Wine of the Week: The Black Dog by Château Morrisette
Posted by Melissa Lyden / Wednesday, March 13th, 2013
Photo by Melissa Lyden
Wine of the Week: It’s not necessary to be a wine aficionado to enjoy these musings.
Name: The Black Dog
Year: NV
Varietals: Chambourcin, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Winery/Vineyard: Château Morrisette
Price: $10.99
Winemaker’s Description: “A unique blend of Cabernet, Chambourcin and Merlot produces this exceptionally smooth semi-dry red wine. Its appealing spicy character and medium body enhance many dishes as well as light hors d’oeuvres. It’s obviously well bred!”
Wino to Wino:Wine jargon can be confusing, especially when seemingly commonplace words are used as important descriptors that help consumers with selecting wine. Semi-dry and semi-sweet wines sometimes meet in the middle. There is definitely the possibility for crossover. However, for wine drinkers looking for something on the drier-side, wines labeled semi-dry will usually be a better pick than those labeled semi-sweet (or not at all). The Black Dog is a great dinner party wine, taking into consideration the price point and the tolerance.
Professional Pairing: A great (and simple) hors d’oeuvres for a happy hour your hosted-or even as an easy dinner for yourself-is melted brie on crackers or crostini with a chutney containing dark fruit flavors. A great option that comes to mind is the Spicy Plum Chutney by the Virginia Chutney Company.
Let’s be Real: For all the Hokies out there, this is for you! Château Morrisette is located in Floyd, which is not far from Blacksburg. I highly encourage current students (21 and older!) to make the trip out there at some point. I highly encourage recent graduates to sip on this when you’re sad about the fact that you are not at Virginia Tech anymore (so basically 24/7).
Impress Your Friends: Château Morrisette is not only for Hokies-but also dog-lovers. Many of the labels feature various canine pictures, as do the wine names, such as Our Dog Blue. There is even a kennel club, known as a case club at other vineyards.
Château Morrisette: 287 Winery Road, Floyd; thedogs.com
MORE: Wine of the Week
Tags: Château Morrisette, Gut Check, Melissa J. Lyden, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, The Black Dog, Virginia wine, wine, Wine of the Week
2 Responses
Rick Says:
March 13th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
March 13th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Hi Melissa, Thanks for making The Black Dog your wine of the week! We are honored. Here’s a little secret, this is the same wine that we also bottle as Hokie Red! I’m the winemaker at Chateau Morrisette, and a graduate of Va Tech, so double thanks for the shouts out! Cheers!
March 15th, 2013 at 12:20 am
Hi Rick! Thanks for your kind words. I remember the first time I went to your winery. I was in my junior year of college and it had such a lasting impact! Hoping to get there again soon. Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi!