Fork and Cork!

This past weekend, I attended Blacksburg's annual wine festival, Fork and Cork! There were many wineries from all around Virginia in attendance. The only downside was how crowded it was, causing very long lines. I was only able to taste wines from four wineries: Barren Ridge Vineyards, Mountain Rose Vineyards, Veritas, and Peaks of Otter Winery.

The first tasting booth I visited was Barren Ridge Vineyards. Due to the large crowds, it was hard to take many notes as the wineries were in a rush to get groups through tasting as quick as possible. Here are the wines I tasted with tasting notes:

• Vidal Blanc - 2011 - $16
• Vidal Blanc
• Winery Review: "This dry white is bright & vibrant with the perfect balance of acidity & freshness, that features aromas of green apple & citrus, with a hint of grapefruit."
• My Review: I found this white wine to be quite dry, which I don't particularly care for but the many fruit notes and acidity helped make it more pleasant. The apple, apricot, and citrus notes were most evident on my palate.
• Harmony - 2011 - $16
• Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Traminette, and Petit Manseng
• Winery Review: "A semi-sweet blend featuring Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Traminette, & Petit Manseng. Abundant citrus flavor with notes of tropical fruits, apricots, & honey."
• My Review: This white wine blend was absolutely delicious. It wasn't too sweet, with a mild acidity, and perfect balance; featuring notes of citrus, apple, honey, and a little peach. This is Barren Ridges' best selling white wine, and this does not at all surprise me!
• Cabernet Franc - 2011 - $17
• Cabernet Franc
• Winery Review: "An exciting mix of fruit and spice on the nose with hints of cinnamon candy, black cherry, and cranberry. This wine is fruit forward on the palate with smooth tannins."
• My Review: This Cabernet Franc was just alright to me. It was pretty dry and tannic but had some nice cherry notes with spice and pepper. 
• Red Barren - 2011 - $16
• Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Touriga, and Malbec
• Winery Review: "A semi-sweet blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Touriga & Malbec. Dominated by fruity aromas, with soft fruit & chocolate flavors on the palate."
• My Review: This was one of my favorite reds of the day! This red blend was quite fruity, with fresh notes of cherry and a hint of chocolate on the finish. 
• Christof - 2011 - $25
• Traminette and Vidal Blanc
• Winery Review: "A blend of Traminette & Vidal Blanc, this dessert wine offers an exceptional balance of flavors featuring apricot, passion fruit, honey suckle & peach, with lingering spice on the finish."
• My Review: This dessert wine was fruity and refreshing. It offered a variety of fruit notes such as passion fruit, apple, pear, peach, and apricot. 

The next tasting booth and my favorite of the day was that of Mountain Rose Vineyards. Here are a few of the wines I tasted with tasting notes, as well as my favorite wine of the day:

• Traminette - NV - $15
• Traminette
• Winery Review: "Our Traminette creates a mouthwatering delight of floral aromas followed by apricot flavors & a smooth yet crisp, tropical fruit finish which makes it perfect with chicken, seafood & cheese dishes. Great for sipping as well!"
• My Review: This is a new and up-and-coming white grape varietal, and I loved it. It is a semi-sweet wine and offers balanced notes of apple and apricot on the palate.
• Autumn Gold - NV - $20
• Vidal Blanc
• Winery Review: "Our late harvest or ice-wine style wine has a beautiful rich straw color made from Vidal Blanc grapes. The apricot & honey aroma is accented by a smooth lychee taste, lingering hints of honey & balanced acidity."
• My Review: This was one of my favorite white wines of the day. Perfect with dessert, it was quite sweet, smooth, and offered fresh notes of apricot, pear, and honey.
• Sweet Mountain Rose - NV - $11 - MY FAVORITE WINE OF THE DAY!
• Niagara, Seyval Blanc, and Vidal Blanc
• Winery Review: "Niagara-lite with nectarine and rose water! Aromas & flavors abound in this foxy & youthful wine. This easy drinking light dessert wine is held in check with a zippy acidity."
• My Review: This sweet white wine blend was my absolute favorite of the day, because it featured the perfect mix of light fruit notes, with a balanced acidity and sweetness.
  
  This is a picture of my friends and I in line to taste the wines of Mountain Rose Vineyards!

Food and Wine Pairing: Peaks of Otter Winery - The wine was called "Chili Dawg." It was 97% Light Apple Wine and 3% Chili Pepper wine. This wine is meant to be drank with American cheese spread. When tasting the wine before the cheese, it is less peppery and the apple notes dominate the palate. Once you have the cheese and then sip the wine, the pepper notes hit your palate first, making it much spicier. This was a fun pairing, it really does taste like you're eating a chili cheese dog.

Tasting - "Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia Di Pavia"

• Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia Di Pavia
• Moscato
• Piedmont
• Italy
• NV
• $9.99
• Wine critics say this Moscato is made from the muscat grape and originates from the Piedmont region of Italy. It is lightly sparkling, with lush notes of apricot and honey. Best to drink on its own, with dessert, or fruit salads.
• I found this sweet white wine to be one of the best Moscato's I've tasted. It was on sale at Kroger this week, so I thought I would try it. On the nose, it offered notes of grapefruit, apricot and a bit of peach. This Moscato was simple and refreshing on the palate, offering a great balance of light fruit notes, a little acidity and sparkling.
• I did not taste with food.

Tasting - "Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone"

• Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone
• 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault
• Rhone Valley
• France
• 2010
• $14.95/ 750mL or $38.95/3L
• Wine critics say this red wine blend displays loads of ripe flavors. Its is quite concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone, and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry liqueur, lavender, licorice and spice are all present in this full-bodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, and it may last even longer.
• I very much enjoyed this Cotes du Rhone red wine blend. The nose offered strong notes of strawberry and cherry. On the palate, it was bold, tannic and long lasting with black cherries and a mild, pleasant spice. 
• I did not taste with food.

Tasting - "Lobetia Tempranillo"

• Lobetia Tempranillo
• Tempranillo
• La Mancha
• Spain
• 2011
• $10.95
• Wine critics say this Tempranillo is organically and naturally grown and made. This red wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It has a nice cherry color with a violet shade because of its youth. The nose offers red berries and cherries. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent, and harmonious with a long finish.
• I found this Tempranillo to have a bold, dark nose with berries and cherries. It was quite tart on the palate with a nice mix of berries.
• I did not taste with food.

Tasting - "Lobetia Chardonnay"

• Lobetia Chardonnay
• Chardonnay
• La Mancha
• Spain
• 2011
• $10.95
• Wine critics say this Chardonnay is organically and naturally grown and made. This white wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It is clean, with a bright color and a greenish-yellow tone. The nose offers exotic fruits like pineapple. It is full flavored, fresh, and with good acidity in the mouth. The finish offers tropical fruits.
• I enjoyed this organically grown Chardonnay. The nose offered apple and pineapple, with a bit of acidity. On the palate, it was acidic but had a nice complement of light fruits.
• I did not taste with food.

Tasting - "Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele"

• Trattoria Busa Alla Torre Da Lele
• Pinot Grigio
• Veneto
• Italy
• NV
• $7.95
• Wine critics say this Pinot Grigio is named after the famous restaurant in Italyand is their house white wine. It has a coppery color from extended skin contact. The texture is round and rich with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. This is a great value Grigio!
• This pinot grigio had a welcoming melon and citrus nose. On the palate, it had a mild acidity with a great balance of sweet melon and grapefruit. This may have been my favorite of the tasting, as it was very refreshing.
• I did not taste with food.

Tasting - "Concannon Shiraz"

• Concannon Shiraz
• Shiraz
• Central Coast, California
• United States
• 2008
• $7.95
• Wine critics say this Shiraz is extremely rich and full-bodied with a dark fruit core. It offers aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry. These are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the palate.
• I didn't mind this California Shiraz. The nose offered blackberry notes with a little spice. On the palate, it was quite spicy and peppery but with complementing berry, cherry and chocolate flavors.
• I did not taste with food.