Wine Festival: Blacksburg Fork and Cork

Blacksburg Fork and Cork

This past Saturday at Fork and Cork I had a great time hanging out with friends and tasting lots of new wines. Hands down my favorite "wine" of the day was the sangria from the Fincastle Vineyard and Winery. This sangria was heavily populated with fruit and sugar. I loved it. Fincastle Vineyard and Winery even mixed the sangria in front of us! I've only ever had sangria with white or red wine, so having it with a rose was a great change! If I was not a poor college student I would have I would have bought a pitcher of this to drink, but sadly it was $25.00 per pitcher! 

1. Name: 2010 Savoy-Lee Seyval Blanc

Varietal: Seyval Blanc

Price: $19.00

Winery Review: This crisp, white wine is a great choice for any time. Seyval Blanc is a fruity and dry wine with a slight citruswinge of lemon.

Your Review: This wine was a light yellow color and had a berry smell. It had a light tart flavor. 

2. Name: 2010 Savoy-Lee Chardonnay

Varietal: Chardonnay

Price: $20.00

Winery Review: Attractive, light straw-yellow color. Complex, elegant and woody nose, with hints of pineapple nuances. This wine is a well-married with honey and toasty notes. 

Your Review: This wine was light yellow in color. I couldn't really smell anything (it may have been since I had tried so many wines). It had a light, refreshing flavor. 

3. Name: 2006 Savoy-Lee Johnson Mountain White

Varietal: Cabernet Franc & Chardonnay

Price: $19.00

Winery Review: This blend of Cabernet France and Chardonnay is unique. The wine has a light smokey opening and then moves into a candied caramel apple center and then has a sustained honeyed finish. Pairs well with shrimp, seafood, and sushi. 

Your Review: This wine had a light yellow color and a very alcoholic smell. It was maple in flavor and had a very full-bodied taste. 

4. Name: 2006 Savoy-Lee Johnson Mountain Picnic Red

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc

Price: $15.00

Winery Review: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc is a wonderful, fruity, light red wine! It is terrific chilled and served with light fare on a hot day - GREAT PATIO WINE!

Your Review: This wine had a red, pinky purple color. It smelled very similar to the Mountain White wine. It had a pepper and spicy taste. 

5. Name: 2006 Savoy-Lee Cabernet Franc

Varietal: Cabernet Franc

Price: $20.00

Winery Review: A spicy aroma and taste is captured in a brilliant, shimmering dark cherry color. This wine provides a softy mouth feel with a full-bodied finish. Pairs well with dark chocolate and great with grilled food. 

Your Review: This wine was red in color and had a berry smell. It had a big oak taste. 

6. Name: Blanc de Blanc 2008 - Trump Winery

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Price: $25.00

Winery Review: Brut sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay, using the traditional French methode Champenoise. Nose of green apple, brioche and slight pear. On the mouth there is crisp acidity with citrus notes. Aged 22 months on the lees. Pair with mild cheeses, sushi, or serve as an aperitif. Jefferson Cup Best of Sparkling, Double Gold Finger Lakes International, Gold VA Governor's Cup "Governor's Case." 

Your Review: This wine has bubbles, which I loved! It was practically white in color and had a light berry smell. The flavor was berry with a lot of bite and the bubbles really added to the wine making it more than just your usual white. 

7. Name: CRU - Trump Winery

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay

Price: $28.00

Winery Review: 100% Chardonnay juice fortified with brandy, and then aged in bourbon barrels. Try it on the rocks or mixed for a sweet treat with a kick. 14% rs. Platinum Virginia Wine Lover Magazine, Silver New World International, Silver Monterey, People's Choice Award Virginia Wine Showcase. 

Your Review: I LOVED this wine, if you can even really call it a wine, since it was aged in Jack Daniels barrels. It was a clear wine that had a ripe smell. It had a bit of kick to it and tasted great; I could really taste the bourbon flavors. 

Food and Wine Pairing: At the festival I had Blanco Xoco, a white wine with Chocolate Essence. It was $16.00 from Horton Vineyard. The winery reviews it as "sweet chocolaty white wine made with Rkatsiteli, Vidal Blanc and Chocolate essence. Chocolate covered cherries gone wild!" The wine is practically clear in color and has a sickening, sweet smell. It tasted just like white chocolate. Since it was a dessert wine I decided to try it with the caramel corn that was being sold at the festival. This could not have been a more awful idea. The sugar on sugar pairing was absolutely disgusting. It did not enhance the wine. I had to chug water to get the taste out of my mouth. I think this wine would have been great with strawberries or raspberries. 

Tasting - "Rapidan River"

•Name: Rapidan River Peach 

•Variety: White Blend

•Region: Leon, Virginia

•Country: USA

•Year: NV

•Price: $9.99 (on sale!)

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: This delicious sweet wine is full of ripe Peach fruitness. Try this wine chilled with fruit-based salads, Southern BBQ, or other spicy dishes. 

•Your review: This wine was a light yellow in color. It was very sugary and peachy in smell and flavor. The sugar was almost overpowering and it really did not taste very good. I gave this wine one star. 

•Did not have food with the wine. 

Tasting - "Lobetia Tempranillo"

•Name: Lobetia Tempranillo

•Variety: 100% Tempranillo

•Region: La Mancha

•Country: Spain

•Year: 2011

•Price: $10.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. It shows a nice cherry color with a violet shade because of its youth. Red berries and cherries on the nose. On the palate it is fresh, slightly astringent, and harmonious with a long finish.

•Your review: This wine was a dark red color and had a great buttery smell. Yum! It seemed to have an oaky taste with a warm quality to it. This wine was one of the lighter tasting reds that I've had. I gave it three stars!

•Did not have food with the wine. 

Tasting - "Reserve Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone"

•Name: Reserve Gand Veneur Cotes du Rhone

•Variety: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault

•Region: Rhone Valley

•Country: France

•Year: 2010

•Price: $14.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: As for their other values, the 2010 Grand Veneur Cotes du Rhone Reserve (70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Cinsault) displays loads of ripe flavors. It is very concentrated for a Cotes du Rhone, and is actually an amazing wine. Classic garrigue, black cherry liqueur, lavender, licorice and spice box are all present in this full- bodied, intense, and rich Cotes du Rhone. This is a sensational effort to drink over the next 4-5 years, although it might last even longer.

•Your review: This wine was a deep red color and had a wonderful buttery and oaky smell. It had a wood flavor, but it did not taste oaky. It was not too overpowering. I gave this wine two stars.

•Did not have food with the wine. 

Tasting - "Lobetia Chardonnay"

•Name: Lobetia Chardonnay

•Variety: 100% Chardonnay

•Region: La Mancha

•Country: Spain

•Year: 2011

•Price: $10.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: Organically and naturally grown and made, this wine allows the varietal and the terroir to stand out cleanly. Clean, bright color with a greenish-yellow tone. On the nose, exotic fruits like pineapple. Full flavored, fresh, with good acidity in the mouth, it finishes with tropical fruits.

•Your review: This wine was light yellow in color and had a sugary, syrup smell. It had a very light and almost bland taste. This wine was just okay. I gave it two stars.

•Did not have food with the wine. 

Tasting - "Trattoria Busca Alla Torre Da Lele"

•Name: Trattoria Busca Alla Torre Da Lele

•Variety: 100% Pinot Grigio

•Region: Veneto

•Country: Italy

•Year: NV

•Price: $7.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: Named after the famous restaurant in Italy! This is their house white wine! Coppery color from extended skin contact, round and rich texture with juicy melon aromas and flavors with a sweet fennel note on the ultra smooth finish. Great value Grigio! Drink now.

•Your review: This wine was light yellow in color and have a ripe berry smell. It was a sweet fruit (melon?) flavor that really bit you in the back of the mouth and cheeks. I gave this wine three stars.

•Did not have food with the wine. 

Tasting - "Concannon Shiraz"

•Name: Concannon Shiraz

•Variety: 100% Shiraz

•Region: Central Coast

•Country: California

•Year: 2008

•Price: $7.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review: This is an extremely rich, full-bodied wine with a dark fruit core. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, cassis and dark cherry are followed by more berry fruits and chocolate and mocha on the

palate.

•Your review: This wine had a dark red color with a musty, almost hay smell. It had a very, very big oak flavor (WOAH!). It was a well-rounded and full wine. I gave this wine two stars.  

•Did not have food with the wine.