Flying in and out of a smaller airport on a near weekly basis, flight delays become part of the rhythm of life. I am convinced the airlines are in collusion and have me atop a ‘Make Sure This Guys Flight Is Delayed’ list. No doubt about it. I have more flights delayed, for one reason or another, than flights on time. Ok, this may be a slight exaggeration, but perfectly logical considering that as I type this, I’m just ten minutes in to a two-hour delay.
Today’s delayed flight happens to be at Dulles airport, and as any self-respecting traveling wine enthusiast knows – Dulles is home to two VinoVolo Wine Bars. The presence of a VinoVolo makes a delay more palatable, figuratively and literally.
Unlike most other delayed flights, I was not made to suffer during this delay. The airline practiced the oft forgotten art of mercy today and provided advance notice, even before I boarded my originating flight in ORF (normally, I learn of delays as I’m sitting on the plane with no where to go but the lav). Though I still despise the delay and hold the opinion that this is all part of some airline conspiracy to test my ability to maintain sanity, I do appreciate the advance notice because this means I can enjoy a relaxing dinner and wine without pacing back-and-forth at the gate waiting for the gate agent to tear him/herself away from airline gossip or US Weekly to make the next proclamation (i.e. – delay announcement).
Serenity Now – In the spirit of embracing today’s delay and celebrating Virginia Wine Month, I go with the Gadino Cellars 2009 Viognier – one of the three Virginia wines on the list:
Gadino Cellar 2009 Viognier (~ $19 at winery): Holy peach and pear batman – this is a very expressive example of Viognier that I would highly recommend if you find yourself passing through the Dulles airport – especially this month. I’ve had Gadino’s Viognier many times at VinoVolo and I applaud the Dulles location for supporting the Virginia wine industry by having a Virginia wine flight on the menu.
Having a wine on the list at a place like VinoVolo that has such a high volume of wine ‘drinkers’ passing through seems like a great way to consistently introduce wines to a new audience. I wonder if this ‘potential new audience’ directly translates in to new customers for wineries featured on the VinoVolo list? Perhaps Derek at Gadino will weigh on this one.
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Drink What YOU Like 
Love, love, love it!
I’ve always wanted to do reviews of the in-flight wine offerings.
Since you travel so much, maybe you should pick up the theme?
Guest post at Wine Harlots?
Boys on the Side?
Thanks for stopping by to comment… I’ve done a couple of ‘in flight’ posts during international flights, but most wine on domestic flights is less than palatable.
Frank, thanks for supporting VA Wine in general and in particular, thank you for highlighting our 09 Viognier. In regards to your question, I can’t be sure that our exposure introduces many people to Gadino Cellars that become more regular customers of ours. I know, anecdotally, that people have contacted us or come to our winery to purchase our Viognier. The numbers of people that I am aware of are small, but they are there.
I enjoy having our wine at Vino Volo. While trying not to let too much ego fly here (airport, fly, pun unintended) I like supporting the advancement of Virginia Wines in a more national/international way. I feel honored to have Vino Volo carry our Viognier as one of the VA wines anchoring their line up. I know many people do enjoy our wines there as I review wholesale orders. I’ve only seen positive results come to light from our association with Vino Volo. Perhaps, it’s not the quantity of new customers, but the quality of the new customers. A customer with a good palate willfully exploring the world of wine.
Cheers,
Derek
Derek: Appreciate your input on this subject – puns always welcomed here. 🙂
VinoVolo seems such a perfect way to introduce wine enthusiasts to particular wine – a great opportunity for one-to-one selling coupled with a (semi) captive audience. Considering there are only three Virginia wines in this particular location (adjacent to gate C3), I would consider this a big ‘coup’ for your Viognier as well. I believe this is the second vintage of Gadino Viognier in VV? I certainly agree on the ‘quality over quantity’ comment. Cheers!
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