by Richard Leahy | Jan 13, 2019 | Tastings/Evaluations
When I finally finished the first draft of this exhaustive list of my favorite wines from 2018, I realized I had to cut it back to only those wines that I’d rated 3 stars or I’d have pages and pages, and I knew you only wanted to read about the BEST! (note: this draft...
by Richard Leahy | Dec 30, 2018 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
In my last post, I highlighted my favorite tank or barrel samples of the infant 2018 vintage. As Maryland vintner and friend Mike Fiore would say, “Not so bad!” Vintners may have lost up to half of their potential crop, but from what I’ve seen they did a great job...
by Richard Leahy | Dec 27, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
So first, let me take back the complete and total write-off I made of the 2018 vintage in Virginia recently. Nobody will dispute that as far back as we can remember, this vintage was the pits, for the inches of rain and crop loss either due to poor fruit set in May or...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 16, 2018 | Tastings/Evaluations, Varietals
Fun fact: more wine is purchased for consumption at Thanksgiving than at any other day in the year in the U.S. Now that Eastern wines are world-class, and since Thanksgiving was the original locavore feast (on the East Coast), it’s only appropriate to drink...
by Richard Leahy | Nov 3, 2018 | Regions & Terroir, Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits
Regular readers may remember I did a marathon tasting tour of the Finger Lakes of New York last June. Since the region has about 200 wineries, I couldn’t get to each one. In mid-October, I returned and visited places I had missed on the previous trip, and I’m pleased...
by Richard Leahy | Oct 28, 2018 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
To me, it doesn’t feel like Virginia Wine Month without closing it out at Barboursville Vineyards, where today they hosted their semi-annual Vertical Tasting. For $40, you get to taste four flights of a single wine going back several years, or decades. It’s highly...
