Succumbing to temptation AND celebration, the Dreaming Tree wine was particularly vulnerable the other evening. So much for my resolve to save it . We had three reasons that evening for popping the cork 1) our daughter was home for a visit, celebration #1! Our daughter is a huge Dave Matthews fan, celebration #2! She’s getting married-super celebration #3! So…the final determination was to …get the corkscrew and..
Shame on me, blaming this on my child. Now I have to go find the same wine to replace it in my collectors box and agree, wine is meant to be drunk not stored! We were glad that we opened the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast. Silky and soft, a medium bodied wine with blackberry and vanilla aromas. My daughter said it smelled like a cookie! She was correct in noticing the vanilla, I think she has a better sense of wine than I do. Bottom line, an enjoyable evening enhanced by the Dreaming Tree!
I still haven’t tasted the Chardonnay or the Crush…wonder what my next justification will be?
I have to hand it to the graduate students at University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business! A business conference focusing on wine, food, beer and spirits will be hosted next week by one of the larger student clubs, The Wine and Cuisine Club This is an annual conference providing both local and international information and resources for MBA students with personal or professional interests in these industries. WACC (clever name) appears to be a productive wine club, turning a kick back atmosphere for students to socialize and converting it into potential business opportunities. For a limited number of registrants, dinner Thursday evening the 26th, will be at The Local, offering networking opportunities for students with sponsors and presenters. Unfortunately I’ll have to skip the dinner but look forward to learning along with the Darden students at the conference on Friday.
I wonder if Thomas Jefferson knew he was going to be used in marketing endeavors for centuries and that his name would be associated with the birth of wine making in Virginia? Who knows which graduate student will make their mark on history in the wine or food industries? For technical accuracy I took this photo in Williamsburg at the Williamsburg Farmers Market after noticing a clever marketing ploy by Betsy’s Baked Goods! Sorry, I digress…
Keynote speaker will be Andy Mansinne, President of Aveniu Brands, a company that specializes in bringing to the United States of America distinctive brands from some of the world´s foremost production regions. They are the exclusive U.S. marketer for about 30 wine and spirits brands from eight different countries.
After the presentation guest will proceed to breakout sessions with the following speakers:
Vice President, Darden’s Wine and Cuisine Club Conference MBA Candidate, Class of 2012 | Darden Graduate School of Business | University of Virginia and all the people who were involved in coordinating this event!
Courtesy of a friend at Coran Capshaw’sRed Light Management Company in Charlottesville, a much anticipated package arrived at my doorstep. Carefully tearing open the shipping box and immersed in peanuts (not sure if they’re recycleable?) I found an artistically packaged box containing the first three bottles of Dreaming Tree wines. The labels are made with 100% recycled paper, the bottles weigh 1/4 pound less than normal bottles so they cost less to ship showing their commitment to saving energy and sustainability.
The crossover between wine lover and music lover placed me in an immediate quandary. First instinct: Invite my closest family members for a blind tasting to determine how really good these wines are OR close second: save the wines as a collectable bit of Dave Matthews memorabilia. The jury is still out and I’m looking for feedback from wine afficionadoes and/or Dave Matthews Band fans. Everything about me is in battle over this decision. I looked on the website and the wines are sold out but I think I can find the wines individually at retail stores.
The Chardonnay- “When I first met Dave, we talked about making a Chardonnay that captured the distinct citrus notes of the Central Coast. With its big fruit and loads of spice, we think this wine lives up to that promise. We hope you agree.” – Steve Reeder
The Cabernet Sauvignon- has classic aromas of blackberry, cherry and herbal notes wrapped by toasted vanilla. They had this one at our local Target store.
Crush is the wine I’m most curious about especially since it’s had such rave reviews!
“…maybe most important is where you drink it, and who you’re with when you do. When it came time to pick the flavors for their Dreaming Tree Crush wine, Steve, Dave and Tom already considered each other pretty good company (and Dodger and Moose just sweetened the deal). But something about an afternoon under a warm California sun, on an old pier down by a quiet pond and suddenly that wine’s giving up flavors you never knew were there. ” Dodger and Moose are beloved vineyard dogs of Tom Gore! Tom Gore is the director of vineyards at Simi Winery in california.
Returning to my dilemna, the bottle is so cool, the seal on the cork is reflective
and the cork itself is collectable. For the moment I have determined to keep the set in the box-this is probably bad for the wine so maybe I should lay it down? Also, the whole reason that Dave and Steve made this wine is to drink it! Contra-purpose if I store it. Hmmmmm….as for now, no tasting notes from Charlottesville, I’m keeping the bottles corked!
Wine Enthusiast Magazinehas named Virginia as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012. The article, listed online and in the February issue of Wine Enthusiast Magazine, highlights Virginia as one of only three domestic destinations to make the list of wine regions that are ideal for wine lovers to visit in 2012. Virginia was named along with regions in Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Hungary, Germany, France, Chile and two regions in California. The article cites Virginia’s rich history, natural beauty and wine makers as some of the many reasons why Virginia is a hot wine travel destination. This article just out on Virginia.Gov!
The North American Wine Bloggers Conference made their way to the East Coast bringing along international publicity for Virginia wines. Over 300 wine bloggers descended on Charlottesville visiting local wineries, dining on the lawn at Monticello and tasting food pairings along Main Street and the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. Governor McDonnell and First Lady Maureen have promoted our vineyards and wineries enthusiastically. First Lady Maureen McDonnell has incorporated wine and wine tourism promotions into her First Lady Initiative Team Effort or FLITE. More domestic and international promotions are planned for 2012.
Having only recently started blogging about wines, I was thrilled to sip alongside world-wide experts at the wining/dining table. Despite intense heat, Virginia wines showed well and local wine-makers relished the opportunity to present their best. Almost simultaneously, Charlottesville was thrust into the limelight by the demise of the Kluge Estate and the “intervention” of consummate real estate investor, Donald Trump. Thus, the new Trump Winery.
Following a year hit by weather extremes, please read the following excerpt from Stephen Barnard’s blog post Mother Nature Ruled 2011 for Keswick Vineyards which illustrates 2011 better than I ever could.
After the 2010 vintage in Virginia [arguably the best in recent times], the 2011 growing season was also going to struggle to reach the lofty standards of its predecessor. To say that 2011 failed miserably, would be similar to saying that Drew Brees had an okay year [this makes sense if you know that he broke Dan Marino’s all time passing yards in a single season, 5084 set in 1984 when Marino played for the Miami Dolphins].
Mother Nature ruled this year and her awesome power was on display more times than anyone of us would wish for. From a devastating earthquake in New Zealand to the horrific Tsunami in Japan, 2011 was littered with catastrophic natural disasters. Closer to home, Tuscaloosa was hit hard by the April 27th Tornado, Virginia experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on August 23rd, quickly followed by the August 27th appearance of hurricane Irene. 2011 was certainly unforgettable, but for all the wrong reasons.
All in all though, I think we manged to dodge a bullet, in that it would have been far corse than what it was. I am thankful for having some experience in Virginia and after working the 2003 harvest, I was way more prepared this time round. I can only shudder and imagine what would have happened had this been my first vintage in Virginia. Overall I give the vintage a B+, the wines are developing character and should be fantastic. Although lighter in style than 2010, these are vibrant wines and will no doubt bring pleasure to many a wine drinker.
I love the end of his blog post extolling the best blend ever, he and wife Kat’s baby girl, Aria, born in December. A 50% blend of each parent, expecting to take 80 years to mature!
After all, it was a very good year.
My friends at Drs. Viglione, Haines and Bagheri selected a new winery-Pippin Hill, to kick off their new name, Charlottesville Dental Health Partners. A fun time for all who could participate, it was the unveiling of their philosophy, Our Focus is On You. Toasting a relationship between health and dental health, dentists partnering with their patients for total body health.
I had the pleasure of visiting many wineries in Virginia this year and even some in England. Lots of fun with family and friends. The potential for the 2012 Virginia wine industry is exciting and I look forward to the progress of our friends and encourage the support of “Drink Local”! I think I made that up?
Spending most of our time on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, we tend to forget about the Shenandoah Valley and all the beauty just less than an hour from Charlottesville. The “Valley” has much to offer including the P. Buckley Moss Museum which contains the permanent collection of Pat Buckley Moss’s art work offering visitors a retrospective tour of her art and life. It features not only religious art, the Virginia collection, but also other modernistic styles not typically associated with Pat’s folksy style. South of Staunton and just off of Interstate 81 in Raphine, Virginia, is a wonderful winery and vineyards started before the more recent surge in the Commonwealth’s grape-growing ventures. Rockbridge Vineyard is the result of the dreams of Shepherd Rouse’s early interest in wine after spending a semester in Germany as a Washington and Lee University geology student. Three years later he returned to Germany on a Fulbright scholarship and decided to learn how to produce fine wine in Virginia. Unlike some of the “gentleman vineyard owners” (nothing wrong with that by the way), Shep has a Masters degree in Enology from University of California at Davis and worked for several noteworthy wineries including Schramsberg, Chateau St. Jean and Carneros Creek .
Holiday Open House
After receiving a timely invitation to the Christmas Open House at Rockbridge, we crossed the mountain into “dairyland”. Red barns, silos, grazing cows and rolling farmland unfolded at a higher elevation than one normally sees grapes cultivated in Virginia. We rolled up the crunchy gravel driveway to the Rockbridge tasting room just before noon. At 11:00 the tasting bar was full and guests were nibbling on comfort food including a barley leek soup, marinated meatballs and Sheps Mom’s recipe for hot cheese dip. Jane Rouse, co-owner and Shep’s wife kept things lively while bustling about making sure that each person was warmly greeted while handling errands at the same time. We were very appreciative of her attentiveness and joined the others in the tasting with Jane pouring for us. Some of their bottles labels feature a drawing of Natural Bridge, located in Rockbridge and one of the oldest tourist destinations in the United States with 20 stories of towering rock walls creating the bridge. The “Reserve” wines are labeled with the De Chiel name hearkening from Shep’s French heritage. Proud of Rockbridge County, Jane encouraged us to visit other sites while in the area and tipped us off to one of the prettier scenic drives in Virginia just west of the vineyards. She also recommended a visit to Wade’s Mill, a short drive down 606. Wade’s Mill is a working flour mill dating back to 1750 and powered by a 21-foot water wheel that is fed by a nearby stream.
The Wines
We started the tasting with the 2010 Pinot Noir Blanc de Noir light bodied with peachy aromas and a sparkling wine quality. A very nice summer porch swing wine in my opinion. The 2010 DeChiel Chardonnay Reserve aged in French oak has a buttery taste without being too oaky. The Tuscarora Red at $10 a bottle is their best seller, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chambourcin. My personal favorite was the 2007 DeChiel Cabernet Franc Reserve, very smooth and well balanced but full bodied and I plan on serving it this weekend. The 2008 DeChiel Meritage is a blend of 5 Bordeaux grapes, we had it with a traditional Carne Guisada (Mexican Stew) and it paired very well. A “fun” wine Jeremiah’s (like the bullfrog) and a “mighty fine wine”, it’s a wine for even non-wine lovers tasting more like concord grapes than wine. Be sure to ask about their Eiswein, V d’Or!
The Rouses have opened up the barn for events and is an ideal spot for small weddings, parties and receptions. Check with them about the reasonable price for the facility. Rustic, well lit, tables provided and plenty of ambience.
A Lovely Weekend in the Country
All in all, we found the drive well worthwhile. A lovely drive, country hospitality, fun gifts in the tasting room including local art work, good wine and a good time. Hard to beat when you’re looking for something different to do for a relaxing weekend. As Ferris Buehler would say, “I highly recommend it!”.
After a marvelously long Thanksgiving week visiting family and friends from Tennessee to Texas, we’re coming back to reality. This is actually very good, the Christmas decorations are beckoning to be displayed, getting a head start on organizing for the new year and our real estate listings need some TLC. 2012 is around the corner and I’m looking for wine related topics to cover for the future.
We’ll be passing through southwestern Virginia and on up to Charlottesville in the next two days. Any suggestions or curiosity regarding grapes or wineries through this region? Chateau Morrisette certainly one of interest. I’m excited to visit Rockbridge next weekend for their Christmas open house! We actually tried some wine from Arkansas and I have to admit, it was smoother than the roads we bumped along. In the meantime, I’d love your input before we hit the highway again!
On a seldom free afternoon while browsing the internet on a variety of topics, I landed on an eHow site that captured my attention for hours. One of the most frequently asked questions I get regards wine tasting. How to taste wine, how to describe the taste and aromas, and how to develop a taste for wine and not come across as a “snob”.
I found Jane Nickles video series on wine tasting to be basic and simplified, yet detailed enough to arm you with tasting tips to make you seem like a pro. Impress your friends and learn by watching some of her videos! Ultimately, who cares how you sound as long as you are enjoying the wine experience to its fullest.
Jane Nickles, described on eHow, is the author of “Wine Speak 101″, and a wine writer for “The Texas Wine and Food Gourmet”, and “Eat and Drink Magazine”. Jane is a certified specialist of wine, recognized by the society of wine educators. “Miss Jane,” as her students call her, is the Sommelier Instructor for the Texas Culinary Academy, and she presents her popular wine seminars at Wine Bars, Restaurants, and Culinary Festivals throughout the country.
I was so caught up in her series of Wine Tasting Tips for Beginners, I watched 14 video clips in a row. It occurred to me a fun evening with friends would be to plan a wine tasting party for friends and have Jane Nickles on your big screen TV demonstrating technique! It’s great practice and thought-provoking, plus, you’re drinking wine with your friends!
At the Wine Bloggers Conference in Charlottesville this year we were given a color wheel of adjectives and descriptions for wine and it really makes you contemplate the aromas and taste of wine. See how clever your friends are and make it a game! One game that is a bit pricey is Aromaster’s Ultimate Wine Aroma Kit at $380 USD. Another game is online, free and quite educational, Anivin de France Aromas .
Personally, I like to hang out with family and friends sipping wine by the firepit listening to some favorite music. No games here, just enjoying good company and good wine.
Here are a couple of the video clips offered by Jane Nickles on eHow for you to sample:Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
Stone Mountain masqueraded as “Snow Mountain” on October 29th & 30th for the 12th Annual Stone Mountain Vineyards Open House. “Bacon Holloween” at Stone Mountain Vineyards drew a nice crowd of leaf peepers, snow seekers and wine sippers. The winery is situated on the side of the mountain above Bacon Hollow, an area known long ago for moonshine and revenue agents. Last Saturday brought an unusual dusting of the white stuff adding a sugar-coating on pumpkin and scarlet colored leaves. Visitors enjoyed private tours of the wine cave and sampling directly from the barrel with winemaker Chris Breiner and tour guide, Brian Taylor. Vertical tastings were also available. We found Gabrielle Rausse pouring tastings of his own wines at a separate bar. Surprised to see Gabrielle, I inquired about the reason for his presence. Winking, he explained that he considers himself Chris Breiner’s life coach. In fact, he does coach Chris on winemaking and in return, periodically showcases some of his own signature labeled wines at Stone Mountain.
Wine on Tap
A new venture for the owners is serving wine on tap. Stone Mountain Vineyards wines are featured on tap, yes, on tap at Aida Bistro Wine Bar in Columbia, Maryland. Aida installed a new Wine on Tap System with 20 Wines on Tap. Based on customer acceptance and demand, they are increasing it to 30 Wines on Tap by Fall 2011. Their Wine on Tap System is the largest in Maryland and second largest in the U.S! They feature Stone Mountain 2010 Pinot Grigio, 2010 Chardonnay and 2008 Cabernet Franc and Aidatage. Aidatage is a special blend the staff created at the winery with
their 2009 Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvigon and Petit Verdot. According to Chris, the
staff had a lot of fun creating the Aidatage and in turn presenting it to
their customers. I wish I had tasted that one. My husband and I have brought friends to Stone Mountain Vineyards numerous times and after a little apprehension about the drive up, they conclude it is well worth the trip. With the vineyards sloping just below the back deck they have found the Autumn views unrivaled by any of the other wineries in our area. Sited at a 1700 foot elevation, the vantage point provides expansive views of Greene County and Northern Albemarle County.
On this particular visit we selected a bottle of Chardonnay rather than going through a complete tasting. It was an ideal afternoon for relaxing on the deck and taking in the scenery, albeit a bit chilly. Later, we joined a small group for the barrel tasting guided Brian Taylor. We sampled 3 Cabernet Francs, 2007, 2008, 2009 and one Chardonnay from the barrels. The 2008 was my favorite and given some more time, should be excellent!
Brian demonstrating bottling for us
The 2008 Chardonnay was delightful, with ripe green apple flavors aged in 100% stainless steel for a full but crisp mouth feel. I particularly liked the die-cut label with the Blue Ridge Mountains cresting the top. If you have friends who haven’t developed a taste for wine, the Maquillage (Make-up in French) has 3% residual sugar and is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay. Fruity, it pairs well with cheeses and lightly spiced dishes. Naming wines can be quite fun and a few give a humorous nod to the history of the “hollows” of Greene County, especially the Bacon Hollow Revenuers Select.
The Winery
Stone Mountain’s log cabin style winery hugs the mountainside below a tumble of large rocks, hence the name. The natural heart pine wood tasting room is spacious, rustic and cozy. I had so many pictures that I’ll close with a mini gallery of scenes to entice you up the mountain. Part of the fun of Stone Mountain is the approach, passing streets like Mutton Hollow, Bacon Hollow, Brokenback Mountain and finally arriving at Wyatt Mountain Road. Another tidbit- the tasting glasses for collectors have the logo for Stone Mountain and on the back, the Chinese Year, this one being the year of the rabbit. Helpful hint: Drive slowly up the mountain and stay right, it is only one lane and after rains can be quite bumpy. Still, it’s worth the effort. Definitely have a DD for the ride back down!
Fall FoliageWrapping around the winery
Their Motto
Climb the Mountain, see how a positive change in altitude,
brings a positive change in attitude..
Winery Hours: Open March 9 thru December 18, 2011 – Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays and Federal Holiday Mondays 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Closed Easter Sunday).
Directions:
From Charlottesville area (approx. 30 minutes)
Take 29 North to Ruckersville, VA.
Take Route 33 West to Stanardsville
Turn left onto Route 810 (Dyke Road) to Dyke, VA. (Intersection Route 810 & 627 – Bacon Hollow Rd.) Turn right onto Route 627 (Bacon Hollow Rd.) and proceed 3.6 miles
Dreaming Tree Afoot!Paulette Musselman snapped this at Dave's Blenheim Winery in Charlottesville
If you’re a fan of Dave Matthews and a wine lover, you already know aboutThe Dreaming Tree Wines. I wrote a post about Dreaming Tree Wine in September when very few people were aware of it; now, in a short period of time fans are all over their wines (disclaimer-not because of my blogpost). If you have “fanned” or “liked” theirFacebook page, the prevailing question is regarding availability. The Crush wine is very high on DMB fans Christmas wish lists.
Even though the Dreaming Tree representatives respond quite well to comments on Facebook questions still persist.
So, here’s the lowdown:
You can order from their website, but shipping regulations restrict them from shipping to certain states
Dreaming Tree Wines is licensed to ship wine to the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
At this point, they do not ship internationally.
Unfortunately, the website does not have a list of retailers, although it may be coming soon, retailers that carry Clos Du Bois is a good bet, small local discount liquor and wine stores, Randalls, Central Liquor Stores Jewel grocery stores and where I found it, Target!
Definitely follow them on Facebook for the latest events.
Dreaming Tree Wine for Sale in CharlottesvilleOnly 14.99 at Target
I’m expecting some Dreaming Tree wine any day delivered to my doorstep. Just like a little child waits for a birthday card, a valentine or a toy ordered out of a catalog. In the meantime, I headed off to pick up cold medicine and herbal tea trying to avoid an ensuing cold. Lo and behold, sidestepping down the wine aisle I fortuitously stumbled upon the Dreaming Tree Wine! Yes, TARGET has the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon. So, if you’re out shopping and want a taste of something a part of Dave Matthews, try your local Target store! Look for future reviews of the wine when I feel better and can actually taste and smell.
Courtesy of a friend at 
Stone Mountain
Charlottesville UnCorked 