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Popping the Cork Try This At Home
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NU REYNA
O The Wines There were three ties for first place; additional wines evaluated are listed alphabetically by winery.
NV Hidden Brook Winery, Late Harvest (First place tie)
2008 Narmada Winery, Primita (First place tie)
2009 Willowcroft Winery, Claire (First place tie)
NV Barrel Oak Winery, Chocolate Lab
2007 Burnley Vineyards, Rubix NV Cooper Vineyards, Noche 2008 Gadino Cellars, Dolce Sofia NV Hiddencroft Vineyards, Grandma’s Love Potion
The Sweet Life WINE BLOGGERS UNCORK DESSERT WINES
2006 Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, Tres Bien 2008 Rappahannock Cellars, Vidal Blanc
2006 White Hall Vineyards, Edichi
Comments
“We learned that … the Old House is a great port-like wine, but wasn’t meant to be tasted like a dessert wine.” “We discovered that Lost Creek Vineyards Courtney’s Christmas Blend goes superbly well when paired with spice cake.”
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Hosting a Virginia Wine Lover wine tasting party at home is easy: 1. Go to www.virginiawinelover. com and download our free, exclusive guidelines. You’ll find wine selection and serving tips, party planning ideas, food pairing guidelines, and easy-to-follow judging sheets for everyone at your party. It couldn’t be easier!
Chambourcin (port-style)
love bringing new people into the Virginia wine experience. When folks left, we provided them with a sheet listing all the wineries sampled that evening, along with a copy of the official Virginia wineries map and a copy of Virginia Wine Lover magazine.” The Jensens wanted to get feedback on wines they were less familiar with, so they intentionally left two of O their favorites, Gray Ghost H AT Adieu and Fabbioli Raspberry Merlot, out of the mix. VWL —PEH
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urt and Carol Jensen are wine lovers and wine bloggers in Northern Virginia and enjoy sharing their passion with friends, whether through the written word or through wine tastings at their home. A Virginia dessert wine party gave folks a chance to sample the sweeter side of vino from the commonwealth, and Kurt reports TH some of the results were IS surprising. “Our guests were treated to some amazing desserts created for the evening, paired with a selection of Virginia dessert wines,” he says. “And we
NV Lost Creek Winery and Vineyards, Courtney’s Christmas Blend NV Old House Vineyards,
2. Host your party, have fun, and take lots of pictures. Gather your judging sheets from everyone in attendance at the end of the evening; just by participating, you and all your friends will be signed up for our free Virginia Wine Lover e-newsletter featuring exclusive content like wine tips, recipes and giveaways.
3. Send your photos and wine tasting results to us; we’ll post the results on our website and, once per issue of Virginia Wine Lover magazine, we’ll feature a party in print—with everyone in attendance winning a free one-year subscription to the publication.
“It’s really fun to have the chance to open so many wines at the same time. While we obviously liked something about each of these wines when we bought them, we certainly have some real favorites of our own now.” Information provided by Kurt Jensen. Kurt and Carol blog at http:// WineAboutVirginia.blogspot.com We encourage wine lovers to host tastings in their home and report their findings to us. Enthusiasts of all levels can participate—we give you the tools you need for a successful vino event at our website, where you will also find helpful videos to learn more about the Virginia vintages, www.virginiawinelover.com.
12 FALL 2011 n Virginia Wine Lover
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