So I was lucky enough to attend the Blacksburg Fork and Cork that just happened yesterday. Not surprisingly, the crowds there were ENORMOUS and I struggled to make it into many of the tasting lines without getting impatient. That being said I still got to taste A LOT of different wines and now I must share it!
Here is a list of the major wineries that I was able to go and taste from, ordered from most favorite to least favorite:
1. Veritas Winery
2. Fincastle Winery
3. Trump Winery
4. Barren Ridge Vineyards
5. Attimo Winery
6. Peaks of Otter
(The fruity wines of Peaks of Otter)
Now I'd love nothing more than to place the notes on every single wine I had, but you and I both know that such a feat is not only tedious but would perhaps be dull to read, thus I have hand selected a few that stood out to me (whether good or bad) as worthy of notice. In no particular order here they are!
Blanc de Blanc 2008
Chardonnay
Trump Winery, Monticello, VA
$25 per bottle
(84 points Jancis Robinson)
This wine truly was "blanc", as it was clear as rain. Not something I've seen in a while. The nose had a lot of pear action going on with other slight fruity smells, but not much else. It tasted crisp, acidic, perhaps a little orange maybe? I wasn't too sure...again my pallet is still young. However this wine was nonetheless refreshing. Perhaps too expensive, but not bad!
Strawberry Shortcake
Apple/Strawberry
Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford, VA
$12 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I just had to include this one because quite frankly, it's on an entirely different spectrum of wine. I'm never one for the sweet stuff, but this was interesting. In all essence, this wine smelled, looked, and tasted like strawberries in every way. I can't get any more accurate than that. Clearly this was what the winery was going for with this wine, but I'd hardly call it a wine as much as strawberry sugar juice with alcohol. Don't get me wrong, if strawberry shortcake is your thing then there is NO reason why you wouldn't enjoy this. Just a bit too much sugar for my taste.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc/Sauvignon Blanc
Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, Fincastle, VA
$14 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
Seeing as I had tasted a lot of sugary wines, this one was nice to have in order to dry my pallet up a bit. The color was a nice dark red and on the nose I picked up a lot of cherries, and even a little bit of oak that would come back to me as soon as I sipped it. Sure enough there was a good amount of oakiness in this wine, but it had some nice balance and was satisfyingly full bodied. Nothing special but not too bad.
Cabernet Franc 2012
Cabernet Franc
Veritas Winery, Monticello, VA
$22 per bottle
No Professioal Review Found
This is not something I expected from a Virginia winery, as this could very well be confused with an Old World type wine. It was very dark red, and smelled earthy and dirty with hints of not fruit but vegetables. The taste was long lasting, complex, smooth, balanced, and was even a little peppery. Unexpectedly it was also big on the tannins and quite dry. No doubt that this wine was an absolute blast to drink, and if it weren't for my lack of funds I would've taken a bottle back with me.
Christof 2011
Traminette/Vidal Blanc
Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishersville, VA
$25 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I clearly remember the lady running this stand knew A LOT about what grapes grow well in Virginia, and took much pride in this dessert wine. It had a light yellowish color and smelled a lot like honey and peaches. My girlfriend particularly loved this one (surprise surprise) as it was VERY sweet and unlike most sweet wines I had that day was actually very complex in the finish. It certainly would be perfect to go with a less sweeter dessert...perhaps apple pie?
Off the Cuff
Riesling/Chardonay
Atimmo Winery, Christiansburg, VA
$17 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I particularly enjoyed this dry white, and I am unsure if I have ever even had a blend of riesling and chardonnay before. Likewise, it had a nice golden color and a strong peary/citrus smell to it. It hit the tongue softly but had a nice lasting flavor that I really enjoyed. Perhaps a bit too expensive, but otherwise not a bad blend of grapes!
Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Fincastle Vineyard and Winery, Fincastle, VA
$12 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
This was a wine that we actually carried around with us after trying and was quite a delight. The color looked like pure gold, and it smelled a lot like caramel and, dare I say it, even cat pee? I admit I got the idea from Gary V, but no joke that's what I smelled. It was very buttery and thick to taste, perhaps a little overoaked, but was nevertheless complex and satisfying.
Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford, VA
$12 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I just had to include this one because quite frankly, it's on an entirely different spectrum of wine. I'm never one for the sweet stuff, but this was interesting. In all essence, this wine smelled, looked, and tasted like strawberries in every way. I can't get any more accurate than that. Clearly this was what the winery was going for with this wine, but I'd hardly call it a wine as much as strawberry sugar juice with alcohol. Don't get me wrong, if strawberry shortcake is your thing then there is NO reason why you wouldn't enjoy this. Just a bit too much sugar for my taste.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc/Sauvignon Blanc
Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, Fincastle, VA
$14 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
Seeing as I had tasted a lot of sugary wines, this one was nice to have in order to dry my pallet up a bit. The color was a nice dark red and on the nose I picked up a lot of cherries, and even a little bit of oak that would come back to me as soon as I sipped it. Sure enough there was a good amount of oakiness in this wine, but it had some nice balance and was satisfyingly full bodied. Nothing special but not too bad.
Cabernet Franc 2012
Cabernet Franc
Veritas Winery, Monticello, VA
$22 per bottle
No Professioal Review Found
This is not something I expected from a Virginia winery, as this could very well be confused with an Old World type wine. It was very dark red, and smelled earthy and dirty with hints of not fruit but vegetables. The taste was long lasting, complex, smooth, balanced, and was even a little peppery. Unexpectedly it was also big on the tannins and quite dry. No doubt that this wine was an absolute blast to drink, and if it weren't for my lack of funds I would've taken a bottle back with me.
Christof 2011
Traminette/Vidal Blanc
Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishersville, VA
$25 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I clearly remember the lady running this stand knew A LOT about what grapes grow well in Virginia, and took much pride in this dessert wine. It had a light yellowish color and smelled a lot like honey and peaches. My girlfriend particularly loved this one (surprise surprise) as it was VERY sweet and unlike most sweet wines I had that day was actually very complex in the finish. It certainly would be perfect to go with a less sweeter dessert...perhaps apple pie?
Off the Cuff
Riesling/Chardonay
Atimmo Winery, Christiansburg, VA
$17 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
I particularly enjoyed this dry white, and I am unsure if I have ever even had a blend of riesling and chardonnay before. Likewise, it had a nice golden color and a strong peary/citrus smell to it. It hit the tongue softly but had a nice lasting flavor that I really enjoyed. Perhaps a bit too expensive, but otherwise not a bad blend of grapes!
Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Fincastle Vineyard and Winery, Fincastle, VA
$12 per bottle
No Professional Review Found
This was a wine that we actually carried around with us after trying and was quite a delight. The color looked like pure gold, and it smelled a lot like caramel and, dare I say it, even cat pee? I admit I got the idea from Gary V, but no joke that's what I smelled. It was very buttery and thick to taste, perhaps a little overoaked, but was nevertheless complex and satisfying.
(Quite a few people were in attendance)
(My friend made the mistake of wearing white)
Food Pairing of the Day
So my friends and I got a nice chardonnay from fincastle to pass the time and I was hungry for some funnel cake. Staring at my funnel cake and chardonnay I thought "what the hell?" and paired them up. The chardonnay itself was pretty oaky and buttery by itself, and was very soft on the pallet. However that all changed after having it with this delicious piece of fried bread. The Chardonnay immediately became much more sharp, crisp, and even slightly bitter. I'm assuming that the sugar from the funnel cake caused this, but it was actually pretty good! Honestly I have a lot of fun just picking random hearty foods with random wines and just going for it. You never know what you might get.
Wine of the Day
Hands down my all time favorite wine at the festival was the 2012 Cabernet Franc I described above made by Veritas Winery. Everything about this wine screamed old world and it just had so much going on in there I couldn't keep up with all of the flavor. My buddy bought a bottle and I CANNOT WAIT to have with a nice lasagna dinner. I highly recommend picking up a bottle of this at the vintage cellar and giving it whirl. You will not be displeased.
(Myself and my girlfriend with some Sangria)
Overall, and despite the lines, Fork and Cork was just awesome. I eventually got to try more wines than I have ever had in a single day, and yet I just could never get sick of the stuff. Sad to say this is my last year in Blacksburg, but no doubt I will be coming back one day to another one of these. My final thought for the day could be summed up as follows: Never underestimate a Virginia wine
Wine of the Day
Hands down my all time favorite wine at the festival was the 2012 Cabernet Franc I described above made by Veritas Winery. Everything about this wine screamed old world and it just had so much going on in there I couldn't keep up with all of the flavor. My buddy bought a bottle and I CANNOT WAIT to have with a nice lasagna dinner. I highly recommend picking up a bottle of this at the vintage cellar and giving it whirl. You will not be displeased.
(Myself and my girlfriend with some Sangria)
Overall, and despite the lines, Fork and Cork was just awesome. I eventually got to try more wines than I have ever had in a single day, and yet I just could never get sick of the stuff. Sad to say this is my last year in Blacksburg, but no doubt I will be coming back one day to another one of these. My final thought for the day could be summed up as follows: Never underestimate a Virginia wine
No comments:
Post a Comment