Category Archives: Prince Michel Winery

Nov 13 NO comments
Albemarle County Virginia, Albemarle County Wineries, Barboursville Vineyards, Celebrate! Charlottesville 250, Early Mountain Vineyards, Favorite Wineries in Virginia, Glass House Winery, Horton Vineyards, Keswick Vineyards, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, Pollak Vineyards, Prince Michel Winery, University of Virginia

Virginia Wine Lover Magazine Favorite Tasting Room Poll

If you haven’t subscribed to Virginia Wine Lover Magazine, the holidays are a great time to sign up for this publication. It offers wine news, gift ideas, events and information about local wineries to share with your holiday guests.

According to Virginia Wine Lover , the results are in from the  September poll asking readers to vote for their Favorite Virginia Winery Tasting Room.  Some 3,000 responses accounted for the top 25 winners selected from Virginia’s 220 wineries with tasting rooms. Selections were made on the basis of Friendliness of Staff (39%), Attractiveness of Location (37%), Staff’s Knowledge of Wine (19%), Proximity (3%) and Price of Tasting (2%). Several of the wineries that are local to our Charlottesville area made the list.

Cooper Vineyards in Louisa County, midway between C-ville and Richmond, took top honors as favorite tasting room. Perfect! Planning our first trip there this weekend which also coincides with their Holiday Open House ( free tastings Sat. & Sun. 1-5).  Many of you may already be familiar with Cooper Vineyards.They were selected for the Cooper staff friendliness, the architectural design of the tasting room and for their fine wines. Cooper Vineyards recently earned the coveted LEED Platinum certification( the highest standard) for excellence in “Green” building technology. They have one many awards already and their Noche dessert wine is extremely popular.  Made with Norton grapes and infused with chocolate, Noche is a versatile wine. According to Cooper Vineyards, it has hints of black cherry and raspberry complement rich aromas of cocoa with a chocolate ganache finish. Great for sipping, drizzled as a chocolate sauce over ice cream or combined with nutella for a chocolate fondue. This wine is definitely on my shopping list for Thanksgiving. These recipes can be found on their website or on VWL’s site.  

2nd place honors for best tasting room went to Early Mountain Vineyards.  Agreed!  This winery is a very popular spot, augmented with a most hospitable tasting room staff, offering select wines from the Commonwealth and an attention to detail to create a most enjoyable wine tasting experience. Located in southern Madison County, EMV has already established themselves as a TGIF spot and situated conveniently between NoVA and Charlottesville, a premier wine tasting destination. The event facility rivals Pippin Hill for country elegance and an exquisite wedding venue.

Prince Michel nabbed the 4th favorite tasting room for its Madison County location. Prince Michel was chosen as the exclusive winery to produce the official 250thanniversary commemorative wine for this year-long celebration. The  two wines chosen to pay tribute to this historic occasion are Prince  Michel’s award winning Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines are  made from grapes grown in the Monticello appellation of Virginia.  Embellished with the custom designed commemorative label, these wines  will be available in over 200 locations around the area. They will also  be available April 21 for tasting and purchase at the First Annual  Monticello Wine Festival at the pavilion on Charlottesville’s downtown  mall. Prince Michel also has a tasting room on Carter’s Mountain with beautiful vistas over  Charlottesville extending down to Nelson County.

Barboursville Vineyards,  Glass House Winery,  Keswick Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and  Pollak Vineyards made the top 20 tasting rooms in Virginia.  Each winery is unique in its own right offering a little something different from the others. Barboursville for its history, longevity, and 5 star restaurant, Palladio, serving award-winning wines like Octagon and Nebbiolo. Glass House lends an atmosphere of the tropics with its glass conservatory and warm welcoming tasting room staff.  Top that off with Michelle Sanders’ gourmet chocolates and you could wrap up Christmas gifts right there.  Keswick Vineyards is a cozy tasting room in the heart of hunt country with a beautiful backdrop of historic plantations. With this many delightful wineries to choose from, it’s no wonder Charlottesville has become such a great weekend destination. I think you’ll need more than a couple of weekends to get a real taste of Thomas Jefferson’s wine country.

As a real estate agent, I’m finding more and more people choosing the Charlottesville area as their home. Parents who have adult children graduating from the University of Virginia are building homes here after becoming acquainted with all Central Virginia has to offer. The wine industry, education, the arts, temperate climate, health care and more are inspiring weekend visitors to purchase second homes within driving distance from New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. If you’re interested in viewing homes for sale in the area, please call or email to schedule a visit. We’d love to welcome you to Charlottesville!

 


Apr 16 NO comments
Afton Mountain Vineyard, Albemarle County Wineries, Blenheim Vineyard, Cardinal Point Vineyards, Delfosse Vineyards and Winery, Early Mountain Vineyards, Gabriele Rausse, Glass House Winery, King Family Vineyard, Lovingston Winery, Mountfair Winery, Nelson County Wineries, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, Prince Michel Winery, Stinson Vineyards, VERITAS VINEYARD, Virginia Wine Events, Weekends in Charlottesville, White Hall Vineyards

The 1st Taste of Monticello Wine Trail Festival

Oh, no! A conflict (unless it rains of course!) between spending time in beautiful Nelson County at the Blue Ridge Oyster Festival or heading to our own Charlottesville nTelos Pavillion for the first ever Taste of Monticello Wine Trail Festival. Two totally different experiences and I guess one could attend both but the idea of relaxing and being in the moment as compared to rushing to make both events leads me back to selecting only one. Sunday is the rain-date for the Blue Ridge Oyster Festival in case you want to gamble on rain.

On Saturday April 21st, the Taste of Monticello Wine Trail Wine Festival – Presented by Brown Mercedes-Benz, will take place at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall from 2-6 p.m. Special early VIP entry from 1pm – 2pm.
Attendees will be able to sample from over 90 wines from 24 Trail members.

For $75 Special VIP packages include parking, early access, exclusive catered lunch provided by C&O Restaurant, opportunity to sample select wines not available to general public and a chance to mingle with wine-makers. For $25 VIP Designated Driver tickets are available.

The wine education classes offered in 30 minute segments by Wine Made Simple look very interesting! Wine Made Simple specializes in unique wines less than $20, wine education classes and special events.  The shop opened last year and is located at the Townside Center on Ivy Road in Charlottesville.  

Reading a Wine Label  - 2:30 

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but there’s no better place to start. The graphic designs, photography and illustrations on a wine label are the first thing to catch your eye, but they are the least important. The important stuff is all there on the label and you’ll learn how to discern the information that you will need to make an informed decision and find a wine that suits your palette.

Tasting and Describing Wine – 3:15

You don’t have to be a wine expert in order to taste and evaluate wine properly. We all have out personal tastes, but objective standards for determining the quality and character of wine are helpful. Learn the seven key characteristics of wine, and improve your tasting skills and descriptive vocabulary.

Old World vs. New World Winemaking – 4:00

The “Wine World” can be divided in two important poles: Old World Wines and New World Wines. Tradition and terroir in each style produces very different wines. For instance, New World vineyards are generally in hotter climates and the grapes tend to be riper, more alcoholic and full-bodied.

Pairing Wine with Food – 4:45

 You need not always heed traditional advice, i.e., white wine goes with white meat and vice versa. Wine and food from the same region are meant to be enjoyed together, remember….what grows together, goes together. Discover the general rules that will help you make the best pairings and impress your guests.

The Relevance of Price When Selecting Wine – 5:30

The selling price of a bottle of wine is not necessarily an indication of its quality or of its potential to be enjoyed. Understand the economic and marketing issues that underscore the prices we pay for the wine we drink, and the many sensibly priced and affordable wine options available.

Author Richard Leahy

I think this is really cool! Richard Leahy will be selling and autographing newly published copies of Beyond Jefferson’s Vines, a hardback book with over 200 pages detailing the history of Virginia wine since 1619 but focuses on the last decade, with visits to wineries statewide. I met Richard at the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference just prior to the book going to print. Hmmm, Mother’s Day Gift idea? Wink!

Proceeds will benefit Jeffersonian Wine Grape Grower’s Society.  Event sponsors: Brown Mercedes-Benz – NewsRadio 1070 WINA – C&O Restaurant – redstar Merchandise – Monticello Wine Trail.

TICKET PRICES:

$29 – Advance  $35 – Day of Event

$75 – VIP $25 – VIP Designated Driver ticket

$10 – Designated Driver ticket

$10 – Ages 13-20 Kids 12 and under FREE

Participating Wineries/Vineyards:


Mar 28 NO comments
DuCard Vineyards, Pollak Vineyards, Prince Michel Winery, Shenandoah National Park, virginia, Virginia Wine Events, Wildlife Center of Virginia, Wings Over Wine Country

Wings Over Wine Country

Screech_Owl_Pignoli_Wildlife_Center_VirginiaThe Wildlife Center of Virginia had literally flown under my radar until recently. Via social media, my attention was called to the fundraiser “Wings Over Wine Country”.  Combining a love of wine and the beauty of the powerful raptors, Bill Sykes, Outreach Ambassador, brings the birds out to the wineries to promote interest and encourage contributions to the wildlife center. Prince Michel Winery and DuCard Vineyards have already played host to the charity this year.

As a child in Germany, we lived near a falconry and observed the Peregrine Falcons in action, hunting for food. The image has been imprinted in my brain for ages  and seeing these remarkable birds brought the whole experience back to life. Through friends, we were able to tour  one of the world’s leading teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine. Bill (Sykes) guided us through the 5,700-square-foot state-of-the-art facility. It is fully equipped with gas anesthesia, critical care equipment, surgery, radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment, laboratory facilities, inside and outside holding areas, and flight cages. At any time there may be from 80 to 250 animals on the premises.

Treatment and Triage

Later we headed  outdoors to meet some of these amazing bird. The rehabilitation center cares for thousands of injured native wildlife. Animals unable to be released back into the wild can become educational animals or “Ambassadors” for the center.  starting with the diminutive Pignoli, the Eastern Screech Owl. She is pictured at the top of the page, showing us her one good eye and her striking russet colors.

Junior Golden Eagle Junior, the Golden Eagle, was very engaging and hopped over to a perch to greet us.  Junior will join Wildlife Center President and Co-Founder Ed Clark at Pollak Vineyards in Greenwood, Virginia for a very special event to benefit the Wildlife Center of Virginia on April 7th from 5-7 p.m. Tickets to this event are available through Pollak Vineyards for $25 per person.  Pollak Vineyards will donate $15 of every admission to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

Grayson Broad Winged HawkGrayson is a fiercely beautiful Broad Winged Hawk  and regularly accompanies Bill on outings to the wineries and breweries.  She is one of the patients that was unable to be released back into the wild.  These rehabilitated  birds can become educational animals or “Ambassadors” for the center.

The program “Caring fo Critters” is a great way to educate children not only about the center, but how we as human beings impact wildlife in even small ways. Through this program, you can sponsor an animal and as part of the adoption packet you will receive:

  • The sponsored animal’s biography
  • A photo of the animal
  • Detailed information about the characteristic of the animal’s species, and
  • A personalized certificate of sponsorship

Several events have been scheduled this year so there will be many opportunities to learn about the animals and birds that have been rehabilitated at the center.

Wings Over Wine Country & Kickoff of National Parks Week Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2-6 PM Bill Sykes from the Virginia Wildlife Center will be here with live raptors -  hawks, owls and other ‘ambassadors’ and talk about their efforts to rehabilitate injured wildlife in Virginia.  There’s no charge for visiting the Shenandoah National Park during this Week, so it’ll be a great day to take a hike too.  Contributions welcome, with matching by DuCard.

Special thanks to Paulette Musselman for introducing me to Bill and of course, to Bill Sykes for the time he shared with us and his passion for these amazing birds.

Bill and Pignoli