If you haven’t yet explored Virginia wine, getting started can be a bit tricky. With more than 250 wineries, it helps to start with a few reputable wineries. I recently tasted through a few wines from two Virginia wineries I think produce consistently good wines.

Stinson Vineyards produces some Monticello AVA fruit and source grapes from other areas. The father-daughter duo (Scott and Rachel Stinson) control about seven acres of estate vineyards, planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tannat. The wines are clean, vibrant, accessible, and I’ve noticed a strong consistency from vintage to vintage, something that can be especially difficult in Virginia.

Speaking of Virginia’s notoriously variable vintage conditions, during a recent online chat, Keswick’s winemaker and vineyard manager Stephen Barnard said, “The only consistency is that next year’s going to be different.” From frost to spats of torrential rain to heat spikes to looming destruction from tropical systems, Virginia winegrowers don’t have it easy. But he and other Virginia winemaker’s got a bit of a break in the exceptional 2015 vintage. A lot of reds are yet to hit the market, but based on the whites I’ve tasted and what I’ve heard from Virginia vintners, this is a vintage to check out.

Barnard, originally from South Africa, has been working with Virginia wines for about 15 years, the last 10 of which he’s spent at Keswick, garnering acclaim and doing his part to elevate the reputation of Virginia wine. Keswick has won awards at the annual Virginia Governor’s Cup wine competition several times, including their 2014 Cabernet Franc Reserve (included in this tasting), which won the 2016 Cup.

For a full re-cap on the 2016 Virginia Governor’s Cup winners, you can read my report here.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Stinson Vineyards is one of many small Virginia producers deserving some attention. For a handful of years now, Stinson has been putting out a bunch of exciting bottles that will challenge your conceptions about Virginia wine.

The wines are made by Rachel Stinson, who was interviewed here on Terroirist. “My ultimate goal is to make good, clean, commercially viable wine,” Rachel said. I think that’s a great way to describe them.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Each week, as regular readers know, we pose a series of questions to a winemaker. This week, we’re featuring Rachel Stinson of Stinson Vineyards.

Located in foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Stinson Vineyards traces its origins to 2009. That year, Scott and his wife Martha were searching for a change of pace from their hectic lives in Washington, D.C., so began looking for property in rural Virginia.

When they found a 12-acre parcel in a small town west of Charlottesville — complete with a historic, 220-year-old home and a long-neglected vineyard — they bit, and soon decided to build a winery.

Scott is an architect, so he quickly got to work in converting the property to a boutique winery. Rachel soon joined the family operation, moving to Virginia from New York City, where she had been working as a photo editor.

Having tasted (and been impressed with) the wines from Stinson, this is certainly an operation worth keeping an eye on.

Check out our interview with Rachel below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t believe it’s July. This summer is speeding past, but I’m making plans to take advantage of the weather and time with friends and family. I wish you all a great summer break, wherever and whenever you find it. And as the Fourth of July approaches, it’s a good time to highlight some diverse wines from all across America.

Long-time readers know I’m a big Virginia wine fan, and recently wrote about the Governor’s Cup winners. I’m back with a producer I’ve talked about before, and will do again, because they’re great: Stinson Vineyards. They make some Virginia gems and are not afraid to experiment, from Tannat rosé to skin-ferment Rkatsiteli, I find anything with their label worth buying.

From sea to shining sea on the West Coast, I have some delightfully zippy and coastal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Fort Ross Seaview Winery that brings serious value to the table. And Fiddlehead Cellars has two seriously complex summer-friendly wines from the Central Coast.

Napa’s Newton comes out swinging with some heavy hitters. Their unfiltered Chardonnay is a regional classic. And the single vineyard Cabernets do an incredible job of showcasing the diversity of Napa regions through their different properties. Taken together, these wines represent a celebration of Napa Cabernet and the varied, exquisite sites where it thrives. The 2019 and 2018 vintages are both singing, and these elegant Cabs would make great gifts or cellar stockers.

From the sun-roasted, high elevation Sonoran Desert comes Aridus, an Arizona-based winery that puts out solid Southwest wines at very reasonable prices. I’m a huge fan of Arizona wines, and this producer offers a nice intro into the state’s industry.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted.

California Read the rest of this entry »

Here in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic, it is a scorcher of a weekend. Heat, humidity, summer travel and traffic on the way – I know a lot of people love summer, but I am missing the cooler days already!

And as much as I love some Napa Cabs and burly Southern Rhone wines, I’m not going to be opening one any time soon. I need some crisp whites, interesting rosés, maybe some orange wines and crushable reds.

In recent weeks I’ve received a wide spectrum of wines that would fit this bill. I’ve parsed through some of them and curated this selection of summer-friendly wines. From Grieve and Gamble, Napa Sauvignon Blancs deliver, and I have some cool wines from Germany as well.

Stinson Vineyards is one of Virginia’s most reliable producers for me, and they come through again with the new vintage of their Tannat pink. But what really wowed me was their Meritage Blanc, something I didn’t know was coming and took me by surprise with its beautiful interpretation of a Semillon/Sauv Blanc blend. Oregon’s Troon Vineyard always puts out interesting wines in a lot of styles, and the three offerings from this biodynamic producer are great examples.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Virginia is on my mind this weekend. I’m off for yet another solo winter hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I recently tasted through some beautiful Virginia wines.

Long-time readers have heard me rave about Virginia wines for many years, and it’s been interesting to see how the perception of Virginia wine has improved, in other wine media and the public at large. The landscape has shifted so much, and there’s way more out there than some zippy Cab Francs and rich Viogniers.

The Virginia Governor’s Cup Awards each year have been an exciting way to promote the state’s wines, and next month we’ll know the 12 winners of 2022. I think we could likely see some of the producers featured in this report on that list. I love some Bordeaux blends, Cab Francs, and have a soft spot for VA Petit Verdot, but this report is all white wines (and a sparkler). The diversity of styles and flavors in just this small gathering of wines really speaks to Virginia’s strengths.

And, hey, if you’re looking to explore wines from the commonwealth, Valentine’s Day coming up. Virginia is for (wine)lovers. These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Fourth of July to all the American readers out there. As has grown to be my custom, I take this time to highlight some recent American wines that came across the sample pile. And I have a fun, diverse group today.

I’ve long been a fan (and something of an evangelist) for Arizona wines. I can’t help myself, I love it out there, and there are some really cool people making really fun wines. Aridus, based in one of my favorite areas of Cochise County, is a good intro into AZ wines, and are more widely available than most.

From Oregon, Applegate Valley’s biodynamic stalwart Troon Vineyards delivers three summery, spritzy, crushable wines. They’re always experimenting, and I respect that.

And, of course, California wines make appearances. Ashes & Diamonds 2020 pink is about as complex and impressive a California rosé I’ve come across in a long time. A case buy kind of wine. Howell Mountain Cabernet comes out to show why this appellation is so excellent, and a few other legit Cab-based wines round out the mix.

Lastly, from Virginia, Monticello-based producer Stinson continues to deliver with their Tannat-based pink, and a Merlot and Meritage definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in Virginia wines.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Considering today is Independence Day in the United States, I thought it fitting to highlight some recent samples from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

I’ve been a big fan and follower of Virginia wine since I moved to Washington, DC, about 12 years ago. I’ve had the privilege to taste many wines from all over the Commonwealth, but this week I’m highlighting wines from the Monticello AVA. Carrying on Thomas Jefferson’s wine vision for this region, some 33 wineries call this area home. The region is centered around Charlottesville, stretching toward the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains. If you’re ever travelling in the Mid-Atlantic (one can dream of post-pandemic wines, can’t one?) and looking for a wine trail adventure, this is a great place to start.

Stinson Vineyards makes two super-reliable pink wines from Tannat and Mourvedre. I’ve been tasting these wines for years now, and Rachel Stinson’s 2019s are true to form – some of my favorite rosés from the Commonwealth. The three red blends stem from a webinar I attended on the French influence in Virginia wine, curated by a great Virginia wine writer and ambassador, Frank Morgan. Matthieu Finot of King Family, Damien Blanchon of Afton Mountain, and Benoit Pineau of Pollak are all Frenchmen doing exciting things in Virginia, and the state’s wine industry is lucky to have them.

These wines were all received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

I love Virginia wine, and not just because I live in DC and spend a lot of time there. Virginia wine is such a dynamic scene that it’s grown hard to keep up with. But, I try.

In this report, I tasted a lot of 2018 rosés. It seems like almost everyone in Virginia made some pink wine in 2018, and that makes sense. It was a difficult, historically wet year, but I was surprised at the quality of some of these wines.

I also tasted through a few new releases from Stinson Vineyard, who continues to produce some of my favorite wines from Virginia.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Since my last post on the Virginia Governor’s Cup winners, I’ve received a few samples from Virginia, which I’m always stoked to taste.

Stinson Vineyards has, for me, become such a reliable source of high quality, exciting wines, and when you factor in the easygoing price points, there’s a lot to get excited about here. I also taste some delicious white blends from Muse and Early Mountain.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.  Read the rest of this entry »