Winery Visit-Valhalla

On February 20 I visited Valhalla Vineyard, located on the Blue Ridge Mountains with my boyfriend, Matt, who for the record, hates wine (we're woking on it.) Valhalla overlooks Roanoke, VA and has spectacular views. Unfortunately, they have not begun wine tours yet due to the season. However, in the spring they will begin tours every third week of the month. We decided to do a tasting that included five red wines. While tasting we had the opportunity to talk with an employee about the grapes, bottling and if they oak the wine. 

                      Valhalla opened their doors in 2004                          Following the tasting, we purchased two glasses

                                                                                                         of wine. 'Vestal Virgin' (left) and Alicante Bouschet (right)

Valhalla has been producing wine since 1998 on their 21-acre vineyard. They produce a variety of wines including  cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, chardonnay, cab franc and more. One of the most interesting things I learned about Valhalla was that they have a man-made wine cave, where they oak their wines. The wine cave sits 60 feet underground and is lined with around 300 wine barrels. Valhalla was the Governor's Cup Winner in 2000. There is an option to tour the wine cave when tours are being offered. Additionally, a bottling truck comes to the vineyard and bottles wine on the spot. 

The five wines we chose to try during our tasting were Cornucopia 2010, Merlot 2008, Gotterdammerung (2008), Cabernet Sauvignon (2007) and the Alicante Bouschet 2011.

Cornucopia had an olive taste and smell. My boyfriend
and I both agreed that it was a strong wine, but was not too dry.
I would say it was a little out of my comfort zone, and tasting
similar to some of the wines I have tried at the Vintage Cellar.

2008 Merlot was the second wine we tasted. We
thought that this was similar to the Cornucopia. There
was definitely an overpowering alcohol scent to this wine.
I cannot say much about it because I did not particularly 
enjoy it.

2008 Gotterdammerung was the third wine we
chose to taste. This was by far my favorite wine
of the five part tasting. It was sweet and had a
floral scent and taste. It was not dry and was definitely
something I could see myself enjoying.



This 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon hit the spot. It was
the first wine where there was a distinct grape taste
and wasn't too strong for my self-admitted weak
wine pallet.


The 2011 Alicante Bouschet was chosen by my boyfriend
because the description said it went great with cigars. I was
hesitant about this wine and figured it would be a little
strong and over-the-top for my liking. However, I was
surprised when I enjoyed this wine. It definitely had an oaky
taste and grape skin remnants floating around. It was somewhat
dry, but overall enjoyable.

Following the wine tasting we each chose a glass of wine to purchase. Matt chose the Alicante Bouschet, but I decided to go with something that I hadn't tried yet. Turns out, it paid off. I told our pourer I was a Moscota lover. She recommended the Vestal Virgin. It was delicious. It had a sweet, fruity taste with a combination of slight oak. I enjoyed every last sip. 

Inside of Valhalla following the wine tasting.

            

Vestal Virgin, the wine I chose to get a glass of           Above, is the list of the tasting options.