Meet the Winemaker: Thacher Winery

Last week my fiance and I went to an awesome event at Grateful Red, a wine shop in Clarendon. It is the "sister" wine store to Screwtop Wine Bar (which I have reviewed before here).

It was a "meet the winemaker" event, and this was my first ever event like this. 

They had a long picnic table set up inside the shop, so people could sit down and relax while tasting the wines (and eat the various meats and cheeses, yum!).

Winery: Thacher

Winemaker: Sherman Thacher

Varietal, Region: Sauvignon Blanc & Zinfandel (both pictured above), Paso Robles, California

Arlington Store, Neighborhood: Grateful Red, Clarendon

Price: bottles range from about $22-60

We tried 5 or 6 wines, a few reds and a few whites. The ones pictured above are my favorites. Sherman stood at the front of the room while we tasted the wines and explained the history of each one, and how he got started which was very cool. 

History: Sherman Thacher said he took wine and beer making classes when he was in school at UC Davis (although I'm extremely proud to be an ECU pirate, they definitely didn't have those classes there!). 

He then worked for a brewery for 15 years including when he was starting up his winery. In 1993 he went and bought one ton of Zinfandel grapes that were planted in 1910. How cool is that?! The following year, he bought another three tons of grapes and before having his own land he used several different wineries in Santa Cruz for production.

In 2004, he and his wife bought property in Paso Robles and four years later Thacher Winery and Vineyard opened.

Another thing I really liked that Sherman pointed out was that he makes all of his wines with minimal interference, as to not interrupt the natural process. An example he gave about this: one of the white wines was too acidic because of an especially hot summer season so he blended it with another white grape to mellow it out, instead of using an additive.

All in all, a great experience and I'm looking forward to future events.

Cheers!

Black Salt Restaurant & Vino

I recently visited a restaurant in DC called Black Salt. My bottom line...The wine and food was superb!

Restaurant: Black Salt, Palisades neighborhood, DC
Wine: Taittinger Prestige Rose, France
Varietal: Blend of Pinot Noir & Petit Meunier grapes
Tasting Notes: Notes of strawberry (and other berries I can't quite put my finger on) on the palate, a tad bit creamy, slight hint of hazelnut.
My Verdict: I know this wine is no secret, but for me it was exciting because I was finally able to try a "higher end" brut rose. I have to say it was quite tasty. The bubbles were a bit smaller (not a bad thing, but worth noting) and it was very refreshing. 

*Fun Fact about this Rose: "The Taittingers were a family of wine merchants who, in 1870, moved to the Paris region from the Lorraine in order to retain their French citizenship after the Franco-Prussian War and the Treaty of Frankfurt (1871)." (Wikipedia)

On to number two...


While I was waiting at the bar for my table to be ready, I had a delightful wine from their by-the-glass menu.

Wine: Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2010
Price: $16.95/glass
Tasting Notes: Dark color, rich aromas on the nose, medium to full bodied, notes of black cherry and currant
My Verdict: While the price-per-glass of this Cab is a tad steep, it's totally worth it because the wine glasses are the size of mini-fish bowls (yet still oddly enough, very elegant looking).

 


Food-wise... I had tuna with yucca frites and a black bean aoili. Very good.

And the dessert, house made ice cream. Exquisite.

Cheers!

Return to Cafe Cattura

I am here to announce my triumphant return to ...Cafe Caturra! I used to go there quite often when I lived nearby, maybe a little too much but I LOVE it! 

This was my first time there in about a year and what made it even better, I got to go with my awesome friends Brenna and Trina* and do some serious catching up (although one was missing because she recently moved...miss you Tay!)

*Brenna and Trina have an awesome hair/beauty blog. You MUST check it out here!

Since we didn't make it there in time for happy hour, I was faced with the decision of "which red" to go with. Caturra always has a good selection but that can make it hard to choose! Luckily, Brenna knows her reds because she picked this one and I decided to just follow her example instead of doing my usual tasting routine.

Arlington restaurant: Cafe Caturra, near Shirlington

Wine: Di San Marzano, Puglia, Italy

Varietal: Primitivo

Price: $26/bottle, $8/glass

Tasting Notes: spicy and hints of cherry and vanilla on the nose, plush tasting, slightly sweet but just the perfect amount (and I don't usually do sweet wines).

My Verdict: Caturra is a little out of the way from where I currently live but it never dissapoints. Also they sell (only by the bottle though, one of my faves Trinchero Chicken Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon).

I was so excited about their dessert trio, I completely forgot to take pictures, haha! I promise in the future, it will appear in its very own post.

Rainy Day Favorites: Malbecs

Right now, I'm plotting my escape from this depressing Arlington/DC weather to the vineyards of Argentina. 

But...as lovely as that sounds, it's unlikely that I will be able to make it there and back before work tomorrow...so in the meantime, these are my favorite Malbecs to help ease the rainy day blues!

Crios 2012

Varietal, Region: Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

Arlington Store, Neighborhood: Whole Foods, Clarendon, World Market, Pentagon City

Price: around $15-18

My Tasting Notes: Medium to full bodied, hints of black cherry, mixed berries, aromas of violet and toasted oak. Well balanced, spicy and jammy.

My Verdict: This wine comes from a vineyard with a woman at the helm, which is apparently not too common in Argentina. Susana Balbo at the Dominio del Plata Winery has been making wine for 25 years, and I have to say, she knows what she's doing! This Malbec is a great deal and is the first wine that made me truley excited about this grape.

*If you are looking for this wine in DC, it's also stocked at the Safeway in Georgetown.

Zuccardi Serie Q, 2012

Varietal, Region: Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

*Store, Neighborhood: Lenox Beer &Wine, Silver Spring

Price: around $26

My Tasting Notes: Aromas of ripe red fruit, black pepper and cherry, silky and velvety texture and tannins that are present but not overpowering.
My Verdict: This is an excellent, excellent wine and the best Malbec I have had to date (and trust me, it was hard choice). This wine was aged for a year in French medium toasted oak barrels which gives it great aromas and finish. It comes from the Familia Zuccardi winery.

*I know Silver Spring is not Arlington, but this is within walking distance of the metro and this wine was so good (and the one below) that I just couldn't pass up listing it. Im searching for it in Arlington, and will let everyone know as soon as I find it!

Zuccardi Serie A

Varietal, Region: Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina

*Store, Neighborhood: Lennox Beer & Wine, Silver Spring, by-the-glass at Rustico in Arlington, Ballston.

Price: (bottle) around $18

My Tasting Notes: This is more full bodied and "bold" than the Zuccardi Serie Q (above). Hints of spice and pepper on the nose, currant and plum and a deep purple color. Low acidity, and soft tannins.  Not as silky and refined as the Serie Q, but a little less expensive, and still an all-around great wine.

*Fun Fact: Most Argentinian wines are either sustainable or organic - Most Argentinian wines are considered sustainable and organic because the normal herbicides and pesticides used to fend away bugs aren't needed because they can't live at such high altitudes. The labels may not indicate this, though, because the Organic certification process is costly and time consuming.

Cheers!

A Field Trip To Vino Volo

Last week I went to a Wine Night for my college sorority Chi Omega's alumni chapter at Vino Volo in Bethesda. I am definitely more of a Northern Virginia gal than a Maryland one, but Bethesda is nice area and I always have a great time at these alumni events. Plus, who am I to turn down a new wine bar experience?

Also, it's just a few blocks from the Bethesda metro.

I loved the experience and the happy hour red, a Tempranillo, was terrific.

Happy hour, Neighborhood: Vino Volo, Bethesda
Specs: M-F, until 7p.m.
Happy hour red: Jorge Ordonez Actea Tempranillo, La Mancha, Spain

Price: $4/glass
My tasting notes: I am borderline-obsessed with Tempranillos from La Mancha and this I can confidently say is one of my new favorites! This wine is full bodied, silky tannins, notes of blackberry and cherry with a nice finish.

*Also try: Spann Vineyards Red Blend, Lot 9

The Verdict: What I loved about this wine bar was with every wine you order by the glass, you get a little fact sheet that doubles as a coaster to take home (pictured above). Yes, it's just a piece of paper, technically, but it helped me to remember the characteristics I like best about the wines. Not only that, but their pork tacos were pretty good too!

The only downside, is the by-the-glass wines (non-happy hour) are a bit on the pricier side. I think the cheapest is $11 but that actually happened to be the other one I really liked! The waiter recommended it, because I liked the Tempranillo, and he was "spot-on."

*For those with wheels, there is a location in McLean .

Happy Hour Reds, Part Six (Rustico)

Spring! I can feel it...it's almost here! One of my favorite places in the Ballston area is Rustico. And amazingly enough...they have happy hour on the weekends, too.

Arlington happy hour, neighborhood: Rustico, Ballston

Specs: 7 days a week

Happy hour red: Zaleo, Tempranillo 2011

Price: $5/glass

My tasting notes: Soft tannins, floral notes on the nose, medium bodied. Great deal! 

Battle of the tater tots:

Here it is. Battle of the Arlington tater tots. I reviewed the tater tots from Willow Restaurant in an earlier post . I must say I was caught completely off guard by the listing of tater tots on Rustico's menu, even though I've dined here many times before. Naturally, I had to order them and they did not disappoint. However, as of right now, I think Willow's are a tiny bit better.

Cheers!