Virginia Harvest 2010 is Underway

Harvest 2010 in Virginia is underway…

Although I usually associate ‘harvest’ with the crisp cool weather of fall and the transition of green foliage to shades of yellow and orange, Afton Mountain Vineyards kicked off the ‘2010 Virginia harvest’ on Monday, July 26.  I’ve polled a few other Virginia winemakers and the folks at Afton Mountain are the only ones I know of that have already started harvest (although I’m sure there are others).

I had the chance to catch up with Afton Mountain Vineyard’s co-owner, Elizabeth Smith, and Marketing Manager Hunter Smith via email to ask a few questions about the start of harvest 2010.

What are you thoughts on the 2010 growing season so far?

EXCELLENT for wine quality, at least so far.  Hot and dry means quicker maturation and better grape chemistry.  We also planted a lot of new vines this year, largely replacing old and diseased vines and maximizing our real estate, and they have not fared as well.  Like all young plants they need a lot of water to get started.  We do not have irrigation, so it means taking a water tank into the vineyard and hand watering the new plants.  Very time consuming.

Lets talk about ‘Harvest 2010’ – what have you harvested so far?

We have only harvested the block of pinot noir that we use for our sparkling wine – Sparkling Tete De Cuvee.  We harvest the pinot noir and the chardonnay for that wine earlier than for a varietal wine.  The addition of sugar for the second fermentation in a true méthode champenoise would result in too high of an alcohol level if we picked the grapes at the standard level of brix.  The chemistry on the pinot was 17.5 brix, 3.1 pH, and 8+ total acidity.

What’s next to harvest?

We are harvesting our Chardonnay crop tomorrow (July 31), which will also be part of our sparkling wine.

July seems early to harvest – is this the earliest harvest at Afton Mountain Vineyards?

Yes, this is the earliest we have ever harvested here!

How does 2010 (so far) compare with prior years?   How does the fruit compare?

So far, 2010 looks like it will be several weeks ahead of schedule.  We may be harvesting the chardonnay for sparkling in the next few days.  The crop looks good, but not nearly as abundant as last year.  2009 was absolutely fabulous for quantity and quality; it seems sometimes that results in a lesser crop the following year.  The fruit is beautiful, though, and we have our fingers crossed for another excellent year.

I would like to thank both Elizabeth and Hunter for taking time out of their schedules to answer a few of my questions – especially during this busy time.

Afton Mountain Vineyards is located in Nelson County, VA and is part of the scenic Monticello AVA.  Afton Mountain Vineyards is home to some of the oldest vines in Virginia, dating back to 1977 – their first vintage was 1990.

It’s been several years since I visited Afton Mountain Winery, so I definitely need to plan a trip to visit and taste their current releases – and enjoy the views!

Tony and Elizabeth Smith, owners, Afton Mountain Vineyards with beautiful Virginia backdrop.

Follow me on Twitter @DrinkWhatULike

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Does Stemware Matter?

This post marks my first video entry – in this inaugural video I feature the St. Supery 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon in a comparative stemware tasting featuring six different glasses.

If you have trouble viewing this video, please try this direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZzUDl6Ieg

From this tasting, it’s clear that stemware does make a significant difference in terms of aroma profile, flavor, and characteristics of wine.  Featured in this video was the Riedel Vivant Pinot Noir glass and Riedel Bordeaux Grand Cru glass.

St. Supery Vineyards and Winery, located in Napa, CA, is owned by the Skalli family, who have made wine in France for several generations.  The origins of St. Supery date back to the 1970s when Robert Skalli visited the Napa area and was inspired to start a winery in the Valley.  Today, some 40 years leater, St. Supery has 500 acres under vine – specializing in Bordeaux varietals.  Although I’ve had many St. Supery wines, I’ve never had the chance to visit the winery.  My wife and I stopped by their tasting room in Rutherford during our last trip in March, but missed them by 30 minutes – will definitely plan to visit during the next trip.

* My apologies to St. Supery for using your wine in this first video laden with poor sound quality, too many ‘ums’ and disorganization.

What to pair with a stressful weekend?

Or, more appropriately, what to pair with emergency pet surgery induced stress…

… L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon seemed to hit the spot!

Although I rarely, if ever, post personal/family trials on this site – this is after all supposed to be a wine blog – I’m making an exception since wine played a tangential role this weekend.

On Thursday afternoon our four-year-old mini dachshund Nathan (as in Nathan’s hot dogs) injured his back while on a play and potty break in our backyard.  By Thursday night it was clear that the pain was getting worse and Nathan was having mobility problems so we took him to our local emergency vet in Virginia Beach.  The vet diagnosed him with back pain (duhhh) and prescribed a regimen of pain medication and anti-inflammatory meds.

By late Friday afternoon Nathan’s condition had significantly deteriorated – he lost all mobility in his hind legs and was unable to walk.  We returned to the emergency vet, and this time the prognosis was more serious – spine/disc damage that may require surgery.   The vet noted that an MRI would provide the most comprehensive diagnosis.

Nathan at Halloween - he was Pumpkin Dog.

Since there are no veterinary facilities with a pet MRI machine in the Tidewater area, the vet recommended that we immediately leave for North Carolina State University Veterinary Hospital in Raleigh, NC.  At four hours away, NC State Veterinary Hospital is apparently the closest veterinary facility with MRI capabilities along with 24-hour neurological and surgical specialists available.

We left our vet in Virginia Beach at 7:30pm, were home by 8:15pm, packed a change of clothes and hit the road for Raleigh around 9pm.  By the time we arrived at NC State Veterinary Small Animal Hospital just after 1:00am Nathan was unable to move with the exception of craning his neck backwards at a 90-degree angle, which seemed to provide him relief.  Watching Nathan’s condition deteriorate so quickly was scary.  We checked Nathan in and waited for test results.

Nathan in the 2010 blizzard.

By 10am the next morning, an MRI and battery of tests were complete – diagnosis, two herniated discs that were apparently putting pressure on his spinal cord, which resulted in significant pain and the loss of use of his hind legs.  Surgery would be needed, immediately.  Listening to the doctor review the ‘what can go wrong in surgery’ checklist provided an opportunity for my wife and I to freak out!  Scary, but we had no choice but to go the surgical route.

Nathan came out of surgery early afternoon – and the surgeon noted it was a ‘textbook surgery’ (if there is such a thing).  Since he would be recovering the rest of the afternoon and throughout the night, we decided to head back to the hotel to veg and try to take our minds off the constant worry.  This would mean mindless TV, pizza and wine.

For me, stress relief comfort food consists of pizza or mac-n-cheese and a familiar wine.  We stopped by a shop in the Raleigh area with the intent of picking up something familiar, consistent and crisp to offset the 100-degree heat of the day.  I immediately spotted the L’Ecole Nº 41 Semillon in half-bottle that fit the bill.  My wife and I have had this wine many times at Vintage Tavern restaurant in our area and always enjoy it – versatile, straightforward, and always good across vintages.

This may not have been the ideal accompaniment to pizza in terms of classic food/wine pairings, but pizza and this Semillon is a great wine to relax with after a very stressful and hot day.

L’Ecole was started in the early 80’s, and at the time, was the 3^rd winery in the Walla Walla Valley and just the 20^th in Washington State.  L’Ecole operates from a schoolhouse built in 1915 and produces ~30,000 cases annually.

L’Ecole Nº 41 2007 Semillon – A blend of 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc.  $10.50 for the half-bottle.  14.3% alcohol.  4,680 cases of this wine produced.  Bright gold in color, this wine has a pleasant nose of floral aromas, honey, apple, with hints of pear and melon that carries through the (lengthy) finish.  I love the acidity of this wine and how everything works so well together.  L’Ecole has been making Semillon since 1983 and it shows – a consistent and excellent wine.

Having just recently had the 2008 as well, I find the 2007 a tad richer – although both are excellent.  I do wonder if L’Ecole has considered a 50/50 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc blend – would be interesting.

If you’re on Twitter, you can follow L’Ecole Winery at @LEcole41

As of Monday morning, Nathan is still at the vet hospital recovering.  Although he has yet to regain use of his hind legs, he is now eating solid food and the doctor is optimistic about his recovery.

Nathan and our other dachshund, Lucy, napping on the couch.

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Virginia’s Eastern Shore Wineries

Virginia is home to six American Viticultural Areas (AVA), with a seventh in the works.  The smallest, in terms of number of wineries, and perhaps the most secluded of the Virginia AVAs is the Eastern Shore AVA.  As the name suggests, the Eastern Shore AVA is located on Virginia’s eastern shore.

The ‘Shore is a charming peninsula comprised of small towns and family farms framed by the Chesapeake Bay on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on another.  Cornfields and grain silos seem to envelop every road – roadside vegetable, fruit, and seafood stands showcase the Shore’s ‘local’ agriculture and seafood trade and serve as a way of life for many families.  The Eastern Shore is also home to the famous Chincoteague Pony Swim – an annual roundup of wild horses that normally inhabit one of the barrier islands.

In many respects, a visit to the ‘Shore is like taking a peaceful step back in time – life seems a little more relaxed when I’m there.  Although the pace of life seems a little slower, wine production is as robust as anywhere in Virginia.  Three wineries comprise the Eastern Shore AVA:

• Chatham Vineyards
• Bloxom Vineyard
• Holly Grove Vineyards

My wife and I had the chance to (re)visit Chatham two weekends ago during our annual summer pilgrimage to her family’s beach cottage.  Not only do I enjoy Chatham wines, a winery visit also provides a respite from the in-laws for a couple hours.

Chatham Vineyards, established in 1999, is owned and operated by John and Mils Wehner.  Chatham currently has 20 acres under vine, 10 of which are planted to Merlot.  (Editorial opinion here – I’d tear up some of that Merlot and go with more Cab Franc and Petit Verdot plantings.  Of course, easy for me to share my opinion, as I’m not the one with the financial and time investment in the current Merlot plantings.) Adjacent to the tasting and barrel facility is an stately family home, set at the end of a gravel/oyster shell road – so ideallyic.

Chatham Farm The land at Chatham, which overlooks Church Creek, was patented in 1640. The Federal-period brick house, Chatham, was built in 1818 by Major Scarborough Pitts and named for William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham and friend of the American Revolution. The historic outbuildings, barns and two early 1900s homes on the property have been renovated in recent years. Chatham Farm has been a working farm for four centuries.

As we entered the tasting room, Wilbur – one of the nicest little winery dogs you’ll ever meet, greeted us.

No, Wilbur is not dead - this is just his ploy to get belly rubs... which worked.

Mils led our tasting through six Chatham wines and she graciously opened their Petit Verdot for us to taste as well (which was excellent). As of right now, Chatham is currently producing ~3,000 cases annually with room to expand to 5,000 cases.  In addition to enjoying Chatham wines, I really dig the price points – which range from $14/bottle to $22/bottle, great QPR.

Of the wines we tasted that afternoon, the steel fermented Chardonnay was my favorite – which may have been skewed by the fact that it was very hot and we were heading back to the cottage for a dinner of fresh caught blue crabs.  Steel fermented Chardonnay is the perfect accompaniment to steamed crab claws with Old Bay and crab cakes.

Chatham Vineyards 2009 Steel Fermented Chardonnay – $15/bottle.  I’ve had three vintage of this particular wine, and still seem to favor the 2007 (if my old tasting notes are worth relying on).  This bright, crisp Chardonnay paired perfectly with the crab – lots of grapefruit and lemon throughout complemented by green apple and stone.

Looking for a relaxing weekend to unplug?  Consider visiting the wineries of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Virginia wine, fresh Virginia seafood, and beautiful sunset... perfect ending to a day.

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