by Richard Leahy | Apr 26, 2022 | Competitions, Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
The top honor for the wineries of the Monticello AVA, the Monticello Cup, was revealed by competition organizer Frank Morgan at 7:20 on April 26th, to be the “Nineteen” Meritage blend by Wisdom Oak Winery, owned by Jason and Laura Lavellee. The Nineteen...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 20, 2021 | News/Announcements, Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
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,...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 15, 2021 | Conferences & Meetings, Events, Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations
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...
by Richard Leahy | Oct 25, 2021 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
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...
by Richard Leahy | Oct 18, 2021 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
In my last blog post, I explained how the 2019 vintage in Virginia produced the best red wines I’ve seen in nearly 20 years. The wines reviewed there were fruit-forward and juicy, for near-term enjoyment. Now we’ll look at the more gutsy red wines of the...
by Richard Leahy | Oct 15, 2021 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
I’ve been tasting and making notes on the red wines of the great 2019 vintage in Virginia since late January. Some of the wines were made in a fruit-forward style and bottled and released early. Others were made in a more reserve style, with more oak and...
