Tonight’s pick is the Arterra 2015 Reserve Red Blend. This is a really fun wine, and my last bottle is being finished now. As a red blend, I find it really hard to identify a grape that dominates this wine. I find it fruity with a little darkness in it, but very pleasant berry flavors in it.
I was introduced to this wine at my very first Arterra visit in 2017. At that time, it was on the tasting menu. I was extremely impressed at that point, because it had nuances to it that I don’t find very common in any wines I typically drink. Later I learned how much the vineyard was doing with native yeast fermentation and natural winemaking processes. That made me love it even more.
There is something very special that Arterra is doing with native yeast and their processes. When you talk with the winemaker and co-owner Jason, he shares a lot about his philosophy of returning to long-ago practices that are balanced and chemical-free to capture the essence of the fruit and terroir. He also speaks to the avoidance of chemical processes and additives to alter flavor or alter the fermentation process. You can truly taste that difference. This red blend doesn’t try to big a Cali-style red blend. This one is clear and simply a pleasant sipping wine on this cool rainy/snowy night. It just tastes clean.
Being the heathen that I am, I paired it with a pizza from &pizza, and I cannot speak to how much was natural there, but that mega-meat pizza with extra sausage and cheese and a dash of spinach so it felt healthy was amazing. It also pairs pretty well with this wine. I could see Husband’s jambalaya going well with it too.
This fall, Arterra will release two red blends, each focused on a different vineyard. I’m very excited to see what these bring. Hopefully they will do another very cool red release party to launch these wines. You know you’ll be able to read all about it here in the not too distant future.
Coming up this weekend — the Early Mountain Oyster Festival with Husband, Dad, and Wine Friend 1!
Next Weekend – Arterra’s Virginia Terroir class with Wine Friend 1, AND a Benoni Day at Winery at La Grange. You can read all about it here folks!
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