While updating the Virginia Wine in My Pocket app for spring 2012, I just came across a Good Luck Cellars newsletter article promoting Buri Wine Bags. A big thanks to the Northern Neck winery’s owner Katie Krop for her support!
I haven’t written much about this, but Rick and I are supporting a small village of women weavers in the Philippines by distributing their hand-woven Buri palm bags in Virginia. Rick is just back from there, as a matter of fact, and got to know the ladies, the mayor, and other local dignitaries, as he encouraged the town to continue to support and expand the weaving culture, which is helping to alleviate the extreme poverty of the area.
Good Luck Cellars and others are carrying the hand-woven wine bags in their gift areas, and reporting brisk sales of the one-of-a-kind items.
If you know of a winery or wine shop interested in stocking the bags at a very reasonable price, please let us know. (See all the gorgeous Buri wine bags, beach bags, market bags, and handbags on our Buri Bag Project Facebook page.)
View "Good Luck Cellars is a Buri Bag Champion" on its own page.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
It’s been a long time coming, and our readers all deserve a patience-reward, but we are finally able to report that the Virginia Wine in My Pocket app is now out on Android! It’s still $3.99, it’s still highly rated, and it’s still the ONLY mobile travel guide to Virginia Wine Country! Download for yourself, or gift the app to your friends and family today. You can find it here.
And once you’re part of the VWIMP community, don’t forget to use the in-app comment feature to share your impressions as you wander wine country.
View "Va Wine in My Pocket app now out on Android!" on its own page.
We drink Virginia wine nearly every night. No kidding. At first it was because we’d amassed quite the bounty of bottles during our 150 Virginia Wineries in 150 Days Tour. But once we’d plowed through those (except for the four cases we have now cellared, to see if what the winemakers told us is true…), we started buying Virginia wines at Safeway. Jefferson, Barboursville, Breaux…they were our family now. (Don’t get me wrong, though – these are no sentimental, “buy local!” (even if you’d prefer Napa) purchases. The Virginia Cab Francs and Meritage are terrific food wines.)
So we’re always tickled when we see one of the “family” on local restaurant menus. I make a point of commenting on it to the staff. You should, too, if you’re a Virginia wine lover (and I’m guessing you are – otherwise why read this? It’s not like we’re the mega-popular Swirl, Sip, Snark).
March is Virginia Wine & Dine Month, so get out there and meet a few new family members. The Virginia Wine Office has put together a great reference list of 981 restaurants, 350 wine shops, and hundreds of events where you can do just that.
News from our friend and incredible wine writer Mary Ann Dancisin:
VWG-Online, the online wine magazine formerly affiliated with the Virginia Wine Gazette, becomes Independent as of March 1, 2012. With a new name, VIRGINIA WINE GUIDE Online, the e-zine will continue to cover a full range of stories on Virginia wines and wineries. The website address remains www.VWG-Online.com.
Content strategist Mary Ann Dancisin says, “Weʼre planning an ambitious campaign to reach more Virginia wine fans in 2012. New social media strategy, more interactive promotions, a visible presence at key wine festivals and trade shows – these are some of the elements weʼll employ to become the go-to source for the latest news on wine and winery-related tourism in the Commonwealth.” VWG-Online is published by Effective Communication Solutions, LLC, Dancisinʼs wine marketing firm located in Rappahannock County.
The focus of the revamped online magazine will be “to match [the consumerʼs] own preferences with the group of wineries most likely to please,” as stated in the new entityʼs Facebook profile.
The mission statement continues, “Virginia wineries run the gamut from deeply-rooted family farms to convivial countryside lodges to grand estates with centuries of history…Virginia wines cover a wide range as well: friendly, easy-drinking reds, whites, and rosés; balanced and elegant food wines; and a variety of sweets; as well as a great selection of fruit wines and apple ciders!”
VWG-Onlineʼs objective is to cover all segments of Virginiaʼs wine scene: the e-zine will provide readers a clear path to finding and enjoying the wines they will love most.
For more information, contact Mary Ann Dancisin at vwg@studioecs.com or 540.937.2804.
View "Virginia Wine Gazette Online Goes Independent" on its own page.
I had a great time writing this article on Virginia winery weddings for the Virginia Wine Gazette! If a wedding’s in your future, be sure to check out these special places.
Fire pits, cigar bars, photo booths – each generation of starry-eyed lovers ties the knot a little differently, and the current crop goes for less pomp, more play.
Bridal couples are opting out of churches and formal, seated dinners, and wineries have emerged as one of the new go-to spots for out-of-the-box weddings. Sunset ceremonies overlooking the vineyard are followed by receptions that flow with personality, like “toasting” with marshmallows over an open fire, or hiring sommeliers to lead vintage wine tastings or wine-pairing dinners.
Even for the simplest weddings, during spring’s bud break or fall’s grape harvest, no other venue can match the rustic romance, the views, and the sense of renewal and rebirth of a wedding among the vines.
Read more here.
The three wineries featured here can fill up a year in advance, so plan ahead. And if your first choice is already booked, keep looking: Virginia has nearly 90 wineries that want to help you say “I do.”
First in a series
Looking for something different in Virginia wine country for 2012? We can help with that. But first: take this quick personality assessment.
Which of the following best describes you?
1. First in. Early adopter. You love a mystery, and once you get a tip on an emerging anything, you like to get there before the masses. You love finding hidden gems. Once the secret’s out, though, you move on to the next adventure.
OR
2. No surprises. First-class predictability. You let someone else be the pioneer. You don’t mind paying a little more, and you don’t mind crowds. You never travel without your GPS.
If #2 sounds like your speed, head to the Monticello Wine Trail in Charlottesville, where you’ll find lots of predictably happy people drinking predictably good wine. (They’ve been at it a while.)
But if you self-identify as a gem hunter, point yourself toward the Northern Neck in 2012, part of the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail.
“Where’s that?” your friends will ask. (See, you’re cool already!) Mentioning Ingleside Vineyards usually gets a glimmer of recognition; after decades of pouring wine for passersby, the popular winery has become as much a part of the Northern Neck as blue crabs, oysters, corn and soybeans.
The quiet Neck is the unpretentious, hospitable sibling in a loud Virginia family full of decorated war veterans and decked-out grande dames. But don’t mistake its congenial nature for lack of depth: it’s the homeplace for not only the nation’s first president, but also two signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Commander of the Confederate Army of Virginia—Robert E. Lee—and perhaps the first true success story of Virginia wine-making, Charles Carter. Carter—a forebear of Philip Carter Strother of Philip Carter Winery in Northern Virginia—is credited with the first recorded history of successful grape production in Virginia with European vines.
Read more about Northern Neck history in this little volume written by the founder of Ingleside Vineyards, Carl Flemer. Birthplace of the Nation
The Wines
Today, Old World grapes continue to thrive at the Northern Neck’s ten wineries. Growing conditions for vinis vinifera seem to favor stalwarts such as merlot and cabernet franc. Ingleside, The Hague Winery, and the new General’s Ridge Vineyards are also working with the Virginia up-and-comer, petit verdot, and you’ll see sprinklings of cabernet sauvignon, sangiovese, syrah, and pinot noir.
Whites branch out to include both Old World and hybrids, including chardonnay, chardonel, and vidal blanc. Vignoles also makes an appearance, and petit manseng blossoms at Ingleside, along with muscat in The Hague’s Cynthia dessert wine. The new Jacey Vineyards has ambitious plans to add albariño and sauvignon blanc.
Next installment…Northern Neck wine tour itinerary, part 1
View "2012 Virginia Wine Tour Itineraries – Northern Neck" on its own page.
With just a few days left until Christmas, it’s time to throw in the towel and buy some electronic gift cards. The malls are crazy! Save yourself the misery! 
Here are two options your friends and family will thank you for, and only $3.99 each!
Click on the link to go to the iTunes store, and select “Gift this App” from the drop-down menu. You’ll be able to enter an email address, and your friends will receive a lovely little gift card via email saying you’ve gifted them an app! (It’s helpful if they have an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch – we’re still not on Android yet, grrrrrr.)
Virginia Wine in My Pocket app (travel guide to Virginia Wine Country)
Rehoboth in My Pocket app (travel guide to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware – the best little beach town around!)
And if we don’t talk before then, have a wonderful week, get some great naps, and don’t forget the Virginia wine!
- Rick & Nancy
View "Va Wine App Gift Cards – what a great gift!" on its own page.
Thanks to Va Wine in My Pocket app readers for this heads up about Madison, Virginia’s Sweely Estate Winery:
We stopped by Sweely Saturday, Dec. 17th and we’re surprised to find out they’ve been SOLD. They’re closing Dec. 24th for a few months to remodel! The GOOD news… They’re selling their wine for $77.00 per CASE!!! What a deal!! They’re hoping to reopen by the. End of March 2012.
For more background on the Sweely transition, check out Washington Post wine writer Dave McIntyre’s recent report on the purchase of Sweely Estate Winery by AOL founder Steve Case and his wife Jean.
A question has come in through the Va Wine in My Pocket app that we know our readers can help with. Let us know what you’ve heard and we’ll publish it here!
| “I’m looking for recommendations for a winery (or restaurant) that is doing a wine pairing dinner for New Years Eve (prefer the NoVA area). I’ve seen some advertised but wanted to know if any recommendations could be made. Thank you!” |
Long story short: my brother started a micro-lending program in a small village in the Philippines to help bolster the falling-fast economy. The Buri Bag Project is opening up distribution channels for the village women’s hand-woven bags - all crafted from fibers of the local, towering Buri Palm.
The bags are lovely, the prices are low, and we guarantee you won’t find these in stores this holiday shopping season. Here’s our “friends & family” price list and photos of each bag, but be sure to order now – we have a limited quantity until monsoon season passes and weaving can begin again.
Price List: Buri Bag Project Friends and Family Holiday Price List
Know a local (DC/MD/NoVA) coach or teacher looking for a unique fundraiser? To be considered for the Buri Bag School Fundraising Pilot Program in spring 2011, contact Nancy Bauer by December 31 at Nancy@BuriBagProject.com. Only three local schools will be invited to participate!
View "Let the Shopping Season Begin with Buri Bags!" on its own page.
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