Cheers to the Hook for the new Dish blog.  I think I know how these things work…

We’ve known that Oakencroft Vineyard and Winery is closing its doors on December 31, but on a recent wine tasting afternoon on a sunnier day than this, I learned that cases are selling at a 30% discount.  Cheers to owner Felicia Rogan for doing more than her part to put Virginia on the map as a wine producing state.

Case in point: the Monticello region welcomed a new winery to the trail this summer.  Pollak Vineyards (pictured left) is located off 250 West, near Route 151 to Wintergreen.  They’ve already received a number of inquiries about weddings, and it is not surprising when you arrive at the tasting room, easily mistakable for a country home with its huge windows and wrap-around patio, set against our idyllic Blue Ridge backdrop.  I did a full tasting, and despite how young their vines are (relatively), the wines they’re producing are really nicely rounded.  It’s rare to have the pleasure of tasting two wines of the same vines–Chardonnay grapes, in this case–one fermented in steel and aged in oak, the other vice versa, both fantastic.  And the finishing touch?  A bowl of ripe merlot grapes to try, fresh off the vine.