SF Chronicle 2021 Competition

https://winejudging.com/medal_winners_2 ... winery.php

I sometimes look up vintners currently in our cellar to see how they did with recent releases. A bit of trivia for me. Sharing just in case others might be interested.

Weekend cheers!

Interesting to see wines from Virginia and Texas among the medal winners.

Virginia had 3 'Best of Class', including a sparkling wine awarded Sparkling Sweepstake Winner (I don't know what Sweepstake means here but since its highlighted in red in lists and photos of the Sweepstake winning bottles appear on the front page with links to other winners I guess they must be rated best)

Texas won 2 x Best of Class for a Tempranillo, 1 Best of Class for a Viognier, Roussanne, Barbera, Aglianico and a Sparkling Rose, 2 Double Golds for Cab Sauv, 5 Double Golds for Viognier, 2 for Tempranillo, 1 for Sparkling, 1 for Sangiovese blend, 1 for 'port', 1 for Tannat, 1 for Merlot blend, 1 for Pinot Grigio/Gris, 1 for Souzao.

Not bad for non-wine States, that never win prizes or compete with CA, OR and WA.

[David M. Bueker]

Virginia a "non-wine state"?

2019. Texas ranked 5th, Virginia 8th. On my list to try at some point are TX Tempranillo and VA Viognier.

Alliteration?

https://wineamerica.org/policy/by-the-numbers/

Not surprised at NC ranking 7th. Biltmore at one point claimed to be the most-visited winery in the US. On our list of places to visit.

[David M. Bueker]

Viognier is not the best grape to represent Virginia.

Viognier is not the best grape to represent Virginia.

Really? What do you think is?

Virginia a "non-wine state"?

Just quoting a member of this board

Biltmore at one point claimed to be the most-visited winery in the US. On our list of places to visit.

I've been to Biltmore - big house.. You can go inside the winery on a tour - I didn't think the guide really knew what he was talking about but other guides may be better. The winery is a little drive away from the house, quite a pleasant village there.

The grounds are huge and attractive. I spent a day there, taking a tour of the house, winery, lunching in the pub by the winery and driving and walking in the grounds.

Unexpectedly I didn't buy any of their wines as they were made from imported juice, mostly from California.

Even their 'Estate' wines had an appellation of 'American' rather than NC. They did once have large vineyards but I can't recall any wine on sale 100% grown at the estate

[David M. Bueker]

Viognier is not the best grape to represent Virginia.

Really? What do you think is?

So far Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay have made the best wines I have tried.

Viognier is not the best grape to represent Virginia.

Really? What do you think is?

So far Cab Franc, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay have made the best wines I have tried.

Have you &/or others visited any wineries in VA that you'd recommend?

Have you &/or others visited any wineries in VA that you'd recommend?

There are wineries all over, and many of them take time to get to as they are on country roads. What part of the State do you intend visiting, or can you go anywhere?

But worth of consideration are Boxwood (Fine Bdx style wines), Veramar, Breaux (Super Nebbiolo), Rappahanock, Linden, RDV (fine wine, amazing new underground aging cellar), Philip Carter, White Hall, Barboursville (good wines, one of the oldest, owned by Italian wine firm Zonin, historic and great restaurant), Veritas, King Family (also had their wines in VA restaurants).

Not necessarily the best wines but if you've time I recommend Horton - Dennis Horton was a VA wine pioneer and they make an amazing range of wine. Also Chrysalis which has the largest planting of Virginia's own variety, Norton - I love their Locksley Reserve.

What you'll find in VA is a range of varieties, some rarely seen elsewhere, like Petite Manseng, as well as favourites like Cab Franc
and Bdx blends.

VA is midway between cCalifornia and the old world, and I think their wines are also midway between CA and the old world.

In the SF Competition Trump fizz was one of the main winners, I went to that vineyard winey before Trump bought it, it was Kluge estate then. The vineyards looked like they had been trimmed with nail scissors, they were immaculate, but I didn't rate a single of their wines. Maybe they're better nwo.

Thanks for all the VA ideas, Peter. And I agree with you re: Biltmore and other wineries that make wine from CA (or other state) imported grapes. When I visit a tasting room, I want to taste local. That means grown at least in the same state or a nearby state. And if it's grown close to the area of the winery even better.

It's all part of the adventure.

Cheers!

[Jenise]

And if it's grown close to the area of the winery even better.

Yes and no. Getting harder to judge. In WA, we have beaucoup tasting rooms in Woodinville, 300-400 miles away from the growing areas. And that's because where grapes grow and where the tourists/business travellers are are two different things*. Btw, I do know that you didn't mean to cast aspersions on that, I'm just pointing out that often this is the way things have to be. In California you have top pinot noir makers like ABC, Siduri and others trucking grapes down from Oregon. I don't have a problem with any of that. What I do have a problem with is the megawineries like the Wagner family bringing grapes up from South America and god knows where else to make blended wines which have no sense of place, both literally and figuratively.

*Another reason I learned this weekend, though of course it's meant in jest: all the tasting rooms are in Woodinville because there aren't/weren't any decent restaurants in Walla Walla.

I hear you, Jenise. Sense of place. A few thoughts. When we visited tasting rooms in AZ, they were in the more touristy areas but grapes were often grown in Willcox County. Willcox is remote and it might take a true geek to go there. But we could taste the wines in the Sedona area, and especially Scottsdale. CA tourist areas such as Monterey have tasting rooms on Cannery Row. The actual wineries may be an hour or two away. When we stayed in Monterey area we drove on up to the Santa Cruz area to tasting rooms closer to the grapes, so to speak. But that was most of a day just to visit a few places that were smaller production and didn't have tasting rooms in Monterey. Nothing against those in the city, but those can attract walk-by traffic who aren't phased by costly tasting fees and who may not know what wines are offered until they walk in the door. Fine, at least they enjoy wine. But not my scene. More personal attention, less crowding and sense of place combined is great.

It does seem more extreme to me when a winery on the East Coast trucks in grapes from the West Coast. I'm just sayin'.

[Jenise]

It does seem more extreme to me when a winery on the East Coast trucks in grapes from the West Coast. I'm just sayin'.

We encountered that in Tennessee, too. White wines were made with (mostly) locally grown grapes, and red wines were Washington fruit. But if that's where you are and you want to make wine, it's what you gotta do.