Virginia is for Wine Lovers

I admit it. I've never done a real wine tasting before. I've been to numerous wine "drinking" events where you buy a glass of wines from Chile, Argentina, France, etc. You read the generic description about woody, earthy textures and fruity aromas and basically learn ZERO.

Fortunately, my best friend manages a wine shop in Arlington, VA and knows the in's and out's of wine. I went down to visit her recently and we spent a wonderful afternoon touring three vineyards in Northern Virginia. We visited Tarara Winery, Breaux Vineyards and Hillsborough Vineyards. More unique than the wines themselves, was the difference between the atmosphere of the tasting experience. Tarara had an acoustic guitarist strumming James Taylor upon entering the tasting room. Soothing indeed, but irritatingly suburban nonetheless. The bar had installed hooks so we could hang our purses right next to us at the bar. Our "instructor" was a 50 something gentleman well versed in the history of the wines produced by the vineyard. He went on at great length to my wine enthusiast friend using a language that I couldn't understand. And no, it wasn't his Australian accent causing the barrier. It was the language of wine that I wasn't familiar with. I nodded along, sipped the Viognier with its "complex nose with hints of peaches and cream" and tried to figure out where I could get more of those tasty little crackers placed in front of me. I felt ignorant and immature but remembered I should be having fun. When we tasted the Meritage, I scoffed as I read that there were "notes" of green pepper. Green pepper? Where? It tastes like red wine to me. Alas, my palate is underdeveloped. I would only pick up notes of green pepper by sipping the wine and subsequently biting into a bell pepper. Lucky for me, my nose and palate would do better as we progressed to other vineyards.

Next on our journey was the hard to find Breaux Vineyards. With a crowded parking lot, I assumed that this must be a great place. Upon entering the door we immediately saw the tasting area filled to capacity. The adjacent seating area, with its wrought iron chairs, was filled as well. I guess that means its a good winery? We milled about looking at Puntamayo CD's, posters of wine, and considered trying the $8 gumbo as advertised. We were largely ignored by the staff here since the place was so crowded. Once the gaggle of chatty 30 something white woman and dull middle aged couples finished their tastings, my friend and I spied a place at the bar. We went for the full tasting option for $10. And I helped myself to some oyster crackers. Since this vineyard was busy, we received little personalized attention like we did at Tarara, where we were virtually the only people there. At Breaux, we were simply another set of people hearing the same spiel about wine that was said for the thousandth time by the employee. The highlights of this tasting was the 2006 Barrel Select Chardonnay. To me, Chardonnay conjures images of bad wine served at a dimly lit lounge or club with thumpa-thumpa music. But this Chardonnay taught me about the drastic impact barrel aging has on a wine's taste. It was smoky. It was stunning really. Lo, I had learned my first lesson. You can definitely taste a difference between barrel aged and steel aged wine. Well, at least with this chardonnay you can.
I also enjoyed the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. Now with my red wine allergy and general distaste for reds, I was surprised to find that this particular red wasn't so bad. Nor was the Merlot reserve. Could it be that I may find a red that I would enjoy enough to buy? Its possible after this tasting. The winner of Breaux Vineyards was a dessert wine. The 2007 Chere Marie was wonderfully sweet and light. I was feeling good that I was noticing the floral and fruity indicators of whites. And could pick up the honey in the 2007 Viognier. My palate had grown already!

Our last stop of the day was the Hillsborough Vineyard. Set inside a converted barn, the tasting room had exposed beams, stone walls and two large windows looking out onto the vineyards. Two small groups of people were tasting and milling about. The old Turkish man behind the bar had puffy bags under his eyes, which made him look both intimidating and tired. But he was warm and friendly once we started chatting to him. I will note before going into the wines, that Hillsborough has the best little buttery crackers. My friend and I devoured two small bowls as we had had no food since breakfast and it was rapidly approaching 3:30pm. At this vineyard, the wines are named after birthstones and gems. The winner for me was the 2006 Carnelian. It was wonderful and I actually purchased a bottle. I have to say the vibe of this vineyard left an impression on me. It felt rustic, pure, warm and the clincher is they have a volunteer harvest program where you can assist in harvesting the grapes. Hell, I'd say sign me up, but its not exactly in my neighborhood.

As to my ratings -

Best variety of wines: Breaux Vineyard
Best ambiance: HillsboroughVineyard
Most knowledgable: Tarara Winery

Cheers!

Julia Child - My new obsession

Well ok. Julia Child isn't my obsession perse. But she will be once I get through reading some books on her. What I find so impressive is that unlike people who seem to be born to be a renound scientists, teacher, or artist, Julia Child wasn't destined to be the pivotal force in French cuisine that she became. She fell into it rather late in life. I believe she was 37.

Ok, so I'm four years ahead of her already.

I have the book "My Life In France." I'm excited to read it. Excited to absorb the enthusiasm for food that Julia had. Excited to go on my own journey of food discovery and self discovery that Julia went on. I'll seek out more parallels between Julia's life and my own.

Holy Toast

My first post is a silly one. Its about Holy Toast. I found Holy Toast in some small town in Pa. I can't even remember the name of it. I laughed my ass off when I saw it in the store. I was in tears I was laughing so hard and grabbed all three that they had in stock off of the shelf.

As God as my witness, Holy Toast works best on regular white bread.