badet Clement & Co. and is called Les Jamelles. Also from the South of France and labeled by varietal, not region and a very good value for the money.

The highlight of the evening was clearly the cheese table from Calvert Woodley's La Cheeserie. They offered a great variety of really good cheeses.

I ordered a bunch of wines and will review as they arrive.

Wine and technology, two of my favorite subjects are intersecting this year at Wine 2.0. It looks like an interesting chance for people on the cutting edge of winemaking to get together and share ideas. It also features two of my favorvite wine bloggers Tom Wark and Adler Yarrow.

If you are going to be in the San Francisco area, you should do you best to attend.

My favorite find at this years wine festival was not a wine, but a painting -- more specifically, a print of a painting. My favorite type of wine is Bordeaux, and my favorite Bordeaux is Chateau Margaux. So, when I came across this:





I had to get it. I love the simplicity, the dearth of colors and the contrast of shadows. My only quibble with it is: how did the wine get in the glass if the cork has not been popped ;)?

Yes, dear readers, I am the kind of guy who not only drinks wine, but has wine artwork in his house...

Wineona has returned after a summer hiatus. Welcome back!

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.