I've mentioned Stephane Derencourt and the great work he's done at Boxwood Winery previously. Well, now he is going to be consulting for a second American winery, Francis Ford Coppola. If he does the same things for the Coppolla brand that he has done for Boxwood it should be interesting:

"California wines are often easy to taste but difficult to drink. I intend to do something different," the Frenchman said. In addition to the two US consultancies he is about to release the 'Derenoncourt' label made at Cuvaison and John Caldwell wineries.

I participate in a cool program from Great Country Farms. Every Monday, during the summer, they drop off a case of fresh vegetables/fruit that are grown on the farm. They offer a wide-range of produce and you never know what you are going to get from week-to-week.

A couple of weeks ago the shipment included several bunches of kale. Kale is not a staple of my vegetable diet, so I had no idea how to prepare it. Fortunately, the email accompanying the shipment included the following recipe:


Two bundles of Fresh Kale
1 large Cucumber
1/4 cup Spring onions, chopped
1/4 cup White wine
4 Tbsp. Butter
Salt and pepper - to taste
De-stem kale and chop into bite-size pieces. Dice cucumber about 1/4-inch. Heat sauté pan to medium heat. Melt butter and add spring onions. Turn heat up, and add chopped kale. Add wine, splash by splash, and toss until kale is wilted but not mushy. Add cold cucumber at end with salt and pepper, and plate. (The objective is not to cook the cucumber.)


Kale by itself was a little bland, but the white wine really bought out the flavor. Of course, given that the same people who own GCF also own Bluemont Vineyard they would probably prefer it if you used their Viognier or their Vidal Blanc.

On Sunday I went to Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar with a friend. This is one of the places I have been wanting to check out for a long time, so I was excited to finally get the chance to go.

Bistrot Lepic has two floors, the bottom floor is the restaurant:



The second floor contains the wine bar, which has a kind of Asian feel (strange considering that it is a French restaurant). The wine bar itself is relaxed and subdued a very comfortable environment.

The wine list is extraordinary. Broken down by region in France they have a varied selection and an impressive cellar. There were more than 40 Bordeauxs alone, ranging in price from $40 a bottle to over $1300.



Service was personal and attentive, as we went through different bottles the Sommelier would bring over samples of other wines he thought we might enjoy.

Their cheese selection was excellent and not limited to the typical: cow, goat and sheep (though all three were well-represented). It was also nice that they allow you to mix and match cheeses from different groups when selecting a cheese flight.

Dinner was very good, with nice sized portions and unique selections, they had a special menu for Father's day that included Salmon, Lamb and a few other interesting selections. And the chocolate tart we ended the meal with was rich, without being too sweet.

Overall, an excellent experience and I highly recommend a visit.

Wine bars are no longer reside exclusively inside the Beltway! On June 5th Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro (no website yet) opened within the Westin in Reston (apologies for the unintentional rhyme).

Vinifera is a little difficult to find if you are not familiar with Reston, but it is worth hunting down :). I went with a couple of friends the Friday after it opened and we were very impressed. Like most wine bars, it is divided into two sections: a lounge and a dining area. Each area has a different menu, with the lounge focusing on appetizer type foods. Our waitress was very accommodating though and allowed us to order from the dining area menu.

The food was good, with many of the traditional wine bar foods you would expect to find, all well done The wine list was excellent, with all regions (including Virginia) well-represented. The Jazz band was also really good, and the music played nicely in the background without overwhelming our conversation.

What really made the evening for us was the service. The Sommelier spent time talking with us and learning our tastes, so we was able to recommend several good bottles and even let us sample some different wines.

I wrote about Barrel Oak Winery a few months back. Belated congratulations are in order to Brian and Sharon for the largest winery opening in Virginia.

I went out to visit them with the wine club a week after they opened and the winery is amazing. In his previous life Brian built houses and it really shows in the winery design, it is open an expansive with three floors, all of which will eventually have tasting stations.

In addition to a great interior, the stone patio is laid out nicely with great views of the rolling land behind the tasting room.

How do the wines match up to the winery? Very well. They have a wide range of wines to suit almost any palette. Three highlights of the tasting:

Seyval Blanc: A great summer wine. This was a light and fruity wine with hints of grapefruit and a clean taste that was easy on the tongue.

Tour'Ga Franc: This is a blend of 60% Touriga and 40% Cabernet Franc, an interesting idea with a cute name. Virginia Cabernet Francs tend to have a peppery taste to them, the Touriga helps to smooth that out and you get more of a cinnamon taste with a aromas of vanilla and plum. A very good wine.

Chocolate Lab: This port-style wine is a blend of Merlot, Muscat and Cabernet Sauvignon that is infused with cocoa beans. I am not really a fan of port, but everyone who tried the wine loved it. The wine has a unique taste, and the way the wine blends with the chocolate on your tongue creates a wonderful sensation.

Definitely check out Barrel Oak as soon as you get a chance!

I completely left out the 4th Annual Manasses Wine and Jazz Festival from my WWA post below. They have some good performers and great wineries. Note, this is not a whole weekend festival, it is only on Sunday.

Marguax has released its first group of the 2007 Vintage and set the price at €240 (approx $371). This is a drop of 27% over last year. From the article:

The drop comes despite the fact that there is less quantity of the wine this year, due to the careful selection that marked the 2007 harvest in the top estates. The extremely wet summer demanded rigorous selection - for those who could afford it.

Jean Baptiste Bourotte, managing director of Bordeaux negociant firm Audy, said, 'Generally speaking, first growths are on a different stage in term of prices but it is interesting to note that Margaux is quite aware of the market and is showing it by making a decent decrease.'

Still out of range for most people, but good to see the drop anyway...

Doukenie Winery had their annual Taste of Greece on May 17th, and it was a great event as usual. I've recently talked about their wines, so I won't go over that again. Instead, I'll just share some pictures with you:

Looking for fun stuff to do this weekend? Breaux is having their 11th annual Cajun Festival -- this is always a great time!

Clifton is also holding their second annual wine festival.

Ok, the whole dogs thing is a little weird, but another Virginia wine blogger who is hitting all of the right wineries and makes her own wine...I gotta add the link.

I am almost embarrassed to post this because it happened so long ago, but I cannot resist telling you about some great wines. Back in April, Doug hosted a release tasting at Fabbioli. The release did not just include his wines, but also wines from two other local vineyards and all three winemakers were on hand.

Each wine was paired with an item especially prepared by Chef Aaron Daniels. There were 4 wines released: Fabbioli's Cabernet Sauvignon, a mild wine with strong flavors of oak that lingers on the palette and a hint of pepper. Fabbioli also released their Black Raspberry Port. If you are thinking, "Black Raspberry Port, can that possibly be as good as it sounds and where can I get some?" It was fantastic, so good in fact that Doug sold out of his entire production run that day.

From North Gate Vineyards we were able to sample their newly released Merlot. The Merlot was barrel-aged in French oak for 18 months, creating a flavorful, complex wine with the taste of cherries and an earthy feel to it. A very excellent Merlot, on par with what most wineries would consider their reserve.

Furnace Mountain Vineyards (no website) introduced us to their 8 Chain's North Lo.Co. Vino an excellent blend of Traminette and Vidal Blanc -- I'll have more details on this wine in a future review.

A great day and a chance to enjoy some really good wines.