Tag: Keswick Vineyards

Valentine’s is For Virginia Wine Lovers!

Published on by Tricia Traugott2 Comments

                                        Call me Cupid!

Need some ideas for your special sweetheart this Valentine’s Day?  Check out some of our local wineries and  revel in chocolate and wine, an indulgence for all your senses! Pick out a sentimental card and a rose and you have the ingredients for a very romantic weekend!

DuCard Winery Valentine’s Sunday Brunch
Sunday, February 13 2011 11:30 AM seating
Here’s an elegant idea for you and your special Valentine to enjoy at their Madison County tasting room.  Charlottesville personal chef Cindy Shepard will be serving a gourmet brunch featuring local ingredients (click here for menu) and paired with DuCard Wines (of course!).  Vicky Lee will set the mood with her harp (victorialeemusic.com) $40 per person.  Seating is limited – for reservations contact scott@ducardvineyards.com or call 540.923.4206.

Glass House Winery

Mark your calendars for Sunday Feb 13th, when Glass House welcomes acoustic rock musicians The Lost Souls to Glass House.  2-5pm.  No cover. 
Also on Sunday Feb 13th, they will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with cheese and chocolate pairings with their wines!  For $15, they will pair a cheese or one of Glass House Winery’s delectable chocolates with each of their wines for this tasting.  Don’t miss it, as Michelle is dreaming up some new flavors for the occasion.   Regular $5 tastings will also be available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keswick Vineyards Be Mine With Wine

Feb 12th, 11am – 4pm
Wine, strawberries, and sweets… Spoil yourself or someone you love with Keswick Vineyards’ special wine, 2 different kinds of hand-dipped strawberries and other sweets for a Valentine’s Day indulgence.  Discover how these luscious confections complement each wine.  After your tasting, enjoy the romantic setting while you savor a glass of wine and take a guess at how many candy hearts are in their  Rosé bottle to win a free future tour and tasting for you and your sweetheart.

The cost is $12 for  wine club members and $15 for non wine club members. Reservations are recommended.

If you’re unable to break away on the weekend, stop by during the week and pick up a bottle of Norton wine for Kris’s homemade brownies!  I borrowed the recipe from the Keswick blog:

Double Norton Brownies

We’ve had a lot of requests for the recipe for Kris’ brownies that we had in the tasting room last weekend, so here it is!  It’s really simple!
 
Just take a regular box of brownie mix (chocolate or fudge) and substitute Norton wine for the water and 1/4 of the amount of vegetable oil that the mix calls for with Norton chocolate sauce.  Mix it together and bake as directed.
The chocolate sauce will make a more fudgy texture so you can use less or more depending on how fudgy you want them.  

To make an extra special treat, we topped them with strawberries dipped in whipped topping (we used equal parts mascarpone cheese and whipped topping, sugared to taste) and rolled in coconut and then drizzled the whole thing with more Norton chocolate sauce! 

 

King Family Vineyards

February 12, 2011 – February 14, 2011Valentines at the Vineyard

Celebrate Valentine’s Day weekend with your special someone at King Family Vineyards! Enjoy Gearhart’s chocolates specially selected to pair with their wines. $15/person includes souvenir glass, glass of wine, and 3 handcrafted chocolates. Reservations are recommended. 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday, 9am-5pm Monday.

“Twelve Days of Christmas at a Virginia Winery”

Published on by Tricia TraugottLeave a comment

 

Later on We'll Conspire ....

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me a trip to a Virginia Winery!

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!

On  the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me Three corks a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Four vines a growing, Three corks a popping,   Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Five GOLDEN grapes, Four vines a growing,  Three corks a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Six Cab Francs Swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines a growing,  Three corks a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me SEVEN port wines snifting,  Six Cab Francs swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines a  growing,  Three corks a  popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Eight OCTAGONS,  SEVEN port wines snifting,  Six  Cab Francs Swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines a growing,  Three corks  a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Nine CHOCOLATE NORTONS,  Eight OCTAGONS,  SEVEN port wines snifting,  Six Cab Francs swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines a growing,  Three corks a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Ten Magnums sparkling,  Nine CHOCOLATE NORTONS,  Eight OCTAGONS, SEVEN port wines snifting,   Six Cab Francs Swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines  a growing,  Three corks a  popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Eleven Viogniers sampling,  Ten Magnums sparkling,  Nine CHOCOLATE NORTONS,  Eight OCTAGONS,  SEVEN port wines snifting,   Six  Cab Francs swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes,  Four vines a growing,  Three corks a popping,  Two glasses drinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!
 
On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me Twelve vintners vinting,  Eleven Viogniers sampling,  Ten Magnums sparkling,  Nine CHOCOLATE NORTONS,  Eight OCTAGONS,  SEVEN port wines snifting,  Six  Cab Francs swirling,  Five GOLDEN grapes, Four vines a growing,  Three corks a popping,  Two glasses clinking and a trip to a Virginia Winery!

  • Inspiration for this song comes from my daughter,  Jillian who encouraged me to post something , anything, prior to Christmas.  The original idea was something about twelve wineries relating to the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Maybe next year! 
  • King Family Vineyard – Seven, a Port -this port wine is made with 100% Merlot and is fortified with brandy, and was aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels for 2 years.  The  2009 Viognier ( I love this one!) self described by the owners as 70% of the volume  fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to highlight the freshness of the wine, and 30% in neutral oak barrels, giving the wine fullness without adding oak flavor. There are cantaloupe, honeysuckle and orange zest on the nose and mouth.
  •  Keswick Vineyards Chocolate Norton sauce is  a  gourmet chocolate sauce made with Keswick Vineyards  Norton wine.
  •  Octagon Barboursville Vineyards is described by the vintner as  a proprietary blend  driven by Merlot, with elements of Reserve Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.   Aged 12 to 14 months in new Gamba barriques of the most select French oak, air-dried a minimum of 3 years before coopering, laid down in bottle for an additional six months before release.
  • The Magnums would be from Kluge, of course!

    Merry Christmas from Me and My True Love!

Baskets with a Vintage Touch!

Published on by Tricia TraugottLeave a comment
The Virginia Shop at Barracks Rd.

Unfortunately for us UVA football fans, the 2nd of October,  2010 was not the best weekend!  However,  it was an excellent weekend for The Virginia Shop at Barracks Road.  Florida State and UVA  fans were looking for  gifts that reflect the local flavor, whether it was Jeffersonian, Southern hospitality or even more popular, Virginia wines. I happened to be in the shop and was ever so pleasantly greeted  by Elizabeth Carras,a  part-time employee (you would never know she wasn’t the proprietor with her hands on attention!) offering a tasting of two wines from Lovingston Winery, cleverly named WaHoo White and Rotunda Red!  The WaHoo White consists of 57% Sauvignon Blanc, 36% Chardonnay, and 7% Petit Manseng.  The Rotunda Red embodies the family motto, “We bleed orange and blue, but we drink red,” this wine is a nod to their  family’s two generations of UVA alums. and is a  blend of 57% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc and 13% Petit Verdot. I really enjoyed it with the cheese straws!

Happy Halloween Party Wines!

The Virginia Shop was so busy, I decided to return the following afternoon for more shopping and information about their gift baskets. As I walked in, Tiffany Smith, Co Manager of the shop was assembling a gift basket for a local couple to give a friend in Northern Virginia. She explained that they do an extensive number of gift bags and baskets for weddings and events and will include items from the store as well as added off-site items.

Virginia Gift Basket

They have UPS shipping and free local delivery within an approximately 10 mile radius are just two of the reasons to do your souvenir gift shopping here!

Don’t miss Boutique Week October 15th through the 22nd! There will be food and wine tasting all week-long plus a featured discount item daily. A great opportunity to sample some of Virginia’s finest foods and wines!

The Virginia Shop is also the  home of The Virginia Wine of the Month Club. In the store they have a very nice selection of  wines from our local wineries including  Keswick,  Veritas,  Jefferson, Del Fosse,  Pollak,  Cardinal Point,  White Hall,  Kluge,  Lovingston,  Prince Michel and Stone Mountain!

Go UVA!

Our local Virginia Shop is not a franchise and they work hard to take care of you however large or small your order. They also offer corporate discounts for your holiday giving!

Subscribe to Cville Uncorked and mention this blog and you will receive a 20 % Discount on wine in the month of October!

Happy Fall Everyone!

You can follow them on Twitter @thevashop

Keswick Vineyards and author, Ellen Crosby

Published on by Tricia TraugottLeave a comment
Ellen signed The Viognier Vendetta for me!

What fun! Leave it to Keswick Vineyards to make everyone feel at home in what could be an otherwise stuffy environment. Ellen Crosby, was approachable and friendly, signing her new  book, THE VIOGNIER VENDETTA as Keswick  released with anticipation their 2009 Viognier Estate Reserve! Ellen combines history, wine making and our locale to create a suspenseful romantic tale for oenophiles and mystery lovers alike. We purchased a bottle and her book, but, in retrospect should have bought more of her books and more of the Viognier! Her previous novel, The Riesling Retribution was selected as one of 5 finalists for the 7th Annual People’s Choice Awards sponsored by the Library of Virginia. Afterthoughts…we did take home their 2009 Norton and enjoyed it with an appetizer watching our favorite non- home grown team, The Dallas Cowboys.  If we hadn’t taped the game, we might have stayed long enough to adopt one of the adorable schnauzer-beagle mix puppies featured at Yappy Hours!

The Barrel Club at Keswick Vineyards

Published on by Tricia TraugottLeave a comment
Your Personal Barrel at Keswick Winery

Be sure to ask about the Barrel Club when you visit the Tasting Room at Keswick Vineyards!

One of several types of Wine Club Memberships offered aiming to satisfy all levels of wine enthusiasts!

CvilleUnCorked Debut

Published on by Tricia Traugott2 Comments

4 years ago today, my father passed away. Spending the day alone (my husband was at the cemetery with my mother in Texas) didn’t seem like the way my Dad would have wanted me to commemorate his passing. Since I have been planning to launch a blog about one of my passions, wine tasting and visiting vineyards, this turned out to be a perfect day to begin!

He would have enjoyed being outside on a beautiful Indian Summer day in the heart of the Piedmont wine country, watching the swans floating on the pond and the slideshow of cloud formations passing overhead. Today, I felt he was with me.

I am not a wine connoisseur, anything but! I started out tasting a small glass of wine in the Mosel River Valley in Germany as a young child-no minimum age there and I guess I liked it. However, after returning to the United States there wasn’t the same level of appreciation of wine that we are experiencing today. Instead of refining my palate, I deteriorated to (Yes, I’ll admit it!) BOX WINE-ugh! Providence stepped in and we moved from Texas to this beautiful landscape and a burgeoning wine country of Central Virginia!

Keswick Grapes on the Vine

I love everything about wine- from the clusters of grapes on the vine, the shapes of the leaves themselves and the neat rows undulating over the rolling hills to the presentation of the wine itself. The bottles are interesting, the labels are clever and the stemware sparkling. Beer is fun but wine is romantic! This blog is an attempt to give tips and suggestions to people who are not familiar with Virginia or are just starting to become passionate about wine!

My first choice was Keswick Vineyards because they are so friendly and not intimidating, plus the scenery is reminiscent of the English countryside!  The wines are award winning, the tasting room is intimate with generous bar space and is pet friendly to boot! Sunday afternoons is “Yappy Hour”, bring your canine sidekick and a picnic for a laidback event which periodically is a fund raiser for local S.P.C.A’s. There are plenty of shaded picnic tables, so bring your basket or purchase some delectables from the tasting room shop.  More details to come tomorrow about upcoming weekend events and award winning wines!