A Great Wine Taste

Good times and great wines came together at the 11th annual Mid Atlantic Wine Festival. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington sponsored a gorgeous, glorious day in the sun (105 degrees), good food, and festive music. This years event was held in the serene Anne Arundel Fairgrounds. After being guided to a grassy parking space, my companions and I moved quickly to the entrance gates and presented our tickets. We were given a complimentary wine tasting glass and gazed at the picturesque sea of white party tents. In each booth I found a wide range of fruity, light and crisp wines to choose from.

As I moved through the 23 wineries some of the friendly seasoned wine experts gave me few rules to follow. If you are planning to taste wine make sure to let it sit in your palette for a moment and savor the flavor and inhale its aroma. If the wine tastes good then it is good. It is very appropriate to then spit the wine out and move on to the next sample. I must admit I did not know this during my first 20 samples. The next day I paid the price.

Bottle tasting gave me the exciting opportunity to review each vintage and discuss it with each winemaker in raw detail. All of the wine tasting staff were amicable and tolerant of my plethora of questions. As time progressed I found myself being alarmingly honest with my ignorance, but learning the basics fast. Here are some quick observations.

White wine is defined as any wine that has no red or pink color in it. An interesting note is that the grapes themselves may be green, yellow, or even red. Red wine can be described as a range of colors from light and delicate to true ruby-red to inky dark purple or black. How light or dark a wine gets is determined by the color of the grape skins and how long the skins are allowed to mingle with the grape juice prior to or during fermentation.

The first wine that caught my tastebuds was a 1997 Riesling from the Pennsylvania vineyards of Smithbridge. The Resling had a crisp semi-dry finish with a slight floral aroma. I really enjoyed how it enhanced the taste of my jumbo steamed shrimp smothered in old bay, that I had purchased from a volunteer for the Bay Country Youth Club.

The Chadsford Winery was my next stop. The 1997 Spring wine featured in "Gourmet Magazine" I found to be easy sipping. The 1995 Oregon Pinot Noir I was told was the last of the great vintage. I found Pinot Noir a rather nice Summer Red with not too much tannin. My companion insisted that I try the Spiced Apple wine. I must admit the hint of cinnamon left a long impression in my mouth.

The Wintergreen Winery located in Nellysford, Virginia boasted that their wines are made to complement food. I asked for a glass of their Flagship Black Rock Chardonney and headed over to the Bertuccis pasta booth. I found the Black Rock a bit too complex with hints of cream and vanilla made more for a white pasta sauce than the Fresh Mozzarella Capanota I was enjoying. I found myself pondering whether I would want it as a complement to a seafood dish.

I noticed a large crowd surrounding the Heritage Wine Cellars tent. I soon understood why. From my observations I noted that freshman wine tasters seem to enjoy the sweeter wines. As their palettes become more refined there is a tendency to go to a more dry bottle. Heritage Wine Cellars caters to the neophytes. A woman from the eastern shore was so enamored with the Very Beary Blackberry she got them to give me a full glass. The Very Beary was sweet, fruity, and full of flavor. I tried to purchase a bottle, but Heritage was sold out.

Next came the Ingleside Plantation located in Oak Grove Virginia. For any wine connoisseurs reading this the Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is a must. This silver medal wine is rich, full of fruit, with a slightly smoky tannin finish. The Cabernet Franc 94 was wonderful as well. I found it medium bodied with a tinge of spice. My companion once again pushed me to try the October Harvest Dessert Wine. I was thankful to breathe the lively honey and peach aromas that gave this wine a clean, sweet finish. If you are into sweet wines this is a must.

If you are a history buff here is a little trivia for you. What Winery produced the first Port in Virginia after prohibition was lifted? If you guessed Horton Vineyards located in Gordonsville I want to meet you. Horton is keeping the tradition alive with their outstanding 1995 Vintage Port. This big, full bodied, sweet wine has a fine texture and aromas of blackberry and cherry perfumes. The Vintage Port would make a delicious after dinner Red. My companion must have hooked me on the spicy wines, because I found the 1995 Dionysus a dry Portuguese blend very intense. This wine has a long lasting spicy finish that compelled me to vision sitting next to a warm fire. Maybe it was the sun, but I do not think so.

After numerous enjoyable tasting experiences I finally made it to the best of the show. Founded in 1979 Autumn Hill Vineyards and its Blue Ridge Winery Division grows 13 acres of heavenly European vines. By following the traditional methods of winemaking with minimum handling and processing Autumn Hills have captured the attention of wine enthusiasts. Their Cabernet Franc was out of this world. This medium bodied wine with modest cherry aromas and soft supple tannins won this years festival hands down. The Riesling was also a gold medalist with its delightful floral bouquet of spice and green apple flavors. I found its smooth texture so good I had to have another glass.

As the sun set on Mid Atlantic Wine Festival I pondered a new dimension to life's sensual moments. Callused hands tapped my shoulder and brought me back to reality. "Are you the young man who is writing a review of this wine festival?" I turned and recognized the gentleman as one of the participating wine makers. The man who did not want to give his identity then asked, "Do you know about the new Maryland law for out of state winemakers?" I said no. The man then proceeded to tell the story of how a Maryland Vineyard contacted the state legislator on how out-of-state wineries are overtaking the local market share. Therefore, a law was passed that all wineries must use a Maryland distributor or face not participating in state wine festivals. I thanked the man for his tip and decided to ask the same question to other wineries to see if they concurred with his statement.

I discovered that everyone knew of this new law and many of the small out-of-state vineyards can afford to attend next year. "This is very anti-business and someone should take this law to court as a interdiction of free trade," exclaimed Bill Harris of the Chaddsford Winery. "The Maryland State government has to be credited with creating a law that makes outside wineries purchase a distribution license. It helps everyone involved," stated Jamie Lewis of the Tottier Creek Vineyards. Hopefully next year the heat of this bill will have passed and not be travesty to all wine tasters. People have been adjusting to their surrounding environment since the beginning. For better or worse our winemakers will too.

"It takes a large fortune to make a small fortune in this business" A timeless winemaker's cliché.

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Photos by: Axel Martinez

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