Winery Visit: Attimo Winery

On April 16, 2012 me and two of my good friends, Austin Gauge and Spencer Johnson, went on a trip throughout Southwest Virginia to explore some local wineries. Our first stop on the tour was to Attimo Winery which is located just outside of the main part of Christiansburg, which was slightly mind blowing to me as I did not realize that there was a winery in Christiansburg. I got this idea from some of the people I know that work at Vintage Cellar and they said this is a very new and upcoming winery and have some very good wines, as well as a good location. Upon arrival we were very surprised to see how nice of a place this was:

The Tasting room from the parking lot

The tasting room from the outside was a very nice looking and very new looking building. Also from here we were able to get a glimpse of the property and the different rows of vines:

View up the hill from the parking lot

Another view from the parking lot

Another angle up the hill from the parking lot

 The property itself was very beautiful and quite a sight to see. There was nothing growing on the vines as of currently because it was quite cold outside and we were told they were about to plant new vines, and the current vines they had were about to be going into growing season. I want to make a trip back to see the grapes growing in because they would be quite beautiful to see I am sure. After walking around the property a bit and talking to a couple people that appeared to work there, we then decided to venture into the tasting room. We were then told to take a seat and we then were able to move onto the tasting aspect which was quite exciting.

Our table in the tasting room

Us sitting at the table in the tasting room

We then began to sample some wines, but I did not sample all of them because I was driving for the entire day trip. Here are the wines that I tasted and took notes on while there:

• Attimo Winery "I do"- "Semi-sweet, distinct citrus notes" Upon pouring of this wine, it was very similar in color to those that I see commonly with Rieslings. Smell of the wine was also nearly the same as most Rieslings. Upon tasting, it was quite good but overly sweet for my liking, but had a good fruit balance.

• Attimo Winery Deep Silence- "Dry red, intense berry flavors and light smoky pepper finish" This was a very good red in my opinion from top to bottom. I was able to get berry smells on the nose, and then taking a sip brings to light how dry of a wine this was, and I was able to pinpoint the pepper finish in the tasting.

• Attimo Winery Masquerade- "Dry, smooth and oakey" I decided to try this one, because I am definitely a Chardonnay fan, and they can be very hit or miss for me so I decided it was essential to try. The description of Oakey made me worried because I am always afraid of something being an Oak Monster. Upon tasting this wine absolutely blew me away, it was an amazing balance between oak and the fruit. Absolutely amazing Chardonnay.

• Attimo Winery Vertex- "Dry red, rich with black currant flavors and French oak notes" This wine was very intriguing to me because I have always been interested in finding the black currant flavor. I have always heard this as a descriptor but I do not believe I have ever been able to pinpoint this flavor. On this wine I actually was able to, and this wine was absolutely amazing in my opinion. It was well balanced all around, and very oakey. I am usually not a fan of the oak, but in this case it was very well done.

Having only sampled 4 wines, I was unable to get the full tasting, but knew that we had 2 other wineries ahead and had to drive so had to make a sacrifice. I then decided to purchase a few bottles as I had never seen any bottles from this winery before. After buying a few bottles we then headed out of Attimo Winery, and we were very happy and surprised. It was a great stop overall.

Winery Visit: AmRhein

On Monday April 16th, 2012, myself and 2 of my other friends, Austin Gauge and Spencer Johnson, went on a winery "field trip" throughout southwest Virginia to get a good experience in visiting a winery. Our last stop on this tour was at a winery by the name of Amrhein which is located in Bent Mountain, VA which is not too far outside of Roanoke. While on our way to Amrhein it was quite odd in that we drove on quite a few gravel roads as well as unlined, and it began to worry us a bit in whether we were on the right path. Upon arrival it became quite evident we were in the right place and it began to excited us greatly.

Winery View from the parking lot

Upon walking into the winery we became very excited to find the way they went about for tastings. We wanted to do a tasting, but then buy some bottles to take home that we could sample at a later date, so we tried to all sample different things and give recommendations to each other on what to buy and see how each other liked the wines when we arrived back home, made it into a sort of game. Here are some brief descriptions of the wines I chose to sample while at the winery:

• AmRhein Pinot Grigio- According to the tasting sheet "This crisp and refreshing wine boasts lemon and apple flavors with a touch of almond on a nice lingering finish", and this wine was one of my favorite wines that I tasted. It was easily one of my favorite Pinot Grigio that I have ever sampled, and was very able to find the lemon and apple flavors.

• AmRhein Sauvignon Blanc- According to the tasting sheet "This is a dry crisp wine using the New Zealand Style and the terrior of Virginia. The unique flavor is mouth-wateringly fresh and bold, featuring bright citrus and lively kiwi fruit flavors." Again this was yet another top notch wine from Amrhein, it was a great balance of sweetness versus the dryness, and all of the flavors coming together was quite amazing.
• AmRhein Saffire- I forgot to snap pictures of the bottles while there because my phone died and I am unable to find one online. The description from the tasting sheet "A harvest blend of vidal blanc and viognier sweetened with natural sugars of the grape for a fruit forward wine" This wine definitely lived up to its description in being a fruit forward wine. It was definitely fruit forward and I was easily able to find a citrus flavors.
• AmRhein Innocence- Again was unable to snap a picture of this, but according to the sheet the description is "This alluring semi-sweet blend of Vidal Blanc and Viognier brings together the tropical fruit flavors of grapefruit, mango and pineapple with creamy apricot, apple and pear laced with the hints of fine French and American oak.

After this brief tasting, the server took us on a brief tour of the property outside of the tasting room and this was quite exciting as it was a very beautiful property:

View from Porch looking onto small lake on property

View from the porch looking up to the vineyards

Another view of the tasting room and property

After the brief tour we were able to just wander the property a bit, and this was a very cool place to see. It is very secluded, and gives it a sort of ambiance that other wineries that we had visited lacked. We then decided to head back into the tasting room and select some wines to purchase, I ended up buying the Petit Manseng, Traminette and the Aglianico. This winery was by far the best I had been to, not necessarily for the sights, but because the wine was so great and there were many things I had never experienced before.

Tasting: Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

•Name- Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
•Variety- Double IPA
•Region- Delaware
•Country- United States
•Year- 2011 Bottle Date
•Price- $7-12 Per Bottle Dependent on shop
•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Too extreme to be called beer? Brewed to a colossal 45-degree Plato, boiled for a full 2 hours while being continuously hopped with high-alpha American hops, then dry-hopped daily in the fermenter for a month & aged for another month on whole-leaf hops!!! Our 120 Minute I.P.A. is by far the biggest I.P.A. ever brewed! At 20% abv and 120 ibus you can see why we call this beer THE HOLY GRAIL for hopheads!
•Your review- This is not the first time I have had 120 minute IPA, but just drank another bottle over the weekend so I figured I would give it a review. Upon first pour the nose of this beer is quite evident in that it is a very sweet and hoppy smell, but the high alcohol content was also very evident from the nose. The color of this beer was nearly perfect for me in terms of other IPA's I have observed, the slightly golden color but also with a orange hint to it, which makes it quite gorgeous. Then I took a taste of it, and I have very mixed feelings about the beer. The taste is very sweet and the hops are somewhat evident, but at the end of the taste you can really notice the alcohol. Once the beer warmed up some it was slightly less noticeable and quite a bit better. Overall I really did enjoy this beer, but as with other Dogfish Head beers I have had, they tend to overdo it on the alcohol content.
-I did not have food with this beer.

Tasting: Attimo Sudden Downpour

•Name- Attimo Winery Sudden Downpour
•Variety- Apple/White Blend
•Region- Virginia
•Country- United States
•Year- 2010
•Price- $13/375 ml $18/750 ml
•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Sweet, apple wine with bourbon notes and earthy tones(from tasting menu)
•Your review- Upon first reading the description for this wine, I could not wait to get a sip of it. I am quite the fan of apple wines, and to age them in bourbon barrels even makes it that much better in my mind. Upon first pour it was a very light goldish color, similar to a lightly colored apple juice as expected. I gave the wine a swirl, and upon sticking my nose into the glass, it became evident that this is a very fruit forward apple wine. The smell of apples were quite evident, but at the tail end of the nose, I was able to identify the addition of the bourbon barrels, with the standard somewhat bourbon smell, with maybe a hint of vanilla from the barrells as well. Once I took a taste I was slightly let down, the apples and the wine factor to this were very evident in the taste and quite overpowering, but I was unable to locate the bourbon barrel within the taste. I believe this wine could benefit from more aging in the barrel, as the taste would be much more balanced with the bourbon/vanilla flavor that could be gained from the barrels. Overall this was an enjoyable apple wine, but I do not believe it is all that it could be.
- I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting: Attimo Winery Sweet Berry Sunset

•Name- Attimo Winery Sweet Berry Sunset
•Variety- Raspberry/Red Blend
•Region- Virginia
•Country- United States
•Year- 2010
•Price- $13
•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Semi-sweet, intense berry and fruity flavors.
•Your review- Just from reading the description, this wine worried me when going to taste it. I am largely not a fan of extremely sweet wines, and the server was very clear in saying how sweet this wine was. Once poured into the glass it had a light red color, and actually was a very good looking color wine, it was very different but quite interesting. Once the wine was given a swirl I approached the nose, and not surprisingly, the wine had a very overpowering raspberry nose to it, and that was nearly all I could smell from the nose. I then took a sip of this wine, only to get the same feeling from the taste, it was very heavy on the raspberry's and they were quite overpowering, but at the same time not bad. This wine was very sweet with the raspberry element, but at the same time it left me wanting a bit more, so overall this was a quite good sweet wine.
-I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting: Attimo Winery AD 325

•Name- Attimo Winery AD 325
•Variety- Chambourcin
•Region- Virginia
•Country- United States
•Year- 2010
•Price- $16
•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Dry red with bold flavors and cherry undertones( From tasting menu)
•Your review- From the description from the server, this wine was very intriguing, it was made in a way that was similar to how wine would've been made back in AD 325, and it interested us very much. Upon pouring it became quite evident how red this wine really was, had a very nice dark red color with some hints of purple and looked very inviting. After swirling the wine, the nose on this wine nearly exploded, and was very evident without even placing my nose in the glass. The main flavor I noticed on the nose was the cherry, it was sort of the sour cherry smell you would get from an old world wine, and was quite good. Taking a sip of this wine was quite a let down, the taste was well balanced on the tongue, but the taste just appeared to be missing something. The wine was decent overall, but I can't pinpoint what it was missing, but there was something and it threw off the overall flavor of the wine.
- I did not have food with this wine tasting

Tasting: Attimo Winery Sonnet 98

• Name- Attimo Winery Sonnet 98
• Variety- Vidal Blanc
• Region- Virginia
• Country- United States
• Year- 2010
• Price- $17
• Shop/wine critic/winery review- Dry, crisp, floral, hints of fresh greens.( From the tasting menu)
• Your Review- At first glance it had a very nice goldish clear color, and upon first swirling it, it really brings out the beautiful goldish color even more. Once I took a smell I instantly knew I would enjoy this wine, the first thing to hit me was the sweetness in the smell, which could likely be attributed to the fruitiness missed with the floral notes that were quite evident. Taking a sip it reaffirms the smells I was able to grasp on the nose, it was quite fruity  and I could even taste the floral notes on the tongue. The wine overall was very good, but I thought it had an odd balance, although I cannot say precisely what was causing it, there was almost something missing. It was quite good but I do not believe I would drink it again.
• I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting- Chateau Morrisette Our Dog Blue

Name- Chateau Morrisette Our Dog Blue

Variety- Riesling-Traminette Blend

Region- Virginia

Country- United States

Year- 2011

Price- $10.99

Shop Review- This popular white wine is a semi-sweet Riesling-Traminette blend, using Vidal Blanc for added depth. Aromas of melons, citrus fruits, apricots, and delicate flowers highlight the soft finish of this soothing wine. Serve chilled with fruits and cheeses, fish, or spicy foods.

Upon first observing the pouring of this wine, the color was very familiar in that it looked very similar to most rieslings that I have had in the past. It is a light gold clear color, with not much to it, not a bad looking wine by any means, but not much to it. Upon first smell it had large hints of citrus flavors and other fruit flavors, but the other fruits were not quite as outgoing as the citrus was. The bouquet was very well done, and very diverse such that it overall was a very good nose. The first taste was very fruity, and instantly reminded me of all the rieslings I have had in the past. and was honestly slightly subpar to others that I have had in the past. Overall this was a great wine, but nothing special.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting- Chateau Morrisette Dry Rose

•Name- Chateau Morrisette Dry Rose

•Variety- 100% Chambourcin

•Region- Virginia

•Country- United States

•Year- 2011

•Price- $17.99

•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Made from 100% Chambourcin grapes, our Dry Rosé is crisp and juicy, with the character of citrus and strawberries, gently augmented by subtle suggestions of peach and banana evolving from the lingering, aromatic finish. This wine is food friendly, pairing well with ham, roasted poultry, sweet Italian sausage, and most any savory, non-spicy foods. Try it with chocolate-covered strawberries!

Upon reading the name of the wine, I became slightly intrigued because of all the Rose that I have had, it has always tended to be more on the sweeter side and seeing dry mentioned interested me heavily. Following the pour, it had a pretty standard Rose color, a lighter pink color, with not much tone and anything to it. Upon swirling it, I began investigating the nose, and it was very welcoming with lots of different fruit flavors floating around. The main smell that I caught was the banana smell. It smelled nearly like I was smelling freshly sliced bananas, and this was quite good. Once i took a sip it threw my palate for a whirl, and I was very happy with this wine. The balance between the fruit, along with the sweetness and also the dryness, it quickly elevated and had a very good fruity dry lingering finish. I really enjoyed this wine, and even ended up purchasing a bottle.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting- AmRhein Aglianico

•Name- Amrhein Aglianico

•Variety- Aglianico

•Region- Virginia

•Country- United States

•Year- Not on bottle

•Price- $24.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review- A thick-skinned red grape grown by the ancient Greeks and brought to Italy over 2,000 years ago. This robust wine, now predominantly grown in Italy, displays berry and tobacco flavors with subtle plum undertones wrapped around a light French Oak structures.

Upon pouring of this wine, it became quite evident of how great of a nose this wine would have. The wine itself was very dark in color, a dark red with maybe a hint of purple or pink mixed in. After giving it a swirl, the nose became very evident, the tobacco smell was very powerful, and quite delicious in my opinion. It smelled of a fresh rolled cigar, or even a cigar lounge where one had been recently smoked. There were hints of leather, and maybe a small hint of black currant, but overall a beautiful nose. Once I took a sip, the mouthfeel and taste did not let me down following such a great nose. The taste was heavy in tobacco flavor, along with some sort of berries in the taste. Overall this was a splendid wine, and I was very happy to have an opportunity to taste it.

I did not have food with this wine.

Tasting- AmRhein Traminette

•Name- AmRhein Traminette

•Variety- 100% Traminette

•Region- Virginia

•Country- United States

•Year- 2011

•Price- $14.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review- A delightfully crisp wine featuring the flavors of pineapple and grapefruit. The acidity is balanced with the natural residual fruit sugar reminiscent of the German Spätlese style of winemaking.

The wine is a very light golden color, similar in that to many sweet white wines that I have had in the past. After giving the wine a spin it became evident of the overpowering fruitiness of the wine, without even placing my nose inside of the glass. Upon first smell within the glass, it smelled as though I was drinking a straight glass of grapefruit juice. Was able to find a small hint of pineapple within the nose, but that was pushed out by the overwhelming grapefruit qualities. Upon first taste it again had the grapefruit tastes, and this overpowered the wine. Overall I would say this is a lackluster wine, very one sided, and in my mind was similar in that to a fermented grape fruit juice.

I drank this wine without food.

Tasting- AmRhein Petit Manseng

•Name- AmRhein Petit Manseng

•Variety- 100% Petit Manseng

•Region- Virginia

•Country- United States

•Year-2011

•Price- $14.95

•Shop/wine critic/winery review- Showcases creamy apricot with rich fruit flavors of apple, pear and citrus that rise from the glass in this barrel fermented wine.

Had in a glass while I was visiting the winery this past week. Noticed how well balanced this was between the fruitiness but also dryness as well as the sweetness levels. The nose was very heavy on the citrus flavors, and noticed a heavy presence of a pear element. The taste was very smooth and well balanced, had a very fruit forward flavor, but ended with a good lingering sweetness at the end. Would recomend for those who like a fruity sweet wine, not so much so for those who like dry wines or do not like sweet wines.

I drank this without food.