THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 1996 TAG: 9610090611
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Restaurant review
SOURCE: BY M.F. ONDERDONK, RESTAURANT CRITIC
LENGTH: 131 lines
NAMED FOR a little-remembered comrade of Capt. John Smith, the Gabriel Archer Tavern captured the spirit of Jamestown by being, on a recent visit there, low on food.
For the early settlers, hunger pangs would have inspired a different mood, but on a beautiful Sunday afternoon on the brink of October, ``Wine Month'' in Virginia, hunger mattered little.
In the best Colonial spirit, Gabriel Archer Tavern transcends all limitations by being what it is - the newest facility at the Williamsburg Winery on the outskirts of the Colonial Capitol.
From the moment the car turns off Lake Powell Road and passes trellises of merlot and chardonnay, the visitor's mood begins to soar.
It must be the must.
The must?
The must. That grapey, squishy glop, juice and skins, destined against all odds to become wine.
It must be the must sending off its wine molecules, almost as much fun to breathe as they are to drink. And both drinking and dining lie ahead.
Under the ownership of Patrick Duffeler, Williamsburg Winery has adapted with amazing success to the climate and conditions of a region not particularly suited to grape-growing.
Having planted the first vines in this drainage along College Creek in 1988, Duffeler now has 53 vineyard acres and is producing 48,000 cases annually, with plans to grow to 100,000 over the next five to seven years.
The Belgian entrepreneur, who also imports fine European wines under the name Williamson Mallet, has displayed both business sense and taste by playing historical connections for all they're worth.
Labels scrolled with the names of Colonial locales and personalities - James River white, for example, and John Adlum chardonnay - are marketed all over the country. And visitors from around the country are flocking to Williamsburg to learn about and taste the pre-Revolutionary wine that never was.
Housed in Colonial clapboard and shutters, the reception-area-cum-gift shop opens to the wine-making facility. The winery may be toured by those willing to pay $5 to gaze upon the oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, and to admire Duffeler's bottle collection, shelved in a small museum.
Also housed here are artifacts and photographs from an archeological excavation made during construction of the winery, when finds included the skeleton of an unknown settler, later reinterred with a bottle of Governor's white - a blend. (``Why not the Gabriel Archer red - the good stuff?'' a wag is heard to inquire.)
Wine enthusiasts accustomed to the mostly free tours of Napa or, for that matter, western Virginia, will be startled at the charge for a tour, though it does include a tasting glass and wines.
The tour concludes with an eight-wine tasting. The chardonnays are best, especially the 1993 vintage reserve, which has had all the right things done to it, including malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels. Selective quaffing does help keep one's tread steady during the short walk to the Tavern. This is the natural sequel to the tour experience and a destination already too popular.
Eclipsed by the flamboyant Smith, Archer was an officer of the original Jamestown settlement whose romantic name also graces Williamsburg Winery's top-of-the-line red.
The Tavern, which opened in late June, is an austere space with the sawdust whiff of new construction, wainscoting and unadorned white walls. Weather permitting, the covered patio adjoining the dining room is preferred for its vineyard view, big picnic tables and wide-topped wine barrels with chairs pulled up to them.
The lone wait staffer tried valiantly to cope with the onslaught of the sudden post-tour crowd, which was burgeoning by the hour. Pretty and unflappable, she was assisted by a single kitchen guy.
They were in luck, of sorts, for life in the kitchen had been simplified by having run out of practically everything. Minus the carpaccio, the duck mousse pate and the salad, the menu - simple enough to begin with - had devolved into a list of sandwich and salad plates. Most appeared to be made of the same crusty baguettes, the same greens, the same garnishes.
Generously portioned but not exactly ocean fresh, smoked salmon comes adorned with a few capers and side of dilled creme fraiche.
There's dill also in the havarti on the cheese platter, further provisioned with underripe Brie and the identical smoked Gouda served at the winery tasting. More smoked Gouda comes with a sandwich of lusty-flavored Virginia ham, the best of dishes sampled.
Italian cold cuts on basil focaccia and a smoked turkey sandwich with havarti and alfalfa sprouts are other choices.
More cold items are being added to the menu and a winter menu of grilled meats and soups is under review.
While the foods sampled are good values, the same cannot be said of the wines.
By-the-glass selections include Filippo Mazzei 1995 reserve, not poured on the tour tasting. On paper, this new label shows the Williamsburg Winery at its best - a red blend, modeled on the super-fashionable super Tuscans and named for Thomas Jefferson's Italian wine maker. On the palate, it's an earnest but awkward red. With the menu's promise of ``select back vintages and premium imports'' for $5 a glass, hopes rise. But these, like the pate, were out.
We settled for a reserve chardonnay at the too expensive price of $6.50 a glass.
The busy wait staffer held her own, dispatching orders with wondrous speed. Her efficiency was all the more miraculous given the menu's counsel that service (apropos of Duffeler's European heritage) is included in the food price.
The chocolate chip cookies have coconut in them. Next time, one might go for the marbled cheesecake or some lemon raspberry cake.
Outside, sunlight danced in a haze over the vines. A hawk circled lazily in the endless blue sky, scouting the fields for a careless vole. For all its shortcomings, the visit had been most enjoyable. Is there time for yet more wine?
It must be the must.
MEMO: Reviews are based on a single, unannounced visit by a party of two
or three, unless otherwise noted. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the
reviewer's meal and those of the guests. Previous restaurant reviews are
available on the Fun page of Pilot Online at http://www.pilotonline.com/ ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/The Virginian-Pilot
After touring the Williamsburg Winery, it's only natural to stop at
the Gabriel Archer Tavern.
Graphic
GABRIEL ARCHER TAVERN
At the Williamsburg Winery, 5800 Wessex Hundred, Williamsburg
Phone: (757) 229-0999
Hours: Open daily for lunch in conjunction with tour hours, 11
a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; noon to 5:30 p.m.,
Sundays. No tours January 15 through February 15, though tavern and
shop remain open. Luncheon fare priced $5 to $6.50.
Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express.
Handicapped access: Tavern is handicapped accessible; winery
tours for handicapped by prior arrangement.
Smoking: On the patio only. by CNB