No matter in which part of the country you live or visit, there’s bound to be some wine action this Fall. This is a wonderful time of the year to learn about wine, visit the vineyards, and watch the harvest. Some wineries even let you participate in the action.
Here is a mini roundup of possibilities: You know I’m partial (see prior blog entries on wine) to many of the fine wines coming from Virginia. Yes, October is Wine Month, but you can get a jump on the action right now, in September. Let’s start with an interesting combination: Polo, yes, a polo match, accompanied by wine tasting and gourmet food: A true Trifecta. Next weekend is the 24th Annual Commonwealth Cup which pits the best Virginia Polo Players with their British counterparts at the site of the Wine Festival of the Plains, all an easy trip from Washington, DC.
If you want to taste a larger number of wines and later visit the wineries, you might try the following weekend’s event at Bull Run Park: The 34th Virginia Wine Festival which features wine seminars, wine and food pairing demos, and representation from over 50 wineries. This program is part of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association which recently held the 5th Annual award competition with entries from the 17 states eligible to participate. The Best of Show was awarded to a Semi-Dry Riesling from Chateau Lafayette in Reneau, New York.
How about the Finger Lakes? Autumn leaves are already falling, and you have a multitude of wine trails to capture your attention. You can start with a trip to the International Winery of the Year winner (Chateau Lafayette) , and maybe have time to sample some of its neighbors as part of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail with over 30 wineries in close proximity. These areas become incredibly crowded on weekends, and a number of the wineries are offering mid-week bottle discounts. This may be a perfect excuse for a less crowded break.
Midwesterners complain they get ignored in these type of articles. Not so. Here’s a chance to do a shout-out to the Shawnee Wine Trail with 12 wineries in southern Illinois. Many are participating in Labor Day weekend activities, but the rest of the month holds promise for quieter tastings and more in-depth discussions.
Of course, there’s Napa and Sonoma, Oregon and Washington, and all the states in between that host wine festivals as this has become big business throughout the country. Consider this preview as a small pour, a sample of what’s to come as the Fall season has just begun. We have plenty of time to enjoy Nature’s bounty.
Raise your glasses.
