Fork and Cork 2014!

I've always wanted to go to fork and cork, but I've never done so until this year. Mostly because I was underage, and then because I was living the struggle life. I'm still living the struggle life but at least now I can spare $20 for a ticket, kind of. Regardless, I'm glad I finally went, my friend Lauren and I visited all but 3 tents doing tastings and that's because they were stopping st 5:30. We got there a bit late, it's in my bones, what can I say?

It was a bit difficult to take notes while doing the tastings because it was such a fast paced environment, but I managed to get a few down. I didn't necessarily get too many pictures though, being that I felt rushed and in the way when taking them.

First I'll start by doing the food and wine pairing. There weren't many food options, The Cellar, Bull and Bones, Gobble Cakes, Sake House, Preston's and Hethwood Market were the only ones. The Cellar and Bull and Bones had somewhat of the same menu, except the cellar had a few Mediterranean options as opposed to pulled pork sandwiches. Gobble Cakes specialized in deserts and sweets and Hethwood Market was only  selling kettle corn so it seemed. I didn't want anything from the Cellar or Bull and Bones, it seemed too heavy and I was looking light. I decided on 2 spring rolls from Sake House and a crab cake over a bed of greens tossed in vinaigrette from Preston's. I paired it with Fincastle's Rose Sangria, simply because that's what was in my glass at the time.

1st off, I enjoyed all items individually as much as I enjoyed them together. I ate the spring rolls first before even thinking about the sangria because I was HUNGRY, but they were good by themselves. Once I got my crab cake and my sangria I demolished them both. It was a nice pairing, nothing extraordinary, however it gave me a nice feel. It was like being at a cookout with my family eating good food. So I liked it. The sangria was pretty light and spritzy from the ginger ale, and the crab cake was also light and a little sweet from the corn. Overall I enjoyed the pairing but I don't necessarily think they are the best compliments for each other, although nice.


On to the wines

1. Hilltop
    Hunter's Moon
    Honey Mead
    Spiced Pumpkin Melomel

I really wanted to try the products at Hilltop because I'd never had a mead before. All in all, they're ok, some were too sweet for my liking, gave me a headache. That being said, this Spiced pumpkin melomel was delicious. It had a bunch of fall flavors, seems like something I'd drink in late September sitting on my porch. It was very sweet, but not as sweet as it smelled. I'm not sure what spices I tasted, but I know they were something along the lines of cinnamon and allspice, maybe even bay leaves.

2. White Rock
     White Mojo
     Pinot Gris
     $13

"Grapefruit notes make this wine a refreshing choice on a sunny afternoon"

I wasn't a fan, initially because they confused me. I thought Pinot Grigio could only be called Pinot Gris if it were from Alsace? After I got past that I didn't care much for the taste. To me it tasted like nail polish remover, however Lauren enjoyed it so I guess it wasn't that bad.



3. White Rock
    Moon Glow
   75% Chardonnel, 25% Traminette
   $14

"Semi-sweet white with hints of white chocolate- great for pairing with food or just sipping"

This wine, I immediately picked up hot wings on the nose. Maybe it's just me, maybe I was just hungry again, but I found it to be a little odd. I guess it smelled more of Tabasco or some sort of hot sauce than an actual piece of chicken.  I didn't get the chocolate at all, however I did like it's balance of sweetness, I could easily see myself sipping this alone, or with food, maybe hot wings.




4. Mountain Rose
    Traminette
 
"Our Traminette creates a mouthwatering delight of floral aromas followed by apricot flavors & a smooth yet crisp, tropical fruit finish which make it perfect with chicken, seafood & cheese dishes. Great for sipping as well! Semi-sweet Wine"

I liked this Traminette a lot. It had hints of rose on the nose and the palate was nice and crisp. The fruity taste make it a good, clean feeling sort of wine. It's not heavy at all, or too thick, it's just right. This is a wine I probably should've had with my crab cake, but I didn't know that at the time, and by the time I got this they were close to ending samples. So I guess I just had to cut my losses. But I do think this would've paired very nicely with the crab cake and greens.

5. Mountain Rose
   Sweet MountainRose

"Niagara-lite with nectarine and rose water!!! Aromas & flavors abound in this foxy & youthful wine. This easy drinking light dessert wine is held in check with a zippy acidity. Sweet Wine"

This wine, was indeed a sweet wine. I liked it, even though I'm not a big fan of sweet wines. Another thing I'm not so much a fan of, that I found in this wine and liked was the presence of a perfume taste on the tongue. It also had a sort of fuel taste and it was kind of foxy. Tasted a lot like green/gold muscadine grapes. I've never had a "foxy" wine before, but I like this one a lot because of its foxiness.

6.Vincent's Vineyard
   Traminette
   $14

"A semi sweet white wine with floral spicy flavor. A cross between a Gewurztraminer & Seyval"

This Traminette I liked even more than the Mountain Rose Traminette. I'm not sure why but it tasted better to me or something, even though I can't point out any real differences. This Traminette did however smell like skunk instead of rose on the nose. One of the others tasting it while I was described it as an "easy drinking wine" and I'd agree with him. This wine is something that you can sit with and possibly kill a whole bottle alone. Not that I do that or anything, I share 1 glass at least....

7. Notaviva
   Cantibile

The nose on this wine had hints of tobacco and spice. A full bodied wine with vegetal characteristics and hints of currants. The wine itself was a bit chewy and slightly tannic, a little hot, but it had potential to be very smooth. Maybe if I invested in a decanter I'd like this wine a lot more.

VC Tastings 4/19/14 pt. 2

Aviva
Vinho Verde
Portugal
$9.95

"Spring flowers and fresh fruit essences are supported with bright acidity in the Vinho Verde from northwest Portugal. Literally meaning "green wine", Vinho Verde translates as "young wine" in its native Portugal.  This wine has a slight petillance, or baby-bubbles, allowing the Loureiro grapes natural freshness to dance across your palate."

BABY BUBBLES! But not too many, it's nice and refreshing. Smells like honeysuckles and pastel colors. Very soft, and floral. I like how lively it feels. I'm not sure if I should attribute that to the acidity or not, but I like it.


Arona
Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand
$12.95

"Zesty ripe passion fruit and melon make this a true pleasure. Lovers of fruit-forward Sauvignon Blanc will revel in its fresh texture and subtle hint of grassiness."

Finally, I finally found the cat pee. I'm weird, but it made me very excited to be able to pick it out as a descriptor of the nose. It's also kind of earthy and grassy, in a very light way however. I don't care for the taste on my palate, it's tangy with a lot of grassiness. Still, it's a light wine good for a summer day.









Dom Sorin

Rose (Grenache, Syrah)
France
$14.95

"Rich, full tasting wine from the Sorin family, with smoothly ripe red berry fruits. There's an attractive orange zest character that gives piquancy to this great food rose."

According to my notes it smells like bones with faint hints of baby powder. Don't ask, that's just what I picked up. I also have that it taste like perfume. As I said before, I'm not a fan of perfume taste in wine so far. Maybe I haven't found one that does it right, or maybe I have and I didn't recognize it as perfume, but I don't care for the way it's done in this wine.


Chasing Lions
Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
$14.95

"Delivers a rich allure to the dark berry, black licorice, loamy earth, and tobacco-cigar box edges. Tilts toward extracted fruit and tannins, which will appeal to those who like to chew on young wines. Drink now through 2023. I had the pleasure and honor of growing up in a multi-generational farming family. In 1974 at the age of five, I began to follow my grandfather every day in the family farm as he tended to his ranch. Over the years he taught me a lot about farming - but more importantly about life. Then one day in my late teens, he told me it was time to get off the ranch and "go chase lions." I never asked hime what he meant by that, because something inside me already knew. it's been over 20 years now since he passed and I have been chasing lions ever since."

This wine I like, only for the texture. I think I might be one of the people who like to chew on young wines. The nose consist of beets (which I hate) and it's also sort of sweet. I got a spicy feel from this wine while drinking it, it taste a bit like peppers, jalapeno/serrano peppers, and maybe green bell peppers. Also, I was eating this Cantal cheese with this wine and it was phenomenal! I'm not really sure what the effects the cheese had on the wine were, but it was some very nice cheese. It basically melted in your mouth, but was reminiscent of some sort of cheddar. Very smooth cheese, maybe it bought out some of the berries but that's all I could tell in the difference.

Hullabaloo
Zinfandel
$15.95

"Since people always ask us about our interesting labels here is a little bit about Hullabaloo: We chose the classic 19th century strongman icon as we thought it was fitting of the period between 1850 and 1900 (around the same time Zinfandel was planted and began to flourish in California). The strongman was not only an exhibitor of feats of strength but his main purpose was also to showcase his great size, boldness and symmetry-kind of describes old vine Zinfandel doesn't it?"

This wine smells like feet. And pink hair moisturizer. I know most of you may not know what that smells like, but it's one of those smells that you like initially, but nauseates you after a minute of smelling it. I don't mind it however in the nose of this wine. It's bearable. It taste earthy and like berries. I'm not sure what kind of berries, but it has that berry taste.