Wine Dogs Visit Virginia's New "PC" Winery

Hear ye, hear ye: The winery formerly known as Stillhouse shall henceforth be known as The Philip Carter Winery. Huzzah!

Philip Carter Wnery

Markham, VA

After running into PC-PR Maven Donna at the Linden Shell Station, Pomeroy and Munchkin decided it was time to check back in at the winery formerly known as Stillhouse and see how our friend Fairfax the Shih Tzu was doing in her new role as wine dog.

Fairfax is very proud to have been named for Lord Fairfax, who granted 300,000 acres of land to King Carter, father of Charles Carter, maker of the first internationally recognized wine in Virginia and ancestor of Philip Carter Strother, the current owner. Talk about a name with history (both Fairfax and The Philip Carter Winery)!

So it was little surprise that Charles Carter and Thomas Jefferson were on hand for official renaming on May 24th. It attracted quite a crowd, including of course the Virginia Wine Dogs.

This latest visit was all about the wine. Philip and Danielle greated us warmly, and Philip patiently introduced us to the new PC offerings of two whites, four reds, and two dessert wines.

Falconwood is the PC white table wine, a fruity blend of Vidal, Seval, and Chardonney. The label features a beautiful Fauquier County landscape (one of several paintings by artist Adrei Kushnie that can be found around the tasting room). One dollar from each bottle goes to the Leeds Ruritan Memorial Scholarship fund for a student who pursues an education in vitaculture.

The other white, a light citrussy Chardonney, was just perfect for the Dog Days of August, and our choice for enjoying out on the patio surrounded by the lush vines with the Blue Ridge in the background. But first... the reds. The line-up included a Chambourcin; a dry, peppery Cabernet Franc that Munchkin sniffed and confirmed "smells like Virginia"; as well as an earthy Cabernet with cherry undertonse and nice legs. The Meritage with its nice tannins set Munchkin's tail waggin', while Pomeroy enjoyed the locally produced Darby cheese.

There is also an oh so PC late harvest Vidal with the usual sweetness but a less syrupy consistency than is common.

Sweet Danielle is the name given to PC's port-style offering, and the label features a wedding cameo of Danielle. Philip worked secretly with an artist for months on the design, then invited his wife to dinner and "selected" the wine which was presented at the table to an emotional Danielle (Pomeroy, are you paying attention?). Is it coincidence that the new owners have added an event wing, perfect for weddings, including a bride's room?

The Wine Dogs spent an enjoyable afternoon at PC. It was great to catch up with Fairfax, and to meet her boys, the five-year-old twins Carter (left) and Pierce (right), who kept us entertained with peaches and cheese to compliment our wine. Thanks, boys!

Dog Days of August Begin

As the summer heats up, so does the Wine Dogs' social calendar. Munchkin and Pomeroy recomend a couple of fun doggie events this weekend.

Pomeroy's Paw Signing

Come to Pomeroy’s official “Paw Signing” of his very own Hallmark Birthday Card.

Saturday, August 2, 10:00a - noon
JJ’s Hallmark
610 King Street, Alexandria

Thanks to everyone who came, and don't forget to vote for "Happy Boy" Roy.

Barrel Oak Winery

Our friends Brian and Sharon Roeder at BOW are hosting a Dawg Days of Summer weekend, and those who come with their best friends get 10% off all take out bottles of wine and 15% on all cases!

Friday nite, August 1, from 6-9pm is TGISunsets. You can play in the grass or lie quietly cooling on your belly watching the sun fall lazily behind the beautiful Piedmont. Wonderful wine and lite fare on the patio and a great way to wine down the week!

Saturday, August 2 is a Dawg Day with Paws n Claws pet photographers taking dog shots from 1 till 5pm. They''ll have hot dogs BBQing on the patio for a donation to our friends at Middleburg Humane. And there'll be a Doggies in Drag competition with prizes and snacks for all!

Sunday, August 3 is a Dawg Day! The fur flies with more photography by Paws n Claws, BBQ'd hot dawgs on the patio and prizes for the uggliest best friend and handsomest mutt. Of course, snacks for all of fuzzy friends!

Downtown Frederick
Downtown Frederick goes to the dogs with "Dog Days of Summer," on Saturday, August 2. The festivities begin at 5PM, featuring a dog contest, dog friendly stores, animal art & more and conclude with a Yappy Hour doggie after party that runs til 9 PM. Also enjoy live entertainment, guest artists and extended shopping hours at 80+ downtown stores. A portion of Dog Days proceeds benefit the event's co-organizer, the Frederick County Humane Society.

Wine Dogs Make Wine: Lesson 6 (Put a Cork in It... We're Done!)

Three Fox Vineyards
Delaplane, VA

It's bottle and cork time! No surprise, Munchkin and Pomeroy have become teacher's pets, and in the last class, John uses our wine for the demonstration.

Everybody gets to taste "Wine Dog" wine!

Munchkin, ever the perfectionist, feared the team had "over-oaked."

Pomeroy assured her that it just needs time in a bottle for the flavors to blend and intensify.

And the classmates agree, giving Wine Dogs two paws up.

One minor issue -- the wine is a little short on mouth-feel. Additives to the rescue, this time in the form of a jammy substance called exberry, which is basically grapeskin. Mixed in 20 grams and it's ready to hit the bottle.

Once again, we set up a wine-pumping assembly line, with Munchkin and Pomeroy supervising the bottling process.

Uncle Jeff quickly learned it takes great precision to fill the bottles just to the neck.

He did a pretty good job... most of the time. Fortunately, Munchkin was on hand to take care of the spillage. In this case, it turns out the wine isn't really good to the last drop. We left the residue behind, but ended up with 28 bottles.

To close them up, we used a manual corking machine, which squeezes the cork then jams it in. John did everyone's bottles. Quite a workout!

Then over to the foil machine (there's one for that, too). Slip the cap on top of the bottle, and slide it into a really hot machine. Uncle Jeff never did get the in-out motion right, but everyone else seemed to master capping.

All in all, the Wine Dogs are proud of their first vintage. The cabernet is rich and complex, and goes down smooth. John predicts that when we serve it at our paw-ty, our guests will think we got the wine in France. We'll tell 'em it was bottled in a little town just outside of Paris... Paris, Virginia that is.

Cheers to all our classmates... keep up your wining ways!

BOW Wows the Wine Dogs

Barrel Oak Winery
Delaplane, VA

Munchkin and Pomeroy got so caught up in the grand opening excitment at Barrel Oak Winery (BOW) they almost forgot to post.

What a day! The big stone fireplace was still an open hole in the wall; the railing had yet to be connected upstairs; and there were bathroom glitches. But the tasting room and the wines were ready for the the crowds that came pouring in off I-66. Host Brian Roeder welcomed the Wine Dogs warmly, and led us through a tasting of seven basic-flight and five reserve wines in between greetings from his buds and even a congratulatory call from home.

Sharon serves as winemaker, and her basic wines are solid. The BOWHaus White recently took Gold at both the Virginia State Fair and again at the 2008 Indy International Wine Competition. We can attest that it's light and fresh and a great patio-sipping wine on a hot summer day. Even Munchkin, a confirmed red wine drinker enjoyed, although she is partial to the BOWHaus Red (note the pawprints on the bottle).

Pomeroy found the Merlot easy to drink, while Munchkin was torn between her usual fav the CabFranc (great peppery finish) and the velvety smooth Petit Verdot. Not to be missed are the dessert wines, the pineapply Late Harvest Viogner was great, but overshadowed by the Chocolate Lab. This rich red blend aged with real chocolate is a dessert in itself.

Flowers lined the tasting bar, including an arrangement bearing good luck wishes from Holli and John at neighboring Three Fox Vineyards. The Roeders are helping promote synergy among Fauquier County's wineries and businesses, even bringing in the alpacas from the Full Moon Farm. There are beautiful alpaca items for sale in the spacious tasting room as well. Brian has seen to every detail, playing up advantage of setting and incorporating rocks from the Blue Ridge and wood from barrels into the design.

The tasting room flows gracefully out to the patio, with its vista views of the vineyards, the mountains, and John Marshall's estate. The Roeder's new Golden Retriever, Justice, is named in his honor. Word is the young pup overindulged one day on strawberries that had fermented in the hot sun and got a little tipsy. He's going to make a great Wine Dog!

When it's good, you keep coming back. And the Wine Dogs think Barrel Oak Winery is the cat's meow. Munchkin's already visited three times, and the whole pack will return on Friday, July 18 for BOW's TGISunset under the Blood Moon. We can't wait to check it out, and to and see how Puppy Justice has grown.