Route 9 Barrel Tasting

If you are looking for something really fun to do today Sunset Hills, Loudoun Valley Vineyards and Doukenie are hosting the annual Route 9 Barrel Tasting.



For $35 you get the opportunity to try some of the upcoming wines from all three wineries. More importantly, you get to meet with the winemakers and talk about their winemaking style and their insights into the vintages. Barrel tastings really give you insight into the winemaker and the types of wines produced at the winery.

Hunters Run Wine Tasting Barn

Route 9 is has become one of best wine routes in the area. With wineries like Loudoun Valley, Sunset Hills, Notaviva and, of course, Breaux Route 9 has a lot of unique wineries and good diversity of wines.

The latest addition to this group of wineries is the Hunters Run Wine Tasting Barn (another barn turned into a tasting, it really is a trend here in Loudoun). The Hunters Run Wine Tasting Barn is owned by Geri Nolan, who was on hand to pour for me when I went out for a recent visit.

HRWTB does not serve its own wines, instead they pour wines from Corcoran Vineyards. This is similar to the tasting rooms I've seen in California, Washington and Oregon and I think its a great idea.

The tasting room itself is very warm and inviting, the barn is cozy and the wood-burning stove at one end of the tasting room provided much needed warmth on the cold-rainy day I visited. There is an eclectic collection of chairs and stools on the main floor and a loft overlooking the bar.

Geri is very charming and bubbly and she knows a great deal about the Corcoran wines. She is obviously a big fan not only of the wines, but of Jim and Lori as well. The visit was a lot of fun, and I highly encourage anyone tasting along Route 9 to add HRWTB to their itinerary.

The Post Remembers Virginia has Wineries

The Post ran their bi-annual 'Virginia has wineries' article this morning. Completely not ironically (I assume) they also ran an article about how Virginia wineries get no respect in their own backyard.

I will give the first article some credit in that they picked 4 interesting wineries from different parts of Loudoun to highlight: Bluemont, Chrysalis, Sunset Hills and Notaviva.

Wine, Cheese and the Washington Mystics

The Washington Mystics are hosting a Wine and Cheese night (PDF) before their game against the Seattle Storm on September 3rd. The tasting is being held at the Verizon Center in the Dewar's Club.

What makes this especially nice is that the wines they are tasting are from Corcoran Vineyards and Sunset Hills two great Loudoun wineries. The $35 tasting fee also includes a ticket to the game, so it is a really good deal.

Route 9 Barrel Tasting

It is supposed to be nice out today, so if you are looking for a break from all the holiday shopping, you might want to check out the Route 9 Barrel Tasting. 5 wineries along route 9 are participating: Breaux, Doukenie, Sunset Hills, Loudoun Valley and Corcoran. All really good wineries and barrel tastings are a lot of fun. The cost is $50 per person.

Sunset Hills Winery Redux

I posted about my visit to Sunset Hills Winery a few posts back. This was prior to their official opening last week.

As you can see the work done in the tasting room over the last month or so is simply phenomenal and the opening was a huge success.

Sunset Hills Winery

I went with the wine club to Sunset Hills Winery back in September and really enjoyed it. Sunset Hills has the distinction of being the only winery in Virginia to sponsor a race car (at least that I know of).

They also have a great tasting room, it is a 130 year old barn that was restored using Amish workers -- and the craftsmanship is amazing. The pictures below are from before the tasting room was completed -- but you can see how great the finished product will be.

As for their wines, the standout was a the Petite Verdot, yet another Virginia winery has turned this blending grape into an excellent standalone wine. The Petite Verdot is 80% Petite Verdot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It has deep rich color and a plum taste, the Cabernet Franc adds a touch of spice to the wine and the 18 months in oak have smoothed it out a little.

And, if you are excited about the winery, you are in luck. They are having their grand opening this weekend (occasionally, my procrastination pays off). They are really worth the look.