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Hindsight is 2020

12/31/2020

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How many of you have wished we could have seen into the future and would have known what 2020 had in store? Well that would have just been too easy. Instead we were all stuck on the roller coaster of 2020 together using a whole new vocabulary with phrases like “social distancing,” “out of an abundance of caution,” “flatten the curve,” “the new normal,” and so many more. While it would be easy to skip over the mess of 2020, we do think it is important to reflect on all that happened in 2020 including the good and the bad. Let’s just take it month by month to try and digest what happened in 2020.
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January - Wine Actually Amongst Friends
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Starting in 2019, we hosted events called Wine Amongst Friends, and looking back it should have been called Wine Actually Amongst Friends. We welcomed other highly respected Virginia winemakers to our Tasting Room to share their stories about how their wines were made. There were many conversations at the bar and guests tasted our wines and the guest winemaker’s together. In January we started off the year welcoming Jake Busching, who is the winemaker for Hark Vineyards in Earlysville, VA. This event also led to a partnership with Jake where our winemaker, Lee, and him would produce an exceptional wine talked about later in this post. 

January hosted other successful events like our annual wine and chocolate pairing party and packed trivia nights. Now it is hard to imagine a time where you sit with strangers and share food and having to add tables to the Tasting Room instead of taking them away.
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Jake Busching at Bluestone
Photo by Daniel Lin / DN-R
February - We didn’t know how much we actually needed wine and chocolate

​In February, we hosted another Wine Amongst Friends with winemaker Joy Ting and another Trivia Night. Throughout the week of Valentine’s we offered our wine and chocolate pairings to guests and on Valentine’s Day we hosted what was our first and only winemaker’s dinner of 2020. If we had known what March had coming we probably would have sold even more wine and chocolate.
Photo of guests at wine and chocolate pairing
March - Shutdown 

March was when things started to get real crazy real quick. We were able to host our Press Club pickup party which little did we know would be the only “normal one” we would have this year. Shortly after that schools started to close down, businesses were limited in capacity and for a few weeks it seemed like updated information came on a daily basis. By the end of March planners were starting to be filled with white out and no longer had any purpose. In the tasting room we first stopped doing tastings, then glasses and bottles until finally we had to close the tasting room and were only open for curbside pickup and shipping. To say those last few weeks of March were pure chaos is an understatement. 
Picture of entrance of Tasting Room
April - Curbside Pickup and Virtual Happy Hour

The end of March and during the entire month of April, our focus shifted to curbside pickup, deliveries, shipping, and virtual tasting events. If you wanted wine, we were going to find a way to get it to you. Every Friday we hosted “Bluestone at Home” on our social media channels and were able to feature all our wines in a tasting. While different then interacting with customers at the bar, we were grateful for the technology to try something new and still be able to interact with customers despite the quiet tasting room. 


While the Tasting Room was quiet, April was a time where behind the scenes was loud. Vines took new life in the vineyard as our crew planted new Traminette vines and prepared to plant new vines of Cabernet Franc and our first estate Petit Manseng. The most exciting part was our first time canning wines. We canned Moscato, Beau, Vidal Blanc, and Rosé. It was really interesting watching the blank cans come down the assembly line, be filled with wine, get a dash of Co2, snap on the lid, and winding down the machine for it’s new label. It is exciting to offer a new product for customers to enjoy. 

Picture of winery during canning
May - Phase 1 
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May 15th was a happy day! Under Phase 1 guidelines we were able to have guests come back to the vineyard and enjoy wine outdoors. The tasting room staff had to completely adjust the way we did things and we ran on more of a restaurant model doing tableside service. We definitely got our steps in during that time! There was a lot of preparation for spacing and many of you have probably seen our “Bluestone road” marked with blue painters tape to keep guests traveling from one place to the other spaced apart from other guests. Even though March 25th to May 15th was a very long time to be closed we are happy to report we kept all of our full time staff full time during the shutdown. 

Picture of Meeting House Patio
​June and July - Phase 2 and Phase 3

June continued to move in a better direction as we moved into Phase 2, which allowed us to have guests back indoors for wine orders and well as seating, which also took a lot of preparation, as we had to take down quite a few tables to accommodate spacing as well as an entry/exit way.

​The main highlight of July was being able to host music again at the vineyard as we welcomed Everyday People and Mike Davis back to Bluestone. Earlier we made the heartbreaking decision to cancel our Toast the Weekend concert series and the summer was not the same without the bustling wine tent, the Reflex rocking out on stage, and people surrounded by their friends at the end of the work week. It was refreshing to hear music at the vineyard again this month. 
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August - Mini bottles to the rescue
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August we once again put on our thinking caps and came up with a more efficient way of offering flights since we are not able to do traditional tastings. We launched our mini bottle flight program that will probably continue to the foreseeable future. That way we could offer a wider range of wines for guests to try rather than a select few from bottles we chose to have open for poured flights. 
Picture of mini bottles
September - At least it will be a good year in the vineyard, right? Harvest 2020 kicked off in September. 

From Lee Hartman, Winemaker: 
2020 was one of the toughest growing seasons we've ever had. Frost is not an all or nothing event that will either leave you with 100% of your crop or take it all away, but after our initial hit of frost on April 17 we experienced frost 3 more times, the worst being on Mother's Day and the last on May 13. For a lot of shoots, this shortened our growing season by two months (out of about 6).

A relatively cool and wet growing season also presented challenges. While we normally crush and ferment about 40 or more tons of reds, we opted to make more rose, and also sold red grapes to other wineries who also wanted to make reds and rose (Hark Vineyards will be bottling our Malbec and Merlot as a rose this week). We only fermented 5 tons of Cabernet Sauvignon as our only red. This difficult growing season coupled with a drastically reduced crop made us thankful when the season finished in October, and simultaneously grateful that our season hadn't ended in May, as it did for some.
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And after my 11th vintage in this building, I gotta say, I'm pretty pumped about these wines. Our Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier are standouts, but even our early bottling in a few weeks of Vidal, Beau and Moscato are tasting great. And after making Orphan #3 with Jake Bushing, I am continuing making white wine out of red fruit. I've got the coolest blend of barrel fermented Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot, but if you can't wait for their release next Summer we still have a few cases of the 2019 Orphan #3 in the tasting room, so grab them before I do!
Picture of harvesting Vidal Blanc
​October and November - Embracing the Beauty of Fall
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By the time that October and November came around, we were used to the changes at Bluestone. October we were able to celebrate Virginia Wine Month and showcase what Virginia wine really has to offer. This fall was also one of the most beautiful ones we have had in awhile. We continued to promote our first sparkling Chardonnay made from estate grown grapes on the north side of the property. We released our first estate grown Cabernet Franc grown at our highest elevation block that is all free run juice leaving any bitterness behind with the skins in the tank. October and November are the perfect time to sit back, relax, and reflect with some wine and soak in the fall views. 
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Picture of view from Meeting House Patio
​December - Cheers to 2021 

We finally made it to December! The biggest thing that has not changed prior to or during this time and won’t change after all of this is past us, is our appreciation for the continued support of our customers and community. This has been a challenging year for everyone and without our customers, we don’t know where we would be without you all. There are never enough thank yous for your support and from all of us here at Bluestone, we thank each and every one of you. The phrase “hindsight is 2020” is often talking about negatives and that if we would have known what was coming we would have done things different but that isn’t the case this time. We are grateful for what 2020 has taught us and how it led to so much creativity in the Tasting Room, in the vineyard, in the cellar and through our marketing. It led to many new ways of connecting with one another. 
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Thanks for reading the final 2020 edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers! And Happy New Year to you all!

Picture of 2018 Blanc de Blancs
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Getting Nerdy about Tasting Wine

3/6/2020

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Have you ever been at a wine tasting and heard people beside you describing their wine? They might smell the wine and describe what they are tasting. I just got back from my trip to Philadelphia where I spent an entire day learning from Master Sommeliers about tasting wine. I had the opportunity to analyze over two dozen wines with other industry members who are also studying for the certified sommelier exam. So guess what we’re going to be talking about? Tasting wine! 

How does someone get better at tasting wine and know how to talk about what they’ve just tasted? It's rather simple, you do just that, taste more wine! If you are new to wine you need to be able to decide between one of two things: do you like the wine or not? From that you can build on some general themes, such as do you like more red or white, dry or sweet, oaked or unoaked, etc.  

Some guests that come into the tasting room  have never tried wine before or know very little about wine, and that’s ok! We all start somewhere! Now for those of you who have been tasting wine for a while and know generally what you do and don’t like , as servers, we can talk about the wines more in depth and focus more specifically on what the guest is looking for.

The following bits of information can apply to anyone from the newest wine drinker to the more seasoned one. Again you can go as basic or detailed as you want, but these are general things you can think about as you’re going through different wines.   
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Where do you start? Let’s go through 4 basic steps when tasting wine. 
  1. Look: What do you see? Is there anything about the color that is interesting to you? Do you notice any difference in colors between different wines you try?
  2. Smell: What do you smell when you put your nose in the glass? Do you smell any intense aromas or are they vague? 
  3. Taste: What do you taste? Fruit? Baking spices? Herbs? Etc. 
  4. Think: How do you feel overall about the wine? How does it compare to other wines that you’ve had? Do you like it? (That’s the most important question) If you do like it, why?

With all of the above mentioned the next thing you can think about are 5 wine traits that will help you dive a little deeper into what you are tasting.
  1. Sweetness
    1. Do you taste any sweetness? Or maybe somewhere in the middle? Sweetness varys from bone dry to dessert wine sweet and everywhere in between. There are a lot of different factors when it comes to sweetness of a wine and I’ll save that topic for another time.
  2. Tannin(red wines)/Phenolic Bitterness (white wines)
    1. If it is a red wine do you feel a drying sensation when you taste it? Red wines with higher tannins will leave your mouth feeling dry. Think about the difference between Chambourcin and Petit Verdot. Chambourcin is less tannic and therefore won’t make your mouth feel as dry; whereas,Petit Verdot  is very tannic. After only a couple sips, you can start to feel a drying sensation on your palate. Next time you come to the vineyard, try those two to get a better idea of the difference between the tannin levels.  
    2. If it is a white, do you get any phenolic bitterness? Wait, what is phenolic bitterness? Let’s go on a rabbit trail for a second. If you’re not familiar with phenolic bitterness, think of eating a sour candy, the same tartness and bitter sensation you get in your cheeks, that’s the similar feeling you get when you drink a wine that has phenolic bitterness.
  3. Acid
    1. Does this wine make your mouth water? If a wine makes your mouth water, that’s a good indication that it has a fair amount of acidity. Different wines will have varying levels of acidity. Acid also has another role other than making a taster’s mouth water; acidity is essential when it comes to the wine’s structure.
  4. Alcohol
    1. When you look at a bottle of wine, it will generally have a percentage of alcohol on the label. Think about Chardonnay for example. In a cooler climate, like Burgundy, France, the alcohol is going to be lower because the grapes don’t have as long of a growing season and the sugars aren’t as high at harvest. Whereas California is a hotter climate and the grapes ripen very well, therefore having more sugars in the grapes at harvest. With that in mind, if you are drinking a wine and feel a warming feeling in the back of your throat, that’s a good indication the wine has higher alcohol. 
  5. Body
    1. How much weight the wine has on your palate. Wines like Vidal Blanc and Traminette are not going to be nearly as heavy on the palate as an oaked Chardonnay or Viognier would be. This is one reason why most tasting lists that have dry wines will go from lighter body to fuller body both for white and red wines.

I hope this helps,  and try thinking about some of these things the next time you are either in a tasting room or at home. As an added bonus, anytime you are at a tasting room or wine shop and you have a question, ASK! You don’t know something until you ask, and if the person you ask doesn’t know, hopefully they will try to find the answer for you. That’s how you learn, by asking questions.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers!
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Insider's Look at Winter Wine Weekend

2/20/2020

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Winter Wine Weekend 2020 at Hotel Madison in Harrisonburg is this weekend, February 21-23. It is a full weekend filled with a variety of wine-themed events including wine dinners, a winery tour of Bluestone, seminars, and tastings. I wanted to give you an inside look at the event last year in order to get you excited for 2020. 
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Last year my husband, Matt and I attended the inaugural Winter Wine Weekend event held at Hotel Madison in downtown Harrisonburg. The event ran Friday-Sunday with a wide range of seminars, wine dinners/brunch and tastings. We decided to attend just the events on Saturday due to our schedules, but there were a lot of great seminars and tastings packed into one day!

Our day started out with a Wine 101 seminar and even for someone who has been working in the wine industry for a number of years now, I still got a lot of great information out of the seminar. Hearing the wine educator go through the basics of smelling and tasting wine was a nice refresher because it took me back to when I first started my wine journey and how those basic things gave me information on which to build as I continue to learn about wine. The other thing that I found interesting was that she suggested bringing a notebook or journal with you when you are tasting wines. That way  you can go back to those notes later on to see how your palate or what you think about when tasting wines has changed. 

In the afternoon we attended a seminar all about rosé. During this seminar we had a small group activity where we would talk with others around us about the flavors and aromas of the different wines we were trying. Since rosés don’t always use the same grapes, each wine had different aromas and tastes. The rosé made from Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah was much different from the rosé made from Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin. There was also a seminar that was all about wine and history, but that could be an entire blog post itself.

The most hands on event was the blending seminar that Bluestone’s winemaker, Lee, hosted. Lee explained some of the basics of what a winemaker thinks about when putting wines together, especially blends. In this seminar, we not only got to learn about key things on how to blend, but we got to put that information to good use and make a growler of our own blend! Blending wine is not as easy as it looks and takes a lot of math figuring out percentages and conversions. Thankfully, my husband is an engineer and loved all the “ nerdiness” that was involved with this seminar and helped me out when I was working on my blend. I really enjoyed this hands on learning experience, and it gave me more appreciation for what winemakers do. ​

​To finish out our day, we went to the ballroom to the Grand Tastings where wineries from throughout the Valley brought their wines for attendees to try. We didn’t get a chance to go to all of them but were able to visit wineries that we either had not been to before or ones we had not been to for a while. It was a great opportunity to talk with many of the winery owners and/or their winemakers. 

All of that sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it? Don’t just take my word for it. Come check it out yourself! This year Saturday’s events have different presenters and seminars, but there are two events that are coming back: the Grand Tasting (which has 12 participating wineries from Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville) and Lee’s blending seminar! The participating wineries include Barren Ridge Vineyards, Brix and Columns Vineyards, Shenandoah Vineyards, Rockbridge Vineyard, Keswick Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, Cardinal Point Winery, Bluestone Vineyard, Muse Vineyards, Crosskeys Vineyards, and Cave Ridge Vineyard. Tickets for the Grand Tasting are available for purchase in our Tasting Room for $40 or $35 for Press Club. 

For the entire list of workshops and to purchase tickets for those, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hotel-madisons-winter-wine-weekend-tickets-87166997837?aff=BlueStoneVineyards. 

While I won’t be attending Winter Wine Weekend as a guest, I will still be there. I’ll be pouring Bluestone wine at the Grand Tasting along with several other members of the Bluestone crew. Lee has already told me what wines we are pouring at the event and one of them is not even released yet, not even to Press Club members and you don’t want to miss it!
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Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel! I hope to see many of you at the Grand Tasting on Saturday! Cheers!
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Will you be my valen-wine?

2/6/2020

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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. But what to do on this day for that special someone that isn’t over the top or cheesy, like the title of this blog? Let’s look at a few different ways you can treat that special someone and also support local businesses. ​
Give the gift that keeps on giving (at least until they open the bottle).
There are a couple different things you can do. Come by the tasting room and pick out a bottle of their favorite wine (or two), or if you don’t know their favorite, purchase a gift certificate so they can pick out something they like and the pressure is off you! If you decide to do a gift certificate, you can choose any dollar amount and it can be used towards bottles of wine, wine tastings, merchandise or Bluestone events (i.e. winemaker’s dinners, educational seminars, etc). 
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​Surprise them with a special dinner.
Bluestone will be hosting the annual Valentine’s Day Winemaker’s Dinner on Friday, February 14th in the banquet hall of the Meeting House starting at 7 p.m. A four-course meal will be prepared by Ben Miller with Parkhurst Catering, and each course features a specially paired wine. Tickets are available for purchase until Monday, February 10th. Tickets are $79.50 plus tax/$71.55 for Press Club members.
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Sweet tastings for you and your sweetie. 
Another option for treating your sweetie (or as a bonus) is to visit the tasting room February 7-16 during our normal business hours to do a wine and chocolate tasting! There are 8 Bluestone wines paired with 8 chocolates  provided by Warfel’s Chocolate Shoppe in Dayton. Wine and chocolate tastings are $15 per person/$7.50 for Press Club members. These tastings are while supplies last, so don’t delay! As a side note, groups are always welcome, but please keep in mind that any groups of 8 or more (this includes the wine and chocolate tasting), must call in advance and have paid reservations. That way we can accommodate your group properly. We also have additional chocolate from Warfel’s available for purchase in the tasting room.
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An entire weekend focused on wine.
Hotel Madison is hosting the Second Annual Winter Wine Weekend from February 21-23. In addition to a Grand Tasting, there will be a wine-centric welcome reception, wine workshops, a wine-paired dinner, wine tours, a champagne brunch and more. If you are feeling extra special, you can stay at the hotel for a special overnight rate as a Winter Wine Weekend participant. The main event of this weekend is the Grand Tasting sponsored by Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. This event features over 10 Virginia wineries and will provide an opportunity to taste and compare wines from distinct regions of Virginia. Participating vineyard include Barren Ridge Vineyards, Brix and Columns Vineyards, Shenandoah Vineyards, Rockbridge Vineyard, Keswick Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, Cardinal Point Winery, Bluestone Vineyard, Muse Vineyards, Crosskeys Vineyards, and Cave Ridge Vineyard. Tickets are for sale in the Bluestone tasting room for $40. 

​I hope this helps narrow down some of the options for your Valentine. Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers!
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Uncorking Cabernet Sauvignon

1/16/2020

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In this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel, I’ve decided to make things a bit more interesting and have added a few trivia questions throughout the blog. 

1. What is the most popular and most planted grape variety in the world?

​I’ll give you a hint, it’s red. 
If you guessed Cabernet Sauvignon, you’re right! According to a study completed in 2011, Cabernet Sauvignon has over 700,00 acres planted worldwide! That’s a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon!

Cabernet Sauvignon is believed to have originated in the Bordeaux region of France and is a natural cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. Yay for happy accidents!

​There are numerous regions throughout the world that are known for growing Cabernet. In the Old World, France is the key country for growing Cabernet. Spain and Italy also grow a good bit of Cabernet, but not nearly the acreage of France. Cabernet has also made a name for itself widely throughout the New World, which is any country outside of Europe such as the United States, Chile, Australia, and Argentina, etc. When most people think of New World Cabernet, typically the first place they think of is the Napa Valley in California.

Speaking of Napa Valley, here is the second trivia question.

2. 
What was the vintage and producer of the Cabernet Sauvignon that won the red category in the 1976 Judgement of Paris? (Hint, if you need a refresher, you can find the answer is in my blog post from July 4th.) 

While you’re thinking,  let’s talk more about what you can expect from Cabernet and a few food pairing options. 

Cabernet is known for being a full bodied and tannic wine. It is also a late ripening grape, which is why warmer climates are best suited for the grape. Have you ever gone into a tasting room in Virginia that has a Cabernet Sauvignon, tried it and thought to yourself (or possibly out loud) that this wine isn’t as full bodied as you thought it would be? You were expecting more of a Napa Cabernet, but got a lighter, less intense version of it? This change is because the climate differences. Virginia’s climate is considered a humid, subtropical region. In the Shenandoah Valley we average 10 degrees cooler than the coast, but we still get the humidity in the summer. Napa Valley, on the other hand, has more of a Mediterranean climate where they experience hot, dry summers and mild winters, and their growing season lasts longer than ours.

Onto food, because honestly, who doesn’t love food? First thing that typically comes to mind for most people when pairing Cabernet Sauvignon is steak. As mentioned earlier, Cabernet Sauvignon is generally a very tannic wine and when paired with a meat that is a little fattier and juicier, such as a ribeye, the wine will balance out nicely. “What if I don’t eat meat?” Don’t worry, there are options for those who prefer meatless dishes and still love Cabernet! Meatless lasagne is a great option because the combination of pasta, cheese and sauce will stand up to the tannins in the wine. 

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On Bluestone's main property, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown right behind the tasting room patio and is the last block on the hill closest to The Meadow.
To wrap up this week’s blog, I have the answer to question two and one final question. The answer to question two is the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Now, the final question.

3. What event is happening on Sunday, January 26th, 2020?

If you guessed the Cabernet Sauvignon seminar, you’re right! Our winemaker, Lee, will be leading a seminar all about Cabernet! This is one you don’t want to miss, especially if you want an opportunity to try a variety of wines from regions you may not have known make Cabernet. The event will take place in the banquet hall of the Meeting House from 2-4 p.m. The cost is $20 per person. Press Club is $15 (with max of 2 tickets). Purchase tickets by calling the Tasting Room at (540) 828-0099 or online. Reservations are required for this event.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel and for playing along with the trivia questions! Cheers!
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Tips and Tricks for Chocolate and Wine Pairings

1/2/2020

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PicturePhoto from Warfels Chocolate
Happy New Year everyone! As we begin this new year, I was thinking about the different topics I could start the year out on and the first thing that came to mind was chocolate! Probably because as I’m writing this, I’m snacking on chocolate truffles that were in my stocking from Christmas.

How does one go about deciding which type of chocolates go with different types of wine? That’s the theme of this week’s blog. For those of you who are reading this, it may just come in handy for an annual event that we host each January. More on those details later, but for now, let’s talk about pairings. 

Wine and chocolate pairings aren’t much different than other food and wine pairings, it’s about two main things: personal preference and balance. When working with pairings there are overall tips and tricks to help narrow down overall options. With the different kinds of chocolate (white, milk, dark) and flavors (fruits, nuts, spices, etc) that can be added, where to begin? For me, I look at the main component of the chocolate in front of me and work from there.
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Let’s say in front of me is a dark chocolate espresso truffle. I love coffee as much as I love wine, so I thought this would be a fun example. The first thing I think about is that this is dark chocolate, which for me, narrows down my choices to red. The next thing I look at is finding a red that isn’t too tannic. A red wine with heavy tannins paired with dark chocolate will generally make it taste bitter. Which narrows my choices even more to say a medium-bodied red because I still want a wine that has structure, but not overpowering. Now, let’s look at the espresso part of the chocolate. Are there any wines available that have similar coffee or espresso characteristics? You can also think about other chocolate in the same way and if it has fruit or nuts and see what wines available have those similar characteristics. 

With all that being said for this particular chocolate (and also thinking about the wines we have at Bluestone), I’m going to be looking for a medium-bodied, dry red wine that has coffee or even chocolate notes to it. Final conclusion, Merlot. 

This was actually one of the pairings from a few years ago (and also one of my favorites) that I thought would be fun to share with you guys. We paired our 2013 Merlot with a dark chocolate espresso truffle and it was amazing! The 2013 had beautiful coffee notes on the nose and the fruitiness on the end of the palate helped to balance with the dark chocolate.

Moral of the story, start with the main focus of what the chocolate is; white, milk or dark and work your way from there. This can also apply to food pairings as well, by looking at the main dish (pork, beef, chicken, etc) and then look at sauces, seasonings, how it was prepared, etc to narrow down your choices.

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Now, about the annual event I was referring to earlier. Each January we hold our annual wine and chocolate pairing party! Attendees get to spend a couple hours trying an assortment of Bluestone wines and local chocolates from Warfel’s Sweet Shoppe in Dayton. This event does require reservations and spots are limited! The event this year takes place on Sunday, January 12th from 2-4 p.m. in the banquet hall of the Meeting House. Tickets are $25 per person. Press Club tickets are $20 per person (with a max of 2 tickets).  At the end of the event, attendees will be given a gift certificate good for one wine and chocolate tasting during our tastings in February. More details to come on that soon. 

Whether you’ve done this event before or this is your first time, I hope these tips will help you with your pairing options and also have fun with figuring out what wines go with what chocolates. 

Thanks for tuning in to this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers!

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Prohibition Ends!

12/5/2019

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Anyone know what the significance of December 5th is? I’ll give you a hint, it was on this day 86 years ago that a very important event took place. 

Today is Repeal Day, which marked the end of Prohibition. The 18th amendment was ratified in January 1919 and went into affect a year later and lasted until December 5, 1933 when the 21st amendment was officially ratified. During this time, the making, selling and transportation of alcohol was illegal. Fun fact that I learned during some of my research, consuming alcohol was not illegal during Prohibition, just all of the other stuff stated previously, which doesn’t quite make sense to me, but we’ll roll with it.

With all of that being said, how did Prohibition affect the wine industry? Quite a bit come to find out. The wine industry pre-Prohibition era was on the rise and once the law went into effect, many wineries shut their doors, poured out their barrels and ripped out their vineyards. There was one loophole that some wineries were able to take advantage of during Prohibition, and that was getting a permit for the purpose of producing sacramental wine for Catholic church services. Among the wineries that remained open during this time according to winefolly.com were Beaulieu Vineyards, Pope Valley Winery, Concannon Winery, Beringer Winery, Louis M. Martini, San Antonio Winery (Los Angeles), Bernardo Winery (San Diego). There were also a hand full of  distilleries that were also able to get a special permit to keep their doors open during this time by selling liquor for medicinal purposes.

So how does one celebrate Repeal Day? By drinking of course! Swing by the vineyard and pick up a bottle or two and celebrate with friends and family! While you’re at it, don’t forget Christmas gifts! We have a wide selection of wines ranging from white, red, dry and sweets to choose from as well as accessories to add that little something extra.
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Thanks for tuning into to this week’s edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers! 

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Thankful for Wine: Thanksgiving Wine Pairings

11/22/2019

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As the holiday season is rapidly approaching, one of my favorite things about the holidays is the food! And what goes with food? If you guessed wine, you're right! Wine and food pairings can be a lot of fun, but also intimidating at the same time. So how do you pick a wine or a variety of wines to pair with turkey and all the fixin's? I’m glad you asked! This is one blog you don’t want to miss, because it has all kinds of options for you to choose from for your Thanksgiving meal(s)! Yes, I said meals because if any of you have large families like I do, there are going to be multiple Thanksgiving meals over the next couple weeks.

Where to begin? Well, for starters, deciding whether you want a white, red or both. That’s right, you can pair red wine with white meat, popular to contrary belief that white wine only goes with white meat and red wine only goes with red meat. Let’s start with white wine options, then we’ll go from there. 
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For whites I’m going to give you three different options to choose from for different reasons. The first recommendation you have probably heard before, especially if you have visited Bluestone, or any other Virginia winery around Thanksgiving: Viognier. Viognier is a versatile wine that is very food friendly. Currently in the tasting room we are serving our 2016 Viognier, which was aged in acacia barrels. Since acacia gives a wine texture rather than flavor, it adds more body to the wine, which makes it a great pairing with turkey.

Not a fan of barrel aged wines? No problem, I’ve got a suggestion for that too: Traminette. We are currently serving the 2018 vintage in the tasting room. Similar to its parent grape, Gewurztraminer, Traminette has similar aromatics and spiciness that would also do nicely with turkey. This vintage is also completely dry which makes it another good option for those who prefer dry whites. 

If dry wines aren’t your thing, don’t worry, I’ve got my sweet wine folks covered too! A little bit of sweetness goes a long way and with that in mind, I recommend our semi-sweet white; Beau. The Vidal Blanc/Traminette blend is the closest wine at Bluestone that resembles a Reisling and would balance side dishes like sweet potatoes and herb stuffing and the main course, turkey.

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Now, if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try a red, or you just prefer reds in general, I’ve got red recommendations too. When pairing red wine with lighter meat such as turkey, you typically want wines that are light bodied and lower in tannins. There are two wines that come to mind: Cabernet Franc and Quartz Hill Red (60% Chambourcin/40% Cabernet Franc). Both wines are more fruit driven, but the Cabernet Franc has a tad more structure and was aged longer in oak barrels. Merlot might be another option if you are looking for something to pair with hearty, southern side dishes like thick and creamy mac and cheese. It is more of a medium-bodied wine but is also lower in tannins. It starts off with flavors of black cherry on the nose and finishes dry. You can even find recipes online of Merlot cranberry sauce.  

Now that we’ve covered some white wine options and some red, did you think I was going to forget about dessert? Can’t have a big feast without finishing with dessert! For me, I typically think of apple and pumpkin pie. I couldn’t decide between pairing with apple or pumpkin so I’m going to offer options for both! Because if we’re being perfectly honest, if both are available, I have a hard time choosing, so I usually end of getting a slice of each. Abundance mentality, amirite? Choosing dessert wine pairings is sometimes tricky because you don’t want to do sweet wine with sweet dessert because then you run into the possibility of everything just tasting sour. So with this section, I had a little help from our winemaker.

If you are “team white wine pairing”, our 2017 Estate Chardonnay (aged in French oak) would actually be a good option for both apple and pumpkin. Now, if you are “team red wine” from beginning to end (or you want to switch from white to red), our estate grown Chambourcin, Steep Face, would be an option for pumpkin. This wine doesn’t have nearly the tannins that the Bordeaux varietals do so it wouldn’t overpower the pumpkin spice.
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Thanks for tuning in to this week's edition of Out of the Barrel. I hope this information will be a useful guide to help you decide on wines for the upcoming Thanksgiving festivities! May you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with family and friends! Cheers! ​​
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Unser Weihnachtsmarkt ist einen Monat entfernt!

11/7/2019

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Tis the season!  Das ist die Jahreszeit! The holidays are rapidly approaching as is our 8th annual Weihnachtsmarkt! Die Feiertage nähern sich rasant, ebenso wie unser achter Weihnachtsmarkt! What is a Weihnachtsmarkt anyway? Was ist eigentlich ein Weihnachtsmarkt? By the way, the title of this blog translates to "Our Weihnachtsmarkt is one month away!"

As the rather difficult pronunciation and the switching between two languages above might lead to, Weihnachtsmarkt is in the German language, which is where these events originated. It does literally mean Christmas Market in English. They are open air markets that have seasonal items, food and various types of drinks including the famous hot mulled wine or Glühwein in the German language.  
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As mentioned before, this is Bluestone’s eighth year hosting this annual event. Our winemaker, Lee Hartman, previously lived in Germany. While there the rest of the Hartman family visited him and experienced a true Christmas Market in Germany. This inspired them to bring the tradition to the Shenandoah Valley at the vineyard and these markets have gained more traction in the area to showcase local artisans and vendors. 
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The first annual market in the tank room.
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2nd Annual Christmas Market moved to the crush pad.
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The tanks were even decorated.
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Gluhwein being served in 2013 outside on the crush pad.
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The beginning of an annual tradition.
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In 2014 the event moved up the hill to outside of the Manor.
The first year of the Weihnachtsmarkt was held in our tank room and then out on the crush pad. From there it moved to what we now call The Manor as guests perused through the handcrafted items that were lined up outside. After that it included vendors set up our back patio, by the adirondack chairs, and wrapped around to where the entrance of the tasting room is now. Each year the event has grown in size with different offerings. Last year it was the first year that incorporated the inside of our new tasting room! Unfortunately there was inclement weather so vendors moved into The Meeting House Banquet Hall. This year we will cross our fingers for better weather so patrons can experience the atmosphere of an open air market with Glühwein warming their hands.
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Blue skies for the event in 2015.
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Vendors on the back patio in 2017.
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Vendors expanding in 2016.
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The sun setting on the event in 2017.
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Hot Mulled Wine. Yum!
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New tasting room was open in 2018.
What else does this year’s Weihnachtsmarkt have in store? There will be two food trucks: The Bavarian Chef and Mama’s Caboose with delicious German style food. Over 25 craft vendors from handmade jewelry, quilts, bottle lamps, home decor, even items for your four legged canine friends. Follow our social media this month leading up to the event for highlights of our scheduled vendors! 
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Bluestone’s version of Glühwein will be flowing and we will also have all the items to make your own Glühwein at home! Our Glühwein uses our Crooked and Weedy as the base for the mulled wine and add mulling spices to it. Just the thing one needs when walking around on a cool December day. 

The tasting room will be open as well from 11-6 p.m. and the vendors will be onsite from 11-5 p.m.

​Thanks for tuning into this week's edition of Out of the Barrel! Cheers! Danke fürs Lesen! Prost! ​
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Bubbles Blog

10/17/2019

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​“I love bubbles, everybody loves the bubbles,” said the first sommelier we ever met while we were on a trip out in California on a Tuesday morning while we were enjoying our tasting. That sentence has stuck with me ever since and every time we open a bottle of sparkling wine I always think of that encounter. 
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Now, I know not everyone loves bubbles, but there is a lot of truth in the fact that sparkling wine is rather popular and has been for a long time. By now I’m sure you’ve come to the conclusion that bubbly wine is the theme of this weeks blog. There are a lot of different routes I could take this blog, but I’m going to stick to a few key things and also share an upcoming event that will be taking place at the vineyard soon, so read on!

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Some of you may be asking yourself at this point, why is she using terms like sparkling or bubbles rather than use Champagne? I’m glad you asked! While it is common to use the term Champagne for all sparkling wine, there is actually a difference. All Champagne is sparkling, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. You can only call a sparkling wine Champagne if it was made in Champagne, France, which is 90 miles northeast of Paris.
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There are other types of sparkling wines found all over the world. Some examples include Cava from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, Cremant from various regions throughout France and even American Sparkling from the good ole US of A. Most of these are very affordable alternatives to true Champagne, especially if you just want to open up a bottle for no other occasion other than you want a glass (or two) of bubbles. 

Which brings me to another point. Sparkling wine does not have to just be for special occasions! It can be for any day of the week. It is also an extremely food friendly pairing option with its high acidity and crisp flavors. Or when in doubt if you don't know what to pair with a dish, pair it with bubbles! I speak to the last point from experience (on more than one occasion).

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Oh and did I mention that all of the types of sparkling wines mentioned above are made with different grapes depending on where they are from and different ways to make sparkling wine? Now, remember the upcoming event I mentioned earlier in the blog? On Sunday, November 3rd the vineyard will be hosting a Sparkling Wine Seminar in the Meeting House led by our winemaker, Lee Hartman. At that seminar attendees will learn more about sparkling wine and how it is made as well as try six styles of sparkling wine. Tickets are available by calling the vineyard. Reservations are required for this event, so don’t miss out, secure your tickets!

Thanks for tuning into this week's edition of Out of the Barrel. Cheers

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    Author

    Raneé Bartley 
    Tasting Room Manager 

    ​Raneé started at Bluestone Vineyard in August 2015.  She thinks writing a blog about wine will be a fun and educational addition to Bluestone Vineyard. Her passion for wine has grown over the years and she is currently in pursuit to become a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. While at Bluestone, she enjoys sharing about wine with guests in the tasting room. 

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