Tasting- Primo Amore Moscato

Name: Primo Amore Moscato
Variety: Muscat Blanc
Region: Puglia
Country: Italy
Year: Not Vintage
Price: $8.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Straw-yellow with golden reflections and a delicate mousse. Fruity and very inviting, with intense scents of peaches and exotic fruit. Fresh and pleasantly sweet with a taste that reveals its varietal characteristic.

My Review: This was a typical Moscato with high sugar levels and strong flavors. It was way too sweet for my liking and expensive for a Moscato that wasn't a show stopper. This wine tasted just like candy and left you with the feeling of eating too much on Halloween.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Faraway Farms Shiraz

Name: Faraway Farms Shiraz
Variety: Shiraz
Region: Western Cape
Country: South Africa
Year: 2008
Price: $5.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Fresh, modern style with lots of plum pudding, sweet chocolate, mocha, blackberry and boysenberry flavors supported by round, sweet tannins and toast.

My Review: This Shiraz had the nose and palate of black licorice. It was almost too fruity for a Shiraz, but balanced out with the soft tannins at the finish. This would pair well with a creamy pasta dish.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha

Name: Tres Ojos Old Vines Garnacha
Variety: Garnacha
Region: Aragon
Country: Spain
Year: 2009
Price: $6.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Bright ruby color. Primary dark berry aromas are simple but offer very good purity and focus. Juicy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors are youthfully tangy, with good back-end acidity adding snap. The clean, brisk finish leaves behind notes of sweet dark berry preserves and cracked pepper.

My Review: This was a very delicious Garnacha with strong hints of berries and oak. A very smooth wine with a distinct peppery finish. Not too overwhelming and would pair nicely with any type of beef.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Oak Vineyard Chardonnay

Name: Oak Vineyard Chardonnay
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Napa and Sonoma California
Country: United States
Year: 2010
Price: $5.95

Vintage Cellar Review: Quite an interesting Chardonnay, in an era when so many are too sweet and extracted. There's plenty of orange and apricot fruit flavor, but also a brilliant streak of minerality, like a lick of cold steel, and the overall taste is dry. Really easy to like, with lots of complexity to warrant repeated sipping.

My Review: This was a very good Chardonnay with medium legs and soft tannins. Definite traces of oak in the aftertaste. Almost had a buttery taste to it. This was not the kind of wine I would normally go for, but it wasn't bad for the price and would pair well with any seafood.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Tasting- Obikwa Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Obikwa Sauvignon Blanc
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Western Cape
Country: South Africa
Year: 2010
Price: $7.95

Vintage Cellar Review: OBiKWA Sauvignon Blanc is the ideal summer wine and smacks of crisp tropical fruit with a smattering of gooseberries and fig. If you're planning a night out with mates - don't forget to bring along a bottle of this yummy potion!

My Review: There were strong hints of citrus and passion fruit in this wine. This is a good sipping wine with soft acidity and tannins. A little too sweet and fruity for my taste, but a very good Sauvignon Blanc for the price.

I did not taste this wine with food.

Winery- Attimo Winery

Attimo Winery

The Attimo Winery in Christiansburg, VA is a family owned winery by fellow Hokies with a passion for wine. The family named the winery Attimo representing "in the moment". The winery is only about 5 years old, starting out only with "test vines" developing into a large vineyard and tasting room. The winery offers many events throughout the year with wine dinner pairings along with weekly winery tours and tasting selections.

                            

Paige, Emily, Sarah, and Me

On Monday, March 26th, my friends and I visited the winery to participate in the tasting selection for this season. We tasted a total of 9 wines, 3 white, 3 red, and 3 desert. 

White

The first white wine is called Masquerade. It is a dry but smooth and oakey Chardonnay. It pairs well with cheese plates and creamy foods. I had many vanilla and mineral notes due to the aging process. 12.5% alcohol.

The second white wine was a Vidal Blanc called Sonnet 98. This is a dry , crisp, and floral wine with hints of fresh greens. This wine pairs well with their Caprese salad. This is one of their highly awarded wines. 13% alcohol.

The last white wine is called "I Do" and is a Traminette/Petit Manseng. The label is a picture taken at the wedding of the Attimo Winery owners. This is a semi-sweet wine with distinct citrus notes. It pairs well with macadamia salads, light desserts, and spicy Asian foods. 13% alcohol. 

Reds

The first of the red wines is called Deep Silence and is a Cabernet Franc. This is a dry red, with intense berry flavors and a light smoky pepper finish. It pairs well with cheeses, fruit, and rosemary walnuts. This wine gets its color from fermenting with the grape skins for 10 days. 13.5% alcohol.

The second of the reds was by far mine and my friends favorites. It is called AD 325 and is a Chambourcin. This is a dry red with bold flavors and cherry undertones. It pairs well with hearty foods, including BRIX chocolate. It was very smooth with low tannins. 13.8% alcohol.

The last red is called Vertex and is a Cabernet Sauvignon. It is also a dry red with rich black currant flavors and French oak notes. It pairs well with rosemary walnuts. This wine had a strong aftertaste and higher tannins than the other reds. 13% alcohol.

Dessert

The first of the dessert wines is called Sweet Berry Sunset and is a Raspberry/Red blend. It is semi-sweet with intense berry and fruity flavors and pairs well with any chocolate dessert. It had a jam like taste on the palate. 12.5% alcohol. 

The second dessert wine is called Sudden Downpour and is an Apple/White blend. It is a sweet apple wine with bourbon notes and earthy tones with a clean finish. It is specifically made with apples, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. 12.5% alcohol.

The final wine was the sweetest of them all. It is called Seduction and is a Tinta Madera/Touriga nacional/Sousao. It is a sweet vintage ruby port. It is direct from Portugal with hints of raspberry and raisins. It pairs well with aged cheeses and brie. 18% alcohol due to the added Brandy. 

Dinner- The River Company

The River Company 

The River Company Restaurant and Brewery is located in Fairlawn, VA, just outside of Blacksburg's city limits. It is accompanied by the River Course Golf Course across the street which was founded by a Virginia Tech Alumni, Pete Dye. The River Company specializes in all natural beef that they dry age in house. All beers are produced in house, and also offers a variety of wines to pair with any dinner you desire. On Monday March, 27th, my boyfriend Eric, his roommate Vinnie, and Vinnie's girlfriend Taylor and I attended a wine and beer pairing dinner at the River Company. 

Taylor and Vinnie waiting for their drinks.

Me and Eric enjoying our wine and beer.

The boys participated in the beer pairing with the home brews, while Taylor and I enjoyed different wines paired with different meals. I had the lump crab cake sandwich with a fresh garden salad and mashed potatoes. Taylor ordered the grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, and fresh vegetables. My meal was paired with the Atlas Cumbres Malbec and Taylor's was paired with the Sciarpa Pinot Grigio. 

The Atlas Cumbres Malbec has an intense red color with blue and violet tinges. Fruity flavors with most significant being red fruits. Harmonious and elegant. It is 100% Malbec with a smooth texture and medium-bodied palate. This wine would pair well with any grilled meat, pasta, or sharp cheese, or crab cakes! 

The Sciarpa Pinot Grigio has a wonderfully fresh, zesty flavor of lemon and lime and a tangy, dry finish. This was a very crisp and clean Pinot Grigio that was light-bodied with a slight tannic aftertaste. Not too sweet, but not too dry. Perfectly paired with grilled fish, light pastas, and salads. 

This is a very interesting restaurant to visit and try their home made aged meats and brews. There is a look though glass that allows the customers to view the restaurants brewery in action. They offer many seasonal brews along with changing wine lists based on what entrees they have to offer.