27 December 2006

Effervescence!

Looking for that special bottle for New Year's Eve? Want something good under $40? Kick Korbel to the curb and pick up one of these local vintages instead:

Kluge Estate 2003 SP ~ $38

Ingleside Virginia Brut Rose ~ $27

Horton Vineyard's Sparkling Viognier ~ $25 (the one I'm popping next Sunday)

Barboursville Brut ~ $15

There may be others out there too -- as I find, I will post. Support your local vintners!

3 comments:

FDR said...

Barboursville's always been the most awesome local value in sparkling wine. Do let us know how you like the Horton!

Glad to see your post, especially since that cockamamie law passed in July (that Virginia wineries can no longer sell their products directly to customers but have to use a distributor -- adding a middleman). Think globally, drink locally?

TL Patten said...

I'm a huge fan of Barboursville's malvaxia and reds, but have never tried their brut. I'll definitely report back on the Horton.

Charles Baudelaire has a poem that pretty much describes my take on life:
"Don't be martyred slaves of Time,
Get drunk!
Stay drunk!
On wine, virtue, poetry, whatever you choose!"

In that broad context, I'm more a Drink globally, buy locally person. :) Checked out your blog and that was one heckuva a drive you made to Oregon. It's been years since I've done it, but my dad and I used to do coast-to-coast road trips when I was much younger. We were so married to the fly. We stopped for everything--a road sign for the best burgers in East Calltrop County, a hawk flying overhead, Dinosaur Bone Trading Post, anything. Your description was a gift, recalling those times to me. Thank you.

TL Patten said...

As promised, I'm reporting back on the Horton Sparkling Voignier, which I found to be so much more drinkable than the standard Cook's/Korbel type of bruts.

IMO, too many wines done in the champagnoise method lose their integrity in the search for effervescence. I could be missing the point, since I don't have a background in wine, but it seems to me that, no matter how dry and light, the liquid should taste like something distinctive. The voignier had more body than the average champagne, and really satisfied my preference to experience something other than carbonated, fermented air.