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Old 09-26-2010, 07:13 PM
 
696 posts, read 1,693,919 times
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Upon entering my 2nd year in my NoVA house, I'm ready to branch out from my favorite WA and Australian wines to something more local. So, for an everyday (not quite nightly ) red wine what would you recommend? Can you purchase any of these at say Wegman's or Total Wine? Our young children are keeping us from exploring the local wineries so I'm turning to you.

Thanks!
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Old 09-26-2010, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 31,070,580 times
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If you like Merlot, it's hard to beat the 2001 Merlot from Breaux Vineyards. It's won quite a few awards, too.

If you like sweet wines, a guilty pleasure of mine is Raging River Red from Tarara. Don't buy it to impress anyone, because it's not a "great" wine. But I love it, anyway and keep it as a secret treat for myself. It always makes me giggly and happy, and goes great with chocolate, too.

Both of these can be bought at Total Wine (as far as I know, I haven't bought them there for awhile). I'll bet Weggie's has them too.
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Old 09-26-2010, 08:53 PM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
14,129 posts, read 31,238,974 times
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As much as many would like to believe otherwise, the conditions here are just not conducive to producing great wines.
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Old 09-27-2010, 01:47 AM
 
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CAVA, you are wrong. Virginia has great conditions for Viognier and we have some great ones, like the one Sunset Hills made in 2009. It has won international awards. More on this great grape and wine:
Virginia's Special Viognier - washingtonpost.com
The Wine News Magazine - Virginia Viognier - an exotic foreigner makes a love match in the old dominion (http://www.thewinenews.com/augsep00/feat.html - broken link)
My Vine Spot: Viognier Blind Tasting II: Honey Moon Strikes Again!
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Old 09-27-2010, 04:54 AM
 
696 posts, read 1,693,919 times
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Ahhh, I see that this topic is open for differing opinions as well. I'll take a stab at the suggestions and report back next week or so.
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Old 09-27-2010, 08:31 AM
 
Location: Fairfax, VA
1,449 posts, read 3,170,151 times
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I'm quite partial to the Cabernet Francs in this region. Pearmund and Fabbioli are the 2 I know I enjoyed when I visited for tastings. I am not sure if you can get them at Total Wine, but definitely at a local wine shop.
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Old 09-27-2010, 09:02 AM
 
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We found that the Ameritage at most of the local wineries is very good
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Old 09-27-2010, 10:15 AM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,934,961 times
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Virginia is frequently acclaimed for Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Both Chrysalis and Swedenbourg do a great job with these wines. I don't know much about Viognier but I've heard from several people who know about such things that it's a varietal that also does well in VA. Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc tend to do less well here, although there are exceptions. I've never tasted the Breaux Merlot but am not surprised to hear that it's good. Breaux produces a lot of quality wines.
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Old 09-28-2010, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Loudoun Cty, Virginia
738 posts, read 2,956,082 times
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Another vote for the Virginia Cab Franc wines. That grape varietal grows very well in Virginia and is probably the strongest red wine for VA. It's not as bold as a Cab Sauv, but still has similar flavors.

One thing I dislike about a lot of the US wines in general (all US, not just VA) is that they tend to make wines using just one grape type in them. You look at a lot of the European wines, and they're made by blending several different grape types and sold based on their region. I always find blends to be nicely balanced compared to others; a popular blend in Virginia is a Meritage, which is a bordeaux-style blend of grapes.
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Old 09-28-2010, 10:54 AM
 
Location: Fairfax, VA
1,449 posts, read 3,170,151 times
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I have had several blends in the US, but they are mostly done with whites rather than reds. I did just have a few red blends in CA recently (I was there for a work retreat). I have no basis of comparison to Europe as I have never been (darn lack of money) but I think some of the blends in the US are decent.
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