Do you enjoy wine and visiting wineries?
Maybe Loudoun County vineyards are too busy for you on weekends during the summer.
Maybe you've grown bored with the wineries in your immediate area and want to venture out a bit without going too far.
If you haven't been to Amissville, Virginia, I highly recommend that you venture out early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and visit these two wineries! It's a little over an hour from Prince William County and a really pleasant drive.
Magnolia Vineyards opened its doors a year ago and are actually having a celebration this weekend. I became an instant fan of this winery upon my first visit. In fact, I can't wait to go back and take my favorite guy and my parents!
All things earthy, Italian and wine-related run in Glenn and Tina Marcione's blood! This lovely couple realized their common love of wine and how both of their families emigrated from Italy early on in their first date. In 2006, they traveled to Italy and that is when they began to seriously consider owning a small family vineyard of their own!
When they returned to Virginia, Glenn and Tina visited Doukenie Winery (which my mom's lung doctor owns) and met with the winemaker at the time, Doug Fabbioli (who know owns his own winery - Fabbioli Cellars), which started their addiction with wanting to own and operate their own winery!
In May 2008, Glenn and Tina bought their first 25-acre plot in Amissville and planted their first three acres of vines in 2009. Their family farm house - including a winery in the customized garage and a tasting room in the basement - was completed in 2013 and at that time they were also able to purchase the adjacent 25-acre plot. In the Spring of 2014, they expanded their plantings and now have seven of the 50 acres under vine. The tasting room opened to the public in the Summer of 2014 and I was fortunate to make a trip out there in April of 2015!
Upon your arrival, I must warn you.
You will be greeted by the resident guard dog.
Maggie is the namesake of the winery and an absolute dollface!
At this point, I didn't even care if the wine was terrible.
I was already smitten.
I was already smitten.
The tasting room is quaint and comfortable. Glenn and Tina made us feel right at home when the Evil Red Genius and I arrived that early April afternoon. I had chatted with Glenn by email previously and was hopeful this would be a nice experience. (After all, it was in honor of "Red's" birthday!) I was not misled! In fact, even though I don't ever expect much from Virginia wine, I was even pleasantly surprised with the wine produced by this wonderful couple.
For $7, you'll taste seven wines and get to take home the glass (which most wineries don't offer anymore). For every two bottles of wine that you purchase, the tasting fee will be waived. Your tasting also includes a cheese bite pairing!! Must be a tough life to have to taste cheese and wine to determine what you want to sell and will work for your customers, huh? I think I could handle that with no problem. The experimental side of me was super excited about this prospect! I love how food changes the taste of wine and vice versa! You can't go wrong with wine and cheese!
We were fortunate enough to also be able to partake of the chocolate truffles that were offered.
Come on, it was Red's birthday celebration. There's no way we could pass that offer up!
Glenn and Tina are fond of red wine but they realize that there are people out there who enjoy white wine, especially white wine in Virginia. So while they wanted to just make red wine, they are wise business partners and knew they had to throw a few whites in the mix.
With the tasting, you'll get to try a Viognier and what they call Black Walnut White which is made from 100% Traminette grapes. Red had never tried a Traminette and I hadn't had a Traminette in years. I remember when I first started drinking wine and visiting Virginia wineries that Traminette seemed to be offered at every winery but I don't see much of it anymore. With floral and citrus on the nose, this 2012 vintage is an easily drinkable and refreshing white, especially on a warm summer day.
The 2013 Black Walnut White is a bit more complex and reminded me of Orin Swift's Mannequin. Yes, I just compared a Virginia wine to a wine from my all-time favorite winery in California. Shocking right? Yeah, how do you think I felt? It was the first winery we had been to that day too so it wasn't like I had overindulged either! The 2013 vintage is what Glenn and Tina refer to as a Witches Blend Brew - 51% Vidal Blanc, 23% Traminette, 16% Petit Manseng, 5% Chardonnay, 3% Viognier and 2% Riesling. Quite interesting and delightful.
These whites are joined on the tasting table by a Cab Franc, Cab Franc Reserve and Hawkins Run Red.
Hawkins Run is a stream that borders the Marcione property on two sides and eventually feeds into the Rapphannock River. It is named for Colonel Hawkins who commanded the 9th New York Volunteers which were active in the area during the Civil War.
Red and I decided to purchase a bottle of the 2011 Hawkins Run Red vintage to share outside on the patio with the birthday truffles... and with Maggie, of course.
The 2011 Hawkins Run Red is made in the classic Bordeaux style and consists of 47.5% Cab, 47.5% Merlot and 5% Cab Franc. It is aged nine months in light French and American oak. With licorice on the nose and black cherry with a hint of nutmeg on the palette, it was absolutely delicious.
Add lavender to the licorice aroma and leather, plum and vanilla to the dark cherry taste and you have the 2012 Hawkins Run Red. Glenn believes this will be their finest offering.
The 2012 vintage label pays tribute to the winery dogs, Maggie and Olie! Both sweethearts were rescued by Glenn and Tina at the Rapphannock Shelter. As a result, $1 from each bottle of any vintate of Hawkins Run Red will be donated to the shelter!
One more reason for me to like these people - good wine, friendly couple, inviting tasting room, beautiful landscape, cheese pairing and now they rescue dogs and give back to the shelter too!
A big cheers to Magnolia Vineyards!!
We can't wait to see what the future has in store for you !
Happy one year anniversary!
Your next stop while in Amissville should be at Narmada Winery which is less than five minutes from Magnolia.
"Taste Virginia. Experience India"
"Taste Virginia. Experience India"
Pandit and Sudha Patil had always dreamed of starting a winery and on their 29th wedding anniversary, after dinner at the Inn at Little Washington, their actual plans started to come together when they found a beautiful piece of rolling land.
Their first vineyard was planted in 2004.
Their first vineyard was planted in 2004.
At first, they just planned to grow grapes to sell to other vintners because the Virginia wine industry was just starting to become known. But having a BS in Chemistry, Sudha's curiosity of the winemaking process began to peak. Her interest increased over the years and she now closely monitors the vines during the growing season. In 2007 and 2008, the Patils had banner harvests and Sudha's sustainable farming philosophy of minimal intervention is where she places most of the credit.
In 2009, Narmada Winery was established.
"With attention to using the best quality grapes, diligent sorting of the berries, and maintaining proper chemistry of acidity and pH, Sudha’s medical background (DDS from Georgetown) ensures clean processing of the fruit from harvest through the aging process. Her knowledge of complex spices acquired during her childhood in India enable her to coax latent flavors from her grapes that perhaps would be overlooked by others. Her focus is to create graceful wines that are a true reflection of the fruit and to produce Virginia wines of the highest possible quality."
Narmada is open Thursday through Monday. You will find a beautifully large tasting room with tables, chairs, sofas and a fireplace. There is also an expansive deck overlooking a pond and the vineyards.
This wasn't my first time to Narmada. I had been once before but it was quite a few years ago. In fact, I was interested in returning because my wine tastes have definitely changed. At that in point in time, I wasn't too fond of red wines at all and now my palette is quite refined. Narmada makes six whites, seven reds, a rose and three dessert wines. They have changed their tasting setup since I first visited and I believe the have 4 preset tastings to choose from.
Knowing this was going to be a visit on Red's birthday wine adventure, I had contacted their manager weeks ahead of time to see if they could create a special tasting for us. Jordan was absolutely phenomenal and I couldn't have asked for a better host that day!
We started with the Viognier and the Chardonnay and then tried all of the reds that Narmada has to offer (except for the sweet ones of course).
When deciding upon which red we wanted to purchase and enjoy at the winery along with lunch, it was a difficult decision. We had narrowed it down to two and the
2010 Tannat
was one of them.
With an intoxicating aroma, this Tannat, which has a tiny bit of Cab blended in it, is rich, bold and full of dark cherry and plum notes. Its silky finish is extremely enticing.
With an intoxicating aroma, this Tannat, which has a tiny bit of Cab blended in it, is rich, bold and full of dark cherry and plum notes. Its silky finish is extremely enticing.
However, it was the
2010 Yash-Vir
that won us over.
43% Merlot, 29% Petit Verdot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 14% Malbec
Scents of chocolate, herbs and oak
Big, dark fruit with baking spices of clove, cinnamon and star anise on the palette
Plus it's named after the Patil's grandsons!
“Yash” is the Indian word for success and “Vir” means bravery.
The 2010 vintage is said to embody the marriage of these characteristics.
While I was very pleased with the special tasting that Jordan provided for us and I definitely enjoyed the red wines better than I did upon my first visit to Narmada, I must say my favorite part of this winery is the fact that they offer Indian fare!!!
I LOVE Indian food and truly believe that it is the ultimate comfort food.
I was so incredibly brokenhearted when my favorite local Indian restaurant closed down without any warning a few years ago. I'm on a quest to find an equally good one but I haven't been successful as of yet.
Red had never tried Indian food before and while I knew Narmada wasn't going to provide her with an accurate and comprehensive Indian experience being a winery, I figured it would be an easy way to get her Indian training wheels on. (Plus, I knew what was safe and this girl is no fool!)
We started off with the International Cheese Platter which included a healthy helping of five different cheese that were scrumptious!
Then came the classic Indian dish that is perfect for the Indian food virgin.
Butter chicken!
Creamy, tomato-based deliciousness with tender pieces of chicken served over delicate basmati rice!
I swear I could have eaten three more plates of this dish and am so glad I decided that we would both have our own individual dish. Sharing a cheese plate is one thing, but not butter chicken!
I want every single last morsel and yes I am not above licking the plate.
I want every single last morsel and yes I am not above licking the plate.
But it's not butter chicken if you don't sop up the plate with the famous
Indian bread, Naan!
Way to go, Sudha!
You are one intelligent woman who not only knows how to grow vines and make delicious wine but you know that serving food is just one more reason to not only stop by Narmada but a reason to plan to stay at Narmada for a while!
Magnolia and Narmada are my two favorite wineries in Amissville!
Gray Ghost is across the street from Narmada and while I have been there I didn't feel the need to blog about it. We didn't go to Gray Ghost on this trip but my visit in the past fell short of anything blogworthy to me. It isn't about how many wineries you can visit in a day. It's about the quality of the winery. I'd easily be content spending the day at either Magnolia or Narmada. No questions asked.
So, if you like wine, want to venture out somewhere new, enjoy delicious snacks, get lovin' from adorable Maggie and enjoy the company of some very down-to-earth and friendly winemakers, I highly recommend both of these places!
Who knows? You may just see me and Red standing next to you at the tasting bar!
Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”
― Ernest Hemingway
― Ernest Hemingway
