Joe H

http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php?/topic/32853-virginia-2014-governors-cup-winners/ Jake, I buried some comments in this thread around post #13 which featured VA wine, several bottles of which I opened at dinner one night near the Kaisserstuhl. I drove all over it, stopping in Oberbergen which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I brought back 11 bottles of '09 "A" spatburgunder from Franz Keller (including an "Eichberg" "A" pinot noir that was excellent). Spent a couple of hours at the winery, had a mini tour and then walked four or five km around the countryside. I went to Bernard Huber in Malterdingen (sp?) which is two exits south of Europa Park (where my business was) off of the A5. It was closed. In truth I had all of one Sunday afternoon to explore (Monday was an all day meeting for business) and it came down to what was open. Keller is a beautiful winery in an incredible location whose "A" pinot I really enjoyed. One of those in the tasting room spoke perfect English and spent a great deal of time with me-I deeply appreciated the consideration. I stopped in a couple of other wineries but there was nothing approaching it's level. I also found Keller's MIchelin starred restaurant in the middle of town and when I return later in summer on business will stay there. But the Franz Keller winery worked well for Sunday. As for Oberbergen and the Kaiserstuhl-I fell in love with it. I returned home on Tuesday and had some time Tuesday morning-I wanted to bo back to Malterdingen to Huber but it didn't open until noon and that would have cut it too close for me. I ended up wandering through Heidelberg where I have spent a great deal of time in the past, even using it as a base for business. FWIW I drive around the small town of Malterdingen and it has very little of the charm of the seven or eight villages of the Kaisersthul. I have forty or fifty pictures on my I phone and no idea of how to link them to here. This is the wine list from the Michelin starred Ammolite Restaurant at Europa Park's Bell Rock Hotel: http://www.ammolite-restaurant.de/files/de/wine/1_Weinkarte.pdf Keller, Heger and Huber are all on there. locally, Huber's are thought of as their best. The "Eichberg" "A" from Keller was E 55, "regular" A was E 42 and a magnum of the "regular" A was E 95. I think I bought all of the '09 they had left of this which was an excellent vintage. There was only one bottle of the Eichberg and there were layers of flavor, some complexity that really surprised me. I didn't take notes but really enjoyed it. It was not the kind of wine that I would typically go after but it was delicious. I'm really not even sure of what i have drank here that would be similar to it. Three days after returning I opened two of the bottles at Delaplane Cellars-a day when we were tasting a lot of wine. (As I sent photos of tasting the VA wines in Germany to Delaplane, I sent photos of tasting the German wines in Virginia to Germany.) The dinner in Germany was intended to feature the three VA wines which I brought ('08 RDV, '09 Barboursville Octagon and '10 Delaplane Williams Gap). I've been going there since '99 and have explored everywhere within 50 or so km of Europa including Baiersbronn. But this was my first visit to Obergbergen and the Kaiserstuhl. Jake, I'd love to hear how you happened upon this area. I've never met another American who has been there. In fact while at Franz Keller's I was told they might have "one American a month" stop in.

It's not nearly in league with the '09. Honestly, I think one of the weaker Octagons and an entirely different wine from the '09.

FWIW A handful of Safeways in Va are selling 2009 Octagon for $35 and some change if you buy six bottles. The 2010 is $45 and some change for six bottles. A bit of perspective for how good 2009 Octagon is: two weeks ago when VA Safeways put the $55 bottle on sale for $35 I took two hours and drove to six different stores (Three in Reston, Great Falls, Countryside, McLean and Elden street in Herndon). I bought every bottle of 2009 Octagon that I could find.

This is a Great winery. Really happy for Jeff.

I have now tasted the 2010 Octagon: it is a smooth, bordeaux like blend that needs at least an hour to open up. I don't think it is on quite the level of the 2009 but it is a very good representative of Octagon. Barboursville notes that they believe it is similar to their 1999 which they were tasting in a vertical at their winery last spring. At that tasting there were, I think, seven or eight vintages of octagon available. I preferred their 2001-the 2009 was still far too young and too tight to taste. Now, with a year, the 2009 is ready.

I must also add that when a winery goes to a price that approaches $100 it runs the very real risk of alienating some long standing customers. That is a lot of money to pay for a bottle of wine. A bottle may see that much as a "curiousity" or the belief it may hold its value as an investment. But just to buy, to "invest" in a case and spend $1,200-that's a lot. There are also a lot of alternatives at this price point. And ways to bring the price down lower. The real risk is losing the faith and trust of customers who believe that they will pay a fair price for wine that they passionately support and help promote. For me, for someone willing to buy by the case, $50 seems like a good premium price to get for a six or twelve pack sale of good wine. Chateau O'Brien's 2009 Northpoint for $109 is "ambitious." We won't be buying any. Nor going there. A "special edition" of 2010 Octagon would still be special at $60 or 70. It does not need to double. Frankly, if it really is going to be $100 it devalues the $55 regular" Octagon. Be careful with $100 Virginia wine. It will come. But I think we're still a few years away...

I am on Barboursville Vineyard's mailing list and today received their "news" which announces that there will be a special edition of Octagon 2010. I called the winery and was told that it will probably be released in October. It is a different wine from the 2010 Octagon: the blend includes Nebbiolo which "traditional" Octagon does not. There is also not a lot of it. When I asked if a price has been established I was told no but that it might be "2X" the price of Octagon. That is around $100 a bottle. 2009 Octagon is an extraordinary wine. 2010 is said to be in league with it (I have not tasted it yet.). 2010 Octagon Limited Edition may be the most extraordinary of all. We have not heard the last of Virginia's 2010 vintage.

" I just like the idea of wandering out my door to the nearby wine bar for a light meal and drinks and then stumbling home. :P" I sincerely believe this is the best way to approach many nights in Italy. We haven't been to Florence in four or five years but had a half dozen or more trips before then. FWIW wherever you go you should find a place that does authentic bisteca fiorentina. This is much easier said than done. Sostanza in Florence does it along with an outstanding chicken. The negative is that Sostanza is known and sometimes very difficult to get into. It is also the oldest trattoria in Florence dating back several hundred years. If you have a car and find yourself lost in Tuscany take a serious look at Panzano which is a beautiful town and home to a Great restaurant called Vescovino. http://www.restaurant-ilvescovino.net/il-ristorante We've been three times (again, last four or five years ago) but I believe it is still the same owner. Serious: I would put their steak (bisteca) on par with Luger's. The ambience is special, too. On their website they say the building dates to the 1300's. If you can find it you are looking for a two and a half to three inch thick porterhouse (Chiannina sp?) that is charred in a cast iron skillet then finished in the oven. Ideally served over arugula and liberally spread with good olive oil. You cannot find this in America. Nowhere. It's really difficult to find this in Tuscany. But when you do, four or five years later, you'll write about it on here. The owners of Vescovino also own one of the best enotecas in all of Italy: Enoteca Baldi in Panzano. It is down the street from a world famous butcher in the center of town, 30 meters off of the main street. Upstairs, the shop is small but ask to go down into their cellar if there is no sign. It is unbelievable what they have. And, at prices two thirds of anywhere in Florence. They will also sell you anything without allocation. Specifically, I once bought a three bottle wooden pack of 1990 Avignonesi Vin Santo there which was 100 points from the WS. The three bottles included the wooden box which hangs downstairs in my house. I cannot rave about this wine shop enough! They will also ship to you in the U. S. although this gets expensive. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g635878-d1088361-Reviews-Enoteca_Baldi-Panzano_Greve_in_Chianti_Tuscany.html is Trip Advisor and some reviews. What amazes me is that NOBODY asked to go into their wine cellar! Nobody. Not a single review or comment. You cannot imagine what is sitting down there waiting for you...

There is room for more hot air in Reston...

As a compliment to the Capitol tour also consider a short walk across the street to the Library of Congress which is one of America's Great buiildings. A cathedral of literature. I must add that decades ago I remember sitting in a gallery watching a session of Congress. An extraordinary experience. I am proud to live here.

Just past the Hunter's Head Tavern is the Blackthorne Inn's Wolfes Tone Pub. I believe it is the single most romantic room in the entire metropolitan D. C. area. It dates back a couple of hundred years and is on land once literally owned by George Washington. I am not suggesting going for dinner. I would go to Hunters Head for that. I am suggesting going for a drink in the Pub. I would also suggest going after dark when you can fully appreciate the stone, brick and exposed beams along with fireplaces and candles. If it is warmer they have tables outside surrounding a pond that is beautiful. On four visits to the Ashby Inn last year we stopped at Wolfes Tone Pub three times on the way back for a drink. You also have the Goodstone Inn and the Ashby inn but I have no idea what the latter is like since Neal left. The setting is similarly spectacular. Both the Wolfes Tone Pub and Hunter's Head Tavern are extremely popular with locals. I must also note that you are going to be in the middle of Virginia wine country. There are probably as many as 30 or more wineries within 20-30 minutes of Middleburg. If you enjoy wine I believe that Delaplane Cellars, a couple of miles off of 50, is spectacularly sited, halfway up the side of "Lost Mountain." I also think enough of their wine that I took a bottle of their '10 Williams Gap to Germany last weekend (and posted on here). If RDV is open to the public now it would be worth a stop also. If you are really into wine consider also stopping at Linden which is ten minutes from either or Glen Manor twenty minutes to the west. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of these four. The whole area from Middleburg west through Upperville and Delaplane to Front Royal and for miles both north and south is a kind of American Tuscany that is worth pointing your car and getting lost.

I don't understand: the reviews are consistently excellent for the Red Fox Inn on both Yelp and Travel Adviser. The Red Horse Inn-an entirely different place-has a lot of negatives. Are you sure that you are not confusing the two?

Rhone1998, thank you! Seriously: thank you for the trek and for trying the methi paneer. I must also tell you that your description of "made with heart" is a wonderful accolade for this place. Or for any restaurant. Actually, for any kitchen. Sincere appreciation for trying this. Addendum: on the beer and wine thread you'll note that I have FAR too many opinions about wine including a trip literally a week ago to one of the most heartstoppingly beautiful places I have ever been: the Kaiserstuhl region along the Rhein river in far southwestern Germany.

Tomorrow night. Thanks!

It really is a dump. Standing at the counter and looking at the menu, if it had not been for 20 or more people filling every seat at ten at night I wouldn't have given the place a second thought. Let alone walked in the door. After we walked in we read the menu over and over not really understanding, not even have heard of some of the dishes. Frankly, I'd never heard of Hyderabadi Indian before. Nor had I heard of Balti before eating my way through Manchester's Akbar. It also never occurred to me that we should order biryani in a restaurant which had this as part of its name. Sometimes I really don't think. Don, the best biryani I have ever had was ten or so years ago when Bhatia was still at Zaika and he did a flaky puffed pastry crust on top of his biryani. My wife still insists it is the best Indian dish of any kind that she has ever had. But it never occurred to me that we should order Biryani here. We only had a few dishes although the absolute star was the methi paneer. Well....the other two were exceptional also. This just seems like a whole different, more sophisticated level of regional Indian cuisine that D. C. has not had before. I also believe that there is now a large enough of a native or second generation population that there is now a demand and expectation for something this well done. I also noted that @ 10:15 when we left not only were the twenty seats still filled but another half dozen people had come and gone while we waited picking up carry out orders. Remarkable. I wondered if they had a Rose's Luxury like line out the door at 7:00? Someone else needs to go. We also need to go back (and order biryani among other dishes!). And the methi paneer again. Exquisitely delicious. Addendum: I am not overstating the throat blistering nature of some of this. I must note that it is worth the burn.

This nondescript storefront, next to a Goodwill store, sits in the armpit of a Herndon shopping center. We stopped in tonight, partly because we were starved, partly because everyone of the 20+ seats was filled at 10:00PM. We spent ten minutes reading the menu which, while in English, had very little meaning to us. Finally, I told the person behind the counter I was adventurous and loved "flavor." He asked me if I was "used to" hot food? I said a manly "yes" and asked what he thought we should order which would be a good representative of Hyderabad Indian cuisine. He suggested the vegetarian methi paneer, shrimp Chettinad, garlic nan and, for my wife who was leery of everything I was trying to talk her into, tikka masala. I must mention here that I have eaten my way through the U. K. Many times. I once had dinner three nights in a row at Akbar's in Manchester, sharing the third night with the owner of Blackpool Pleasure Beach while her Bentley was parked outside waiting for us. I've also been fortunate to experience Vineet Bhatia both when he was at Zaika and later in his own two Michelin star restaurant. I can't begin to count the other dives, storefronts and white table cloth restaurants I've experienced in London and Manchester, certainly including what were suppose to be their best. Some of Hyderabadi Biryani Corner, amazingly, approaches this level of excellence. It is also among the most explosively incendiary food I have ever eaten in my life-yet worth my blistering breath. The garlic naan is the equal of any I have ever had. Chettinad is a complex curry with layers of flavor. And, the methi paneer worth crossing the Potomac river to try. Actually, it may be worth crossing the Atlantic ocean also. A Herndon storefront. When you graduate from Rasika and want to know where to go...

I thought I would bury this little tidbit here: Safeway, as I type this early on March 21st, is selling '09 Barboursville Octagon for $35 a bottle with a six pack purchase. That's $20 off per bottle. '09 Octagon.

It bothers me that this restaurant was not nominated for a RAMMY award as one of D. C.'s best new restaurants. Nor is it a finalist for one of Beard's five best new restaurants in the U. S. Three of the five finalists are from New York and, for me, this speaks volumes about the organization. I must also note that I believe that Aaron Silverman, at a minimum, should have been considered as one of the 20 semifinalists for the Mid Atlantic award. Rose's Luxury is much too good of a restaurant not to have been recognized in the press more. Of course I have mentioned this elsewhere but Washington, D. C. having a grand total of TWO finalists for every Beard award there is, is a travesty. It's as if the New York centric organization wants to ensure that D. C. remain on the second tier. At least the RAMMY's justifiably acknowledged Red Hen and GQ's Alan Richman credited Casa Luca as one of America's best but Rose's Luxury and Aaron Silverman deserved far better than they received in the national press. Perhaps a few journalists feared standing in line...in D. C.

It is sincerely disappointing that there is not a single response to my comments about Oberbergen in the Kaiserstuhl. In a lifetime of travelling perhaps as singularly beautiful of a place as I have ever seen, virtually unknown by Americans and even with a storybook portrait nobody has read this thread to appreciate it. One cannot imagine what it is like to drive over a hill and see the breathtaking, expansive valley above unfold in front of the car... To present Virginia wine in this setting is equally breathtaking. And courageous. And....appreciated.

"I grew up in central New Jersey eating greasy pizza made by Italians who were either too lazy to source decent cheese, too greedy to splurge on the good stuff, or too confident their clients couldn't tell the difference. I know oily industrial cheese and second press olive oil when I taste it and I am neither willing nor able to overlook Di Fara's liberal use of both. The ingredients, and consequently, the pizza, at the uber-famous Di Fara in the Midwood section of Brooklyn suck. I explain why on Food Republic." In her article she states: "When the pizzeria was first lauded by Eric Asimov in the New York Times back in 2001, the pizzeria was pulled out of relative obscurity and more positive reviews rolled in." Above is how she introduced her slam of Di Fara on the food blog, Food Republic. I have been to Di Fara. Before the New York Times wrote about it. When Chowhound and Jim Leff first raved about it. In fact it is simply wrong to claim that the New York Times made this place famous. They were at least three years after the fact, long after the Village Voice put Di Fara on its cover. "In his 1998 book The Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Greater New York City, Jim Leff called the sauce used by the restaurant: a restrained, low profile masterpiece of optimal acidity and spicing (bolstered by a goodly shake of black pepper). Like everything here it's delicious in a magically old-fashioned way.[8] Fame for Di Fara came in 1999 when The Village Voice, a popular New York City publication, put him on its cover and proclaimed it as one of the "Best Italian restaurants".[4] From that point and going forward, Di Fara has been regarded as a top pizzeria by many established publications, including the Daily News.[4][21] Di Fara has received many awards, and has been labeled the "Best... pizza in New York" several times by many publications, including New York and the online publication Serious Eats....Chef Anthony Bourdain called the restaurant's pizza: "the best of the best." In 2011, Zagats gave the restaurant the top pizza restaurant food rating in New York City, and in 2013, Frommer'scalled its pizza "the Best Hand-Made Pizza in New York City." Now, to my point: I drove from D. C. to Di Fara to eat it. Stood in line for an hour after the four hour drive and it was worth it. This was 14 years ago. I would and will do it again. He is 69 and he's not going to be around forever. No, it is not the best pizza I have ever had; certainly not the best crust (Pizzaria Mozza in L. A.). But it IS the best New York pizza I have ever had. It is also rich in character and tradition. I am seriously suggesting that her comment that it "sucked" puts everything in perspective. I also wonder what she might say about New Jersey pizza where she grew up.

There is a lot of wine to go around-much of it consumed at wine festivals or the cheaper bottles that are usually bought at wineries. When I look at the shelves in Wegman's, Harris Teeter and Safeway it is mostly cheap VA wine that is on them. There are very few, if any, good bottles for people to buy and taste. It is the dozen or so wineries (of the 251) who are really dedicated to making serious wine that will benefit the image of the state. As that image grows so will the ease to sell even the less expensive wine. For all those who taste VA wine at some kind of festival and think they've had it, it might be a shock to taste what I poured in Germany on Monday night. Literally, I poured world class wine which stood up on the world stage. The restaurant that this was poured in has an extensive wine cellar featuring numerous first growths including a dozen or more from 2000 and earlier. Over the course of the night, given the reaction to those at the table to the VA wine, a number of other people came over to try their own taste. Whatever Virginia's image was before Monday night, near the Kaiserstuhl area of Germany, it went up. FWIW, Kaiserstuhl and Oberbergen, near the Rhein river and the French border, is one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. Easily as beautiful as anywhere in Tuscany, it is also the warmest part of German and, as such along with literal rocky, volcanic soil, Germany's largest wine region. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiserstuhl_(Baden-W%C3%BCrttemberg) Photographs of this idyllic area: http://search.aol.com/aol/image?q=kaiserstuhl+oberbergen+photographs&s_chn=tt_unauth&v_t=client97_searchbox

My impression is that Fauquier county does not receive the emphasis that it should with Richmond. For me, there seems to be a focus with Charlottesville and elsewhere in the state. This might have been fine ten years ago but today there is genuine excellence "up here." There are also 6.4 million people as opposed to the metro Richmond population. With 251 or so wineries there needs to be a population base to support this number of wineries: Richmond and Charlottesville alone are not going to do it. I think Richmond ignores the greater Washington, D. C./Baltimore area focusing on the state capitol and the wineries to the west of it. With Baltimore we are now approaching ten million people. From my perspective Jim Law is a huge part of the reason that there is excellent wine in Northern VA. I believe that VA is stronger if he and those who he has influenced are on board. I do not mean to imply a "fix." The '09 Octagon for example is an extraordinary wine-one of the best ever produced here. I also opened a bottle of it, '08 RDV and '10 Delaplane Cellars Williams Gap for friends who own a Michelin starred restaurant in Germany Monday night. The Octagon was the favored wine (they were shocked at how good it was) followed by Williams Gap and RDV which they both liked a lot. There were six people reviewing this wine including a world class sommelier. I will go back there in several months (there is some business associated with this in my industry) and I will take more VA wine. The next time I will include Glen Manor Hodder Hill or Petit Verdot, Linden '10 Boisseau or '09 Hardscrabble Red and the King Family '10 Meritage. Maybe Veritas' Petit Verdot. I bringing wine from Front Royal, Delaplane, Linden and Charlottesville-all side by side. The image of Virginia wine is stronger by including all of them. The '09 Octagon and '10 King Family Meritage are extraordinary wines with depth, complexity and with time, balance, that are huge credits to here. As they would be to California or Washington. But there is similar excellence emerging uphere and I believe Richmond should go after them. Simply, Linden, Glen Manor, RDV and Delaplane along with several others need to be part of this. Jim Law must be "courted" and "sold." He and the others are far too important to the overall success of the Virginia wine industry. Frankly, he is already leading the charge. And doing a helluva job.

These are breathtaking. D. C., excepting the two nominations for Mid Atlantic, is totally ignored. THREE of the five best new restaurants in the United States are in New York? Really.

I believe that Linden is still, very much, the long standing, preeminent VA winery. Possibly Barboursville, too. Overall he is doing some great things from his Boisseau to Avenius to Hardscrabble Red. Huge fan of Jim Law. I think he's close to selling out (or at least as much as he wants to sell) of almost everything.

http://www.wine-searcher.com/ http://www.winezap.com/ If you're willing to buy by the case (or mixed case) the NJ stores literally have next day delivery to D. C. and VA via Fed Ex Ground which, frequently, is free with promotions. For Maryland: State Line in Elkton, I believe, is still the highest volume wine/liquor/beer store in Maryland and one of the ten highest volume in America. It has been listed a number of times as both Philadelphia's best (Philadelphia Magazine) and Wilmington's best. Owners are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable. http://www.statelineliquors.com/