Winery Visit - "Attimo Winery"

Attimo Winery Visit

Traveling to Attimo Winery was a long trek, but worth the time spent traveling. Located in the mountains of Christianburg, we arrived to a beautiful house that sat on the front of the vineyard with all the vines directly behind it. The first thing we did when we arrived to Attimo was sign up for a winery visit, and we were in store of a great tour guide. The tour guide was Rick, who was the owner and head winemaker of Attimo, who had a Doctorate in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech. He told us that hes rarely at the vineyard now a days working on other ventures and that we were in for a treat that he was our guide, and he was right. 

Close up the Vines

The CEO and owner of  daily operations of the day was his wife, now that the vineyard is starting to take off. The vineyard consisted of 15,000 vines (vitis labrusca) and has been growing for 8 years just starting to see revenue. Also every year they have had an increase in volume of wine and are continuing to grow. When the tour started he went over the selection of grapes that Attimo grew, which was vidal blanc, cabernet franc, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon to name a few. He then elaborated on the anatomy of the vines and the life-time of the vines, which was 50-70 years. Most of their harvesting season is during mid and late October. He then also started to talk about the expansion of the Vineyard in terms of who he sold to. Initially he has contracts with every restaurant house wine in Sharkeys and is looking to lock up a contract with Macadoes. They also not only sell to just restaurants, but have weddings, parties, and other social events. Once we walked around the vineyards, he took us to where they bottle and store the wines after the harvest. It was one building that was cooled and kind of musty . When we walked in there was cases of bottles on the right and oak barrels and plastic containers on the right. 

They oaked their wines in French, American, and some Hungarian oaked barrels. I believe each barrel could hold about 60 tons of grapes and 5,000 cases. One of the unique things of this vineyard is how they bottled and transported the wines. They would bring in tractor trailers and bottle and transport them all in the same day. They sold about 60,000 bottles last year and are endlessly growing in popularity and production. 

Mike the Owner Explaining their Storing Process

Storing Facility

Tasting

The first thing we did since the winery tour was not for an hour when we got there was taste the wines. It was a great price of $3 for 11 wines. Below are some of the wines that we tasted and some notes.

1. Yesterday's Song - Dry white, crisp, lightly oaked 3-4 weeks, pear taste, fresh and smooth texture, nice acidity. 

2. Sonnet 98 - Dry white, crisp, floral, hints of fresh greens, very apple like, and a little more tart than the last one.

3. Off-the-Cuff - Semi-sweet white, fruity with mineral and citrus flavors and smells, tastes like a sweet tart, flower aroma.

4.I Do - Semi-sweet white, tropical fruit flavors, and floral aromas, smelled like gasoline. 

5. Just Kissed Blush - Semi-sweet blush, fruity, distinct berry flavors, aroma was like bubble gum with smooth texture. This wine was easily one of my favorite wines out of the 11. 

6. After Midnight - Semi-sweet red with fruity flavors, cranberry and strong black berries, and sweet finish. 

7. Bull Frog Symphony - Dry red blend, peppery, Blend of 6 different grapes, it smelled like it was going to be very dry, but had lighter tannins than expected. 

8. Deep Silence - Dry red, intense berry flavors and light smoky peppery finish, aged in american oak, fermentation very cold, smells like cherries and berries. 

9. AD 325 - Dry red with bold flavors, cherry undertones, smelled like a Margarita, violet red color

10. Sweet Berry Sunset - Sweet red, intense berry and fruity flavors, One of the more distinctive features is its candy flavor, this wine was the only bottle bought and worth the money. 

11. Sudden Downpour - Sweet, apple wine bourbon and earthy tones, smooth texture, with blueberry flavor, and she said it mixes well with fireball. 

Tasting Glass

Awards 

Awards Won

Mantle of Awards

Personal Adventures

Drinking with the roommates

Indoor Tasting Facility

Storing Facility

Tasting - "Rosemount Estate Moscato"

Photo:

Name: Rosemount Estate Moscato
Variety: Moscato
Region: N/A
Country: Australia
Year: N/A
Price: $12
Sales Price: $3.95
Shop/ wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Clear, medium-lemon yellow in appearance; lovely citrus and honeysuckle aromas with lemon, honeysuckle, apple and ripe yellow plum flavors. Serve chilled with angel food cake or fresh fruit and mild cheeses.
Your Review: If you have been reading my blogs then you would know that I am a big fan of moscatos, and this one did not disappoint. It had a very fruity aroma that lead to the typical sparkling texture that popped in your mouth. The thin texture went down very smoothly with a sweet aftertaste. This moscato tasted like candy and I will give it two thumbs up. I also purchased this wine not only for it value, but the taste I was getting for this great $4 wine.

Tasting - "Ironstone Old Vine Zinfandel"

Photo:

Name: Ironstone Old Vine Zinfandel
Variety: Zinfandel
Region: Lodi, California
Country: United States
Year: N/A
Price: $15.95
Sales Price: $7
Shop/ wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Grown in vineyards that are over 45 years old, this medium-bodied Zin has exceptional varietal character with lovely aromas of dark fruit and blackberries. Subtle pepper spice mingles with richly concentrated fruit flavors of blackberry, ripe plums and fresh red raspberries. Barrel aging created its smooth, silky finish and unprecedented depth. A wonderful wine pairing for variety of dishes. Any type of meat - where its pork, beef or game - is ideal with this wine. Cioppino is another amazing complement or try it with tomato- based pastas, hearty stews or a plate of strong, aged cheeses.
Your Review: This Zinfandel was very interesting in the fact that the smell didn't match the taste of it. It smelled very plum like with hints of dark berries, but in actuality the taste was very smokey, buttery with thick texture. It reminded me of when my grandmother used to give me butterscotch's with hints of oak. Not the best Zinfandel I have ever had, but it wasn't that bad either. An OK effort by this USA wine.

Tasting - "Librandi Ciro Rosso Classico"

Photo:

Name: Librandi Circo Rosso Classico
Variety: Gaglioppo
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: N/A
Price: $14
Sales Price: $3.95
Shop/ wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Don't let the pale garnet color fool you: this is a substantial wine. Aromas of red fruits and spice complement undertones of cranberries, wild berries, and plums. On the palate, ripe tannins and good body make for an incredibly rich, yet easygoing red wine. Pair this wine with sausage, spicy curry sauces, hot soppressata, and tandoori chicken
Your Review: This red wine smelled like roses. Once I started to drink this wine it had a very dry texture, which then made me think to expect another really dry red wine, but this was not the case. It had the taste of light berries and was actually relatively smooth as it went down with not a lot of tannins present in my mouth. This wine would go well with a good food pairing because it needs assistance to make it more impactful on the palate.

Tasting - "Angove Viognier"

Photo:

Name: Angove Viognier
Variety: Viognier
Region: N/A
Country: Australia
Year: N/A
Price: $15
Sales Price: $5.95
Shop/ wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Bright light straw in color with some green hues, this wine has a lush ripe tropical fruit aroma. This is a fuller bodied white which fills the mouth with heady flavors of apricot, peach and citrus. Angove Nine Vines Viognier is perfect for today's relaxed life-style and is the ideal companiment to grilled prawns with chili and garlic or roast pork.
Your Review: This white wine was a more traditional white wine with fruity aromas. The taste of this white wine was very crisp and  thin in texture. There was no noticeable flavors when this wine hit my palate, and just like the last wine did not leave any standing impression on me. These white wines did not really have an identity that made it stick out, which was a real turn off for me.

Tasting - "Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc Seaview Vineyard"

Photo:

Name: Yealands Estate Sauvignon Blanc Seaview Vineyard
Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: N/A
Country: New Zealand
Year: N/A
Price: $21
Sales Price: $7.95
Shop/ wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ This aroma wine shows lifted flavours of black currant with underlying notes of wet stone and thyme. The palate is elegant yet full with sufficient weight and texture, balanced by a flinty minerality. This wine is a fantastic match with foods such as cheese salad, poultry dishes and a wide range of seafood dishes including freshly shucked natural oysters, prawns, green lip mussels and creamy scallops.
Your Review: This white wine has a very distinguishable and powerful pear smell that instantly came to mind when I smelled this wine. The taste had a different agenda not tasting like it smelled at all. I was expecting a more fruity, powerful wine, but instead got a somewhat bland wine. The first taste I had of the wine it was very spicy and tart almost a cringing feeling to it. To my surprise the second sip I had was uneventful and very dry than the first time I had it. I'm not sure if my palate adjusted to the wine or what, but the wine went from having something special to nothing in a short time. I do not recommend this wine.

Tasting - "Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling"

Photo:
Name: Heinz Eifel Shine Riesling

Variety: Riesling
Region: N/A
Country: Germany
Year: 2012
Price: $9.95
Shop/wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ This drier-styled Riesling is bright, fruity and floral with crisp acidity and clean flavors of apple, pear, and peach that compliment its stony minerality and earthy complexity. It serves well as an aperitif and matches a wide variety of foods, like lighter salad dishes, shellfish, cream sauces and also anything with a touch of spice.
Your Review: This white wine had very floral smells along with a peary aroma. This was a very sweet and smooth Riesling (just like most of them). This was a good change of pace from the other two extremely dry wines that was refreshing for my palate. The only flaw with my palate when I tasted this wine was that  the red before impeded the taste of the white wine from being in the same glass. The eggy taste was still lingering in my mouth when I tasted this wine, and it did not bold well when I tasted the Riesling. The sweetness was defiantly there, but I believe would have been more powerful and delectable if it wasn't mixed with the previous red wines. All in all still a very good wine even though it had to battle for smell and taste.