3rd Annual Fauquier County Wine Tasting and Competition

From the Program for the
3rd Annual Fauquier County Wine Tasting
and Competition

For the second year in a row, we attended the now 3rd Annual Fauquier County Wine Tasting and Competition held at the beautiful Airlie Hotel and Conference Center in Warrenton, Virginia.

The Food in the Upper Ballroom

It was a beautiful mid-Springlike day at the end of February and the drive from near Baltimore was easy. 

Like last year, the venue is superb with two floors of the conference center devoted to the tastings. Coupled with two timed sessions, the crowd size is manageable and it was easy to visit the tables of each vendor and converse with the winemaker about their wines and experiences. 

Desert Rose Ranch & Winery
Uncork the Cure

The light food fare and music on each floor add to the ambiance and made for an enjoyable early afternoon. We attended the 12:30 -3:00 PM session. 

A nice selection of Fauquier County wineries and one cidery were represented. The wines showcased some of the best produced in Fauquier County. 

The wineries and cidery competing in the competition this year:

Anterra Wines
Aspen Dale Winery at the Barns
Barrel Oak Winery
Blue Valley Vineyard
Chateau O'Brien Winery
Cobbler Mountain Cellars
Desert Rose Ranch & Winery
Molon Lave Vineyards
Mountain Run Winery
Naked Mountain Vineyard
Narmada Winery
Pearmund Cellars
Philip Carter Winery
Vint Hill Craft Winery

One winery participated in the event, but did not have any wines in the competition: 

Effingham Manor Winery

The exciting part of the day was voting for our favorite red and white wines.

Limited Reserve Tannat
Chateau O'Brien
2011 Vintage Pictured

Our favorite white was Uncork the Cure a white blend from Desert Rose Ranch & Winery. With a price point of $22 this newly released wine, complete with a donation to a cancer society to be determined was light, bright and with good mineralogy and acidity.

The favorite red was the 2012 Limited Reserve Tannat from Chateau O'Brien. With a price point of $79, it is definitely not an everyday drinking wine. The wine was deep and dark. No light escaped. The layers of black fruit flavors rolled over the tongue with a silky texture and it had a nice long finish. 

As we write this, we have been unable to determine which wines actually won the competition. Hopefully they will be posted to the Facebook page soon.

We highly recommend this event and will definitely plan on attending the 4th Annual event next year.

-- Bob and Chris Doan, Elkridge, MD