Posts Tagged ‘Horton Vineyard’
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011
(Image: Tatiana Popova/Shutterstock)
Blackberries are ripe for picking right now, but supplies at local farms won’t last long. Spotsylvania County’s Miller Farms Market, for instance, is reaching the end of its blackberry bonanza, but still has some left. Call (540) 972-2680 first before leaving to take your pick. Miller charges $2.55 per pound for these black beauties.
This weekend (August 6), you can also celebrate the glory of blackberries at Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery’s Blackberry Harvest Festival in Nellysford, Virginia. (Live a little, get out of NoVa and take a trip into Central VA!) Along with live music, wine (Hill Top makes a semi-dry blackberry wine), and mead, Rick’s BBQ will also provide a Pig Pick’N lunch for purchase. The festival runs from 9 to 5 p.m. and costs $10 per person.
Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery
2800 Berry Hill Road
Nellysford, VA 22958
(434) 361-1266
Looking for blackberry wine? Here are a few other VA wineries that make what I’m sure are more nuanced versions than the Man, oh, Manischewitz, What a Wine:
Horton Vineyard’s blackberry wine (blended with petit verdot; the only one I have tried of these wines. I recommend if you are looking for a nice sweet dessert wine that is not too cloying)
Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery’s Rapidan River Blackberry
Bluemont Vineyard’s Blackberry wine (a dryer dessert wine)
And what is a good alternative to making cobblers, crisps, and blackberry sorbet with your blackberry booty? What about using some of your pick-u berries to make blackberry curd. It is simple to make (as long as you watch the temperature), it keeps for a while, and you can use the curd not only on your English muffin or favorite toast, but to fill lemon sponge cake layers (then coat with white chocolate ganache), or as filling for tiny tarts. Blackberries generally pair well with citrus like lemon, orange, and lime, so let these flavor combinations be your guide.
Blackberry Curd
2 pints of fresh berries
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons of butter cut into pieces
pinch of salt
1. Puree the berries and strain out the seeds, reserving the juice.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks. Combine with the blackberry juice, and the salt and butter. You can either add everything to a saucepan, constantly stirring the mixture and scraping the sides with a silicone spatula (and removing it from the heat every so often so that the eggs do not scramble–you don’t want to see the mixture steam or boil). Look for the mixture to thicken and coat the back of the spatula. Alternatively, if you are afraid you might accidentally scramble the eggs, I would set a bowl on top of a steaming pot of water to act as a double boiler. Follow the same instructions regarding stirring and cooking consistency.
3. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Enjoy!
-Johnisha M. Levi
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Not to be outdone by the now near-constant flood of event dining opportunities, local vintners hope to take center stage during Virginia Wine Week (3/22 – 3/28).
Participating restaurants/retailers are obliged to feature at least three Virginia wines by the glass.
But many hospitality purveyors we’ve spoken to are taking the opportunity to trot out a bevy of regional pours, including:
* Capital Ale House: plan to offer Afton Mountain Vineyards Gewurztraminer (bottle only), Autumn Hill Vineyard Chardonnay ($6.95), Autumn Hill Cabernet Franc Vineyard ($7.95), 2005 Blenheim Vineyards Meritage ($8.95), Blenheim Star Chardonnay ($10.95), Burnley Vineyards Riesling ($8.95) and Green Springs Winery Sweet Rose ($6.95).
* The Dock at Lansdowne: plan to offer 2008 Horton Vineyard Viognier ($8), 2006 Barboursville Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($8), 2007 Breaux Vineyards Chere Marie ($8), Breaux Equation Merlot ($8) and 2006 Prince Michel Chardonnay ($8).
* The Majestic: plan to offer Thibaut-Janisson Blanc de Chardonnay ($18), Pollak Vineyards Cabernet Franc ($13.50), Pollak Chardonnay ($11), Boxwood Winery Boxwood blend ($14) and a wine flight ($18) featuring Thibaut-Janisson, Boxwood and White Hall Vineyards Viognier. “We have featured the wine flight before and it has been quite popular,” Majestic manager Maria Chicas said.
* Vinifera: plan to offer 2006 Horton Vineyards Viognier ($9), 2006 Gabriele Rausse Cabernet Franc ($9), 2008 Loudoun Valley Vineyard Vinifera Red and Vinifera White ($28 each per half bottle).
* Vintage 50/Vintage 51: chef Aaron McCloud assured me they’ll be pouring something from Fabbioli Cellars and said they were still vetting other potential wine partners.
* The Wine Kitchen: plan to offer Kluge Estate New World Red ($3.50 – taste, $9 – glass, $31 – bottle) , 2007 Michael Shaps Chardonnay ($3 – taste, $11 – glass, $42 – bottle) and Tarara Winery Long Bomb Edition Two ($4 – taste, $7 – glass, $28 – bottle), as well as a discounted flight ($7) featuring all three.
A Virginia Wine Marketing aide said they’ve recruited over 160 participants to date and hope to cross into the 200s before registration closes on Monday, March 15.
Meanwhile, we’d like to know: does your favorite restaurant serve Virginia wine? And if not, might this promotion entice you to sample something local?
–Warren
