State of the Vine

State of the Vine

Sunday Funday at the Winery at Bull Run




I absolutely loved the Winery at Bull Run. Maybe it was the fact that it was such a beautiful day and that we came on a bus with a huge group of great friends (and made some new ones, too), but we just had a fantastic time.

And the most important part... I really liked the wine!
It's one of the closest wineries to the DC area and they had a food truck, corn hole and a huge area outside with picnic tables and a porch with rocking chairs. On the day we went, the winery had live music, too! The tasting room itself was also pretty big and there was a separate area to buy bottles of wine, cheese and bread.

There are two vineyards on the winery property with over 8 acres of vines, mostly Norton grapes, a grape native to Virginia, with some Traminette, used in their Delaney, a white blend.

The Wines



I had two favorites, a sparkling and a red.


The Sparkling

Stonebridge Sparkling Wine
Stonebridge Sparkling Wine, 2012 

The grapes were aged in both stainless steel and French Oak barrels and the wine was made using the same method as Champagne, also known as méthode champenoise

Varietal, Region: 100% Chardonnay, Virginia
Where to Buy: At the Winery or online
Price: $36/bottle 
My Tasting Notes: Notes of pear and lemon meringue and a little lime, light, crisp and refreshing. Their website says it has "subtle hints of pastries." No wonder I loved it so much!
My Verdict: I have been very pleasantly surprised by the Virginia sparkling wines I have tried recently and this was one of them. This is highly drinkable and despite that I drank red wine that day too, not to mention sampling many others, my headache was only mild on Monday.

*Look for a future post on the other Virginia sparkling wines- a rose and a white, coming soon!


The Red

Meritage 2013



Meritage 2013
Varietal, Region: 29% Merlot, 29% Cab Sauv, 9% Petit Verdot, 25% Cab Franc, 8% Malbec
Where to Buy: At the Winery or online
Price: $34/bottle 
My Tasting Notes: Medium to full bodied, notes of tobacco, mocha and espresso on the palate. 
My Verdict: Just enough body to have a nice finish but not too heavy for a Fall daytime Sunday. This one's a win.














Cheers!




Quebec City Part Deux: A Serbian White




Image Credit: Francuska Vinarija



This is another notable wine from Quebec City, that we tried while on our honeymoon at a wonderful restaurant called Le Hobbit on Rue Saint-Jean.

It was the first time I ever tried a white from Serbia. Although I generally stay away from white wine, this one was excellent. According to our waiter at Le Hobbit, the wine is made by a French couple living in Serbia Estelle and Cyrille Bongiraud, using local grapes, which I have to say intrigued me even more. 

Poema 2010

The climate is mild where the vineyard is located. The wine is produced in small lots and is organic and bottled with little to no filtration. Several local villagers own the vines, and help the Bongirauds make the wines! 

Historical records indicate that the vines in this region were cultivated in the 3rd century AD, at the time of the Roman Empire. The region came back to life in the 19th century when a few hundred wine cellars were built to send the wine directly to France, because their grapes were suffering from a vine disease!


The Wine: Francuska Vinarija Poema, 2010*
Varietal: Mostly Riesling blended with white Tmjanika, Gracevina and Muscat Ottonel
Region: Rogljevo, Negation, Serbia
Where to buy: MacArthur Beverages in D.C., Doi Moi in D.C. and of course, at Le Hobbit in Quebec City 
My Tasting Notes: Slight minerality with notes of pear and other white fruits, with a slight taste of licorice and an elegant finish. 
My Verdict: Despite being mainly Riesling, this wine isn't sweet (which I was happy about), it's very refreshing and unique. For those of you who haven't tried a cloudy white wine, don't let it scare you off. This is one of the best whites I've ever had.

*Francuska Vinarija translates to French Winery!

If you're ever in QC I highly, highly recommend this place. The food was to-die-for!

duck wings

charcuterie, cheeses, nuts and pate

Read more history and more about the winemakers.

Živeli! (Cheers!)



Quebec City Part Un: A Lebanese Cab Sauv


Château KSara was one of the first wineries to follow me on Instagram when I first started my blog

When my husband and I were in Quebec City recently for our honeymoon, we paid a trip (or two) to the SAQ (their version of the ABC) to see what their selection was like. I was so excited to discover in the "Vins du Liban" section, which only had a few wines, that this wineries' Cab Sauv was one of them (and it gave me a good opportunity to practice my Français!)



The Wine: Château KSara
Varietal, Region: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cuvee Speciale, 2011, Bekka Valley
Price: About $15 (their other wines range from $11-25ish)
Where to buy: Potomac Wine and Spirits, Georgetown, or by the glass or bottle at Lebanese Taverna
My Tasting Notes: Medium to full bodied. A nice bouquet. Rich, smooth and dry with notes of currants, dates and mocha. According to my husband, the grapes taste very "old world" (a big complement). 
My Verdict: An excellent wine and a great price; perfect for Fall to Winter. I can't wait to try the rest of their wines!

The SAQ we visited in QC had an amazing wine tasting machine. Here I am, sampling away.





à votre santé!