Host a Virginia Wine Party
By Melissa J. Lyden
Now is the time to break into the cabinet for festive bottles and breakout the fancy dishware saved for special occasions. Leave the fallbacks for warmer weather and try something other than straight grape. Below are three types of wine, to be served in succession, that will make you forget your summer flings.
Sparkling
The holidays and sparkling wine go together like Elton John and glitter. Remember it’s not Champagne—call it “sparkling”—unless it’s from Champagne, France.
SIP: Paradise Springs Winery Après Sparkling Viognier ($43).
NOTES: A dry sparkling wine, with the slightest hint of fruit.
TIP: Bubbles pair well with almost everything. Try Chuao Chocolatier Firecracker (available at Wegmans), a dark chocolate bar with chipotle, salt and popping candy that tastes like New-Years-Eve-in-your-mouth.
Paradise Springs, 13219 Yates Ford Road, Clifton; 703-830-9463; paradisespringswinery.com
Fruit
Fruit wine typically refers to a wine that is made with any type of fruit, except of course, grapes.
SIP: Hiddencroft Vineyards Grandma’s Love Potion ($24).
NOTES: This blueberry wine offers tastes of winter spices, such as cardamom and cinnamon.
TIP: Clyde Housel, owner of Hiddencroft Vineyard, suggests serving it heated in the German glühwein (mulled wine) style. Warm the wine in a heavy pot with cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla extract and sugar.
Hiddencroft, 12202 Axline Road Lovettsville; 540-535-5367; hiddencroftvineyards.com
Fortified (Port-style)
Characterized by the addition of a distilled beverage, usually brandy, fortified wines are lush holiday treats because of their sweet taste and higher alcohol content. This method originally became popular to preserve wines in times when proper storage did not exist. Similar to champagne, it is not a port unless it comes from Porto, Portugal.
SIP: Fabbioli Cellars Apertif Pear Wine ($32).
NOTES: This joint effort (see chart) between Fabbioli and Catoctin Creek Distillery won a gold medal at the 2012 Los Angeles International Wine Competition. Only 600 bottles are being produced this year.
TIP: Pair this with ginger snaps to heighten the holiday spice flavor. Different fortified wines can be served at different temperatures, but this one is at its best when chilled.
Fabbioli Cellars, 15669 Limestone School Road, Leesburg; 703-771-1197; fabbioliwines.com
Courtesy of Catoctin Creek (Catoctin Bottle); Courtesy of Jim Hanna Photography (Fabioli Bottle); kailas/shutterstock.com (pear); repina valeriya/shutterstock.com (still); alexander bark/shutterstock.com (barrel); valery bareta/shutterstock.com (brandy);lian_2011/shutterstock.com (clock)
Lyden is a wine educator at Fabbioli Cellars.
(December 2012)