The New Napa: Virginia Winemakers Show Their Talent for the Vine
Virginia Wine & Food Pairings at Kennedy CenterÂ’s Roof Terrace Restaurant--September 8,2003
WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) August 27, 2003 -
The American Institute of Wine & Food, National Capital Area Chapter, and the new Virginia Wine and Food Society will showcase the best of VirginiaÂ’s wine and regional food specialties on September 8, 2003, 6:30 p. m. at Roof Terrace Restaurant on the top floor of The John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts.
Wine and food enthusiasts in the DC area will savor the harmony between locally produced wines and food of local origin prepared by the Roof Terrace RestaurantÂ’s new executive chef Michel Fitoussi. Chef Fitoussi comes from The Palace in New York City, where he was named one of the Master Chefs of New York. He brings a new sense of style along with his stellar reputation to the newly renovated restaurant with spectacular views.
Virginia—the fastest growing wine region in the United States--had virtually no wine industry until the mid-1970s when there were 6 wineries. Today, there are over 80 wineries and many are beginning to win national awards and international recognition. With this meteoric rise in number of wineries, award-winning vintages, rise in real estate property values, and boom in the state’s economic development and tourism, the comparisons to California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys are inevitable.
And the wine quality? Excellent. "Virginia is one of the most exciting wine producing regions in the United States today. The number of wineries is growing rapidly and we are attracting new
Growers and many talented winemakers not only from within Virginia, but from Australia, France, Chile, and California. But the big story in Virginia is the reds. Virginia's wineries are producing first-class cabernet francs, equal to any being produced in the Loire Valley, excellent Bordeaux blends, and wild - flavored Nortons from a native Virginia grape," says Mike Potashnik, publisher of the Virginia Wine Guide, Virginia Wine and Food Society.
And international winemakers and critics agree that Virginia wines are coming into their own. In June 2003, Virginia wines were showcased in Florence, Italy for the top Italian producers in Tuscany, many of whom gave high marks to Virginia's Viogniers, Cabernet Francs, and red Bordeaux blends.
Michael Broadbent, the world renowned wine critic, was pleasantly surprised by the wines he tasted in Virginia (Decanter Magazine, February 2003) and Frank Prial from The New York Times has written he was impressed by the reds he had tasted in Charlottesville in the spring of 2002.
But most importantly, local chefs, wine enthusiasts, and restaurateurs are beginning to notice the quality in their own backyard. Says Michael Flynn, sommelier of Kinkead’s: “The AIWF/VWFS event is not just another wine tasting. Wine and food enthusiasts will have a unique opportunity to pair over 35 wines from 13 wineries, with a wide array of local food in a magnificent setting. Some of the wines to be poured, mainly Viogniers, will be from the 2002 vintage which produced some very good bottlings of this Rhone varietal.”
The wineries invited to pour include: Barboursville Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, King Family Winery/Michael Shaps Wines, Linden, Pearmund Cellars, Rockbridge, Tarara Winery, Veritas Vineyards and Winery, Whitehall Vineyards, and Williamsburg Winery. The featured wines will be the Virginia Wine GuideÂ’s top rated: Viogniers, Cabernet Francs, Meritage blends, Chardonnays, Cabernet Sauvignons, Norton, and wonderful late harvest dessert wines from the 2002, 2001, and 1999 vintages.
The event is open to enthusiasts, guests, culinary students over 21, and AIWF and Virginia Wine and Food Society members. Price is $80 for members of AIWF and VWFS; $100 non-members. To RSVP, send check, payable to The AIWF, to Carolyn Margolis, 2440 Virginia Ave., NW,
Washington, DC 20037 or contact AIWF at (202) 333-0421 or www. aiwf. org/dc (http://www. aiwf. org/dc). To join the AIWF, go to www. aiwf. org/dc (http://www. aiwf. org/dc). To join the Virginia Wine & Food Society, go to www. virginiawineguide. com.
Established in 1981 by Julia Child, Robert Mondavi, and others, The American Institute of Wine & Food is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to understanding and celebrating the pleasures, benefits, and traditions of the table. The National Capital Area Chapter has over 400 individual members, half of whom are food and wine professionals. For more information about the chapter, visit www. aiwf. org/dc (http://www. aiwf. org/dc).
The Virginia Wine and Food Society is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to broaden awareness of and foster an appreciation of Virginia wines and the foods grown and prepared in Virginia that best accompany them. Members of the Society include the finest hotels and restaurants in Virginia and the Washington, D. C. area. The Society publishes the Virginia Wine Guide, an independent online consumerÂ’s guide to Virginia wines located at www. virginiawineguide. com.
