On
Monday, February 2, my boyfriend and I visited the Attimo Winery. I had never been to a winery before, so I did
not know what to expect. The winery is
about a 30 minute drive from Blacksburg in Christiansburg, Va. over 11 acres;
however, they also own or lease land in Roanoke and Charlottesville. The owners are two Virginia Tech graduates who
fell in love with Southwest Virginia. The winery has been open to the public since
Spring 2011, but began planting vines in 2006.
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| Attimo Winery, main building for customers |
When I arrived, I
noticed that the winery had a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone, including the staff, was not very
dressed up, so I felt very comfortable for my first tasting. I loved the meaning behind why “Attimo” was
chosen for the name: it means “In the Moment” in Italian because all of the
wines are named after special events or moments.
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| The tasting glasses and the winery's logo |
We were unable to
take a tour because we had not called in advance that day, plus there was still
snow on the ground that would have made it a little difficult/slushy. However, our server was knowledgeable and was able to
fill us in. Plus she had taken Geography
of Wine when she was a student at VT!
She told us how the wife, Michelle, runs the tasting room, and the
husband, Rik, studies in the country Georgia in order to learn old-world wine
techniques. Most notably, the grapes grown
on-site are all planted by hand and picked by hand, so they are always looking
for volunteers. She told that about 85% of the grapes used in Attimo’s wine are grown on
their property, while the other 20% are grown in other states or other parts of
Virginia. The only grapes not grown on
site are Merlot, Cabernet, and Zinfandel.
We learned that a unique attribute of Attimo is that it uses FlexTank
barrels, which are plastic containers, for fermentation that the wine can
breathe. Oak barrels, made of French
oak, are used for most of their wines, but American Barrels are used for Off
the Cuff and Bull Frog Symphony uses barrels from Hungary. When asked about bottling, she told us that
they do not have the proper machinery, so they bring in a bottling truck that
bottles almost all of their wine over several days lasting an average of 16
hours! Our server told us that in the
future, Attimo is hoping to expand the processes used to make wine and their
wine distribution, which currently is only in Virginia.
I was very
surprised by how inexpensive the tasting was!
My boyfriend and I paid $5 each to try 8 wines, but our server gave us
an extra wine for free. Then, we tried
one of the reserve wines for $1 each. It
was a great time, and I highly recommend that all Geography of Wine students
visit the locally owned and operated winery.
Here is the breakdown of the 10 wines we tasted:
Name – Sonnet 98
Variety – Vidal Blanc
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – $17.00
Price - 2012
Wine Review – This
Vidal, with its floral bouquet and vanilla undertones brings to mind crisp
spring mornings and the first spring flowers bursting forth to find the sun.
Personal Review – We thought it was buttery and could taste the vanilla flavors. This was definitely a drier white wine, but I liked it a lot!
Name - Wonder
Variety – 75% Viognier, 25% Vidal Blanc
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year - 2013
Price - $21.00
Wine Review - This
blend of late-harvest Vidal & Viognier will leave you with a sense of
wonderment. With heavy oak flavors &
toffee accents.
Awards – Won the gold medal in the 2014 State Fair of Wine
Competition
Personal Review – This wine had a honey flavor in beginning with the toffee flavor coming in at the end. I did not like this wine, but it was semi-sweet
and reminded me of corn syrup.
Name – Off the Cuff
Variety – 67% Riesling, 33% Chardonnay
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – 2013
Price - $16.50
Wine Review – This unscripted
blend is mellow, slightly sweet, and bright to pair well with a variety of
life’s unplanned events. Go ahead, be
spontaneous. Be Off the Cuff.
Awards – 2012 Wines of the South Competition – Vintage (2011)
Silver, 2012 International Women’s Wine Competition – Vintage (2011) Bronze,
2013 Florida State Fair International Wine and Juice Competition – Vintage
(2011) Silver, 2013 International Eastern Wine Competition – Vintage (2011)
Bronze, 2014 International East Meets West Wine Challenge – Vintage (2012)
Silver
Personal Review - This wine was sweet from Riesling, but was balanced with the
Chardonnay. We tasted a citrus, almost lemon taste.
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| David Trying/Sniffing the Wine |
Name – Just Kissed
Variety – 80% Vidal Blanc, 20% Red Raspberry
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – The year was not specified on the bottle.
Price - $16.00
Wine Review – This delightful
wine, with its floral aromas, is beautifully accentuated by the kiss of a light
sweetness and dainty color.
Awards – 2012 Wines of the South Competition – Vintage (2011)
Silver
Personal Review – This wine was okay. It was not overly sweet and tasted of raspberries.
Name – After Midnight
Variety – 80% Merlot, 20% Raspberry Grape
Wine
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – The year was not specified on the bottle.
Price - $17.00
Wine Review – This
deep, mellow red blend is reminiscent of night in both color and tone. The sweet, fruity flavors hint toward late
night treats.
Awards – 2012 Wines of the South Competition – Vintage (2011)
Silver
Personal Review – I considered this wine a "training wheel-red." It had blackberry flavors, but I was disappointed. Although you could taste the blackberry, it seemed like something was missing.
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| My favorite wine, Bull Frog Symphony |
Name – Bull Frog Symphony
Variety – Red Blend of six wines
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – 2012
Price - $18.00
Wine Review – Six individual
grape varietals. Each was harvested,
fermented, and finally blended together to form the symphony.
Awards – 2012 American
Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition – Vintage (2011) Silver, 2012 Wines of
the South Competition – Vintage (2011) Silver, 2013 International Eastern Wine
Competition – Vintage (2011) Bronze
Personal Review – Our server said this wine was made using monofermentation. I absolutely loved this wine. It had a hint of pepper, was dry - but not too dry, and literally tasted like a symphony in my mouth.
Name – Deep Silence
Variety – Cabernet Franc
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year - 2012
Price - $19.00
Wine Review – This smooth
and smoky Cabernet Franc is calming with traditional flavors of pepper,
blackberry, and currant. This is a dark,
serious wine that turns your reflections inward.
Awards – 2011 Wines of the South Competition – Vintage (2010)
Bronze, 2012 Virginia Wine Lover’s Reader’s Choice Western Division Best Red –
Vintage (2010) First, 2012 American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition –
Vintage (2011) Silver, 2012 Wines of the South Competition – Vintage (2011)
Silver
Personal Review – This wine was way too peppery. I did not like it at first; however, it grew up me and I liked the after-taste. I found myself wanting more after I had finished.
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| David's favorite wine, A.D. 325 |
Name – A.D. 325
Variety – Chambourcin
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year - 2013
Price - $17.00
Wine Review – This
Chambourcin, brings together a rich, brilliantly colored wine with vibrant
aromatics.
Personal Review – This wine had an earthy/mineral bite. It was not dry and the cherry flavors made it sweet. I really liked it and would have this again.
Name – Sudden Downpour
Variety – 50% Apple Wine, 50% White Table
Wine
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – The year was not specified on the bottle.
Price - $15.50
Wine Review – This sweet
apple wine, blended with white tabe wine embodies that quality of surprise,
with warm, vanilla notes drawn from the aged bourbon barrel. The tart, crispness drawn from the apple,
refreshes the palette and readies the mouth for another sip
Awards – 2011 Wines of South Competition – Vintage (2010) Bronze,
2012 Virginia Wine Lover’s Reader’s Choice Best Fruit Wine – Vintage (2010)
Fourth, 2010 Virginia Wine Lover’s Reader’s Choice Western Division Best Fruit
– Vintage (2010) First
Personal Review – his wine tasted like candy and smelled like apples. I found it to be an "apple juice mixed with alcohol" because its primary flavors were bourbon and apples. I liked it, but it honestly did not taste like wine.
Name – Charisma
Variety – 60% Tinta Madera, 30% Touriga
Nacional, 10% Souzao
Region – Virginia
Country – United States
Year – The year was not specified on the bottle.
Price - $26.00
Wine Review – The charisma of
this vintage ruby dessert wine continues with flavors of dark chocolate
interlaced with blackberry and raspberry with a slight touch of raisins and
nuttiness. The finish is full and soft,
making it a truly decadent wine.
Awards – 2013 San Diego
International Wine competition – Vintage (2010) Gold
Personal Review – It tasted and smelled like raisin. This was absolutely disgusting and I literally said that it "tastes like someone stirred up raisin and liquor and called it a reserve wine.”
I would not have this wine again.
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| My boyfriend and I in front of the vineyard. |
My boyfriend and I were consistent in our top three favorite wines. The clear winner in my eyes was Bull Frog Symphony, followed by A.D. 325 and then Sudden Downpour. He liked A.D. 325 the best, with Sudden Downpour in second, and Bull Frog Symphony coming in third. He purchased a bottle of A.D. 325, and I bought our tasting glasses. We really enjoyed ourselves and hope to go back when the weather is nicer so that we can take a tour!
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