Wine tasting in northern Virginia

I'm spending a few days with family in northern Virginia, and my sister (also a wine enthusiast), suggested we do a tasting at one of her local favorites, Sunset Hills Vineyard.  I am always up for a good afternoon of wine, so I jumped at the opportunity.  We left our peeps with our hubbies and away we went.













This is the view as you head up the driveway.   I love seeing local agriculture at work.











The beautiful barn where the tastings are held was Amish built. 










They have beautiful patio seating for anywhere from events to just stopping in to enjoy wine and tapas.











This is the view from the inside of the barn tasting room.  The picture doesn't do the barn justice.  The attention to detail is incredible.










We didn't get to taste this wine, but this is one of my sister's favorite.  We had it with dinner a few nights earlier.















The deck from the upper level has the most incredible views!  You can see more of the vines that you didn't see when driving in.










Another spectacular view from the balcony.




It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon and a way to enjoy some local wine.

Thanksgiving Dinner and a pinot noir wine review

Since my boys are into cooking, I decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Normally, I just get a ready made meal and reheat it in the oven.  I must say, I even impressed myself.

I roasted a turkey with a fresh sage butter and made a traditional stuffing with fresh herbs and cranberries.  I also went with a couple of standbys:  garlic mashed potatoes and the ever traditional green bean casserole.  The meal was finished with a fresh herb gravy and homemade wheat rolls.  I really enjoyed the meal and everything was good, except for the rolls.  Yesterday was one of those days that I wished I had two ovens.  Things were taking longer to cook and the rolls got completely overdone. 

Now, onto the wine review.  First, I have to say I'm a red wine kind of girl.  It was just my husband and kids, so I picked a wine that I wanted.  (Hubby is indifferent on the whole wine scene.)  While I'm sure many of you enjoy a white wine with your turkey dinner, I prefer a pinot noir.  At least for me, it's a great companion to the heaver sauces and side dishes that typically accompany a Thanksgiving dinner. 

One of my little indulgences is wine.  I belong to a monthly wine club of Oregon pinot noir wines and had been saving the 2008 Acrobat pinot noir for this occasion.  Pinot noirs are not for the faint of heart.  There can be a wide range of flavors in this variety, but that's part of the fun for me.  This one has to go down as one of my favorites.  There is a lot of "berry" taste to this wine.  Blueberry, blackberry, and a touch of strawberry immediately hit you.  Maybe a hint of vanilla??  It is a medium bodied wine and had a quick, smooth finish on the palate.  I know part of why I really liked this one is that it paired very well with the cranberries in the dressing.  It also went well with the gouda cheese we had as an appetizer.  Overall, a thumbs up and I would be happy to enjoy this red wine again.

Some down time from jewelry making

I had family in town for a few days to visit.  They were also wine drinkers and I always love trying out new wine.  My favorite new wine that I tried was Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, a white from New Zealand.  It had some quite fragrant pear notes to it and it paired well with the goat cheese we also enjoyed as an appetizer.  I almost always prefer red wine, but in this hot weather, a nice chilled white wine seems to hit the spot.  I'm looking forward to picking this one up the next time I'm through my favorite wine shop.

Any wine drinkers out there?

So I consider myself a wine enthusiast.  I like to try new wines and pair them with food.  It's my way of being "artsy" in the kitchen.  I opened two bottles of Malbec (from Argentina) this past weekend and was QUITE disappointed.  Is anyone else having this experience?  They were both 2009 vintages.  Perhaps I just need to let them mature a little longer and try again?  Wine drinkers, please comment!