A Visit From Greg!

Last December, a familiar face appeared on Facebook. He hadn’t changed much since we last saw each other 30+ years ago. The only significant change was the town he was residing in…Vienna, Austria.

When he made the announcement he was coming state side, I made a point to meet with him. He was interested in reconnecting and told me to make the proper arrangements. I choose Glen Manor Vineyards for our meet and he truly enjoyed his first visit to a Virginia Winery.

A few weeks ago, he gave me the heads up that he would be visiting his mother over the Thanksgiving holiday. He told me to pick the venue and we could talk about the good ole days once again.

Greg was open to either beer or wine and I decided to show him the Vineyards of Frederick County.

We met in town and I proceeded to the Shenandoah valley’s northern most wineries. Our first stop was James Charles Winery. One of Virginia’s newer Vineyards, it is part of the Bogaty Family Wine Group which includes 2 other wineries Veramar Vineyard in Berryville & Bogati Winery in Round Hill.

Since opening last August, James Charles is making some noise with their red wines.

Greg and I did a tastings and decided to get a bottle of Petit Verdot. Rich Garnet in color, dark cherry and smoke on the nose. Complex red berry flavors with a dry spicy, chewy finish. This is your steak, burger wine even fish and chips would go well with this wine.

I believe Greg said: “This wine has the legs of a super model!” We will go with that!

The day was gorgeous and we decided to take advantage of the warm November weather and enjoy their patio. Our next stop will keep us indoors as the sun began to set but this vineyard has evening hours which is a great perk, Valerie Hill Vineyard & Winery.

It was almost 4 years ago that I stumbled upon this vineyard as I was taking back roads home due to heavy traffic on I-81. Tish and I visit often, knowing Greg is partial to Merlot, he will not be disappointed in their Merlot Reserve.

Subtle earthy notes with a touch of leather on the bouquet. Soft, warm flavors of currants and black cherries. Nice concentration and fruit forward that transcends to supple dry/low spice flavors on the finish. This is a true pasta wine that could be enjoyed by itself or with an after dinner cigar.

Greg is very impressed with how enjoyable the wines are in Virginia. I told him that when he comes back for another visit, we will take in some other vineyards in the surrounding area. With more than 30 within a 25 mile radius, we have plenty to choose from. And so do you!

Get out and visit the areas wineries and show your support for Virginia’s wine industry.

Cheers!

Fun Times!

The past two weekends have been quite entertaining and I can honestly say I’m going to need a weekend to rest very soon! Every spring, it seems Tish and I are always over-scheduling our free time and not kicking back and relaxing. Of course, I’m a firm believer that we will get all the rest we need when we are dead. So, suck it up and keep going full force Tater!

Shamrock Fest took place two weekends ago at RFK Stadium grounds in D.C., and even with rain all day it didn’t dampen our spirits (Dampen! Get it? Rain!) or discourage us from bailing early from the event. Trying to find a booth that served beer was a mess. And after we were able to locate the area, we needed to have tickets in order to savor the frothy goodness. Now where the hell are the damn tickets located? Yeah, we walked around a while before we asked one of the young ones where they got their beer. After locating and purchasing a few tickets and trading them for a Guinness, we set out to take up space near the Miller Lite stage and listen to Gavin Degraw.

“Wait a minute, who the hell is that on stage?”

The band didn’t look like Gavin nor did it sound like him. As we talked with a couple who were there primarily to see Gavin — like we were — the singer of the band announced, “We’re sorry Gavin couldn’t be here.” The comments of “Well That SUCKS!” could be heard from quite a few people. Even though I bought tickets just because of Gavin, we did stick around to hear Dropkick Murphy perform and learned that the VIP package includes all drinks. So for $180 I could have had a bottomless cup of beer. Sounds like a good deal, but after seeing some of the kids sprawled out on the stadium grounds I think I’ll pass on that option. (But maybe we’ll review it next year when this event rolls back into D.C.)

So we hit the Porta Potties before jumping on the Metro to head to our hotel room. As we boarded, I mentioned we could hop off at Eastern Market and go somewhere for a few adult beverages. Didn’t have to twist Tish’s arm too much. Two and a half blocks from the Metro station is the Ugly Mug, a cool little pub with a lot of activity. It was still early (9:30) and we wanted some more beer. They have a nice selection that includes choices of pitchers and beer towers. If you’re not familiar with the tower, it is a tall, round vessel that they bring to your table. It holds 2.5 pitchers of beer with a tap at the base to draw you a cold one. We opted for a pitcher of Anchor Steam and decided on two orders of pretzel sticks and beer cheese wiz.

Now relax, this wasn’t the old-school aerosol cheese wiz we grew up on, this was The Ugly Mug’s creation and it was quite tasty. Three 6-inch long pretzel sticks, that resemble a bread stick — fluffy, baked perfectly with a hint of butter. This was a great snack to help with the beer consumption. A group of six sat down at the next table and we agreed that they were crazier than a bag of squirrels! After four beer towers and multiple shots, this bunch was primed for the night. We rolled out at 2:30 a.m. after a pitcher and a couple more pints.

The Ugly Mug is a great place to go and have one hell of a good time. Respectable food, great beverages and a friendly staff. We’ll be returning soon!

This past weekend was a subdued outing … Glen Manor Vineyard barrel tasting. There’s a romance to getting to taste straight from the barrel, to see how the wine is evolving. Of course, since we were able to taste two vintages (’10 and ’11) we have to remember that 2011 wasn’t a good year for most vintners in the state of Virginia.

It was looking like another banner year until the month of September rolled around and the dreaded hurricane season made its presence known. Having only two days with ideal conditions, harvesting was a challenge for most. Some pulled grapes early, some late, and with the latter came rot and mildew.

But I have to say that both of Glen Manor’s vintages are going to be very good wines. The only difference will be the tannin levels. 2010 was fruit forward with heavy tannins and ’11 had a smoother low-tannin taste. I’m looking forward to see how they pour next year when they are bottled.

They have some new wines that will be released in upcoming weeks, and when they are ready I’ll be waiting for the first pour. If you’re wondering about Virginia’s Governor’s Cup winner, Glen Manor’s ’09 Hodder Hill, sorry folks the barrel is empty and there’s none to be found on site.

My advice is to get out of the house and drive up Browntown Road to visit Glen Manor. Friendly staff and incredible views as well as damn good wine!