6 Wineries 6 Personalities

For Memorial Day weekend we headed west to Staunton. During our trip we stopped at 6 Virginia wineries in the Monticello AVA region. We were inspired to seek out a few new (or new to us) Virginia wineries during a recent trip to The Roosevelt. The Roosevelt only serves Virginia wine. While I have had some decent Virginia wine in the past, I've also had some horrible pisswater, too. My motto: "Taste it before you buy it." Virginia wine over the years has been inconsistent at best with weather being a key factor. But winemaking talent and eclectic owners have also contributed to the less-than-stellar reputation. At The Roosevelt, we took a chance on a Pollak Meritage (a true unknown to us) and were pleasantly surprised. We were ready to explore.

We visited 6 wineries. All of the wines we tasted were drinkable. Some were good. A couple were stunning. We were pleased at our findings. Each location had a different personality. The trip was a lot of fun and we came back with three cases of wine to enjoy.

Virginia Wineworks/Michael Shaps: A no-frills operation. The tasting room is in the midst of the barrels and tanks. Shaps sources all of his grapes from the local area and only selects the best of the bunch for his high-end wines. He also is a consulting winemaker to many other Virginia wineries. Located south of Monticello at the end of a gravel road. We brought home Michael Shaps Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

Bleheim Vineyards: Part of the celebrity wine trail. Owned by Dave Matthews and situated next door to Trump Winery. Inspiring Americana setting with a white barn, sweeping vistas, and a cool label for their Painted Red series. We purchased Cabernet Sauvignon and Painted Red.

Pollak Vineyards: A large operation producing a series of polished wines in a pastoral setting with vines, mountains, and pond. Pollak grows all of their grapes which is totally opposite from the Shaps approach. For home consumption we carried back Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Meritage.

Stinson Vineyards: An up-and-coming site with baby vines planted all around. They use a combination of locally grown grapes plus their own production. The also have a cool ceramic vat for winemaking. We purchased the Meritage Red.

Mountfair Vineyards: Hands-down the best winery we visited from the wine view point. Located down a dirt road, this little place only produces red wine. Everything we tasted was hearty and wonderful. They also taste out Thibaut-Janisson sparkling wines. We bought Belated, Engagement, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and a bottle of the Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Blancs.

Glass House Winery: The best place to drink a glass of wine. Choose between the balcony overlooking the pond or the tropical greenhouse conservatory. Both wonderful settings. Handmade chocolates are also available along with a chocolate dessert wine utilizing cocoa powder during winemaking process. Glass House also had a healthy sense of humor. We took home the Twenty-First, a red blend and Meglio del Sesso, the chocolate dessert wine.

The trip made us appreciate Virginia wine a bit more. We recognized that over the last 10 years new places have popped up that are making seriously nice-drinking options. Places are figuring out what grows better in the region and branching out to embrace the unique Virginia terroir. Some have honed their skills on a few stellar grapes. I hope they keep up the good work. I now want to explore other new-to-me Virginia wineries.

But in the end "Taste it before you buy it" still reigns supreme. On the way home we stopped at the Greenwood Gourmet Grocery in Crozet. They carry a ton of local wine. And I was taken in by the name - Well Hung Vineyard. I bought a bottle of Verdot-Merlot, untasted. Once we opened the bottle and tasted it we had a new name: Strung Up (and I was strung along). Oh well. Wine, no matter where it comes from, can be good or not. At least 6 Virginia wineries are making a reputation for the Commonwealth and are leading the way to putting Virginia on the global wine map.

Farm to Table at Zynodoa

Located in historic downtown Staunton, Zynodoa serves creative dishes inspired by local producers. This contemporary restaurant has garnered great press up and down the eastern seaboard, but as many times as we had visited Staunton, we never stopped to partake of the "inspired southern cuisine." This oversight was addressed during the Memorial Day weekend.

Despite not having reservations we were gracefully guided to a table for two at the back of the establishment near the kitchen window (too high for me to watch the action, unfortunately).

A Spearmint Mojito for hubby to celebrate the start of a weekend getaway

and a Ginger Pear Martini for me with a candied ginger swizzle.

Zynodoa displays a Farm to Fork board listing local producers and purveyors.

While imbibing our cocktails we ordered the Caromont Goat Cheese Tartlet with melted leeks and a shortbread crust.

Both of us exclaimed, murmured, and moaned over the tart's allure with each bite. We were familiar with Caromont because the lovely Sara Adduci (former cheese queen of River City Cellars and Secco and now cheesemonger at Feast! in Charlottesville) introduced us to this wonderful Virginia product a few years ago. Zynodoa prepared an extrodinary dish. Creamy with a slight goatish tang, a hint of leeks, and a touch of sweetness with the shortbread crust. A rich starter that can be easily shared and lusted after.

We opted for a non-local wine. Zynodoa's wine list offered several Virginia bottles, but we spotted the Marietta Petite Sirah, Alexander Valley. A favorite of ours that we had not enjoyed in quite a while.

And the wine paired extremely well with our choice of entree. We both ordered the the Buffalo Creek Steak Frites: Grilled Skirt Steak with Crispy Potato Wedges, AM Fog Oyster Mushrooms, and Horseradish Aioli.

A lovely dish. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. We adored the potatoes and we could use as much or as little of the aioli as we cared to. Yummy. But the big surprise happened to be the mushrooms. Maybe because they were local; maybe due to the chef's expertise; perhaps a combination; in any case, they were freakin' awesome! Fungi usually do not thrill me. Some I have detested; some, tolerated. Only a scant few servings have I liked and quality of the product and expert preparation have been the key. These I really raved about and scarfed them all down. I was that impressed. (By the way, for you mushroom lovers, AM Fog offers their lovely fungi at the South of the James Market!)

Good drink. Awesome food. Mostly local. Zynodoa.

Looking Back: Broad Appetit 2012

Yes, fabulous as always. And the weather cooperated. Not so freakin hot as in the past. I continue to applaud all of the independent restaurateurs in the area who wow us with imaginative and delicious creations. I love that the festival takes place in the heart of the arts district and the city allows Broad Street to be blocked off. Having the vendors placed in the median and tables and chairs set up on the sidewalk allows for easier pedestrian flow despite the overwhelming crowds. It looked like there were enough wine stations, but the ID checks and beer lines were a bottle neck. Of course, some vendors run out of food. This happens every year. I think most vendors have learned to adjust. Vendors running out by 1:30 PM just isn't right. To a few other vendors that were late setting up - Plan Better. You are there to showcase your stuff. Poor planning/execution does not impress.

Let me share numerous photos and some of the food that delighted hubby and me.

Balliceaux Booth

The Magpie

Shyndigz

Sticky Rice

Cake Pops

Nothing left but the liquid

Love the Pink Bus!

Bahn Mini from Popkin Tavern

Duck Fat Fries from On the Rox

Pork Belly Bun from Sticky Rice - So Good!

Goat Curry from The Magpie - These guys took a risk that turned out to be fabulous. I appreciated that the goat was boneless, too!

We had cider instead of wine. Foggy Ridge rocked it with dry hard cider. Good stuff.

Cochon au Lait with Gouda Grits and Pork Cracklings from Chez Foushee. Our favorite dish from the festival.

Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese from C'est Le Vin. Divine.

Seared Scallop with Corn and Bacon from Spoon. Delicious and the winner of the Best Dish.

If you have never attended Broad Appetit, shame on you. Hands down the best food festival in the area. The shear variety is worth checking out. I always go early (not as hot and not as crowded).  I encourage the rest of you to go later so I can enjoy my food with less people :)

The SOJ Canines

I always enjoy all of the canines who come to the South of the James Market. All shapes and sizes from rare breeds to mutts. For the most part everyone gets along and the animals delight children and adults alike. I wanted to share some photos from the last two weeks of some of these downright adorable creatures.

If you have photos of any of the local markets (dogs or otherwise), please post them to the RVA Farmers Market flickr group.

Dixie Donuts

Dixie Donuts are yummy!

They have a wide variety of cake-based goodies. I fell in love with the Aztec Chocolate, topped with candied pumpkin seeds. Hubby devoured the Chocolate Toffee Crunch.

Pick up some yumminess today!

Dark Cherry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Dark Cherry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream a photo by pjpink on Flickr.

We enjoyed this out-of-the-ordinary pie at The Clocktower Restaurant in Staunton, VA. Chocked full of dark cherries, but not too heavy on the sugar. Yummy, yummy.

Staunton - Augusta Farmers' Market

Last Saturday we were visiting Staunton and dropped by the local market. Lots of fresh produce and baked goods.We enjoyed country ham pockets from a local Mennonite family, discovered chestnut flour, and picked up some garlic chive jelly. It was great to see another market flourishing.

Here are a few photos:

Support your local market, wherever it may be.

Mini Wine Dinner at Acacia Mid-Town

A few Sundays ago we attended a "mod" wine dinner at Acacia. Mango Salon presented various hairstyles and then a three course dinner was served. We liked the menu offerings and decided to go. The "mod" hairstyles were fine, but we always come for the food (and wine).

We began with a white wine sangria sporting muddled strawberries and pre-dinner amuse bouches: fried oysters (hubby's favorite), country pate and house-made pickles (yum for me), truffled deviled eggs (not bad), cheese with citrus marmalade (good).

For the first course I ordered the Potato Crusted Shrimp on Ragout of Spring Peas, Sunchokes, Caramelized Red Onions, Sunflower Shoots, and Surry Sausage Butter paired with 2010 Brandbrg Pinot Gris, Umpqua Valley, Oregon. I really enjoyed the shrimp and the Oregon Pinot Gris. Nice pairing and the food-to-wine ratio was appropriate.

Hubby had the Tarragon and Campari Poached Peach Salad with Fresh Goat Cheese and Lettuces with Blood Orange Vinaigrette paired with 2010 Seven of Hearts Viognier/Roussanne, Columbia Valley, Oregon. The peaches did not really taste poached. While they were good, they just tasted like peaches. The rest of the salad was fine. While the white blend was drinkable, both of us preferred the Pinot Gris.

For the second or main course we both selected Pan Roasted Bistro Beef Fillet, Potato Gnocchi Gratin, Broccolini with Confit Shallots and Garlic and paired with 2009 Wildaire Tempranillo, Folin Vineyard, Rogue Valley, Oregon. The beef was tasty. Hubby loved the gnocchi. It was way too rich for me. The wine was disappointing in several ways. We did not think it paired well with the beef. We've had other varietals and blends from the Rogue Valley and were pleased. This Tempranillo was a bit too smokey for the simply prepared meat. Another problem was the food-to-wine ratio. We did not have enough wine to enjoy with this heavy rich course. We had to be parsimonious with our sips to make the wine last. We had noticed several other tables ordering additional bottles of wine. Is this how Acacia makes a profit on their wine dinners? If so, what's the point in a wine dinner? Serve a three course meal and let me make my own wine selections.

For the dessert course we had Strawberry Angel Cake and Marscapone Ice Cream paired with 2008 Terra Blance Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, Yakima Valley, Washington. The strawberries and the dessert wine paired beautifully. Such a delight to the palate. The ice cream was also yummy. Unfortunately, the angel cake was extremely dry and not enjoyable at all.

As much as we love going to Acacia for regular meals, the wine dinner did not live up to the restaurant's otherwise stellar reputation.