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.

Tasting - "Atlas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon"

Photo:

Name: Atlas Cumbres Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety:  Cabernet
Region: N/A
Country: Argentina
Year: 2010
Price: $15
Sales Price: $6.95
Shop/wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Intense red color with violet highlights, with clean, fresh and complex aromas of berries, plums, figs, and pepper. Strong personality is in perfect balance with a medium body and pleasant tannins. Ideal for: red meats, cheese and strong sauces.
Your Review:  This red wine had the typical smell of dark berries of cranberries, plums, and cherries along with a hint of woody taste and flavor. When I tasted this red wine I got a hint of cheese at the end of it, which took me by surprise. It also had a notable dryness that impacted your mouth but didn't take away from the overall flavor of the wine, good balance.

Tasting - "Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2013"

Photo:

Name: Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2013
Variety: Gamay
Region: N/A
Country: France
Year: 2013
Price: $14
Sales Price: $3.95
Shop/wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Balanced and lightly creamy, offering pretty flavors of plum sauce and raspberry coulis threaded with hints of ground spice. Elegant with a floral finish. Drink now
Your Review: Another red wine that clearly had strong tannins and was easily the driest of the wines at this tasting. I could identify the smell of plums, cherries, and strong dark berries. This red wine takes the saliva right out of your mouth like a vacuum cleaner. This wine was very powerful and overwhelming with dryness and aftertaste, which didn't allow the fruitiness to take full affect. I am not a fan of the wines with this strong of a punch and abundance of dryness. The theme of this wine tasting must have been powerful wines, which is not my forte.

Tasting - "Bricco dei Tati Rose"

Photo:

Name: Bricco dei Tati Rose
Variety: Barbera
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: 2013
Price: $7.95
Shop/wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Fresh with aromas of strawberries, cherries and rose petals. This is ideal with shellfish, salads, chicken, and with appetizers.
Your Review: This red wine was very bland in smell and taste and very uneventful except its very powerful aftertaste. It was smooth with little to no tannins and had a very light red color that was different than most reds. The flavors I could barely taste were hints of citrus fruits , but even that was very hard to pick out because of the sourness. I would pass on this rose because of its lack of flavors.

Tasting - "Frascati Volpetti"

Photo:

Name: Frascati Volpetti
Variety:  Malvasia, Trebbiano, Greco
Region: N/A
Country: Italy
Year: 2012
Price: $7.95
Shop/wine critic/ winery review: Vintage Wine Cellar/ Amanda/ Straw yellow in color with a soft, delicate perfume, fruitful flavor, dry and harmonious taste. Perfect with appetizers, soups, fish.
Your Review: This wine reminded me of a women's perfume but a more fruity version of it with a tropical aroma. The taste was very tart and had an eggy after taste. It was a very sour wine that with the eggs kinda had a little bit of bad milk taste and smell to it, which was not very appealing. It was a very powerful wine that lasted for a short time and made a smooth transition once you swallowed it. A mediocre white wine that I would pass on.

Dinner #2 " "Home (Southern Food)"

Creamy Alfredo with Angel Hair Pasta

Renwood (left) Avery Quinn (Center) Wrongo Dongo (Right)

The second wine and food pairing dinner was held on April 11, 2014 with a much smaller group this time around (Conner, Tyler, and myself). At this dinner we had two red wines (Wrongo Dongo, Renwood) and a light white wine (Avery Quinn). Each of these wines paired with a certain food that we researched such as the Monastrell Wrongo Dongo being paired with a salty Boars head ham and sharp tasting Spanish Manchego cheese, a red Zinfandel Renwood paired with a very sweet Jack-Daniels BBQ, and finally a Chardonnay Avery Quinn with a light, and creamy Alfredo. This dinner was completely different than the first one because the pairings paid off along with the pairing research, which brought out the best characteristics of both the food and wine for the most part.

Jack Daniels BBQ

Boars head Ham and Manchego

The first wine and food pairing that we tried was the Monastrell Wrongo Dongo matched with Manchego cheese and Boarshead ham. The wine alone smelled and tasted like powerful cranberries, and fruity to say the least. Surprisingly it had very little tannins and wasn't very dry, but the the direct opposite with a short and sweet taste  along with a thick, viscous texture. The most surprising thing for this dinner is how well this pairing went together and complimented each other. The salty ham and sharp taste of the Manchego cheese went very well together making the wine more bold and flavorful. When I say it was more bold, it was like my taste buds got sucker punched by stronger flavor like POW right in the kisser. This shocked me because this did not happen in the first wine and food dinner pairing that I had earlier this year.

The Wrongo Dongo with the Manchego Cheese and Boars Head Ham

The second pairing consisted of Zinfandel Renwood and the Jack Daniels BBQ. The Renwood alone smelled very floral and tasted like I had little beets in my mouth. This wine was very heavy and full with a hot and spicy finish, so I was not sure if I liked this wine by itself due to its bland, hot taste, but boy was I wrong. The Renwood combined with the BBQ killed most of the hot finish and made the wine smooth and delicious. The sweetness from the BBQ sauce was strengthened with a little hot finish/spiciness on the end of it. The wine enhanced the foods sweetness and was easily the best part of the dinner. Alone the Zinfandel was average, but with the BBQ it took it to a whole new level of flavor.

Jack Daniel's Pulled Pork

Renwood Matched with the BBQ

The last pairing was the only white wine, which was the Chardonnay Avery Quinn matched with the angel hair creamy Alfredo pasta. The wine by itself had a interesting pale yellow color with smells of green apples and pears. It had a very smooth and thin texture that was comforting on your throat. The flavor reminded me a tart apple juice that you got in a juice box as a kid, but the wine alone was still very good. The addition of the pasta with the wine had minimal to no change in the taste of either. They did not feed off the creaminess of the sauce or the fruity flavor of the wine.The only conclusion we made was that the sauce was to thin and lacking that extra spice to alter or enhance my taste buds of the wine. This pairing was boring and blah and had no affect on the pairing, which was surprising because you would think a white wine would compliment a nice creamy sauce well.

Opening the Avery Quinn

Opening the Renwood

Alfredo Pasta and Avery Quinn Pairing

Once we tasted the wines with the appropriate pairings researched we started to experiment with out palate. The only food that went extremely well all 3 wines was the Jack Daniels BBQ. This either enhanced the red wines finish or the sweetness when paired with the white wine. The pairing that also went well was the Chardonnay and ham, cheese, and cracker pairing because it increased the longevity of the cheese flavor in your mouth, while also lingering afterward on your palate. Once we took the necessary tasting notes, we then just got to enjoy the masters, while eating a delicious dinner, and drinking some very good wine. That's what it is all about !!!

Enjoying a great dinner with some friends

The classic Sniffy Sniff

Tasting of just the wine, while enjoying the Masters

Presenting the Avery Quinn

The Remains

Winery Visit #1 - "Beliveau"

Beliveau Vineyard

Storing in Metal Tanks

Some Wines were in Oak barrels

My first wine visit occurred on April 12, 2014 on a beautiful Saturday evening to a winery called Beliveau located about 20 minutes from Virginia Techs campus. Me and my roommate arrived at Beliveau to our surprised to see they already had a group present. It was for the sorority KD parents weekend and they were kind enough to let us join in. The vineyard was a lot smaller than I imagined a typical one would be, but that is probably because it is such a new winery that came into the winery circuit opening in 2012. Once we got there we walked around the vineyard seeing where they grew some of their grapes because they said they imported other types of grapes to create some of their wines. Once we personally toured the grounds there was an organized tour given by the assistance winemaker. The first thing that the assistant winemaker talked about was the future expansion of the 160 acre vineyard of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and other notable grapes. The expansion would include an additional 6,600 more vines of the red variety such as Sirah, Merlot, and Zinfandel. We then got to travel to where they stored their wines, which we soon found out if they either oaked or stored in metal tanks. Surprisingly they had the option to do both, and when they did oak their wines it was in a French Oak barrel or a White American Oak barrel. We then proceeded  directly outside to what it seemed like a equipment area where he introduced where they press, extract the juice and seeds,and where they bottle their wines. He also noted a very interesting quote, "Beliveau makes good wines great, but not great wines good." What he meant by that is once they get the juice they add different levels of sugar and other ingredients, and a panel of tasters taste each wine and leave notes, while also rating them at the same time to find the best combination for bottling. He also noted that they harvest in early fall between the months August and September, while picking the grapes in the morning because that is when the grapes have the best balance.

Tasting: After the tour there was a bar set up for tasting of their finest wines for only $10 for 6 to 7 wines.

 1.Kaleidoscope $18 - The first wine was a white wine that was tasted which was very floral, crisp, and had flavors of green apple mixed with watermelon. 

2.Mystique $16 - Another white wine that was a dry oaked Chardonnay, which was delicious when they had it chilled, which extenuated its strong lemon finish.

3.Lover's Quest $18 - A white wine that was very sweet and had a distinct taste of apple slices like the ones they sell in those little snack packages. Out of all the white wines this was one of my favorites and would highly recommend to anyone who is a Moscato fan. 

4.Silhouette 2012 $20- This was the start of the red wines, more specifically Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a strong berry taste and flavor with a very acidic bit at the end of it. 

5. Rainbow $24 - Another red wine that was a more typical Zinfandel with strong tannins and a very dry taste. This berry and cherry tasting red wine had an alcohol content of 16.15%, which matches other Zinfandel's.

6. Sweet Surrender $15 - The last of the red wines had the best thick and smooth texture. This wine had a jelly like texture and smelled like concord grapes. This red wine was easily the fruitiest and most delicious of the red wines.  

Equipment used at the winery:

Where they bottle their wines

Where they smash the grapes

Where they extract the stems and seeds

                                                               

Temporary Storage

Awards: Beliveau has already tabulated 20-25 awards for their wine. Below are pictures of the awards they have won along with the medals on the perspective wine bottles. 

Awards given to their wines

A laundry list of Awards

Personal Adventures: 

Exploring the storing Facility

Meeting the Workers 

           

A view of the Operation

Roommate Getting Pictures in the Storing Facility