Don’t Leave Home for Viognier: A VA Virtual Tasting
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, July 14th, 2011
(Image: Shebeko/Shutterstock)
Virtual tastings have become all the rage. For this virtual tasting, the Wine Board has chosen to focus on Viogniers (a.k.a. the red drinker’s white) as the viognier grape has recently been declared the official wine grape variety of Virginia.
As noted by Forbes.com, here are some Twitter tasting advantages:
- Comments are brief and to the point.
- “All voices are at the same volume.” No one will drone on trying to convince you how much they know about wine and how much you don’t. (Reminds me of a terrible first date I witnessed at a winery, but I digress . . . )
- If you are a klutz, you don’t have to worry about “apologizing for spilling wine on someone else’s rug.”
- And most importantly, there is no risk of drunk driving.
So how does this virtual tasting work?
First, you need the wine. Here are the featured Viogniers for tonight, and the order in which they are being tasted along with a few tasting notes from the winemakers.
1) Horton Vineyards NV Sparkling Viognier: If you keep reading, you will see this is the only sparkling Viognier on the list. “This bubbly dry white (Brut) sparkler is made Methode Champenoise.”
2) Blenheim Vineyards 2010 Viognier: Yes, this is Dave Matthews’s winery (no relation). Tasting notes -”nose of honeysuckle leads to gentle notes of apricot and pineapple with a bright but smooth citrus finish.” 20% barrel aged in French oak.
3) King Family Vineyards 2010 Viognier: 70% is fermented in stainless steel, 30% in neutral oak. Tasting notes - ”cantaloupe, honeysuckle and orange zest on the nose and mouth with a hint of apricot.”
4) Barboursville Vineyards & Winery 2009 Viognier Reserve: 100% stainless steel, so no oak aging. Tasting notes – “Juicy and bright pear, passion fruit, and hints of citrus on a gently herbal frame.”
5) Cooper Vineyards 2010 Viognier: Tasting notes – “Tropical aromas of papaya and fresh mango give way to floral pear and honeysuckle with a bright palate of pineapple and stone fruits.”
6) Delaplane Cellars 2010 Maggie’s Vineyard Viognier: Aged in neutral French oak barrels. Tasting notes – “peach, apricot and honeysuckle together with a rich mouth feel.”
Also, as the Washington Post helpfully notes, you can”chime in with your tasting notes for other Virginia viogniers” if you aren’t able to get your hands on the ones above, but still want to participate.
Next, you need to go on to Facebook and “like” Viognier Night: A Virtual Tasting of Virginia Viogniers. When you sign on to Twitter, follow the Twitter hashtags #VAWine, #VAViognier, and #WBC11. Wine bloggers and consumers will pose questions and winemakers will answer. It is also hoped that consumers will contribute photos of the Viogniers as they are partaking.
For more on tonight’s virtual tasting, and for a list of bloggers to follow, click here. Now sit back, relax, and taste/tweet to your heart’s content!
-Johnisha M. Levi
Tags: A Virtual Tasting of Virginia Viogniers, Barboursville Vineyards & Winery, Blenheim Vineyards, Charlottesville, Cooper Vineyards, Crozet, Dave Matthews, Delaplane Cellars, DrinkLocalWine, DrinkWhatYouLike.com, Facebook, Frank Morgan, Gut Check, Horton Vineyards, Johnisha M. Levi, King Family Vineyards, Maggie's Vineyard Viognier, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, Twitter, Viognier Reserve, Virginia Viognier Virtual Tasting, Virginia Wine Mafia