It was time to pick up a club pack at Ankida Ridge. There’s a new Rosé of Pinot Noir AND a new vintage of Verday out, so it’s the right time to swing by…. it was a super windy with mild May temperatures on Saturday, which made it a great day at the winery.
We hopped in the car with a good friend to make the roughly 80-minute trip to the winery in Amherst. Ankida is in a very rural setting, but remains accessible to Charlottesville as well as Amherst, Lynchburg, and Richmond. It’s a day trip, but the breathtaking scenery and the excellent wine make it worth it. We packed some sandwiches and snacks to enjoy too.
We were the first guests to arrive right at opening time (I’ve gotten to where I can time arrival almost perfectly). Melinda greeted us and we talked about sitting inside instead of outside given the high winds, and the fact that we wouldn’t be able to open the umbrellas and get the shade.
We dove right in with a bottle of Rosé of Pinot Noir (the new 2024 edition) and settled into our lunches. Melinda and Cathy both came by to chat, and we gave them some of the extra sandwiches we brought. This Rosé reminds me of the 2022 vintage from Ankida – very acidic and bright. It’s great to enjoy outdoors in the sun. This is the style I love. I can see sipping this with just about any meal, from simple burgers from the grill to seafood, and even a nice cut of steak. It’s also great with an afternoon snack of cheese and crackers, some crostini, or pita and hummus.
Groups started to arrive at the winery, and they actually had a pretty good crowd coming for a while. Many people braved the winds on the deck, but of course, when you head out there, you get this view:
They’ve added a Stinson 2023 Cabernet Franc to their tasting menu. I liked this but it comes across a bit oakier than I tend to like my Cabernet Franc. We went with the new release of Verday and headed up to the Overlook to enjoy it. I’ve shared about the Overlook before, and it has been a while since I’ve sat up there to enjoy my wine. It’s always an awe-inspiring sight with the distances you can see and the view of the vines. The vines are growing at 1800 feet above sea level, and as such the Overlook is even higher. After a little while a number of the groups from the tasting room made their way to the Overlook with some wine, and we chatted with a nice couple from Charlotte, North Carolina, and some folks with a dog.
The Verday is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. It’s also very acidic and crisp, with nice fruit coming through. I always get apple notes from Chardonnay (even when others don’t!), but the Pinot Noir undertones bring something excited that balances this wine too. It must spend nearly no time on the skins, given the golden color of the Verday:
I’d recommend the Verday for afternoon sipping with snacks. Summers are for afternoon caprese, so get your tomato, basil and mozzerella put together with some balsamic and sip your Verday while you enjoy in the shade on the deck.
Once we finished the Verday, it was time to pick up my club package and settle our bill. I’d say one of the best parts about visiting Ankida is the people – the team there as well as the other guests – every time we go we meet a nice group there and have wonderful conversations. Along with fantastic wine, this makes Ankida a very special place. It’s always warm and friendly here.
I know we’ll be back again soon too – we have a whole slew of friends we want to bring to Ankida and share the wine and views. If you haven’t been yet, put it on your list and get there this summer, or better yet in the fall while the leaves are changing.
I swapped this club package to secure some more 2023 Chardonnay, they’re starting to run low on inventory, and it’s a really good one – it may be my favorite Virginia Chardonnay right now actually. I also loaded up on the Rosé of Pinot Noir and Verday, as these will go pretty quickly. I didn’t get more of the 2022 Pinot Noir since I have six on the rack (along with 2 2021 vintage, 2 2017 Reserve and 1 2021 Reserve) and I have 1 Blanc de Noirs and 1 Brut. This leaves me pretty well stocked for a while, but the wines I took home will go quickly this summer – they’re perfectly refreshing on the deck in the evening.
What wines are you looking forward to this summer?
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