It’s gorgeous outside. This is the first weekend in months that I have not gone to a winery, and it’s because I have lost my voice and I am congested like you wouldn’t believe. It’s gotten better the past few days. Yesterday husband trapsed off to work, and it would have been a perfect winery day except I was fighting with Home Depot online, had guys working in my yard, and then this whole illness thing. Mercifully I don’t think I’m contagious, and long nights of sleep have done me good on Friday, and Saturday.
So here we are, with gorgeous weather I cannot enjoy outside. So I’m inside enjoying a glass of Avenius Sauvignon Blanc contemplating my life since I cranked out work for my paying job already all weekend, and I think to myself, what are the best wines for these lovely spring days if you cannot get to a Virginia Winery?
Some of the most amazing are not available right now. There will be some releases in the near future of 2017 and 2018 vintages, so I’m quite excited about that.
So here it goes…. recommended wines for weather like TODAY….
Arterra Chenin Blanc – Sold out right now, and I drank my last bottle a few weeks ago. Honestly, this is one of the best white wines I’ve had. It’s very crisp and clean, it drinks very smooth, and has light fruit notes that make me think of white fruits like pears. (Sorry, I think my taste buds are dumb and this is the best I can do). It’s not super-high in acid, so it doesn’t overwhelm you on that level, and it’s such a pleasant, easy drink that you will easily split the bottle with a friend and be done. If you’re selfish, you’ll be done in a night.
They will release the 2018 chenin in May. I’m buying it all, so get out of my way.
Likewise, the Arterra Roussanne. Wine Friend 1 is less enamored of this than I am. I still have one bottle of the ’17 left, and the ’18 will be released in May. I plan to compare it with the Chester Gap Roussanne to see what I think. When beloved husband took us to Clarity restaurant in January, I had a lovely French Roussanne with oysters on the half shell, and it was delicious. I think Arterra’s is better tho.
Greenhill Blanc de Blancs – what better wine to pair with celebrating the arrival of warm weather? This crisp bubbly wine is amazing and consistent. It’s not overly sweet, and it sets the celebration mood. I have a bottle of the regular and the Reserve that I am saving for Sister and #1 Brother-in-law when they come down in June.
Walsh Family Wine Rose – I will confess that during my visit I was more impressed by the Tannat and merlot than this wine at first. However, the first hot day of the summer, drinking it on the deck blew me away. It’s a really nice rose of cab franc that is perfect with this kind of weather. This is a great one for days like today to enjoy out on the deck.
Linden’s Avenius Sauvignon Blanc – They have another one on their current tasting menu, but to me, this one wins out, hands down. So crisp and pleasant, with ever so light flower notes and bright citrus to it. I can drink this one all day long and not get tired of it. I’m down to two bottles of it.
Another rose, that is almost sold out, that is a most amazing rose, is Arterra’s rose of Malbec. It’s truly stunning. They will release another rose this Spring that I think is cab franc-based, and I hear rumors of a malbec spritzer coming, and I cannot wait to see what that is about. It’s going to be a great release party there.
Finally, I see that Greenhill has their Syrah Rose back on the menu. This is the other best rose ever. This is a deeper than normal rose, because of the grape, and is better than their regular rose that is nebbiolo-based.
So, on this gorgeous warm day, unless you are silent like me, get out and enjoy some amazing va wine and a good dose of Zyrtec as the pollen starts to flow. These lovely crisp ones will make a virginia wine fanatic out of you!
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