Whispering Angel

Whispering Angel

Chris and I attended a wine tasting recently of Whispering Angel, a rosé from France. It was held at the Jupiter Grill and we went with friends.

Whispering Angel is a rosé wine from the Côtes de Provence AOC in Provence, France. It is produced by Chateau d'Esclans, which is majority owned by LVMH. It is credited with reviving interest in rosé wine. It is priced expensively for a rosé to create the perception of a premium product. (Wikipedia)

Dishwasher After and Before
Whispering Angel Plastic Glasses

The venue was nicely prepared, but I believe they underestimated the crowd even though tickets were purchased in advance. Our tasting included two glasses (yes, 5 oz pours) of Whispering Angel and a discussion of the history of the wine and winemaker. 

There were a few nice gifts including some plastic wine glasses with the name Whispering Angel on them. Fortunately, we tasted from very nice glasses and not the plastic beach/pool give aways. As it turned out, the plastic glasses were not dishwasher safe. They are for show and not use.

The wine was tasting very nicely and it was paired with a couple of enjoyable munchies. Whispering Angel used to be Chris' favorite rosé, but due to its popularity the price has risen to a premium price point. Despite the price, it remains a very enjoyable wine and is suitable for many meals. It is especially nice here in Florida as it  helps to beat the oppressive heat.

I recommend trying Whispering Angel if you haven to done so. Be careful of the price. I have seen it in stores recently ranging from $18 (Costco) to $25 (Publix). 

I applaud the Jupiter Grill for this inaugural tasting event and am looking forward to future offerings.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

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

Finding Consensus

Cindy Schornberg Holding the
Virginia Governor's Cup for the Best Wine in Virginia for 2016

The time for the annual trek to Keswick Vineyards to compete in the 2015 Consensus blending event arrived last weekend. Our intrepid team gathered at the vineyard during Saturday's late morning hours to blend an award winning wine. You may be wondering why it is the 2015 Consensus blending event and not the 2016? Because the wine will be a 2015 vintage.

Steven Barnard the Winemaker
Helping the Teams

Blending wines from raw material is both a fun and sometimes frustrating experience. This year's selections were all 2015 wines from Keswick and consisted of Merlot, Chambourcin, Touriga, and Norton. There were limits, however, the final blend could contain no more than 20 percent Chambourcin and 25 percent Norton. The Merlot and Touriga were unlimited.

There were 11 teams competing on the last day of the six days of competition. The winning wine of the day will compete against the other five daily winners to become Keswick Vineyards 2015 Consensus Wine.

Our Team

Of course, the first requirement of blending is to taste and describe the raw ingredients. Each of the wines were tasted and our team assessed its strengths and weaknesses. As a group, all of the wines this year had good color--and obtaining a nice, deep color was not a problem as it had been in other years.

The Formula Sheet

The next decision was what to use for the base. Our team decided upon the Merlot and based upon the flavors we decided to use Chambourcin to help improve the Merlot. These wines together were a bit acidic and we added Touriga for balance and some Norton at the end to increase the whole mouth experience. The team's final blend, after only two hours of blending was 77% Merlot, 15% Chambourcin, 6% Touriga, and 2% Norton. I know the image would suggest that a different blend was the final winner, but that was a final check before deciding to go with an earlier blend.

The team took a slight detour and worked with a Touriga base for a couple of blends, but decided that the Merlot based wine was a better approach.

Our Team in the Barrel Room

Our final blend was very nice. It was a medium-bodied wine with a light fruity nose showing hints of summer berries and contrasted by some smokiness and cherries on the tongue. It had a persistent finish and a well balanced full-mouth feel. It was bit acidic but there were some mild tannins supporting the experience. This was not a wine to be cellared for many years, but to be enjoyed tomorrow, although a year or two in the bottle would have certainly helped it all blend together. We liked it.

Suffice it to say, our wine did not win the competition as we had hoped. A Touriga-based wine was the winner of the blind competition. The winner was very dark and full-bodied with the ability to be cellared for a few years. Interestingly, the winner was our teams lowest rated wine.

On this Saturday, our team was reminded that creating a wine that we like is no assurance that others will appreciate it.

While we did not win the day, we had a lot of fun being together and continuing to expand our knowledge of wine making.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD


Cross post from A Bob's Life

Fauquier County Wine Tasting & Competition

We attended the 2nd Annual Fauquier County Wine Tasting and Competition at the end of February 2016. 

Program and Tasting Notes
February 27, 2016

The tasting and competition was hosted in the beautiful estate Airlie in Warrenton, Virginia.  All of the wines represented were from within Fauquier County, Virginia. The drive from the Baltimore area was pleasant and fast for a late Winter's Saturday morning. The estate grounds were beautiful even though Spring had not yet arrived. 

Pearmund Display and Munchies

Once we arrived and joined our friends who were already there, we enjoyed wines from 15 vineyards--one of which had not yet opened for business. We were impressed at the number of winemakers and owners who where there to discuss their wines and philosophy about winemaking. We especially enjoy talking to the wine makers about the wines and the challenges they overcame to create the finished product. Wine making is so much more than growing and picking grapes and putting juice in a bottle. Too many people forget the elements involved include the wildcard in all of it--the weather.

And the winner? Virginia wines were the winners. These wines represent some of the finest wines in all of Virginia and more than one wine had won a medal in the Virginia Governor's Cup competition. 


The tasting was a simple format--walk around and taste the offerings from the vineyards and vote for the best red and best white. 

The offerings were great. Each table offered at least two and often three or four wines to sample. The crowd control, with timed entry made the tasting manageable and Airlie provided ample and sumptuous munchies which paired with the wines.

The wineries and vineyards that were represented at the tasting and competition this year were:

Barrel Oak Winery
Blue Valley Vineyards
Cobbler Mountain Cellars
Desert Rose Ranch & Winery
Naked Mountain Vineyard
Fox Meadow Winery
Granite Heights Winery
Grey Horse Vineyards
Molon Lave Vineyards
Morais Vineyards

Effingham Manor Winery (Opening Spring 2016)
Narmada Winery
Pearmund Cellars
Philip Carter Winery
Vint Hill Craft Winery

Why did we list the wineries? Because they provide easy access from the Baltimore-Washington, DC, area and spending a day or two visiting them is definitely worthwhile. As always, check the websites in advance for times and instructions.

Enjoy visiting Virginia wineries and vineyards!

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

December Evening

Keswick Vineyards 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon
Estate Reserve

Mid-December in Maryland is supposed to be cold, frosty, and a hint of snow.

December 2015 has been markedly different. The temperatures have been very warm--almost balmy!

Chris and I  pulled a nice Keswick Vineyards 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve and sat on the back deck to enjoy the evening. Yes, enjoy the evening in Maryland on the deck during December. I wrote that. If I had been in Key West or somewhere south of the equator, this would not be much of a story--but I was in the Northeastern United States.

We had a fire roaring in the fire table, but we didn't need it. It was warm and the wine was fantastic! This particular wine is complex and enjoyable from the first sip to the last. The vanilla added a nice rounding to the flavors.

There is something really that makes almost any wine better when it is enjoyed in an unexpected setting. Sitting on the deck, during December when it is supposed to be too cold to do almost anything outside would be that unexpected setting. 

It was a perfect evening and the wine made everything that much better.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

WineFest at St. Michael's 2015

Wine Tents at St Michael's

During the last weekend of April, we attended the WineFest at St Michael's, Maryland. It had been a few years since we last visited the beautiful town on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to enjoy a weekend of wine and education. 

We were not disappointed. The WineFest has grown significantly from its prior iteration of two large tents in a park along the harbor into a city-wide event. The growth allows for those attending to be able to enjoy the beauty of the town and the offerings of the local merchants along with a days of wine tasting and education. 

Some observations:

The parking plan works! The bus service is convenient, but the venues are close enough that we walked everywhere. 

The tents, especially at the larger venues, get very busy on Saturday afternoon. If you can, plan to spend the additional day, Sunday, and enjoy smaller crowds.

Chris in a Wine Venue at St Michael's

The smartphone application is good. It could be improved by incorporating an ordering service to avoid having to stand in line and place wine orders in each tent.

A centralized pick-up service for wine would be an improvement. This could be a crime through affair where the wines are pulled and ready when people pull up.

The town is beautiful and definitely worth one or two days to explore and enjoy wines.

Don't miss the Maryland wines!

Take time to talk to the vendors. They have a lot of great information about the wines and the regions they come from. The time spent at the fest should be educational as well as enjoyable. 

RECOMMENDATION: This is a great event to sample a large variety of wines and find a new favorite or expand the palate. It is fun and the great value for the price.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wine for the Holiday Gathering

Holiday time is upon us and with it comes the inevitable decision associated with which wines to serve.

There are multiple opportunities to serve wine during the holiday season, whether for meals or social gatherings with friends and family. Each opportunity presents its own special challenges. 

Wines are deeply personal. Each person has their own favorites and even among my wine drinking friends, although we generally enjoy similar wines, we have different likes.

For the holiday gathering I recommend a solid middle of the road white--a Viognier, a Pinot Gris, and maybe a Muscat with a bit of fizz in it. My specific recommendations are:

2011 King Family Viognier - $24
2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris - $14
2012 Semi Sparkling Muscat Frizzante Tualatin Estate - $15

On the red side, offer a dark red, shiraz or cabernet sauvignon and a lighter red like a cabernet franc or a pinot noir. 

2013 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir  - $22
2013 F Stephen Miller Shiraz Angel Reserve - $11
2013 King Family Vineyards Cabernet Franc - $24
2011 Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon - $13

Keep the prices moderate and figure four glasses per person--you should have enough for the evening that way. Remember, each bottle contains five five ounce glasses of wine. Most people pour heavy resulting in six or seven ounce pours.

Most importantly, though, have fun and enjoy the wine!

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD

St Michaels Food and Wine Weekend - 2008

Food and wine weekend. What a fantastic idea. A get away to a bed and breakfast coupled with some great food and wine. Wow. We have been having a lot of fun sampling wines and talking to distributors.

The weather on Friday and Saturday was absolutely delightful. Today, it is a bit cooler and gray. But we have been lucky to be able to attend all three days of the festival.

The festival is great. We were there with friends. One of the highlights has been the B&B: Wade's Point Inn. A beautiful place right on the bay. I highly recommend it if you are planning a weekend get away. We enjoyed two fabulous nights at the Inn.

Dinner last night was at 208 Talbot. A very high end dinner which was nicely done. Although a bit more than just a night out dinner, it was worth the price to be reminded about classic and gourmet prepared dishes.

We have been having fun. I am just amazed at what I learned about wines and soils and growing conditions. And how to begin to identify different types of wines and then where in the world the grapes were grown. I found a new appreciation for Pinot Noir form Oregon. I was not a huge fan of Pinot Noir before the weekend, but I found the Oregon Pinot Noir very appealing. I especially was impressed with the Willamette Valley Vinyards and highly recommend their Pinot Noir.

We had a great time and I am already looking forward to next year.