Sunday, April 26, 2015

"Special" Event - Beliveau Winery Tasting and Tour

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the last "official" wine posting of Sir Michael Roselius of New Jersey, the First of his Name. Congrats! You've made it this far... unless you just loaded the page and this is the top post, and to you I say: start from the beginning (or else some of my references might not make sense) if you don't mind!

Beliveau Estates everybody. Just breathe it all in!*
The reason I put "official" wine posting in quotes is that my wine course at Virginia Tech is ending, and the credit I get for these posts ends today! I do hope to continue this blog; documenting my wine tastings after college and all that jazz, but this will more likely turn into a personal monologue about the greater influence wine makes on my life in the real world. I'll be sharing about all of my experiences that I have planned for the next few months, which includes my last Wine Night with my fraternity brothers this week, graduation, a trip to Vegas with Marylee's parents, a wedding, the "Great American Road Trip" that Marylee and I have planned (a 6 week trek loosely following the borders of our amazing nation), moving into an apartment in NoVa in August, a brief trip to St. Louis (maybe) with my fraternity, another wedding, my birthday, and finally settling down and starting our careers in NoVa together! So, continue if you dare, it's gunna be a wild ride, and wine will likely have its part in each of these adventures.

The room in which we did our palate-pairings
Now back to today's event: a special, spontaneous trip to Beliveau that happened only because a spot opened up as I checked the reservation website! We arrived and signed into the tasting room, and headed to a random table to find this sheet:

Details about today's wine selection
The room we tasted in was beautifully decorated, and seemed like it was versatile enough to be a wedding venue, a restaurant, or any else fancy, depending on your occasion. They even had a man playing a guitar the entire time we sat in the food-pairing room. Talk about good impressions!

Awesome guy serinading us
The wines we tasted today included a Pinot Grigio, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Red Concord dessert wine, and below are my notes on the tasting the wines alone:


Kaleidoscope 2012 - dry Pinot Grigio: On the nose, I faintly got apple aromas. First sip was peachy, and the midpalate had a highly acidic feel. The aftertaste was somewhat creamy.

Mystique 2012 - dry, oaked Chardonnay: The nose was slightly floral, and the first sip was strong with oak flavors. The midpalate reminded me of sourdough bread, and led into a grapefruit aftertaste.

Silhouette 2012 - dry, lightly oaked Cabernet Sauvignon: Smelled deeply like plums, and the first sip was bitter like cranberry juice. The midpalate was full of cherries, and had vanilla in the aftertaste.

Sweet Surrender 2013 - sweet red Concord wine: Nose was literally Welch's Grape Juice, and first sip sweetly confirmed it. The midpalate was raisin-y, and blended into a strawberry flavored aftertaste.

The tasting place settings before we dove in
The food pairings intended to expand our palates included lemon, apple, butter (and cracker), salt, and peppermint samples. Here are the notes for the flavor combinations:

With the Pinot Grigio, the lemon improved it's taste, while tha apple was gross. The salt took away the bite of the acidity, and the peppermint overpowered the wine flavor. The Chardonnay was more oakey with the lemon, and the apple made it taste more tannic and flat (bad). The butter was an interesting combination I somewhat liked, and the salt enhanced the tannins in an alright way. The Cabernet Sauvignon was smoother and tastier with the butter, and the salt made it fruity and more tannic. The Concord was deliciously sweeter with the apple, while the salt cancelled out the sweetness entirely. The butter was just a weird combination here.

From our food pairings, we learned the following general rules:
Lemon: represents acidic flavors, which is good for acidic wines, not so for sweeter wines.
Apple: represents sweet flavors that match sweet wines well, but not as much for acidic ones.
Butter: represents fat (cracker's only purpose here was to help scoop the butter), which helps balance tannins and brings out sweetness/complexity of big wines. This would signify steaks or other meats.
Salt: represents salty dishes, not good with acidic wines, sweet ones alright. Avoid heavy red wines.
Peppermint: represents strong flavors, so for a strond dish like lamb, you want a big heavy red wine.

My fellow Boyer friends tasting and learning like me!
After the tastings, there was a Q&A session, in which we found out a couple of interesting tidbits such as a list of grapes grown at the vineyard, ranging from a couple vitis labrusca to a couple white and many red vitis vinifera grapes, with a few hybrids in between. Also the last few years were rough for Virginia wines, as the cold winters have killed large chunks of vineyards across the region. Beliveau has been in business since 2012, with their first vines planted in 2009 (three-year-rule!). They use both barrels and chips to flavor their wines during storage, including French-medium-toast, American-medium-toast, and American-non-toast in their oak varieties. Lastly, Dell (the Head Chef of the winery's restaurant) gave this suggestion to a classmate's question: the best wines to pair with pizza, in his opinion, are Cabernet Francs or Zinfandels; their flavors are bold enough to match the wide variety of flavors and toppings available on the typical pizza, and enhance the red sauce flavors as well.

Bottles on bottles on bottles
While I didn't stick around for the second tasting experience at the bar, I did decide to pick up a bottle of the Sweet Surrender Concord Wine. After the tastings, we wandered the grounds through the gardens and gazebo, as well as looked at some of the vineyard plantings. While we only found a few small patches of vines, we knew this estate must be more massive than we could view based on how many varieties of grapes they grow!

This looked like the Bed and Breakfast advertised on the entrance sign
Overall, I'm grateful a couple spots opened up today, because this was one of the most fun surprise trips I've made in a long time! The entire winery was beautiful, even though the weather wasn't the best for picture taking... I guess that means we'll have to come back on a nicer day sometime!

Thanks for the palate expansion, we might come back for the graduation buffet!
Thanks for tagging along with us on this expedition, we hope you check back in again sometime! Here's Rosey Mike signing off, until our next little adventure... Cheers!


*Note: I stole this picture from their website; stupid Mike forgot to snag a picture of the entrance sign both while driving in AND leaving. Thanks again, Google!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Tasting - Madria Sangria

Name: Madria Sangria Moscato


Variety: Wine Specialty Beverage (lol?)
Region: Modesto, California
Country: United States
Year: Unlisted
Price: $5.99

Winery Review: Our Madria Sangria Moscato was inspired by warm seaside summers. A delicious blend of Moscato wine with hints of orange, peach and apple, this white sangria has the right amount of sweetness and refreshment to enliven your summer cocktails. It pairs perfectly with fun, festive gatherings on warm summer nights—or chiller nights when you dream of delicious evenings to come.

My Review: This one, despite learning afterwards that it wasn't really Sangria, was a delightful finish to wine night, and was easily downed by most of the guests. This was also the only wine I've ever seen to have a "Nutrition Facts" section on the back, or that 0% fruit juice was included in my "sweet and fruity" specialty beverage. But alas, I said no shame in any wines, so I'll stick by that.
On the nose, I definitely got the sweet, fruity vibes they were broadcasting. The first sip was sparkly, like licking a battery (I assume no liability for what you try at home), but pleasant and peachy. The midpalate was crisp and clean, like flavored water, and the aftertaste was bright with hints of citrus and melons. Overall, I would definitely recommend serving this as intramural sports refreshments, because I know I'd play better fueled with this than electrolytes (again, what you try on your own time is on you, people). I had this wine without food.

Tasting - Sheffield Cream Sherry

Name: Sheffield Cream Sherry


Variety: Dessert
Region: Modesto, California
Country: United States
Year: Unlisted
Price: $6.00

Winery Review: Sheffield Cellars produces award winning dessert wines. Our ports, sherries, and marsala are all excellent as aperitifs and are also perfect as ingredients to many of your favorite dishes.

My Review: This was the first Sherry I've ever tasted, and had no idea what to expect going in. On the nose, it smelled strong, and the first sip stung almost like liquor would. The flavors of whiskey and honey came through, and I didn't experience any reminders of grapes or even fruits like the midpalate normally does. The aftertaste was hot and bitter, and left me with an overall impression that I don't like Sherry while in the mood for wine. That said, I might have to try something more than a $6 bottle from Ghetto Kroger to make that generalization. I didn't bother with food on this one.

Tasting - Rapidan River Apple Wine

Name: Madria Sangria Moscato


Variety: Grape wine with apple juices added
Region: Leon, Virginia
Country: United States
Year: Unlisted
Price: $4.99

Winery Review: This delicious sweet wine is full of ripe Apple fruitiness. Enjoy this wine chilled with your favorite game or pork recipe. This wine also goes beautifully with baked brie.

My Review: I picked up a few of these Rapidan River fruit wines to try, mainly because they were 5 bucks a pop. On this one's nose, I sensed hints of, wait for it, APPLE, and maybe a little bit of peaches. Compared to the other apple-wine I've tried (That Stuff Tony Makes, see March 3rd post), this one smelled more like red autumn apples, compared to the green candy-like apple aromas in Tony's wine. The first sip was sweet, but surprisingly not artificial tasting, and reminded me of a cold cider. The midpalate was pale and easy, leading into a mild aftertaste that wasn't too dry or bitter. I tried this wine without food, and eagerly await the other three RR fruit wines to compare with.

Tasting - Chateau Morrisette Farmhouse Sangria

Name: Chateau Morrisette Farmhouse Sangria


Variety: Red Blend
Region: Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Country: United States
Year: Unlisted
Price: $7.99

Winery Review: Sweet blend of red wine and fruit. Serve chilled or over ice. Excellent choice for any festive occasion.

My Review: Ding ding ding! This was this winner of the night! We loved how sweet and smooth this Sangria hybrid was, and I'd chug by the jug if it were socially acceptable. On the nose, I smelled apples and, for the first time with wine; concord grapes! It reminded me of Welch's, and the midpalate was tangy and citrus-y. The fruity aftertaste was rich like those Shirley Temple drinks I used to crave, and this wine accented pretty much any cheese or meat I put near it.

Tasting - HokieBird Red

Name: HokieBird Red (Chateau Morrisette)


Variety: Red Blend
Region: Meadows of Dan, Virginia
Country: United States
Year: Unlisted
Price: $7.99

Winery Review: A smooth, semi-dry Virginia Table Wine for any Hokie occasion.

My Review: As a Hokie, this one was a must, and as a red, the flavors definitely came from the must too! #badwinejokes ......... anyways, I threw this one in when getting my ridiculous volumes of alcohol at Kroger's end-of-March-sale, which doubled the bulk wine discounts normally available, and I was pleased with my spontaneous selection! On the nose, I got rich plums and cherries, and the first sip was jammy and semi-dry. The midpalate was woody, and smoothed out over time, leading to a warm, fruity finish. I had this wine with multiple cheeses, pepperoni, and crackers.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Tasting - Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Shiraz

Name: Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Shiraz


Variety: 100% Shiraz
Region: South Australia
Country: Australia
Year: 2013
Price: $6.95

Winery Review: Our Diamond Label Shiraz is full bodied, well defined and juicy-sweet with blackberry, plum and cherry flavors influenced by the subtle richness of oak.

My Review: Finishing off the night, this fruit-packed Shiraz was straight-up blueberries off the nose. The first sip was bold with plum flavors, and the midpalate was full of tannins and spice. The aftertaste smoldered with an oakey kick, and the asiago was the only cheese noble enough to tackle this badboy. While better than Yellow Tail by a landslide, my heart was already taken by Fuego tonight.

Tasting - garnacha de Fuego

Name: garnacha de Fuego


Variety: 100% Grenache
Region: Aragon
Country: Spain
Year: 2013
Price: $8.99

Winery Review: The best vineyards of Aragon are situated high on the hillsides, 3000 ft. above sea level, where, despite the poor gravelly soil, the old gnarled vines produce the finest grapes possible in this arid, desolate region. Only the ripest clusters are chosen, thus producing a wine of considerable depth and finesse. The wine exudes intense aromas of sweet cherries and dark plums with an exotic spicy finish reminiscent of white pepper.

My Review: This was my favorite of the night! On the nose, I got black pepper and chocolate, and the first sip was explosive with cherries and currants. The midpalate was hot and sticky, and crescendoed into a glowing vanilla with hints of tobacco and spice. Consumed with cheese and pepperoni, this has been one of the best wines under $10 I've had this semester.

Tasting - Cortenova Primitivo

Name: Cortenova Primitivo


Variety: 100% Primitivo
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $9.99

Winery Review: Dark, ruby-red color with violet highlights. Intense and fragrant bouquet with a rich array of red and black fruit aromas and flavors. Harmonious and velvety on the palate. Great balance and structure. Excellent with grilled or roasted meats, game and cheeses (not on bottle; found online).

My Review: Okay, so we tasted this wine not even knowing what it was... (I hadn't read the Italy chapters in Zraly's book yet; now writing this post, I've been enlightened!) so we didn't even know the grape, or if it was sweet or anything. So, we tried it in the middle of our tasting line-up, knowing it was red and from Italy only. After some research, the label has been deciphered to find:

  • Primitivo = Zinfandel. Same grape, different growing style and terroir than Napa, though.
  • Indicazion Geografica Tipica basically means this isn't fancy wine, but it isn't jug wine either.
  • Salento (back label) is the IGT region of Italy this vineyard is in (I think? still not 100% sure).

Armed with that knowledge, our tasting notes seemed to make more sense: On the nose, there were distinct aromas of blackberry, and the first sip was strong dark fruits. The midpalate leaned from pomegranates to chili peppers, and back again. The warm aftertaste had hints of violets, and this wine was a tasty match for the pepperoni.

Tasting - Sutter Home White Merlot

Name: Sutter Home White Merlot


Variety: Unlisted
Region: Napa, California
Country: United States
Year: 2014
Price: $5.99

Winery Review: New shoes, salsa lessons, and laughing with friends. Kick up your heels with our fun, frisky White Merlot. Soft, juicy cherries mingle with fresh raspberries on the palate leading to a lush, lip-smacking finish.

My Review: On the nose, I smelled sweet strawberries, and the first sip was basically grape juice. This rosé was sugary and fruity right off the bat, and the midpalate waned into a clean, watery wine. The aftertaste was crisp, but the more I sipped the better it seemed to get; secret ingredient must be cocaine. Kidding. Anyways. I had this one without any food, and that was quite alright.

Tasting - Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc


Variety: 77% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Semillon, 3% Albariño, 4% Select White Varieties
Region: Modesto, California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $8.99

Winery Review: Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc showcases flavors of lively pink grapefruit layered with fresh tropical fruits and bright citrus with a crisp, vibrant finish.

My Review: Starting off the night, this one was a decent Sauvignon Blanc based on my limited experience. On the nose, I got hints of pineapple, and the first sip was definitely boasting grapefruits. The midpalate was light but dry leading into a metallic, fruity aftertaste, and paired with the apple-smoked Gouda, this wine doubled its appeal for everyone!

Cheese Pairings!

Special tasting event: Wine and Cheese night!

Don't mind the girl passed out on the left. She's fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine...
So tonight, in addition to the wines that follow, we had 3 cheeses and tried them alone and with the wines! Plus a bonus pepperoni pack because that spit is on. point. with the spicier red wines. Also, we had some Kroger crackers, but you get the point with those. Now, onto the good-a (gouda, get it? okay sorry, I have to keep myself sane somehow) stuff:

Name: Red Apple Cheese, Apple Smoked Gouda
Price: about $5
Notes: This one is very mild, be really tasty among all of the Gouda's I've had this semester.
Favorite wine pairing: Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc
Reasons: I always seem to favor white wines when I have milder cheeses, and I don't know if that's the right way to do things or if my palate is just whack, but either way, the dryer style of the Sauvignon Blanc really brought the smokey, complex flavors in this Gouda, and enhanced both.

Name: Private Selection Pepperjack
Price: about $5
Notes: Okay, sorry, we ate this one before I got a picture of it all pretty like the other ones, but that's because it's one of my favorite cheeses, and splitting that with friends means it's gone before I turn back around. Anyways, this one was mild as jacks ususally, are, but the little bits of peppers thrown in each bite are what made this cheese versatile.
Favorite wine pairing: garnache de Fuego
Reasons: the Grenache-and-jack cheese combo worked surprisingly well, I guess because Grenache is full of body, and the spicy peppers in mild cheese brought out more of the fruit components in it.

Name: Stella Aged Asiago
Price: about $5
Notes: Now, Asiago must be an aquired taste, and I guess I haven't really aquired it yet. This cheese pretty much overpowered everything at the table, and only the dark red wines stood a chance in battling the pungent, detritus-aromas in this dairy block.
Favorite wine pairing: Rosemount Estate Shiraz
Reasons: I guess these two went together best, but honestly, I still think the Asiago was still too much, and that a Havarti might be better suited for this wine. But well, that's just, like, my opinion, man.

Name: Private Selection Old World Pepperoni
Price: about $7
Notes: I buy this baby every wine night, and it never ceases to deliver!
Favorite wine pairing: Cortenova Primitivo
Reasons: For not even knowing what this wine was, I really did like the pepperoni mixed with it! There was something about their spiciness complimenting each other that made me eat a whole pig's worth (maybe exaggerating. probably not). This meat has increased the appeal of Chardonnays, Petit Syrahs, Zinfandels, and now Grenache, Primitivo, and Shiraz! Bravo, little private selection piggies, bravo!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Winery Visit - "Batton Hollow Winery"



Greetings wine-os, and welcome to a special edition of Mike Drinks Wine! On today's episode, we visit Batton Hollow Winery in Lost Creek, West Virginia! Now wait, doesn't that sound familiar...?

*flashback to February 22nd, 2015 posting*

Whoa! Did Mike actually follow his word? You bet your grapes he did! I called up my cousin and got around to scheduling the visit to his parent's winery, and a week later, we drive 3 hours to spend the night and see whats new!

And what is new? Summer Breeze is... they saved bottling of a few hundred bottles until we arrived so we could get in on the action. The process went something like this:

Large tank of fermented wine on the left, bottle trough on the right (see below for details)
  • Suck on the end of a short hose leading out of the bottom of large steel drum full of fermented wine to begin the siphon suction, and redirect the hose into a trough.
  • From the trough, three bottle-taps were available, and you'd just push on the tap to let the wine pour into the bottle, shutting it off right before the lip and passing the bottle to the next station.
  • Next came the corking, and this is where I jumped in; you take the bottle and line it up on this big mechanical press. Then, you drop a cork into the top hole and push down the lever forcing the cork down a precise distance into the bottle.
  • After that, you dry the bottle off with a rag and slap a label on it with their sticker machine.
  • Finally, you put a loose foil wrap over the cork and stick it in what I can only describe as an Easy-Bake Oven, that shrinks the foil down over the lip. The total time for each bottle was about 1-2 minutes depending how efficient each station was.
  • We had my 4-year-old baby cousins manning some of the stations, so it was more about enjoying it than efficiency haha.
Punching in the corks in the bottling process
This was the last of their sweet white wine named "Summer Breeze", and tasting it fresh from the tank was one of the most delicious fruity white wines I've had. After the bottling, they showed us around the fermenting section of the winery.

They were at various levels of fermentation for each of their wines
We learned about the fermentation and aging process, and how differences in temperatures can play a big role in the end product of the wine. Almost all of the wines were housed entirely in steel tanks, but they were testing a special varietal named "Classic Red" in the oak barrel seen on the right.

Oak barrel used for aging one of their bestselling wines: Classic Red
All of their wines took about 6 months from receiving the grapes to bottling the wine, and most of their grape juice is imported from local growers. They do have a vineyard in the back, but it was planted last year, and as we learned, vines usually take at least 3 years before they're ready to start producing wine-grapes.
Tasting room art painted by none other than my own cousin; Beth Roselius!
Next we headed into the tasting room to try out the fruits of their labor (lol), in which the walls and the canvases were hand-painted by my cousin! I tasted the Vidal Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Summer Breeze, Chardonel, Riesling, Rustic Red, and Classic Red (from the bottle, the steel tank, and the oak barrel!), and was impressed and delighted be each one!
Me and the Miss leaving the Winery. Can't wait to go back and see the changes!
Overall, it was an amazing weekend, I'm glad we were able to go and see the bottling! They have huge plans for growth with separating the tasting room from the fermentation garage, and possibly creating a little Bed-and-Breakfast sort of deal. I ended up buying a whole case and can't wait to share the love with my close wine friends back in the 'Burg.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Tasting - Fat Cat Chardonnay

Name: Fat Cat Chardonnay


Variety: Unlisted
Region: Napa, California
Country: United States
Year: 2012
Price: $9.99

Winery Review: Bright and crisp as a bebop band, our straw-colored Chardonnay is in perfect harmony with fresh fruit flavors, hints of vanilla and butterscotch, and delicate apple and peach finish notes. You dig?

My Review: This Chardonnay was immediately better than the last one, but that's not saying much... It smelled like jasmine, and the first sip was crisp and citrus-y. I got peaches in the midpalate, and the fruit flavors were strong through the aftertaste. I guess Chardonnay just isn't my thing, as it still smelled kinda rank, despite the cheeses and meats.

Tasting - Rex Goliath Chardonnay

Name: Rex Goliath Chardonnay


Variety: "Mostly Chardonnay"
Region: California
Country: United States
Year: 2013
Price: $4.99

Winery Review: Rex Goliath Chardonnay is a true sun-kissed Chardonnay with bold aromas of apple and pear, combined with the classic spices of Grandma's apple pie. Tropical fruit, pineapple and melon flavors combine with well-integrated layers of crème brûlée and a smattering of vanilla.

My Review: Blegh. From nose to finish, this wine was just gross. It smelled like cat pee, and the first sip was very similar. The midpalate was flowery, but somewhat dry, and the aftertaste just felt spoiled. The sharp cheeses and pepperoni helped this wine a bit, but not enough to keep me from pouring it out.