Wine Event- Fork and Cork, Blacksburg, VA

Fork and Cork! The ultimate event to end a semester of wine tasting! With 23 wineries in attendance, there was more than enough wine to try. Every winery was from Virginia, so instead of taking a four hour drive up to Loudon County, I could taste wine from North Gate Vineyard, right in my backyard. The only downside? The lines! I spent four hours at this event and I'm pretty sure 85% of it was spent in line waiting.  

Waiting and Waiting. 

And more waiting. 

My "I'm tired of waiting! So sunny!" Selfie

Below is a list of my reviews of seven wines from seven different vineyards:

Ramulose Ridge Winery, Chardonel, $14

Varietal: Seyval Blanc and Chardonnay Blend

Winery Review: Smooth crisp citrus and minerality dominate this white, adding light toasty notes to the slightly acidic finish.

My Review:  This wine was much too sweet for me. The nose had hints of vanilla, citrus and oak. The overall flavor of this wine was vanilla. The finish was full of sugar! I would not try this wine again. 

Beliveau Estate Winery, Silhouette, $20

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

Winery Review:  This dry lightly oaked Cabernet Sauvignon is medium-bodied with a mellow blend of berry flavors.

My Review: This wine was not very bold. The nose had hints of cherry and the body had a medium weight. The finish was very light with minimal pepper and acidity. I did not care that much for the wine. I would have preferred a bolder wine. 

Lazy Days Winery, Sweet Lazy Days White Wine (Peach), $18

Varietal: Peach (A fruit wine!)

Winery Review: Sweet peaches! This peach wine is peach at its finest! Mildly sweet with a crisp finish, this wine feels like summer is here!

My Review: This wine smelled like peaches, tasted like peaches and finished like peaches. I might as well have been eating a peach, a very sweet peach covered in sugar. While I like peaches, there was something a bit too sweet about this wine. I think this wine would be a great base for sangria and would love to try it as such. 

Lexington Valley Vineyard, 2010 Norton, $18

Varietal: Norton (A grape native to Virginia!)

Winery Review: Tired of wimpy red wines?  This original Virginia varietal has a great taste with black cherry flavors and complimentary tannins for a truly satisfying glass of real wine.  Try Norton with chocolate, wow!  Also pairs with a juicy steak, lamb, game meats and sharp cheddar.

My Review: This wine was really a surprise. When wineries say that you will taste chocolate in a wine, I always think they mean, "If you use your imagination, you can taste chocolate in this wine." I really did smell and taste chocolate in this wine. Coffee, licorice and blood were also components I tasted in this wine. I really enjoyed this wine and would love to taste it with steak. 

 Vincent's Vineyard, Cabernet Franc, $16

Varietal: Cabernet Franc

Winery Review: A slightly oaked dry red wine. The full bodied wine has rich flavors of black cherry and plum complimented by elegant armoas of toasted oak.

My Review: The nose on this wine was bold and it had notes of cherry and oak. The mouth feel was very enjoyable and the overall taste was smokey. The finish on this wine had just enough pepper and acid. I really enjoyed this wine.  

Fincastle Vineyard and Winery, Traminette, $18

Varietal: Sevyl and Gewürztraminer Blend

Winery Review: Sweet white with intense floral aromas of honeysuckle, violets, and roses.

Traminette is a cross of the French American hybrid Joannes Seyve and the German Vitis vinifera cultivar Gewürztraminer made by Herb C. Barrett ca. 1965 at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. His intention was to produce a large clustered table grape with the flavor of Gewürztraminer. Traminette was found to have excellent wine quality, combined with good productivity, partial resistance to several fungal diseases, and cold hardiness superior to its acclaimed parent, Gewürztraminer, while retaining a similar character.

My Review: The nose on this wine was very sweet and floral. It seemed to smell overwhelmingly like fruity candy and sugar. The finish on this wine was overly sweet. I felt like this wine left my teeth were coated with sugar. I would not try this wine again. 

Peaks of Otter Winery, Kiss the Devil, $15

Varietal: 30 Peppers including Ghost Pepper

  

Winery Review: Better for tasting than for basting. 

My Review: The nose on this wine could have burnt your nose hairs off. Pepper were present in the nose, the body and the finish. This wine burned all the way to the water cooler. Why the hell would anyone use this for a tasting line up? They said they would give you a chaser, but it was just more wine. A real chaser would be milk or the cheese whiz they gave us with their 'Chili Dawg' wine. I would only try this wine again if it was in food. This wine would be great to mix in chili. 

Since the event is FORK and Cork, I had to have some food while I was there. My meal was a BBQ sandwich with chips from Bull and Bones. I had a glass of Johnson Mountain Dry White wine from Savoy-Lee Winery with my meal. (Yes, I know. Red meat and white wine, such a no no!) The wine on its own was very acidic and had hints of melon. When I tried the wine with food, it became less acidic and rather sweet. Before food the wine was similar to acidic salty citrus melon. With food the wine tasted like sweet honeydew melon and was much more refreshing. The salt I originally tasted in the wine was replaced by the salt in the food. I really enjoyed this summertime meal! 

After I took the first bite...

My favorite wine that I tried at Fork and Cork was the Cabernet Franc from Vincent's Vineyard. It was one of the few bold red wines at the winery. It was not sweet and for this I enjoyed it. The tannin and acid balance was perfect! The overall taste of cherry and oak were magnificent! This wine was definitely one of the best wines at the festival. 

Lukas, the boyfriend, and me before we were too sun burnt. 

A Glass of Sangria to Cool Off!

Look who was doing the Sniff and Swirl!

Tasting- Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Region: Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2012
Price: $33

Winery review: The 2012 vintage has yielded a lush and appealing expression of Decoy Cabernet with alluring black cherry and raspberry jam aromas, as well as more subtle notes of nutmeg, spice and chocolate. On the palate, lovely layers of raspberry and plum are supported by excellent structure and seamlessly integrated oak.

My review: This wine had a very sweet nose with hints of strawberry licorice. The overall taste of this wine was licorice and plum. The finish of the wine was EXTREMELY dry. If I try this wine again, I would like to try it with cheese, to ward off the dry finish.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Decoy Napa Red

Name: Decoy Napa Red
Variety: 47% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot
Region: Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $33

Winery review: The 2011 vintage yielded a supple expression of our Decoy Red Wine with abundant layers of dark fruit and well-developed tannins. On the nose, layers of blackberry and blueberry mingle with hints of herbs and black olives. The rich fruit notes continue on the palate, and lead to a long, structured finish.

My review: This wine was like strawberry flavored water. It was too light in flavor and mouthfeel. The finish did not help my opinion of the wine. Small hints of pepper on the end did not create enough of a finish for me. I would not try this wine again.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Decoy Merlot

Name: Decoy Merlot
Variety: 85% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc
Region: Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $33

Winery review: Aromas of strawberry compote, plum and cherry wood are supported by hints of clove and cinnamon from the well-integrated oak. The red fruit continues on the palate with layers of fresh strawberry and raspberry. Bright acid lengthens the finish, which concludes with soft, mature tannins.

My review: The nose on this wine made me feel like I needed to sneeze despite the high intensity of strawberry scent. The mouthfeel of this wine was enjoyable. It was high in tannins and had a medium weight. The finish was short and very dry.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Urban Tinta del Pais Ribera del Duero

Name: Urban Tinta del Pais Ribera del Duero
Variety: Tempranillo
Region: Ribera del Duero
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $15

Winery review: The 2009 Urbana Ribera, from what looks to be a great vintage, was aged in French oak for 4 months. Deep purple in color with an inviting perfume of violets, Asian spices, black cherry, and blackberry, on the palate it is layered, plush, and intense. While likely to evolve for 1-2 years, this outstanding value can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-6 years.

My review: I did not enjoy this wine. It was too oaky and acidic for my taste. The mouth feel was too light for all the flavor in this wine. The overall flavor was just oak. I would not try this wine again.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Decoy Pinot Noir

Name: Decoy Pinot Noir
Variety: Pinot Noir
Region: Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $33

Winery review: Lovely aromas of ripe strawberry and raspberry, as well as subtle notes of sandalwood and spice. On the palate, it is elegantly structured with abundant red fruit, excellent mid-palate weight and lingering finish with a hint of fresh Earth.

My review: This wine was enjoyable. The nose had hints of ash and plum. Overall the wine was a bit too acidic and burned my mouth some. The finish was peppery and had a fair amount of tannin feel. I somewhat enjoyed this wine. It's not something that I would buy but its also not something I would turn down.

I tried this wine without food.

Tasting- Decoy Chardonnay

Name: Decoy Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Sonoma, California
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Price: $28

Winery review: This fresh and attractive wine displays aromas of whiteflowers, green apple with hints of exotic grapefruit, guava, flint, and wet stone. There is great flavor impact on the palate with fresh and lively acidity, it is ideal for youthful enjoyment.

My review: I did not care for this wine. It smelled like a fireplace and tasted like one too. I feel like it was too heavily oaked and that is NOT a taste that I go for. Overall the wine just tasted like ashes, which makes me think of cremation, which makes me think of death. Death is not something I think people should be thinking about while drinking. I would not try this wine again.

I tried this wine without food.