Virginia wine
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I moved to the Washington D.C. area almost exactly 11 years ago. It was September, I remember, because my first day at my new job in Tysons Corner, VA was right around Labor Day. It wouldn’t be long before the leaves would start to change, and I would get a taste of my first mid-Atlantic…
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When I discovered Virginia wine country about 10 years ago (I didn’t actually discover it, but discovered it for me), I was introduced to an abundance of grapes that I had never heard of at the time. Most were hybrids or other grapes not commonly grown in more popular American wine regions, such as California.…
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The winning wine of this year’s Virginia Governor’s Cup competition was a Vidal Blanc Passito from 868 Vineyards in Loudoun County, VA. It was quite the accomplishment for the winning wine to be a dessert wine, but a hybrid grape dessert wine made in a niche style from one of the lesser well-known winegrowing areas…
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If you’ve been following me on social media (@historyandwine), or pay any attention to my quarantine tasting notes posts, you’ll know that I took part in a Virginia Petit Manseng Trio tasting last week hosted by Early Mountain Vineyard, which was just fantastic. Living in Miami has made it fairly difficult for me to drink…
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We’re getting a little stir crazy here, how about you? Though the slowdown has been a nice change of pace from our otherwise crazy busy lives, I’m ready to get back at it! I’m ready to travel, see friends, and even sit at a bar by myself–anything that gets us out from the house! Hopefully,…
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Practicing self-isolation during our global coronavirus pandemic does not mean that we will stay away from wine! On the contrary, this is a great opportunity to get INTO some new wines and try out some of the bottles we’ve been holding onto in our wine fridge. Here we go! Quarantine life one bottle at a…
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I have a story about Virginia and wine. If you’ve been following along through my wine adventures since the beginning (2012), then you know I started writing this blog while I was living in Arlington, VA and exploring Virginia wine country. It was truly my “start” in wine writing, and I consider Virginia wine my…
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There are some grapes that you don’t see very often on wine lists, but when you get a great bottle of these varieties, it can take your night from “good” to “great.” One of these grapes is Viognier. I’m a big fan of this white Rhône variety that was nearly extinct about 50 years ago,…
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Yesterday, Wine Enthusiast announced online their 40 Under 40 Tastemakers for 2019, and I was proud to see a friend and Virginia winery CEO on the list. Kirk Wiles, CEO and Founder of Paradise Springs Winery located in Clifton, Virginia and now also in Santa Barbara, California is well-deserving of the recognition. The Wine Enthusiast 40 Under…
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If you know me, you know that I really got my start writing about wine while living in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. I would spend some weekends out in Virginia Wine Country looking for the best glass of Virginia wine, and I would always bring some home or look for VA labels out…