I have a general dislike of Virginia wines. I keep trying them in hopes that some day I’ll like what is produced by my local wineries, but every time I do I’m usually disappointed. This time I was pleasantly surprised.
- Wine: Paradise Springs of Clifton (it was unclear, there was no snazzy name on the bottle)
- Price: ~$20 (maybe? I wasn’t present when it was purchased)
- Vintage: 2008
- Varietal: Cabernet Franc
- Winery: Paradise Springs of Clifton
- Origin: US, Virginia
- Alcohol: 13.5%
So the first sip of this wine screamed to me that it was a Virginia wine. I’m not sure what it is about those wines but I can pick out the Virginia reds in a taste test without much of a problem. The wine itself was very light red and looked pretty thin, not what I usually like but it still worked. The wine itself tasted a touch sweet and had strong hints of fruit but was very light and lacked any particular or distinct flavors. It just tasted like a Virginia red to me.
We opened this wine early before dinner and consumed it while cooking. As such it was consumed with some cooking munchies such as aged smoked gouda (it went surprisingly well with), fresh mozarella (it went less well with) and then other random bits from the preparation of our typical grilled flank steak and grilled vegetable dinner. I think I even tried it with several of the tater tots that were made for the picky eaters in the house (don’t try that).
So as to rating, its easily the best Virginia wine I’ve had, but it wasn’t fantastic. Perhaps I paired it wrong, didn’t let it breath long enough, or the moon was in the wrong phase. I’ll definitely try it again, maybe at the winery this time, or with some of my wine drinking friends who have just recently moved to the area. Maybe I’ll take them to the winery and have it there. Overall I rate this wine a C+, and a B+ as a Virginia red.
Karl