Beaching It with the Wine Dogs

Aqua S Restaurant

Duck, NC

Munchkin and Pomeroy are back in the Outer Banks for their annual beach vacation.

First stop as they pulled in on Saturday was Aqua S, a sassy new restaurant in Duck which opened last year. The sign out front said "Wine Tasting Saturday." How could loyal wine doggies resist? Especially when a Virginia wine -- Prince Michel's Rapidan River Riesling -- was featured.

Owner Lynette Sumner, a level 2 Sommelier, designed a delightful flight of four wines. The three whites and one lovely red started the vacation off just right. (Mom really liked the Four Sisters wine -- shout out to Karen, Ann, and Heather!)

The waterfront setting proved so enticing that the Wine Dogs stayed to watch the sunset and listen to music from the deck. A return visit is certainly a must.

Check out the Wine Dogs' adventures last summer. And stay tuned for more Carolina Wining in the days ahead.

Wine Dogs Fill a Gap (in a Manor of Speaking)

Glen Manor Vineyards
Front Royal, VA

Last year, Munchkin and Pomeroy found their perfect summer Rose' at Chester Gap. So as they prepared for their annual beach jaunt, they dropped in to resupply.

Doggoneit! Berndt did not make a 2008 Rose (and the 2007 was long gone).

Never ones to waste a perfectly good winery visit, the Wine Dogs picked up a couple of bottles of Merlot and enjoyed a lovely bottle of Chester Gap Viognier while taking in the outstanding view of lush vines from Berndt's deck.

It proved to be a serandipitous choice. While the pups were drowning their disappointment, Munchkin pawed through a magazine and discovered an oh-so-timely feature on Virginia's best Roses. Excitedly, she told Pomeroy a trip to the new winery at Glen Manor Vineyards was in their future.

The next challenge was squeezing the visit into their busy schedule. Owner Jeff White came to the rescue by opening up an hour early on Sunday for the Wine Dogs. Jeff ushered the Wine Dogs into a clean and sleek tasting room, featuring blond wood, leather chairs, and oriental rugs. Following close behind was leading Virginia Tech viticulturalist Dr. Tony Wolf, a consultant and fan of the new winery, bringing friends from the 'Burgh.

Warren County's first winery opened last April on a 226-acre farm in a glen ringed by Skyline Drive (for the best view, check out Gooney Manor Overlook). The farm has been in White's family for more than a century, but it wasn't until 1995 that Jeff , who was working for Jim Law at Linden, planted his first vines.

Today, Glen Manor has 14-1/2 acres in grapes. The more recently planted, mostly red Bordeaux vines (2008-09), are on much steeper slopes than the earlier vines. Jeff currently produces 1,200 cases of wine a year, with plans to expand to between 3,000 and 4,ooo cases.

The oldest vines are the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The Wine Dogs tasted both the 2007 and 2008 vintages. The former is Sancerre style, with great legs and a mineral taste. "This wine is all about the texture and weight," White explained. In contrast, the New Zealand style 2008 is a lighter, fruitier, flowery wine. He must have recalled the Wine Dogs were shopping for the beach, because he told them to think Buffet and the Beach Boys.

Yum-yum, said Munchkin as she tasted the 2007 Cab Franc, aged in 50 percent new oak. The final wine was the 2007 Hodder Hill -- the name of the older vineyard. The Bordeaux blend was leggy with excellent balance and structure.

Oh, and the Rose'... Munchkin and Pomeroy took a six-pack home after taking in the view of Skyline Drive from the back deck.

Wine Dogs Find Hot Stuff in the PC Cellar

Philip Carter Winery of Virginia
Hume, VA

It turned out to be a day of wine and roses as the Wine Dogs stopped in for a Father's Day barrel tasting at the Philip Carter Winery.

Charles Carter - who could be called the father of winemakers in Virginia, having produced award winning wine in the 1700s - would be proud of the efforts of his decendent, Philip Carter Strother. Philip and wife Danielle purchased Stillhouse Vineyards last year. While the first PC Wines were introduced last May, the 08 vintage will be the first under the complete control of the new owners.[For bargain hunters, the final bottles of Stillhouse are a steal at $5/bottle.]

Prepare to be impressed. Based on what Munchkin and Pomeroy tasted, winemaker and vineyard manager Seth Chambers has some hot stuff going on in the PC Cellar. Seth, one of a growing list of proteges of Chris Pearmund in the Virginia wine industry, is the sole full-time employee at Philip Carter. That keeps him busy on a property that grows all its own grapes except the vidal (and is planting more), and which bottles 1,000 cases of wine a year, with plans to grow to 2,800.

Seth started by pouring the Vidal, followed by a Chardonney which exhibited a citrusy (apple-crispy) and oaky flavor with hints of butterscotch produced by a slow malolactic fermentation.

The real treat was the Cab Franc, an elegant vintage heightened with 5 percent Petit Verdot and aged in 50 percent neutral oak. Roy told Munchkin, "Cab Francly, my dear, this will be a wine to watch."

The Meritage, which will be bottled in February, features 80 percent of the same outstanding Cab Franc grapes, mixed with 18 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 2 percent Petit Verdot.

All in all, the Wine Dogs are excited about the latest developments at Philip Carter, and look forward to watching this new winery, and its wines, mature.

------------------------------

What a wonderful blog. Thank you so much. It is so good to have the support of you all. My best,

Philip

------------------------------

We always enjoy your visit! Thank you for the cutest blog!

Regards to all,

Donna Johnson
Tasting Room Mgr., Events Coordinator
Philip Carter Winery

It's a Mystery to the Wine Dogs

Munchkin and Pomeroy meet Virginia Wine Country mystery writer Ellen Crosby at Philip Carter Winery. The Wine Dogs enjoyed the Merlot Murders and Chardonney Charade, and can't wait to lap up the Bordeaux Betrayal and Reisling Retribution. The books are rich in details about winemaking in general, and the Blue Ridge wine country in particular.