by Richard Leahy | Aug 9, 2022 | Events, Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine
Stephen Barnard, Winemaker of Keswick Vineyards and Executive Director of the Monticello Wine Trail On Friday, August 5th, the Monticello Wine Trail showcased the newly released wines of the 2021 vintage, at a group tasting held at Eastwood Farm and Winery south of...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 29, 2022 | Virginia Wine
In the third week of July, some wineries in the Shenandoah Valley, with the help of local and state-level sponsors, organized a 24-hour tour for members of Virginia media, with a focus on travel, Virginia-focused and wine. About a dozen members attended from around...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 5, 2022 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
Feeling in a merry mood over the July Fourth holiday weekend, I visited the Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard, opened just two years ago on Rt. 22 east of Keswick. Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard, Keswick In 2017, Guy and Elizabeth Perry, British citizens, attended a...
by Richard Leahy | May 6, 2022 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Wine of the Week
This week, Ankida Ridge Vineyards, the vinuous “jewel of Amherst County”, released two new wines, jointly included here as Wines of the Week; a Vinho Verde-style Chardonnay (called “Verday”), and a five-year-old solera-aged white port...
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 | Apr 24, 2022 | Virginia Wine
In the 2022 Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine competition, Albemarle Ciderworks won Best Cider with their Virginia Hewe’s Crab. Charlotte Shelton, owner of the ciderworks, kindly sent me a bottle of the cider to review. This varietal labeling is their first...