Drinking Virginia Wine at the Mount Vernon Wine Festival

The twice yearly Mount Vernon Wine Festival is quite possibly my favorite event in the DC area.  The $30 price tag includes tastings from sixteen award winning Virginia wineries and a tour of the mansion featuring the rarely viewed wine cellar.  For me the price tag is only truly worth it once I am relaxing on George Washington's lawn overlooking a stunning view of the Potomac River with a bottle of wine in hand. 

The view from my blanket

Did George Washington ever imagine this?

I headed down to Mount Vernon on Sunday for my third festival.  I usually attend this as a "girl's only" outing, but two of us girls dared to bring our husbands along this time.  Though they scoffed at our yuppie remarks at first, it only took a few pours to bring out the discerning palates of two macho winos who could detect bouquets of blackberry and leather with a swirl of their glass.

Now, I have to warn you that biases may have been created by increased blood alcohol levels. Miraculously, everything tasted fantastic towards the end of the night. Despite--or maybe as a result of-- our shared intoxication, we did all conclusively agree that Virginia whites are generally better than the reds.  Here are a few favorites:

Keswick Vineyards We felt that their Viognier was the best we tasted all night.  Viognier is a wine that many Virginia vineyards are trying to become known for.  We also really enjoyed Keswick's Verdejo wine.  As advertised, it would truly make a "nice warm weather wine." You can visit Keswick Vineyards in their tasting room near Charlottesville, Virginia or at many other festivals this summer.

Horton Cellars We were drawn to their booth by a banner advertising their "Sparkling Viognier." The viognier was delicious enough to be the mandatory purchased bottle for consuming on the estate's East Lawn (see image of empty bottle at beginning of this post).  Besides this special wine, Horton Cellars had some of the better red wines we tasted. Their Malbec was excellent.  You can visit Horton Cellars at their tasting room in Orange County (north of Charlottesville) or at many festivals throughout the year.

Corcoran Vineyards This vineyard is very conveniently located just north of Leesburg.  For those of us in northern Virginia, this would be an easy weekend day trip.  I plan to go sometime soon and will report back. 

Chateau Morrisette I wouldn't be a very loyal wife of a Hokie if I failed to mention this winery from southwest Virginia.  We've been anticipating a visit to their vineyard combined with a football game weekend for over a year now.  Their semi-dry red blend "The Black Dog" is a solid wine with an affordable $10 price tag.  I may be biased toward this wine since I own a black dog and because this wine was served at my wedding last summer.  Unfortunately for my readers, I cannot speak to their other offerings since I remember very little of my tasting there last night with the exception of my group asking for more generous pours from a very annoyed Chateau Morrisette volunteer. 

This is what happens when you drink and use a point and shoot camera. . . would you believe it if I told you the blurs were an intentional artistic choice?

We ended the night by enjoying the reflection of a full moon over the Potomac River. Now, if only I can find the perfect artisinal cheeses from the farmer's market to pair with those Virginia wines.

Comments

[Susan]

I have yet to attend one of the spring festivals, but I have gone to two of the fall events. For someone who has never attended, it's hard to describe the incredible views and what great wine we have here in VA!! I am also a fan of Chateau Morrisette, but our favorite is the Liberty. Since my taste sometimes leans toward the sweeter side, I like Horton Vineyard's Eclipse and Niagara. Great reviews! I think that last picture shows a lot of character...and it is a great visual representation of the amount of fun experienced at a Mt. Vernon Wine Festival!!

http://smooregasbord.wordpress.com/2007/10/18/mt-vernon-fall-wine-festival/

[Tiffany]

Thanks Susan! I have a great collection of blurred vision photos from the end of the night. . . glad you liked it.
Thank you for the link to your favorites from the October 2007 festival. I'd like to start visiting more vineyards so I will add those to my list.