The Monticello Wine Festival

$15 dollars and 20 wineries from the heart of Virginia's Wine Country (and you could get crabcake sandwiches!) Needless to say, I was ecstatic that my brother agreed to accompany me to the tents of the Monticello Wine Festival on that rainy sunday. Hosted by the wineries of the Monticello wine trail, the event sported artisan food, music, and most importantly, handcrafted wine from the wineries of the Charlottesville Region.

A chill wind wound through the fields and chased off all the riff-raff and less the loud drunken crowds of UVA students, left the festival open for long chats with the hosts. Not to say we necessarily took this luxury with all wineries, but we did enjoy several relaxed chats about terroir.

I won't discuss all of the wineries in attendance for two reasons: 1)there were far too many to reach in one day and 2) some have not reached their stride yet, and do not deserve bad reviews in return for inexperience and underdeveloped terroir- give them time, they'll get there yet.

I'll begin with the Veritas, clearly one of the bigger players at the festival, and consequently one of the few that actually provided bins for excess wine and water (the others expected you to throw it in the grass- hey, it was raining, it'll wash away). Our wine was poured by an affable young lady, who though unable to answer some of my questions about growing conditions, provided a cheery and warm environment despite the chilly wind. Though most of Veritas' wines exhibited excellent body, nothing stood out save for one: The Vintner's Reserve. Our hostess winked as she poured the ruby wine, "We don't usually pour this." Now, for vinos, this is the siren's call. If you tell us that we're special, we'll usually buy it. Though, in this case, the exclusivity was worth it: the wine was my favorite of the day. The nose exhibited warm strawberry notes and the color shone deep ruby-red. Exquisitely balanced, the wine sported strong raspberry and red fruit on the palate without sacrificing the tannic structure. Now, I like oak (even in chardonnay!) but too much oak can turn a fantastic wine south very quickly. Veritas expertly balanced the oak flavors, leading to the smoothest red of the day. The finish was full with creamy vanilla and caramel flavors. No, I didn't buy any, but this one goes down in the books. Fantastic alone, or paired with rich meats. $25-Veritas Vineyard and Winery- www.veritaswines.com.

Unfortunately, the wines went downhill from this point on. Not that they were all bad (some, yes) but the day started with a fantastic red- a hard act to follow. From the Kluge Estate, notables included a fresh and wonderfully dry Blanc-de-Blancs Brut, and the New World Red. The Blanc-de-Blancs exhibited a zest that sorely lacked in this festival of chardonnays and would pair excellently with rich fish courses as well as full-flavored hors-d'oeuvres. The New World Red was surprisingly smooth, though lacking in body despite the tasting notes claims, making it an excellent sipping wine.

This next winery I would have left to the "too young" category but I felt I had to report a previous review by a good friend of mine. She had returned from Afton Mountain Vineyards, announcing that their wines tasted like "feet." Consequently, I now pronounce only one wine at the winery to deserve this title. The rest, some actually quite tasty, deserve far nicer descriptions. In fact, their Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon exhibited raspberries and blackberry notes and a spicier fullness on the palate with some of the harsher tannins of the day. However, I do concur, that their Gewürztraminer did taste vaguely of feet. None of the delightful honey, caramel, orange peel, spice of the grape I fell in love with. Though I admit, I'm impressed that they got it to grow.

I drive by Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery every time I visit my brother. I refer to it as "that place with the gaudy wineglass sculptures." So frankly I expected similar brough-haha in their wines. Conversely the only notables would be the Prince Michel Symbius, which was a pleasant Meritage, exhibiting the smooth chocolate and blackberry flavors characteristic of this blend, and the Mt. Juliet Petit Manseng, which smelled like a bouquet of exotic flowers. Perhaps the sculptures are compensation?

My brother had never tried a Norton wine, so we made our way to the Horton Cellars tent. At this point the rain decided to unleash the floodgates, so we hunkered down to taste every fruit wine they had (as well as the usuals). OH the fruit wines; lovely fruits blended with the vibrant viognier. These were simply enjoyable. I will not try to pass judgement on sugary one-note beverages, but nonetheless these were just like drinking jolly ranchers (fantastic!). Their Rkatsiteli, though hardly in competition with Dr. Frank of the Finger Lakes, makes a delightful summer wine with citrus notes and a crisp, even finish. Altogether, Horton takes the prize for embracing the terroir and the locale, producing fun and addictive wines, despite not producing the highest quality of the more common grapes.

We passed from the festival damp but happy, running through the rain to the car. We hadn't reached all the tents, but certainly made a good dent. I hope to review some of these wineries individually in the future, as to provide a more thorough review of their wines (as opposed to what I did or did not enjoy). Until then, the judgement remains undecided on the Monticello wines.