Old Town Crier, March 2008 Issue
Exploring Virginia Wines by Doug Fabbioli

The Winter Chill in the Wine Business
The seasons are very apparent in the wine business.  The customers seem to change as the weather does.  Just the other day we had a wet and icy day that we were open and I was surprised at the high number of customers that visited.  These were folks that had planned a weekend getaway and were not going to let the bad weather spoil their fun.  I was pretty impressed by their devotion and interest.  Some may be first timers to my winery but all had been to others and knew what to expect.  I have been opening some different bottles on these days to share what I can with these devoted folks.  The diehards are helping to pay the bills in this lean time of year.

Vineyard Stuff
I am using this time to plan a new planting.  We will be adding Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat to our vineyard.  Both of these grapes grow well here in VA and are an important part of our wines.  We lay out the rows on the land available, measure the rows, and calculate all of the materials needed.  The first year we need the plants, posts, wire, bamboo, grow tubes and hardware to connect it all.  We will rip the soil down the length of the row, till the ground and plant the vines in mid April.  I do not irrigate my vineyard but I will water the plants in with a water wagon on the tractor.  Usually leaves start to show within a week or two and with good weather, the vines are climbing out of the grow tube in 2 months.  This is all part of a long term commitment to the wine industry of Virginia.  I know of about 50 acres of grapes being planted in Loudoun County alone this spring.

Cellar Stuff
The wines are aging and we are now starting to taste the progress of these wines as they age in the barrel.  Each barrel will add a certain character to the wine.  If the barrel is older, less of that oak character will show through as the flavor went into the previous vintages.  The oak tannins will marry with the grape tannins and create a longer, softer feel to the wine.  This is also affected by the air that slowly leaches through the barrel wood and gently oxidizes the wine.  There are ways to infuse the oak character and air into the wine without using barrels, but there is a long standing tradition of barrels and I would not make wine any other way.  Where the wood is grown and how the barrel is made will affect the flavors also.  Keep your eyes open for the opportunity to see the barrel making process.  There are production coopers in the Midwest, California and Kentucky as well as old style coopers in Fredericksburg and Williamsburg.  It is a craft that is not lost on the winemaker that relies so much on the barrel for spicing and aging of the wine.

Question:  What is the deal with food and wine pairing?  Well, I am not a chef or a food scientist but I know when a certain food and a certain wine match up well.  I refer to it as the 1+1=3 theory.  The sum is greater that the parts because of how certain parts of the wine match up with certain parts of the food.  Spicy Thai goes well with lower alcohol, slightly sweet wines.  A char broiled steak pairs very well with an oaky, tannic, dry red wine.  When you start getting into spices of the sauces and the characters of a specific wine, the pairings can be super.  One of my favorite wines to pair these days is our Raspberry Merlot.  It is a sweet wine but has lots of fruit flavor, some tannins and some structure.  This was made to pair with chocolate and also works well with cheesecake or a lemon tart.  But this can go the other way also as an aperitif with pate and other savory food.  I have paired it with mussels in a sweet tomato sauce.  When you can look at the flavors, the possibilities are endless.  If you want to try something fun, get 4 different wines and have a glass of each in front of each person.  Then have a four course meal, tasting each wine with each dish.  Note the flavors of the wine, flavors of the food and then the combination both.  This is a great way to have a dinner party and to learn from each other about flavors and combinations.  The way to build your flavor knowledge is to think about the flavors as you taste them and search for the words.  It is all a big hard drive in your head and you just keep filling it with information one taste at a time.  Enjoy.