ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 7, 1996 TAG: 9608070009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Wine List
SOURCE: BETH CRITTENDEN
Part two of our wine-tasting tour - day-trips from the Roanoke area - takes you north and east on a loop throughout Nelson County.
When departing for your tour, remember to take a cooler with cold water and snacks, a copy of the Virginia Wine Marketing Program's "Guide to Virginia Wineries," and a designated driver if you plan to swallow your wine samples. The wineries we'll visit, like most of Virginia's, are small, family owned and kid-friendly.
From the Roanoke area, begin by traveling northeast on U.S. 460 through Lynchburg and toward Nelson County. The first stop is Rebec Vineyards, 5 miles north of Amherst on the west side of Virginia 29. Park next to the vineyard and follow the sounds of classical music to the tasting room, which includes a small collection of crafts and wine paraphernalia for sale. Owners Richard and Ella Hanson play a classical music radio station for the birds, because the occasional sound of voices keeps them away from the grapes. The music is an appropriate touch because the winery itself was named after a medieval stringed instrument, the rebec.
Rebec Vineyards makes a varied assortment of wines, from dry to sweet, red, blush and white. In tasting, we started with a rich Chardonnay, which they recommended serving with pheasant, goose and other wild game, and moved onto Rebec White, a refreshing dry blend of Chardonnay and Riesling. The sweeter wines included an off-dry Gewurztraminer, a Riesling and two blush wines. They concluded with a concoction simply called Rebec Sweet, a heady, white grape blend with 24 herbs. The recipe comes from Bulgaria, and I'm told the wine is reserved for special celebrations of marriage and birth. It was not necessarily pleasant, but it was interesting.
If you plan your tour for later in the year, consider attending Rebec's Virginia Garlic Festival, Oct. 12-13. It will include a garlic cook-off, garlic foods and recipes, a garlic queen and king, garlic-eating contest and more, all set against the backdrop of this country winery.
Next on the tour is Mountain Cove Vineyards, a 12-acre farm tucked several miles off Virginia 29 North. From Rebec, take a right on Virginia 29, heading south, and make a U-turn to continue north. Look for the "VA Wine Tour" signs, and turn left on Virginia 718, then right on Virginia 651 looking for the winery on the right.
Your drive to Mountain Cove will take you past the vineyard to the rustic winery buildings, including a rough-hewn tasting room, equipment shed with winemaking machinery and a beautiful pavilion and picnic area overlooking a scenic vista. It's a great place for a picnic and for small kids to run. Mountain Cove's friendly dogs are a gentle attraction as well.
The owner and winemaker, Al Weed, is stationed in Germany. In his absence, family members, friends and neighbors have pitched in to keep the winery and tasting room operational. These volunteers offer samples of the wines, as well as warm hospitality. My tasting included three grape wines in a dry style, off-dry style and a blush wine, and La Abra Peach wine, which is entirely made of peaches and very sweet.
From Mountain Cove, return to Virginia 29 and continue heading north, turning left on Virginia 6, then left again on Virginia 151 and right on Virginia 664 toward Wintergreen Resort. Wintergreen Winery is a half mile on the right side of the road. The first right off the driveway leads you to a spacious tasting room filled with lots of grape-related gifts and novelties, including grape-shaped pasta, wine glasses, glass holders and grape-motif clothing and jewelry. The winery is part of a historic 400-acre Rockfish Valley plantation called High View Plantation. Owners Mike and Kathy Riddick offer a variety of wines and invite visitors to picnic beside the nearby Rockfish River.
Gather at the large tasting bar for wine samples, or ask about a tour of the facilities. The tasting begins with the crisp fruit and gentle oak balance of the 1994 Chardonnay, then moves onto the off-dry blend of Riesling, Seyval and Vidal grapes called Three Ridges White. The Thomas Nelson White led us into the sweeter wines, with a blush wine and off-dry Riesling following. The Wintergreen Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are well-made Virginia reds, and the off-dry Mill Hill Apple Wine is low acid with a distinct taste of golden delicious apples.
From Wintergreen, retrace your route back to Virginia 151, merge with Virginia 6 and continue north on Virginia 6, taking a left on Virginia 631, again following the winery signs. Drive carefully down this winding road until you see Afton Mountain Winery on the left; enter between the two huge barrels.
Tour its new winemaking facility and caves, constructed last year. Owners Tom and Shinko Corpora will explain their gravity-fed system, which was constructed to treat the grapes more gently during the winemaking process and result in softer wines with more finesse.
Afton Mountain's tasting room offers a few wine gifts and the makings for a great snack: mini baguettes, cheese, sausages and other picnic fare. After touring the winery, come to the tasting bar for samples of several wines.
Vineyard master Tom and winemaker Shinko produce wines using the noble European grapes grown in their vineyards. Taste pure varietal white wines, including Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Barrel Select Chardonnay and a lighter, floral Gewurztraminer. Afton's white wines generally emphasize pure, clean fruit and have a crisp finish. The barrel-select Chardonnay is the exception, with a richer, oaky style. The off-dry blush wine is made from Cabernet grapes and called Cabernet Blanc. Afton Mountain's reds are made in very small quantities. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and occasionally Pinot Noir all are well-made but not often available for tasting because of supply.
After leaving Afton Mountain Winery, return to Virginia 6, taking a left and following signs to Interstate 64 West. Follow 64 to I-81 South toward Lexington and look for exit 205 at Raphine. Turn right on Virginia 606 and Rockbridge Vineyard and Winery is about one mile down the road on the right. Owners Shep and Jane Rouse welcome you to their winery, amid kids and dogs, a great bell for children to ring and the Rouse family swing set and picnic tables. It's a great place to relax after a grueling day of touring and a safe place for children to run. Shep has winemaking experience from several California wineries and has made wine or consulted for many Virginia wineries. A proponent of using Virginia fruit in Virginia wines, he is a delight to talk to.
The tasting room, carved out of the rustic winemaking and storage barns, offers an informal atmosphere in which to sample the extensive lineup of Rockbridge wines. Blended wines include Tuscarora White and Tuscarora Red, St. Mary's Blanc, Lexington and Concord (a new creation using a Concord grape blend and historic Civil War motif) and Montebello dessert wine. Rockbridge also produces an apple wine and varietal wines including a Chardonnay and Reserve Chardonnay, off-dry Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Meritage, which is blended from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Rockbridge recently won the 1995 Virginia Governor's Cup award for its 1994 Vd'Or late harvest Vidal dessert wine. The 1995 Vd'Or is equally good.
THE WINE LIST usually runs once a month in the Extra section. This is a special edition. Beth Crittenden is a local wine wholesaler, wine educator, writer and founder of the Roanoke Valley Wine Society, which meets for wine-tasting programs on the fourth Thursday of each month. If you have a wine-related question, or would like more information on the society, call 992-3285.
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