I tend to put the release of something like Albariño right up there with a solar eclipse, as one of the most important events of the decade, most certainly not to be missed. And so it was that I found myself headed back to Northern Virginia this weekend, to Arterra’s Vintage 2023 White Wine release. Arterra made a shift in their release schedule so that they can highlight individual vineyards, hold wines like Chardonnay a little bit longer, and hold their estate reds a little longer. It’s an interesting approach. If you’re not familiar with Arterra’s overall approach to winemaking, it focuses ..read more

This weekend we took two friends to the Virginia Wine Love Meetup at Septenary. This was a special scheduled event for a small group with a guided tasting and tour and was really fun. I’ve been to Septenary before and enjoyed the wine and venue, and today was even more fun than last time! General Manager Andrew greeted us when we arrived and we went to their event space. It had a nice bar and was connected to the barrel room. These kinds of events are fantastic because you can hear from the winery team about their winemaking style and process, history, and ideas about the future. While Andrew ..read more

I’m so glad I hit the Fauquier County Wine Showcase a few weeks ago, because I met one of the owners of Fox Meadow Vineyards, and man, am I glad I made time to take a friend there this weekend! It’s so close to so many NoVa wineries I have loved (Linden, Crimson Lane, Capstone which I still have an unfinished pre-pandemic post sitting the “drafts” folder for) for so long, but you gotta keep going up, up, up Blue Mountain, where you come into this unexpected almost suburban area with tons of homes (and a monastery!) and then there you are at the vineyard and winery. Fox Meadow sits at 1800 ft a ..read more

I’m trying to do better and only have wine on Friday-Saturday-Sunday. The reality is that with doing Orange Theory at 5 a.m. Monday-Friday, having wine the night before really depresses my performance and doesn’t leave me at my best for the workouts. Generally, taking a few nights off is do-able since the current job doesn’t make me want to consume in high quantities. This weekend I did start indulgence on Thursday (we took Friday off from workouts due to early morning surgery for the doggo and it was a very long week for both of us). We started with this one: I keep telling people I’m not goo ..read more

It was time for the quarterly wine club pickup at Ankida Ridge, and so I made plans to head down – and to make it even more enticing – there were two major draws today – the release of their new Verday AND they had pizza and oysters on the half shell. Giddy! Ankida is fresh off their two Gold Medals in the Virginia Governor’s Cup, one each for their 2022 Chardonnay and 2022 Pinot Noir. It’s their first year entering, as production has ramped up enough that they can do the set aside for the competition. Until I heard Christine explain that this was the reason they had not previously entered the ..read more

I stopped in at Southwest Mountain Vineyards because I am planning my first coordinated visit for Out And About, a Charlottesville-area LGBTQ+ social group. I have to say that the team at SMV make it easy to plan for these things, and have a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is a pleasing juxtaposition with the high-end appearance and luxury approach they have to their visits. The two don’t have to be at odds – SMV is clearly set for a higher-end experience. The facility is beautiful, their menus are set for good small-bites to share and the wine is lovely. In terms of decoration, this place ..read more

There is more excitement than ever in Virginia Wine, with the Monticello AVA being named the Wine Enthusiast Wine Region of the Year. The 2023 vintage promises to be not just memorable, but exceptional in terms of flavor, quality, and longevity. And the flagship competition in Virginia, the Governor’s Cup, has released the medal awards for 2024. Chances are, you already know this, are aware and have looked at the list. If you’re a longtime reader, you know I’m skeptical at best of points, scores and awards. However, I do pay attention to them, and I’ve met a handful of the folks involved in th ..read more

Finally I score some 2020 Russ Mountain Merlot! And we get a new edition of amazing Virginia Chenin Blanc! It was a banner day at Walsh Family Wine last Saturday as I picked up my new club allocation. Walsh has mastered the art of the pickup party. On this particular day, general manager Bryan led our pickup run-through of the wines and special sample from the production room. He was fantastic and fun and even showed us the “secret menu” that has wines Walsh has brought in from around the world. Walsh is such a great atmosphere, as they have a long history of doing “bar takeovers” where they ..read more

I never thought I’d find Norton that I would enjoy, and today I learned why so many Norton’s were not to my taste. This event was fun, filled with good people, amazing food, and a really interesting wine comparison, and paired well with some great information and education. The discussion was led by Jason Murray, Arterra co-owner and Winemaker, and Mike Macey, winergrower for the Norton grapes that Arterra brings in for the Buyukbaba (Grandfather) Norton wine. There is so much to this story, as Mike and Oya (who own the vineyard) were patrons of Arterra who appreciated Jason’s style of winema ..read more

With drizzling rain outside, it wasn’t the best weather day, especially after having an 80 degrees-in-January Friday two days prior. But it was an incredible day in the barrel room checking in on the 2023 vintage as it settles in the barrel for aging. Getting to see a different site and different winegrower/winemaker who uses many of the practices I love is always fascinating, and as we go through the process I always learn new things that I will remember as I sip through my wine collection. I love that Mike and Stephen did this event, and I want more of these in my life. A friend and I grabbe ..read more