BLOG
Wine of the Week: Glen Manor Hodder Hill (Meritage-style blend) 2009
This estate blend won the Governor's Cup in 2012. It is a Left Bank-style blend dominated by 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and six percent each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Proprietor and vigneron Jeff White apprenticed under Jim Law of Linden Vineyards, a...
Richard’s 2021 Thanksgiving Wine Recommendations
It’s time for my annual Thanksgiving wine recommendations. As a locavore and also as a historian, I promote drinking locally, especially since Thanksgiving is an East Coast tradition (first celebrated at Berkley Hundred on the James River in Virginia, on Dec. 4,...
Barboursville Vineyards Wins Best White Wine, Best American Winery in 2021 Sommelier Challenge Competition Barboursville Vineyards achieved two impressive distinctions in the 2021 Sommelier Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition. The first was for winning...
A Fun, Frenetic Two Weeks Promoting Virginia Wine
For the last two weeks, I've been busy going to ceremonies and conferences to celebrate and promote Virginia wine. This blog entry will have many more pics that usual and fewer words to give you a feel for this busy period. First, I attended a celebration for October...
2017: Re-Visiting a Very Good Vintage in Virginia
While I stand by what I said in the previous posts about 2019 being the best vintage since 2001, it doesn’t mean we should overlook or dismiss other very good vintages that may still be around. While 2015 was good in Northern Virginia, 2016 was even better, and was...
2019 Reds Part 2: Big and Bold but Balanced
I’ve tasted a lot of wines in my 40 years in the business, but I don’t recall another tasting of wines of one region and vintage that I have been as impressed with as this “reserve” group of Virginia reds from 2019.