Many of you will know, from my book and my blog, that Barboursville Vineyards is our favorite winery. From our first visit twenty years ago to our most recent visit last week, we’ve never been disappointed with the wine, the ambiance, the scenery, or the winery experience.
Barboursville Vineyard is located on an 850 acre estate in Orange County Virginia. Just seventy-five miles from the nation’s capitol and twenty-five miles from Charlottesville, the county is steeped with history. The Barboursville estate is also full of history. Originally home to Governor Barbour, the home on the estate was designed by Thomas Jefferson. Next door to the home was an Inn from 1804 to accommodate the Governor’s visitors.
The Zonin Family Wines and Estates has eleven Italian properties, with 4,400 acres under vine. In the 1970’s, they decided they wanted to expand their properties to the United States. In 1976, Gianni Zonin, the President of the company, and his wife Silvana were visiting Monticello and finding the land in central Virginia to be what they were looking for, they bought the Barboursville estate. They planted Cabernet Sauvignon and two years later produced three bottles of wine. From then, more vines were planted, and wines continued to be made. In 1990, Zonin brought Luca Paschina to Virginia as a consultant. Paschina became the winemaker and general manager and has led Barboursville Vineyards to its place as one of the states finest and most respected wineries.
Barboursville Vineyards is the state’s largest estate winery, with 200 acres of grapes producing over 40,000 cases a year. Their wines have been served to Queen Elizabeth, requested for the wedding of Prince William and Kate, served at a Presidential Inauguration dinner, and awarded medals at domestic and international competitions.
Visitors to Barboursville Vineyards can tour the vineyards and winery, dine at the Palladio Restaurant, stay at either the 1804 Inn or one of the five cottages on the grounds, or stroll around the ruins of the home of Governor Barbour. The tasting room welcomes those wanting to try their many wines. From the crisp, flavorful Sauvignon Blanc to the full-bodied Octagon, their wine list offers something for everyone.
If you’re in Virginia, be sure and stop for a visit. If you’re not, you might want to plan a trip. It’s worth it.
Our trip this summer to Virginia began with two nights at the 1804 Inn at Barboursville, giving us the opportunity to visit Barboursville Vineyards, Keswick Vineyards, and Monticello. Central Virginia is a beautiful region of the state with scenic vistas wherever you happen to look.
We also spent two nights in Southern Virginia at Bent Mountain Lodge, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Floyd. This region is mountainous. We drove over a lot of mountain roads and visited the picturesque town of Floyd. We spent some time visiting local wineries as well, such as Villa Appalaccia Winery, AmRhein Winery, and Molliver Vineyards.
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In the heart of the historic region of central Virginia, the 400 acre Edgewood Estate in Keswick is home to one of Virginia’s most highly regarded family owned vineyards. Al and Cindy Schornberg wanted a place to raise their family and began looking for property to fulfill a lifelong dream of growing grapes and making wine. They chose Virginia, planted vines, and opened the Keswick Vineyards over ten years ago. In the last decade, Keswick wines have won awards in many domestic and international competitions, received the Governor’s Cup in Virginia, and been given high ratings in Wine Spectator.
The Schornbergs dedicated themselves to producing exceptional wines and created a top of the line facility. Their choice of winemaker and vineyard manager was also an exceptional decision. Stephen Barnard, from South Africa, has been at Keswick since 2006. With training and a background of winemaking in South Africa, Stephen believes in focusing on the vineyard to produce fine wines. It’s obvious that his philosophy is working – Keswick is making excellent wines.
Members of the family are often on hand greeting visitors and pouring the tastes. At our visit last week we met Brian Schornberg. We had a wonderful time tasting the wines and talking with Brian about the winery. After tasting their Norton and Norton Reserve, Brian introduced us to Stephen Barnard, the winemaker (and his brother-in-law), who shared a tasting of an unreleased Norton. The 2012 Norton was made by using a second fermentation, giving it a different taste from the usual Nortons. While we still prefer the 2011 Norton, this new vintage will appeal to many.
If you are traveling to Central Virginia, be sure to find time to visit Keswick Vineyards. You’ll find the vineyard to be beautiful and the wines to be excellent.
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While visiting Smith-Berry a couple of weeks ago, one of the wines that we enjoyed tasting was a new Petite Sirah. Chuck Smith’s Petite Sirah took a Silver Medal from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and it definitely deserved it. We opened a bottle last night and were once again impressed with the full-bodied flavors of blackberries with a touch of black pepper, the deep color and the smooth finish.
Petite Sirah was developed in the 1870’s in the Rhône Valley of France. It is a cross between a Syrah and Peloursin, a minor Rhône variety. Petite is used to describe the size of the grapes themselves. which allows for a high juice to skin ratio. This provides the wine with high tannins and acidity enabling it to age well. This grape has become a popular choice of California vineyards. Once used only for blending with the jammy Zinfandel, now wineries are producing Petite Sirah as a single varietal wine.
Petite Sirah is a bold red wine and pairs well with steaks, making it an excellent choice for those evenings of grilled dinners. I recommend giving it a try. Smith-Berry’s is one of the best of this varietal.
by adminRecently, I heard someone ask for the cheapest wine because they were just cooking with it. When using wine for cooking, I suggest you always use a wine that you would enjoy drinking. A cheap wine that you wouldn’t consider drinking is not going to taste any better in your recipe. You want your food to be enjoyable, so use a wine you would enjoy as well.
While you don’t necessarily want to use the most expensive, special wine you’re saving for a special occasion, you do want a wine that you would enjoy drinking with that dinner.
When following a recipe, most white or red wines could be exchanged. If you prefer the taste of Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot, changing the wine will only enhance the flavor that you enjoy most. For instance, in my Wine Cake recipe, I have used several different reds. The flavors change somewhat, but they’ve all be delicious.
Have fun experimenting when cooking and remember what doesn’t go in the recipe should be enjoyed by the cook while preparing that favorite dish.
by adminFor several weekends in early summer, the Kentucky Renaissance Festival. in Eminence, welcomes visitors from around the region. The festival provides wonderful entertainment and shopping experiences, from jousting to buying oils and period clothing.
Visiting the Renaissance Festival also provides an opportunity to stop in New Castle to visit Smith-Berry Winery. We stopped by last weekend. The reds at Smith-Berry are superior. We were especially pleased by the release of a Norton Reserve. If you are in the region, I recommend a stop.
The Renaissance Festival will be around for two more weekends. There’s something for everyone to enjoy. We’ve been many times and have always enjoyed ourselves. Smith-Berry Winery is open both Saturdays and Sundays. I recommend visiting there to relax and taste some wines on your way home.
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For quite some time, I’ve wanted to try a roast beef dish with one of Kentucky’s fine red wines; but couldn’t make up my mind about the herbs. This weekend when I was looking at my spices, I found my sage and rosemary next to one another and immediately thought of the Simon and Garfunkel hit song Scarborough Faire – “parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme”. It seemed an omen. This is the recipe for my dish. By the way, my husband loved it and made sure I wrote it down.
With most of my recipes, I try to use Kentucky products. In this dish, the shoulder roast was Kentucky Red Angus from our own farm. The Norton wine was from Horseshoe Bend Vineyard and Winery.
Scarborough Faire Roast Beef from the Kentucky Wine Lover’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
For gravy you will need 1 to 1 and ½ T. of corn starch
Mix together the spices, and set aside. Place the shoulder roast in a roasting pan; rub spices into the meat. Pour in wine, beef bouillon, and water. Cook covered, slowly in a 300 degree oven, for 3 and 1/2 hours. Add mushrooms and cook uncovered for ½ hours (or until mushrooms are tender).
Remove meat and mushrooms from the liquid and place on a meat platter. To make gravy, add 1 and ½ T. of corn starch, bring to a boil, and cook over medium to high until it reaches the desired consistency. If you prefer, leave out the cornstarch and let liquid boil it over medium heat until reduced. Pour either gravy or juice over the meat & mushrooms.
by adminHope to see you there. The Georgetown event will be from 5-8, in downtown Georgetown.
by adminLast fall, we visited Lavender Hills, in Augusta, and I bought some lavender for cooking. If you’ve never visited there, I recommend it. We enjoyed the experience a lot; it’s a lovely place and their products are really nice. Deciding what to make with the lavender wasn’t easy. Having some extra time, without classes to teach, I started experimenting. The results were very good and I think you might like to try it yourself.
Ingredients:
Trim fat from the chops and cut each into two pieces, place in a 4 x 6″ baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
by adminGeorgetown is once again celebrating the flavors of their town. The 6th annual Taste of Georgetown will be held in historic Georgetown, on Thursday, July 27, from 5 until 8 PM. Food vendors will be sharing their offerings with tastes for visitors. Just a few of those with food will be: Evans Orchard, Sam’s, Wholly Smokers, and 3 Pepperhead Hot Sauce.
Wine tastings will also be provided by wineries such as, Talon Vineyard and Winery, Rose Hill Vineyard and Winery, and Harkness Edwards Vineyard and Winery, and by Kentucky Eagle Inc., a wine distributor in Lexington.
Wine gifts will also be available from York’s Corks, A Very Vine Creation, Heirlooms and Gretchen’s, and Unique Gifts and More.
I will be there at a booth signing copies of A Wine Lover’s Odyssey Across Kentucky. This sounds like a great way to spend an evening. Hope to see you there.
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