Eastern Gourmands VA Wineries Rally (6/8-12/2008)

This was the 1st rally that we have attended with the Eastern Gourmands, a relatively new FMCA Chapter. We camped at the Misty Mountain Campground http://www.mistycamp.com/ in Crozet, VA (near Charlottesville). We visited 8 different wineries and had wine tasting at all of them and went on winery tours at several of them. We really learned alot about how wine is made.

Kluge Estate Winery and Vinyard

On Monday, we visited the Kluge Estate Winery and Vinyard http://www.klugeestateonline.com/ where Chuck and I shared a flight of 6 different wines and shared a platter of 6 different cheeses with Larry & Mem Halstead, each complemented the 6 different wines that we were tasting.

Kluge Winery Tasting (Larry & Mem Halstead and Chuck)

Flight of 6 wines with cheese pairings (we started with the cheese to the right of the apricots):

*Kluge Estate SP Blanc de Blancs 2004 - Ripe apple and pear flavor with Prima Donna Cheese - Netherland Cow Hard Cheese
*Albemarle Viognier 2006 - Floral and mature exotic fruits flavor with Camembert Cheese - U.S. Cow Soft Cheese (Very Good Cheese)
*Albemarle Rose 2006 - Floral, fresh berries, white peach, cherry and raspberry notes and delicate licorice, vanilla and roast almond accents with Piave Cheese - Italy Cow Hard Cheese (Very Good Wine)
*Albemarle Simply Red 2004 - Bordeaux-style red blend with velvety tannins with Humboldt Fog Cheese - U.S. Goat Soft Cheese (lemony taste)
*Kluge Estate New World Red 2004 - Bordeaux-style, ruby red, full-bodied and spicy with Idiazabel Cheese - Spain Sheep Semi-Firm (Very Good Wine)
*Kluge Estate Cru, Aperitif - refreshing with pear, white peach, and citrus flavors with Smokey Oregon Blue Cheese - U.S. Cow Blue (smokey flavor) (Very Very Good Wine)

Michie Tavern

We ate lunch at the Ordinary at the Michie Tavern http://www.michietavern.com/ nearby. This Tavern was built about 1784 and is near Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. They serve fried chicken, stewed tomatoes, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes and gravy and corn bread--yum!

Jefferson Vineyards

After lunch, we toured the Jefferson Vineyards Winery http://www.jeffersonvineyards.com/ where we watched a contract bottling company bottle, label and box their wine. After, we tasted about 6 different wines. My favorite was their Viognier '07. All of the wineries said that 2007 was a very good year for growing grapes in Virginia--it was very dry and HOT! Viognier is a dry white wine with aromas of honeysuckle, apricot and pineapple.

The day ended with Happy Hour and grilled chicken, portabella mushrooms, baked beans and hamburgers cooked on the grill.