Festival - Blacksburg Fork & Cork

Blacksburg Fork & Cork 2013

Tyler, me, and Liesa

A. Wine Tastings

1. 2010 Savoy-Lee Seyval Blanc

    Varietal: Seyval Blanc

    Price: $19

    Winery Review: Crisp, white wine that is great for any time. Seyval blanc is a fruity and dry wine with a slight citrus twinge of lemon and grapefruit.
    Personal Review: This wine had a very nice crispness to it. There was a tart component that balanced particularly well by the fruity overtones. While not particularly complex, this was an enjoyable wine that I found very easy to drink.

2. 2010 Savoy-Lee Chardonnay

    Varietal: Chardonnay

    Price: $20

    Winery Review: Attractive, light straw-yellow color. Complex, elegant and woody nosed, with hints of pineapple nuances. This wine is well-married with honey and toasty notes.

    Personal Review: This Chardonnay had a distinctly buttery nose with tropical whiffs. It managed to maintain a nice oaky component without being heavy. On the palate it was smooth, and the finish carried some hints of honey.

3. 2006 Savoy-Lee Johnson Mountain White

    Varietal: Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay

    Price: $19

    Winery Review: This blend of Cabernet Franc & Chardonnay is unique. The wine has a light smokey opening and then moves into a candied caramel apple center and then has a sustained honeyed finish. Pairs well with Shrimp, Seafood, and Sushi.

    Personal Review: The powerful aroma of this wine put me off immediately. It filled my nostrils with a pungent odor similar to rotten wood burning. This smell completely coated the glass, and I feel that it ruined the rest of the Savoy-Lee tastings because I could not get it out of my nose. On the palate, though, this wine was much less unpleasant than on the nose. It had a very mouth-filling structure and just a hint of sweetness.

4. 2006 Savoy-Lee Johnson Mountain Picnic Red

    Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc

    Price: $15

    Winery Review: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon & Cabernet Franc is a wonderful, fruity, light red wine! It is terrific, chilled and served with light fare on a hot day-a great patio wine!

    Personal Review: While not overly red in color, this wine was still rather full-bodied and full of flavor. However, its flavor profile would probably be best suited for someone who likes New World-style reds due to it's minimal earthiness and very fruit-forward nature.

5. 2006 Savoy-Lee Cabernet Franc

    Varietal: Cabernet Franc

    Price:$20

    Winery Review: Rich and full bodied with a subtle nuance of dark cherries.

    Personal Review: This wine had an oaky nose with a small berry component. The oakiness was also present on the palate. I have found that many Virginia Cabernet Francs are well balanced and rich, and this one was no exception. Along with cherry, there were also herbal undertones.

6. 2011 Fincastle Vineyard & Winery Traminette

    Varietal: Traminette

    Price: ~ $20

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

    Personal Review: The bouquet on this sweet white was positively colorful with hints of a wide variety of flora and fruit. Although sweet, this wine maintains a light composition and avoids the syrupy texture a lesser quality wine might have developed.

7. 2010 Fincastle Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

    Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon

    Price: ~ $20

    Winery Review: Our Cabernet Sauvignon is a full bodied dry red aged 2 years in American oak, with cherry and black currant notes.

    Personal Review: I found this wine to be decent. The aromas coming off this wine were actually quite nice; they were fruity but definitely had vegetal hints. It had a nice vanilla component that melded well with the notes of fruit. However, the fullness of this wine left something to be desired.  

B. At least 1 food and wine pairing description on top of the 7 wines. You gotta eat while you’re there right? Describe the wine on its own and how it tastes with the food you’re having.

2010 Fincastle Vineyard & Winery Cabernet Franc

On its own, this wine sported berry and mineral notes on the nose. It was full-bodied and featured a rich texture complimented by well-balanced acidity and a little spice on the finish. When paired with a spaghetti, chicken parmigiana and lasagna dish covered in red meat sauce, I couldn't decide if the wine was making the food better or the food was making the wine better, but magic was being made. As I was eating, the wine produced a mouth-filling sensation that wrapped my taste buds with warm tannic feeling. The berry and mineral components mellowed a bit, but the acidity cut through the thick meat sauce and brought out more of the chicken and cheese flavors that had previously been drowned with sauce.

Tara and me

D. Finally - what was your favorite wine of the day and why?

My favorite wine of the day was, without a doubt, Hill Top Winery's Cranberry Table Wine. It did not involve grapes in any sense, and it was my first experience with fruit wine. My favorite part of the wine, besides the overall taste, was the experience of drinking this wine. The first sip was a massive rush of cranberry tartness. It was as if a giant cranberry had just landed a haymaker right on my mouth. With that out of the way, the second sip yielded more sweet and subtle cranberry flavors that caressed my tongue and put me in a berry nirvana. While the cranberry flavor of this wine is big, big, BIG and the original tartness is enough to knock your teeth out, I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and purchased a bottle to take home with me.

Lindsay and me