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Barboursville Vineyards

800.826.0534

www.vawineclub.cominfo@vawineclub.com

17435 Louisa RoadLouisa, VA 23093

When the infl uential Zonin family founded Barboursville Vineyards in the bicentennial year of 1976, it was the beginning of a revolution in Virginia wine. Th e winery brought over Italian winemaker Gabriele Rausse on a short term assignment to establish the estate vineyards and winery.

In 1979, Virginia had just 9 farm wineries (including Barboursville) today the Old Dominion boasts over 190 wineries (and Rausse is called the father of the modern Virginia wine industry).

Winemaker and General Manger Luca Paschina joined the estate in 1991 on a two month consulting assignment from the Zonin wine corporation. Today, some eighteen years later, Luca (as he is known throughout the state) has become one of Virginia wines fi nest ambassadors and was appointed by the governor to the Virginia Wine Board.

Last month, Luca made a point to have Vineyard Manager Fernando Franco at the media tasting of Gold Medal winning wines. Barboursville fi rmly believes that great wines come from great grapes.

Th e 900 acre Barboursville Estate, named after Virginia Governor James Barbour, features the ruins of Barbours Th omas Jeff erson designed mansion. Th e building burned on Christmas day in 1884. Legend has it that during the blaze the men moved the dining tables out onto the lawn to continue the Christmas feast.

Th e hollowed out ruins stand guard over the southeast corner of the estate, a reminder of how quickly greatness can be gone.

Despite being one of Virginias largest and most award winning wineries, Barboursville is never content to rest on previous years vintage. Th rough research and fi eld testing they continue

to push the envelope in the vineyard and the winery by testing new varietals, new trellis systems, and new harvesting protocols.

Approaching the winery, visitors take a circuitous route providing fantastic vistas of rolling vineyards with their one armed white windmills standing guard. After the fi nal turn, a visitor could be excused for mistaking the low slung white stucco building built into the hill as belonging in the Piedmont of Tuscany rather than Virginia.

Barboursville believes wine and food belong together. Over a decade ago, Chef Melissa Close opened Palladio, a northern Italian restaurant, on the property. Th e concept is to promote local gourmet food to be paired with the estates outstanding wines.

Just as the vintners continue to experiment with clones and blends, Close dedicates the month of January to return to Northern Italy and work with the chefs who inspire her.

While the wine and food have Northern Italian roots, everything at Barboursville has a Virginia slant. With apologies to Mylie Cyrus -- It is the best of both worlds.

Fast Facts: Founded: 1976 Location: Orange County Appellation: Monticello AVA

Barboursville Vineyards2008 Sangiovese

While admitting a true affectation for Sangiovese, the gentle, round tannic flavorful wine, readers should know I objectively considered this wine.

Sangiovese may be the perfect red wine for food. When I am unsure of what the host is preparing, I will often bring a Sangiovese due to its flexibility in pairing.

Barboursvilles Italian heritage comes through clearly in this very food friendly vintage. Blended with elements of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, one can imagine Luca bench blending the wines until the hit his desired flavor profile.

Aged in 2nd and 3rd use French oak barrels, the tannic structure is decidedly minimized without being absent in the wine.

The nose is filled with plum, raisins and black cherry. The gentle attack features violets and hints of strawberry. The lightly tannic finish is equally gentle but lingers with licorice and dark coca.

The winery suggests pairing this wine with grilled strip loin of veal with porcini rag. I, on the other hand, suggest the wine pair best with grilled game as well as seasoned poultry. I would likely choose a Cabernet Franc for lamb but red wine lovers would appreciate this gentle red with the other white meat, pork.

Despite being aged in older oak, I fully anticipate this wine will increase in complexity over the next 45-60 months.

Drink NOW through April 2016

Barboursville Vineyards 2010 Pinot Grigio

As we advance the calendar and the temperature rises, I start to look more longingly at white wines to pair with meals. While Chardonnay remains Virginias #1 production grape, the unique flavor profile of Pinot Grigio is perhaps the most interesting.

Classically Pinot Grigio is slightly off color white grape depending on the clone and the geographic zone. The word Grigio means gray in Italian even though juice is drawn off the skins before the skins impart a tint to the wine.

After fermentation, at 55F, this wine was left on the lees in stainless steel for six months.

The winery accurately describes the wine as romantic and youth spirited.

The attack of this dry white wine is filled with grapefruit, pineapple and honeysuckle. Layers of flavors starting with lemon zest fill the expanding midpalate along with pear undertones.

The glowing and intriguing finish lingers in the back of the palate with hints of apple, banana and honey dew melon.

While the Barboursville 2010 Pinot Grigio is great by itself, I encourage you to taste with Northern Italian dishes with white sauces, slightly spicy South American fare or lightly seasoned seafood.

Pinot Grigio is best enjoyed young; it will not improve with additional aging; in fact flavors will fade in the next 12-18 months.Drink NOW through February 2012

Spring Pea and Ricotta Ravioli with Chive Butter Sauce

Paired with Barboursville Vineyards Pinot GrigioPresented by Chef Melissa Close-Hart

Palladio Restaurant at Barboursville VineyardsServes 4

Pasta Dough3 cups all purpose flour cup semolina flour (if you are unable to

source this product, substitute all-purpose flour)

2 cup egg yolks (whole eggs work as well, but the dough is less rich)

Place flour and semolina in electric mixer bowl. Add egg yolks and mix with dough hook on

medium speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should be stiff yet pliable.

Wrap in plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for at least one hour or overnight in refrigerator.

Roll pasta dough according to manufacturers instructions to the thinnest manageable setting.

Dust pasta sheets liberally with flour. Cut pasta sheets with a 4 cookie cutter. Make sure circles are dusted with flour and stack. Wrap stack with plastic wrap and set aside.

Filling15 oz. can whole milk ricotta1 cup fresh petite peas1 each small shallot, minced1 tsp garlic, minced1 TBL lemon zest, fresh2 TBL mint, chopped cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated tsp salt tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Blanch peas in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.

Mix remaining ingredients together and fold in peas.

Assembly and Cooking:1) Place tablespoon of filling onto the center of

rounds, brush edges with egg wash, fold over the circle to create a half moon and pinch edges to seal.

2) Ravioli may be placed in single layers on floured baking sheets and placed in freezer. Once completely frozen, the ravioli may be placed in an airtight container and reserved for up to two weeks.

3) Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil. Salt liberally.4) Drop pasta in 10-12 at a time and cook for 4

minutes if fresh, or 8 minutes if frozen. 5) Remove pasta with a slotted spoon and add to

saucepan with sauce (see below).

Sauce cup pasta water cup chives, thinly sliced4 oz. butter, softened Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring pasta water (removed from pot while the ravioli are cooking) to a boil. Add chives and cooked pasta. Add butter and swirl pan to emulsify sauce.

Season with pepper. You should not add any additional salt, as the pasta water is salted.

Serve immediately, sprinkled with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano & a bottle of chilled Barboursville Vineyards Pinot Grigio.

Residual Sugar, the sweetness of a wine, is usually measured in grams of sugar per liter of wine. This is the result of either unfermented sugars in the original wine or by adding sugar to the wine after fermentation.

While some oenophiles turn their noses down at such practices, adding sweetness to the wine dates back to ancient times when Romans added honey to the wine.

Another ancient method for sweetening wine was to place the amphoras into cold water to stop the fermentation before all the sugars had been consumed.

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shank with Soft Polenta & Tuscan Spinach

Paired with Barboursville Vineyards Sangiovese Reserve

Presented by Chef Melissa Close-HartPalladio Restaurant at Barboursville Vineyards

Serves 4

Lamb Shanks4 each Lamb Shank, center cut, about 14-16 oz.

per piece cup Olive oil 4 each Garlic cloves, minced1 each Yellow Onion, medium diced1 each Leek, white part only, minced2 each Carrot, medium, small dice2 each Celery ribs, trimmed, small dice4 each Sage leaves, fresh, chopped2 each Rosemary sprigs, chopped1 each Bay leaf, fresh 3 cups Sangiovese wine5 cups Stock, veal or chickenTo taste Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven at 325-350 F Heat olive oil in a heavy pot large enough to

hold the shanks. Season shanks with salt and pepper. Brown each side of the shanks in the hot oil,

remove and set aside. In the same pot sweat garlic, onion, leek, carrot

and celery until soft, put shanks back in, add the herbs, then the wine, and reduce by .

Add the stock. Cover and place in oven for about 2-3 hours or until fork tender. During the cooking if necessary add more liquid, making sure shanks dont dry out.

Remove shanks from pot, strain and reduce sauce by half and adjust seasoning.30 Minutes Prep Time - Four Servings

Polenta3 cups water2 TBL salt1 cup polenta cup grated parmesan cheese1 TBL unsalted butter

Bring water and salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta.

Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer polenta for 30 minutes, adding

additional water, if needed, and stirring occasionally.

Before serving stir in butter and cheese.

Tuscan Spinach1.5 lb. baby spinach2 TBL olive oil1 clove garlic, minced2 TBL golden raisins2 TBL pinenuts, toastedTo taste salt & pepper

Heat large saut pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil.

Add garlic and saut for 1 minute. Add spinach and stir. Cook for 1 minute. Add salt, pepper, golden raisins & pinenuts.

Cook for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Editors Note: by Neil WilliamsonWow! Some time ago I promised you things would be changing around the Virginia Wine Club. I am very excited to be a part of those changes. The addition of a sweet and 3 bottle option is something we have been working towards for some time.

Some things havent changed. Your Tasting Panel works diligently to bring you great wines from across the Commonwealth.

Our festival team is out in full force as we prepare for our busiest ten weeks of the year. If you see us at a show, please come up and say hello. We love to put names to faces and to hear your feedback about the club. Just today, I met Club member Christopher Findley at The Discover Virginia Festival.

In addition to our regular festival appearances, I will be personally hosting two special festival events.

The first, at the Montpelier Festival, I will be working with Chris Breiner from Stone Mountain Vineyards discussing Wine Tasting basics in our fun Wine 101 seminar. Then on June 4th, I will be hosting a all day tasting for Vintage Virginias Top 5 Tasting Tent.

I do hope to see you at a wine festival soon and, as always, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your Virginia Wine Journey.

Respectfully Submitted,

Neil Williamson

Editor, Virginia Wine Journal Chairman, Virginia Wine Club Tasting Panel editor@vawineclub.com

May Wine EventsMay 7 Spring Town Point Wine Festival - Town Point Park - Norfolk, May 7 & 8 Montpelier Wine Festival - Montpelier - Orange, VA.May 14 Festival of Spring - LurayMay 13, 14 & 15 - Mount Vernon Spring Wine Festival - Mount Vernon, VA May 21 Front Royal Annual Wine & Craft Festival - Front Royal, VA. May 21 & 22 Spring Wine Fest at The Plains - Great Meadows May 28 ValleyFest Beer & Wine Festival - Massanutten Resort,May 29 Wintergreen Festival of Wines - Wintergreen Resort

Vincabulary (n.) Vin-kb-yoo-lehr-ee

Aprils Sweet Wine Selection

Horton Vineyards Niagara N.V.

Located in Orange County, just a stones throw from Barboursville Vineyards is Horton Vineyards. Established in 1989, Horton has their name in Virginia wine producing a vast array of different wines each with a specific palate in mind.

Founders Dennis and Sharon Horton are not shy to question conventional wisdom and have been rewarded over the years for their contrarian stances.

It was not surprising to see Dennis chatting with fellow wine maverick Randall Graham (Bonny Doons original Rhone Deranger) at Wineries Unlimited last month.

At the Virginia Wine Expo, Dennis received the lifetime achievement award from the Virginia Win-eries Association. Those who know Dennis know he does not seek such recognition and it was even money if he would show for the award. The most touching moment was when his business partner, Joan Bieda, presented him with an original Christopher Mize painting commemorating the event. It was a special moment.

While some in the Virginia wine industry seek to only produce wines that appeal to their palate. The Horton team believes wine is for everyone and everyone has different tastes. Each and every wine cre-ated at Horton has a story and a reason for being.

Niagara is no exception. Horton has a number of sweet wines (including their popular fruit line) but Niagara is a different type of wine. Not content to just be sweet, the wine a great structure.

Orange (almost tabby) in color in the glass the floral nose is filled with lilacs and rose pedals. The slightly viscose attack has a nice acidic balance leading to an expanding midpalate of honeysuckle and banana. The bright finish continues the breezy summer style with honey dew melon tones.

The grape Niagara was developed in 1868 crossing the Concord grape and Cassady grapes. The cross was done in Niagara County thus the name. This very jammy grape must be handled carefully for it can have a tendency to get a bit foxy if it is allowed to spend too much time on the skins.

Hortons Veteran Winemaker Mike Heny has a series of excellent experiences with the grape and has developed an understanding of its needs.

Delightful as an aperitif or after dinner drink, this wine can also work well when paired with some of the more challenging dishes. For me the cooling sweetness combined with the slight viscosity would pair well with a spicy lamb curry dish. I tested the pairing with a spicy black bean veggie burger topped with onion and pickle and it did exceptionally well.

The barrel going over Niagara Falls is an exaggeration of the shelf life for this wine. Not designed to age, this iteration is drinking exceedingly well now and will do so into next year. With that being said, the flavor profile will not be enhanced during that time and may start its slow decline as early as late Spring of 2012.

DRINK NOW March 2012