Dave McIntyre's WineLine

Two Spotlights on Virginia Wine at the White House

Last week's White House state dinner featured Virginia wine in two ways – one positive, one … well, not so positive. As I blogged last week, the sparkling wine served with dessert and for the exchange of toasts between President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the Thibaut-Janisson Brut de Chardonnay from the Monticello AVA near Charlottesville. But this sweet kudo for Virginia sparkling wine was quickly overshadowed by the sensational story of the White House gate crashers.

Turns out the couple who traipsed uninvited into the White House that night were Tareq and Michaela Salahi, of Oasis Vineyards in Virginia's Fauquier County. Oasis is one of Virginia's oldest wineries and has specialized in sparkling wine, with mixed success. The winery was founded and is owned by Tareq's parents, who have been embroiled in a nasty public dispute with their son over the disposition of the winery – they wanted to sell it when the debts piled too high. (The winery is now shuttered and not open for business.) And Tareq and Michaela, who definitely qualify for the term “socialites,” have been auditioning for Bravo TV's “Real Housewives of Washington.”

That's enough – I won't go into the details because I start laughing too hard. You can read all about it in The Washington Post, The New York Times and probably any other major media outlet. Let's just say the Salahi story casts an unfortunate light, however indirectly, on the Virginia wine industry – showing a vain and shallow side and stealing the limelight from the very worthy wine served at dinner that night.

Of course, there was another “scandal” about the state dinner, also involving wine. More on that later.

Photo: Tareq and Michaela Salahi with Vice President Joe Biden at the Nov. 24 White House state dinner honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. From the Salahi’s Facebook page. Joe, dear, watch your hands!

Local Wine Bandwagon Gains Steam With Obama's Help

Virginia wine was featured last night at President Obama's first State Dinner. The president, his guest of honor, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and invited members of D.C.'s elite washed down pumpkin pie tart and pear tatin with Thibaut-Janisson blanc de chardonnay, from the Monticello district near Charlottesville.

Thibaut-Janisson is an up-and-coming specialist in fine sparkling wine. Winemaker Claude Thibaut is convinced that Virginia has the climate and terroir to produce excellent bubbly – and evidently the president agrees.

“Here's more evidence Virginia can produce top-notch fizz,” I wrote about this wine last year in my Thanksgiving recommendations in the Post. “Elegant and stylish, with palate-refreshing acidity and subtle fruit that emerges about an hour after opening.”

Other wines served at the dinner included the 2008 Modus Operandi Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley; the 2006 Brooks Winery Riesling “Ara” Vineyard from Oregon's Willamette Valley; and the 2007 Beckman Vineyards Grenache from California's Santa Ynez Valley. The dinner's menu is available on the White House Web site here.

I've always been a big fan of Brooks. The winery farms biodynamically and produces excellent Riesling - the Ara is its best - and Pinot Noir. I had the opportunity to visit the winery last summer during the International Pinot Noir Celebration, and enjoyed the 2006 Ara then. But if you want to taste what the White House guests enjoyed tonight, you'd better hurry - the winery has only a few cases left.

This caps a banner week for Regional Wine. Last week, I wrote in the Post that “the growth of local wineries throughout the country is transforming the American wine industry.” Yesterday, my buddy Jeff Siegel, aka “The Wine Curmudgeon,” offered more proof of the changing face of American wine. Jeff noted that Eric Asimov in The New York Times included a New York wine – Shinn Estate Merlot – in his Thanksgiving recommendations, while Boston Globe wine columnist Stephen Meuse praised Massachusetts Cabernet Franc, even if he didn’t include a specific recommendation for one.

“What's with these big deal wine writers suddenly hopping on the DrinkLocalWine.com bandwagon?” Jeff asked. Not that we're complaining!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Please comment here on what wines you'll be enjoying for the feast.

Keel & Curley Dry Blueberry Wine

A friend who is allergic to red wines brought me a bottle of Keel & Curley dry blueberry wine from Florida - she was excited that she had found a dry "red" wine that she could enjoy without having a reaction and she wanted me to try it. Indeed, the wine is delicious, and served it blind you might think of a syrah or malbec, at least until you notice the silly grin on the person who tested you. Quite food-friendly, and high in anti-oxidents, no doubt! They make semi-sweet and sweet versions, too, right there in Plant City, Florida. The dry wine is $12 online.

Iconic American Wines

This week, The Washington Post's Food section is looking at the iconic American meal - Thanksgiving - from the perspective of iconic American chefs. So I thought it would be fun to discuss iconic American wines. This proved to be more difficult than I expected, for any such list is necessarily subjective and eminently debatable. So I invite you to read what I came up with and suggest your own here in the comments.

Chardonnay from Bien Nacido? Napa Valley Cabernet? I've tried to capture "iconic" wines that have made American wine what it is today, and wines that are shaping its future. Please let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Regional Wine Week - half way point

If you haven't yet checked out REGIONAL WINE WEEK on DrinkLocalWine.com, you should. We've got harvest updates on the Finger Lakes and Niagara from Lenn Thompson's New York Cork Report, plus a post from Paul Vigna on how the bad economy has some prime Pennsylvania vineyard land languishing on the market. Rémy Charest has reported on the current scandale in Canadian wine - a legal loophole that allows wine from elsewhere to be labeled "cellared in Canada". Brian Kirby is scouting out some exciting developments in Maryland. And Richard Leahy writes about wines produced from goofball grapes that will surprise you with their quality.

Remember - Think Globally, Drink Locally. And support Regional Wine Week by visiting DrinkLocalWine.com!

Loudoun County - DC's Bedroom Community AND its Wine Country!

Loudoun County in Northern Virginia has been experiencing the same growth in number of wineries as the state overall. Three of those - Tarara, Boxwood and Sunset Hills - are leading a new wave of quality improvements. Read about new and exciting developments in DC's Wine Country in my feature in today's Washington Post Food section.

And here is my video with Todd Thrasher, sommelier of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Va., discussing our favorites from a tasting of 28 Loudoun County wines. Warning - the video is long, about 10 minutes, and I never really figure out what to do with my hands. And someone should give Todd a tissue. But after all, this was only 2 days after I got my nifty new Flip videocamera, so I was really really new to this.

The Vintner and the Herbalist

"White wine with fish, red wine with meat" - remember how that used to define wine and food pairing? It's still fairly safe, if unadventurous. Wine lovers will often tell you to match wine not with the meat, but with the sauce, or the seasoning. These flavors, after all, are often the accent that determines how food speaks to our palates. 

In this video, I speak to Mary Watson DeLauder, a noted sommelier who is revered (for the lack of a better word) in the Virginia wine industry for her support of the Old Dominion's wines, about how different herbs affect the flavor of wine. We're at Corcoran Vineyards in Loudoun County, with winemaker Lori Corcoran. Listen as Mary identifies the "magic" herb that complements nearly every wine, and as she and I deal with flying hair. And just for titillation, Mary even cusses! Hey, it's the Internet! We can say anything!

A Smokin' Albarino

One of the most exciting wines produced in Virginia is not a Viognier, and it's not a Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot, either. (Though there is definitely some excitement with those three grapes in the Old Dominion!) No, the wine that really gets Todd Thrasher, award-winning sommelier of Restaurant Eve in Old Town Alexandria, Va., excited is an Albarino from Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, Va. Watch this short film clip to see why Thrasher should be writing wine reviews .... I mean, "a smokin' representation of what Virginia wine can be." ... I can't top that.

(There's more discussion of the Chrysalis Albarino in our lengthy dialogue about Loudoun County wines, to be posted later this week right here on Dave McIntyre's WineLine.)

This is Regional Wine Week. Click your way regularly to DrinkLocalWine.com to see updates on local wines from around the United States and Canada.

Rhode Island Tranquility

It’s gratifying, being a wine critic and competition judge, to have my initial impressions of a winery validated on a subsequent encounter. I first discovered Newport Vineyards of Rhode Island last year, when their 2007 Riesling won Best of Show in the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition. Recently, a friend brought a bottle of Newport’s 2008 “Tranquility” to an all-girls party my wife was hosting. Thankfully, my wife put the bottle aside with a last taste until I got home that evening.

When she handed me the glass, I took one sniff and said, “Alsatian. Good quality.” Was it Riesling? There seemed to be some Gewurztraminer, but also a floral/peachy note that disguised the grape content. I was delighted when she showed me the label, because since last year’s contest I hadn’t had the opportunity to taste any other Newport wines.

Tranquility is 47% Gewurztraminer, 35% Muscat Ottonel (that elusive note that eluded me), 11% Pinot Gris and a mere 7% Riesling. It is great stuff, and should delight any fans of Alsace. It sells for $20 at the winery.

Regional Wine Week Starts Tomorrow! (Oct. 11, that is … )

Regional Wine Week starts tomorrow, Sunday, October 11, and we’ve got an exciting lineup of bloggers and writers who will be writing about their local wines and wineries they’ve experienced on their travels around this great land. Remember, wine is now made in all 50 states – not just the West Coast! You might not know that if you rely only on the major wine publications, so let’s light up the blogosphere with reports on “wine from around here.”

So where will you be able to find these scintillating and fascinating reports, you ask? They will be linked at DrinkLocalWine.com, the Web site “Wine Curmudgeon” Jeff Siegel and I created last year for the first Regional Wine Week. Bookmark it and return throughout the week (and afterwards!) to see what new articles have been posted. Then you can discover some of the underground wine writers who are chronicling your local wine scene. If you're a Washington Post reader, you'll find my feature on Loudoun County, Virginia, wines in Wednesday's Food section.

Jeff and I will also try to remember to update our Twitter feeds #dlw09 and alert our Facebook friends and fans of DrinkLocalWine.com of new postings throughout the week.

Just as a tease, I will report on my recent visit to a winery that makes this singular boast on its welcome sign:

Can you guess? Leave a comment if you think you know. Then check in here and at DrinkLocalWine.com to find out.