THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604250046
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Humble Steward
SOURCE: BY JIM RAPER, WINE COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
VIRGINIA'S Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has released its 1996 Virginia Wineries Festival and Tour Guide.
The free booklet describes and gives directions - with maps - to Virginia's 47 farm wineries. It also has a calendar of about 200 wine tastings and festivals.
For a copy, call (800) 828-4637, or write: Virginia Wine Marketing Office, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, Va. 23218.
If you visit Virginia wineries, try some of the wines that have won medals in recent competitions:
Prince Michel Vineyards near Culpeper walked away with more gold medals than any other winery in the 1996 Commercial Wine Competition of the American Wine Society. About 1,000 wines from all over the country were entered.
Two of the four gold medal winners for Prince Michel were the 1989 and 1990 vintages of Le Ducq, which is a Bordeaux-style blend made from cabernet sauvignon and other
grapes grown in the winery's Napa Valley vineyard. Enologist Jacques Boissenot, a consultant to chateaux Margaux and Lafite, helps to make the ultra-premium Le Ducq, which costs $55 a bottle.
The winery's other gold-medal winners were the 1994 Prince Michel Chardonnay ($16) and the 1994 Rapidan River Chardonnay ($9).
Oakencroft Winery in Charlottesville did well in the Four-State Winter Wine Competion in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Competing against wineries from Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia, as well as Virginia, Oakencroft won gold medals for its 1993 Merlot and 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon and a silver for its 1994 Chardonnay. (The wines cost between $12 and $15.)
A taster's dozen
From tastings during the last few weeks, here are a dozen high-quality wines that don't cost a lot:
Carta Vieja 1995 Sauvignon Blanc Maule Valley Chile ($4.50) - a crisp white with understated flavors of grapefruit and grass. It is very refreshing, a great picnic wine. Look for an occasional sale price, as low as $2.99.
Robert Mondavi 1994 Fume Blanc Napa ($9) - another well made wine from Mondavi, varietally correct, with slight vanilla and melon flavors. It is versatile with foods and will appeal to almost everyone. It can sometimes be found discounted a dollar or two.
Staton Hills 1993 Fume Blanc Washington State ($10) - an austere, Bordeaux-like white. You might strain to taste the oak and figs. The herb and mineral flavors are hard to miss. It has an unusual charm.
Chateau Souverain 1994 Chardonnay Sonoma ($12) - a nicely balanced chardonnay in a distinctive new bottle. The butter and vanilla and tropical fruit are there on the intake, but the finish is clean. Look for it at sale prices under $9.
Camelot 1994 Chardonnay Central Coast ($11) - a very soft and fruity white wine with some pinot blanc and chenin blanc in the blend. Sip it before dinner.
Estancia 1994 Chardonnay Conterey County ($12) - its vanilla and butter and apple flavors are countered by a citrus crispness. Try it with fish or fowl in cream sauces. It sometimes is discounted to $9.
August Sebastiani Zinfandel California ($12 for 1.5-liter bottle) - an inexpensive, nonvintage red with some punch to it. It tastes of blackberries and dark chocolate. This is the red to serve at a barbecue. Look for it on sale for less than $10.
Carta Vieja 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon Maule Valley Chile ($4.50) - A good value, it has a green-pepper nose and enough fruit to make it enjoyable. The merlot from the same producer is blander, but still decent.
Hawk Crest 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon California ($9) - a label of consistent quality from the folks at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. It has fine dark berry and spice flavors and is a good everyday dinner red. Look for it discounted to $6.50.
Guenoc 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon California ($12) - surprisingly complicated, with layers of black cherry, tobacco and spices. Local stores recently have discounted it to less than $10.
Bujanda Conde de Valdemar 1993 Rioja Crianza ($9) - a lighter bodied, nicely perfumed red from Spain. This is a great picnic wine. More profound is the 1991 Rioja Reserva ($12) from the same producer.
Chivite 1991 Navarra Reserva ($12) - another Spanish red, made mostly from tempranillo grapes. It has complexity, with flavors of cherries, tar and oak. You may have difficulty finding it in southeastern Virginia. MEMO: The Humble Steward is a biweekly feature of Sunday Flavor. Send
questions or comments to: The Humble Steward, Sunday Flavor, The
Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. If
possible, give complete label information when naming wines, and list
the vintage year. Please include your name and phone number. ILLUSTRATION: File color photo
New guidebook lists Virginia's wineries, wine tastings and festivals
for '96.
by CNB