Breaux Viognier Named One of Oz Clarke’s 250 Best in 2012: Why It Is Important
Oz Clarke has released the 2012 version of his well-regarded 250 Best Wines series and Breaux Vineyards' Viognier made the list! I reached out to a very excited Jennifer Breaux who told me, "We are honored and elated to have been chosen as one of Oz ...
Final Preparation for Wine & Chocolate Fundraiser
The last bit of preparation we had to do before the big Wine & Chocolate Fundraiser today was pair the wines from Tarara with appropriate chocolates. Because Jordan never does anything halfway, he is pouring his 2008 TerraNova red blend and 2010 Fumé ...
Barrel Tasting at 8 Chains North
Continuing the series from the Route 9 Barrel Tasting, the next stop is 8 Chains North. Ben Renshaw is well-respected in the area because of all the work he has done for so many winemakers in Loudoun,and beyond. Prior to making his own wine Ben was a...
Barrel Tasting at Doukenie Winery
Regular readers of this blog know this past weekend the wineries along Route 9 held their annual barrel tasting. I am a sucker for sampling directly out of the barrel, so I love this event. Our first stop was Doukenie Winery. Sebastien continues to i...
Cabernet Franc Vertical at Fabbioli Cellars
Cabernet Franc is arguably the king of reds in Virginia (though, some argue it is Petit Verdot) and Doug Fabbioli does it as good as anyone. So, when Doug told me he was going to do a Cabernet Franc Vertical I jumped at the chance to join. I invited t...
Nate Walsh Talks About the Harvest at Sunset Hills
YouTube VideoI managed to corner Nate Walsh, winemaker at Sunset Hills, during the Route 9 Barrel Tasting. He was nice enough to talk about the 2011 vintage, including how well the year started, before the endless rains came.Great interview with lots o...
Virginia Wine Lost One of its Own This Week
I got the following email from Jennifer Breaux at Breaux Vineyards:It is through tears and a heavy heart that I write to inform you that our friend and colleague, Richard Gates, passed away yesterday. Richard was diagnosed with colon cancer very recent...
Route 9 Barrel Tasting This Weekend!
Similar to En Primeur in Bordeaux, once a year the winemakers along Route 9 open their cellars and give visitors a chance to preview some of the upcoming vintages. This is called the Route 9 Barrel Tasting and is a lot of fun. The event is this Satur...
Cabernet Vertical at Breaux Vineyards
Among my favorite activities during the slower winter months are the verticals at Breaux Vineyards. Each year, Breaux hosts a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Nebbiolo Vertical, pairing the different vintages with food from Grandale Farms. This year we ...
Preparing for the Chocolate & Wine Tasting Fundraiser
Planning a charity event is, not surprisingly, hard work. There is a lot of coordination that has to go on between the different companies who are participating, the companies who are donating and getting the word out about the event. Of course, some...
How Winemakers Spend Their Winter Break: An Interview with Nate Walsh
The grapes are harvested, the wine is aging in the barrel or tank and winery traffic is down. Clearly, winter is a time when winemakers can lounge around and take it easy. Not so fast, there is actually a lot of work that goes on in a winery during t...
