Kelsea's Wine Blog: FORK AND CORK 2013

TASTINGS

Name: Virginia Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay
Varietal: Chardonnay
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $14.00
Winery Review: A crisp, clean white wine with an essence of pear.
My Review: On the nose it smelled like apples with a slight pear hint. When tasting it, I thought that it tasted very sweet which surprised me for a Chardonnay because I'm used to more acidity when I drink them. Despite the sweet taste I still enjoyed this wine.

Name: Virginia Mountain Vineyards Petit Verdot
Varietal: Petit Verdot
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $17.00

Winery Review: A red wine rich in color and structure, full tannins with essences of black cherry.
My Review: On the nose it smelled like dark berries. I couldn't quite pick out what I was smelling specifically but it did have a berry smell to it. The tannic body wasn't too bad when drinking the wine, though because it had some fruity flavors to balance it out. I liked this one, too.

Name: Virginia Mountain Vineyards Acacia Gold
Varietal: Not listed
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $14.00

Winery Review: A semi-sweet blend with a pleasing fruity finish. A great picnic wine.
My Review: I wasn't too fond of this wine, actually. On the nose I couldn't really detect anything specific. It did have a slight fruity finish but I'm not sure if it's a wine I'd want to drink again, unless it was free.

Name: Virginia Mountain Vineyards Virginia Red
Varietal: Not listed
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $14.00

Winery Review: Aunique spicy sweet table wine.
My Review: On the nose I thought it had a strong, rich scent. It almost smelled kind of peppery which could be due to the spice that this wine has. It tasted similar to the smell, a little sweet with a bit of spice to surprise someone.

Name: Virginia Mountain Vineyards Holiday Spice
Varietal:
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $15.00
Winery Review: A special sweet wine blend combined with a mixture of selected spices, this blend makes a cornucopia of flavor to please your palate as it enhances your holiday enjoyment. Serve chilled. As a special treat, serve warmed as a mulled wine.
My Review: I absolutely adored this wine. It was so damn tasty that my frugal ass almost bought a bottle, but I didn't, sadly. On the nose it smelled like cinnamon applesauce with a strong gingerbread scent as well. It was Christmas in my nose. It tasted as good as it smelled. I would definitely consider purchasing this wine.

Name: Beliveau Estate Winery Afternoon Delight
Varietal: Vidal Blanc
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $18.00

Winery Review: This lightly oaked dry Vidal Blanc has overtones of grapefruit, melon, almond, clove, and a hint of white chocolate. Pairs well with herbed foods and strong cheeses. Excellent with venison!
My Review: On the nose I sensed a slight melon aroma. When trying the wine, I'm not sure if I was able to taste the white chocolate, probably because I was in such a hurry to try the wine so other people could try it too. It wasn't too bad of a wine, I'd drink it again. I'm not so sure if I'll do it with venison since I don't like deer meat.

Name: Starburn Winery Bull's Blush
Varietal:
Region: Virginia
Country: USA
Year: NV
Price: $15.00

Winery Review: Smooth blush, light and fruity.
My Review: On the nose I smelled strawberry and it reminded me of a white zinfandel. It tasted pretty sweet but had great flavor. It also tasted similar to a white zinfandel but it was a little better than a white zinfandel. I enjoyed this wine a lot.

WINE FOOD PAIRING

I made a pit stop by the Bull & Bones tent to get some food when I got hungry. I had purchased a glass of the Starburn Winery Chardonnay before so I could do my wine/food pairing. I'm not a big fan of drinking alcohol while I eat. I prefer a glass of water, or a soda. I got a hot dog and drank my Chardonnay with it. Not a typical wine-food pairage. Hot dogs are kind of acidic to me, I guess I could be confusing this with the grease that emits from it when you cook it. However, I thought the Chardonnay I chose was not too acidic so I thought that it worked out well. There wasn't too much acidity with the pairing, I thought it balanced well since the wine was a little sweet and fruity. I wish there had been more food that I was aware of so I could have maybe had a better wine food pairing. I was too focused on getting to try as many wines as I could!

FAVORITE WINE

My favorite wine of the day was definitely the Holiday Spice wine from Virginia Mountain Vineyards. I have never tasted a wine like this one. It tasted and smelled like a holiday candle smells, but in the best way possible. I loved how it smelled and tasted like cinnamon sugar. It was definitely sweet and I typically don't like sweet wines but I LOVED this wine. It would be a very good dessert wine. I feel like I could pour it right on top of ice cream or a cinnamon apple cobbler or pie. I'll be even more interested in this wine come holiday season.