Taste-tripping in vintage Virginia
Institutional Investor Magazine, September 2009
Napa and Sonoma lure the lion’s share of traveling taste buds searching for lip-smacking libations (including those drooling Sideways fans). But with its rolling meadows, clapboard farmhouses and pockets of broccoli-green woodlands, northern Virginia is a palate-cleansing alternative with an intriguing bouquet.
While matching California quality here is about as likely as an Uncle Sam champagne gaining French market share – anyone for Freedom Bubbly? – this charming enclave of 100 boutique wineries encourages leisurely exploration. Think Napa 30 years ago, with a side shot of fall countryside bathed in low golden sunlight.
Weaving 25 miles northwards from DC, with a grumbling friend as designated driver, I make first for Loudon County’s Breaux Vineyards. Encircled by gentle hills combed with manicured vines, its grand approach leads to a brick villa that could have been teleported from Tuscany.
Greeted by cheery staffers, a 30-minute group tour whips me behind the scenes, dispelling fantasies of wooden vats and foot-pressed grapes with the reality of whitewashed concrete rooms and gleaming steel tanks. It’s not exactly medieval Burgundy, but the smiling guide isn’t a toothless crone with plague sores either.
Since the tasting room is the main attraction, I’m soon sipping a light merlot that’s a local favourite. My unsophisticated palate prefers the punchier, Italian-style nebbiolo and after a few swigs I pronounce its “dark cherry notes” as if I’m a seasoned sommelier: cumulative sampling brings out everyone’s inner wine snob.
After wandering among the cornrows of rustling vines outside, I’m soon back in the car and heading for Hillsborough Vineyards, where a bucolic estate surrounds a converted stone barn evoking rural Provençe. The ambiance isn’t coincidence: there’s a French-blend focus here.
Chatting with twinkle-eyed owner Bora Baki, I hear that Virginia’s commercial wine sector launched 25 years ago and is typically a labor of love rather than a passport to the high life. “Ask any owner and they’ll tell you about the money and hard work involved,” he says.
I express my sympathy by hitting the bottle. A classy Bordeaux blend is light and fruity, while the Bloodstone seems peppery and full-bodied. Chuckling at my weedy characterization, Baki simply describes it as having “big boobs and long legs.” I’ll never make it as a wine critic.
With the sun sinking to a purplish glow, I finally reach Chrysalis Vineyards for last orders. A laid-back, farm-style venue, I swap the tour – once you’ve seen one back office, you’ve seen ‘em all – for the busy sampling bar. The rhubarby viognier is popular, but it’s not the only quaff worth trying.
European vines are a constant challenge for Virginia growers and the Chrysalis answer is Norton, a regional indigenous grape. The Norton Estate Bottled is near-blackcurrant in color and has a rich, almost chocolaty taste – followed by a slight bitterness that some find testing.
Not quite ready for a full bottle, I hit the sunset-hued patio with a sweet dessert wine. Several chatty visitors are rolling out picnic blankets for some al fresco sipping on the grass here. Virginia’s rustic wine country may never reach California’s slick heights, but its distinctive, down-home flavor makes it well-worth toasting.
Essentials:
STAY at Middleburg’s Red Fox Inn (www.redfox.com), an 18th-century coaching tavern with antique-lined rooms. EAT at Purcelville’s elegant, weekend-only Grandale Farm Restaurant (www.grandalefarm.com), with its gourmet approach to regional ingredients. DRINK at Leesburg’s Vintage 50 (www.vintage50.com), a contemporary microbrewery with 10 proprietary beers and more than 200 wines. And DON’T MISS September’s old-school Bluemont Fair (www.bluemontfair.com), a two-day celebration of local food, wine and entertainment.