Happy President's Day, 2012

"We could in the United States make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactlyof the same kinds, but doubtless as good." - Thomas Jefferson

Came across two books about one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, and his passion for wine.  A review for one follows.  Have to admit, I cribbed it from the University Press of Mississippi's website.  Nonetheless, looks like a good read.

Also, if you read the complete review, you'll see a mention of the Monticello Wine Trail.  This is fairly new to the Charlottesville, VA region and I highly recommend it.  I have been to two of the wineries on the trail, and can attest to the fact that good wines are coming from the region.

The definitive account of a great American's lifelong passion for wine

In Thomas Jefferson on Wine, John Hailman celebrates a founding father's lifelong interest in wine and provides unprecedented insight into Jefferson's character from this unique perspective. In both his personal and public lives, Jefferson wielded his considerable expertise to influence the drinking habits of his friends, other founding fathers, and the American public away from hard liquor toward the healthier pleasures of wine.
An international wine judge and nationally syndicated wine columnist, Hailman discusses how Jefferson's tastes developed, which wines and foods he preferred at different stages of his life, and how Jefferson became the greatest wine expert of the early American republic. Hailman explores the third president's fascination with scores of wines from his student days at Williamsburg to his lengthy retirement years at Monticello, using mainly Jefferson's own words from hundreds of immensely readable and surprisingly modern letters on the subject.
Hailman examines Jefferson's five critical years in Paris, where he learned about fine wines at Europe's salons and dinner tables as American Ambassador. The book uses excerpts from Jefferson's colorful travel journals of his visits to France, Italy, and Germany, as well as his letters to friends and wine merchants, some of whose descendants still produce the wines Jefferson enjoyed. Vivid contemporaneous accounts of dinners at the White House allow readers to experience vicariously Jefferson's "Champagne diplomacy." The book concludes with an overview of the current restoration of the vineyards at Monticello and the new Monticello Wine Trail and its numerous world-class Virginia wineries. In Thomas Jefferson on Wine Hailman presents an absorbing and unique view of this towering historical figure.
John R. Hailman, a trial attorney and adjunct professor of law and literature at the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, wrote a wine column that appeared in the Washington Post and in syndication for over a decade with Gannett News Service. Hailman has served as a judge at numerous international wine competitions for over twenty years.

Virginia Wines - Prince Michel Winery

Still enjoying the wine we purchased earlier this year from Prince Michel winery, just outside of Charlottesville, VA.  Tonight, it's their Viognier, a lovely white.  We picked up their 2006 Ivy Creek Farm Viognier.  At first taste (especially early in the evening, while it still holds a chill from the fridge), it comes across your palate with a nice fruity taste - you'll savor the apricot and mango.  I also got a hint of vanilla.  It is very rich, quite full-bodied, which I find rare in a white, but then again, I haven't tasted a lot of this varietal.  As it warms up, the vanilla becomes a little more pronounced, you still get that rich taste, and there's a bit of the essence of tropical fruit that lingers with the finish.  It is a limited production wine, and well worth the $26.99 price tag.

""We could in the United States make as great a variety of wines as are made in europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good."  Thomas Jefferson

Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery - Charlottesville, VA

Start with a cold, crisp January day in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Go for an hour drive to meet family for a long, leisurely lunch outside of town.  Take note of the signs for vineyards along the drive to Culpeper.  On the way home from lunch, stop at one of the wineries and enjoy a Virginia wine.

This was exactly how my Saturday unfolded over the New Year's holiday.  Charlottesville had recently received a near-record snowfall - up to 24 inches in some of the outlying areas, but mostly 18" - 24" around town.

As we drove into the parking lot of the Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, there were still spots of snow resident in the yard and throughout the vineyard.  Thankfully, the winery was situated on a slight hill and the wan winter sun had melted most of the snow away by the time we arrived.  Prince Michel had a most impressive public area - it gave the impression that it was rather new.  But Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery has been around for about 26 years.  It's located in Leon, Virginia, about 30 miles outside of Charlottesville.  If it's not the first Virginia winery, it's one of the first.  (Though, now that I write that, I realize that Thomas Jefferson started a vineyard at Monticello many many years ago, so obviously Prince Michel is not the first winery in Virginia.  It is one of the most widely distributed though.)

We entered the winery with the clear intent to enjoy a wine tasting.  I mean seriously, I had just spent more than three hours "reminiscing" with various in-laws, some whom I had only met once in my oh-so-many-years of married life.  I was ready to taste, to savor, to (possibly) get a little buzz even....  And, joy of joys, Prince Michel offered two different wine tastings - one was free and featured their less expensive wines, and the other one was a nominal $1.  After we wandered through their well-appointed gift shop, we scoped out the best spot at the tasting bar and nonchalantly cruised over.  We plopped down our dollar and proceeded to taste wines from both flights.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were several wines from each selection that appealed to me.

As is usual with a wine tasting, we began with their whites.  The first was a completely unremarkable Pinot Grigio, 2008.  I'm still looking for that Pinot Grigio that will make me want to spend money and time on it.

From there we moved on to a very nice 2006 Chardonnay.  It was rich and creamy with a strong vanilla scent.  It would be very nice with rich cheeses.

Their Prince Michel Cabernet Sauvignon is my wine of choice for today though.  On a cold, snowy night, with big snowflakes falling outside, and a warm fire crackling in the fireplace inside, I like to drink a hearty glass of red wine.

I opened this particular bottle last night and enjoyed a couple of glasses over an hour or two.  They were so very good!  Sometimes, I'll enjoy a wine tasting so much, I'll get carried away and buy too many bottles of wine, bring them home and find that when I drink them at home, they're just not the same.  I'm sure a wine expert or a psychiatrist could explain that.

Tonight I am pleased to report that the delicious wine I sampled in Virginia is just as delicious tonight in Ohio.  Their Cabernet is actually mixed with 25% merlot grapes, so it is not a 100% Cab wine.  This lends a smoothness to the Cabernet grape and creates a wine that is nicely layered.  They age the wine in French and American oak barrels for 12 months.  The end result is a brilliant cranberry-toned wine with brown shades around the edges, and a rich, robust combination of plum, cherry and cedar flavors.

I went back for a second sip at the winery and I'm glad I did.  A wine that began with fruity flavors, had a nice earthy finish, very peppery, yet smooth.  And the final flavors you get is a soft vanilla tone with a lingering chocolate undertone.  What started out as a simple Cab/Merlot, ends with a very rich, complicated wine experience.  The flavors you'll experience are influenced by the temperature of the wine in your glass, the ambient temperature of the room you're in and the food you taste with it.  A bottle of their Cabernet retails for just $14.99.  If you're ever in the Charlottesville area, just head out of town on 29 for about 30 miles and it will be on a hill on your left.  Wander in, experience the free or dollar wine tasting, and enjoy.

One last note - they have a great phone number.  800-800-Wine.  (or 540-547-3707)