TASTING 2018 Monticello Cup Winners The Monticello Cup Awards kicked off the 2018 Taste of Monticello Wine Trail Festival in May, celebrating excellence in local winemaking. Vineyard owners and winemakers came together to honor the exceptional quality of wines made in the Monticello AVA. Ten revered judges reviewed wines from the 33 wineries of the Monticello AVA and awarded 13 gold, 27 silver and 15 bronze medals. The 2015 Petit Verdot “Paul Shaffer’s 7th Edition” from Veritas Vineyard & Winery won the coveted Monticello Cup this year, emerging as the number one winner in the “Top 3 Red” category. Keswick Vineyards’ 2016 Cabernet Franc Estate Reserve and Flying Fox Vineyard’s 2014 Petit Verdot were the other reds in this category, while Afton Mountain Vineyards’ 2016 Chardonnay Estate Reserve, Michael Shaps Wineworks’ 2017 Rosie Rosé and Trump Winery’s 2012 Blanc de Blanc constituted the “Top 3 Whites” category. These awards laud the area’s unparalleled aptitude for producing remarkable wines. Image by R. L. Johnson.
Virginia’s First Sake Brewery To the delight of sake enthusiasts and lovers of Japanese cuisine alike, North American Sake Brewery, Virginia’s first sake brewery, opened at IX Art Park in Downtown Charlottesville. Jeremy Goldstein, an awardwinning filmmaker and sake enthusiast, and homebrewer Andrew Centofante began the brewery to honor traditional Japanese cuisine while also introducing modern twists. After travelling the world to study under master sake brewers, Centofante and Goldstein are putting their years of research and practice into action crafting the unique brewery. Distinctive sakes like the “Big Baby,” a “brewer’s style” sake that emerges raw from a fresh batch, and the Rosaké, a rosé blend sake that draws on fruity and herbal flavors in the final stages of fermentation, demonstrate the innovative style of the brewery. The brewery features an attached restaurant that serves delicious dishes crafted by chef Peter Robinson, the two-time winner of Charlottesville’s “Best Food Truck of the Year” award, that pair perfectly with the brewery’s distinctive sake. Image courtesy of North American Sake Brewery.
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