After a yummy lunch of cheese, bread, fruit, hummus, veggies, and chips paired with a delicious bottle of the 2007 Kluge Estate SP Blanc de Blanc ($25), the group was refreshed and ready to head off to our next round of tasting tables.  The first stop was Veritas Winery.  Veritas is a family-owned winery that opened at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in June 2002.  There were 7 wines to taste at the festival, and the Sauvignon Blanc Reserve and the Claret were my favorites, by far.

2009 Veritas Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($25)—very light in color; gooseberries, grapefruits, and green peppers; light body and nice acid; very New Zealand-like.
4 Corks

2009 Veritas Claret ($18)—55% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Petit Verdot grapes; blackberries, blackcurrant, cherries, and cooking spices; good tannins and body.
4 Corks

2009 Saddleback Chardonnay ($18)—apples and peaches with a hint of summer melons; light-to-medium body and medium acid; good, unoaked style.
3.5 Corks

2009 Veritas Cabernet Franc ($18)—blackberries, cherries, and black pepper; soft tannins and light-to-medium body.
3 Corks

2009 Veritas Merlot ($16)—raspberries and cherries with a touch of earth; soft tannins and medium body.
3 Corks

Red Star ($18)—cherries, raspberries, and strawberries; light body; ok, but not my style.
2.5 Corks

2009 Harlequin Chardonnay ($25)—apples and pears with a tough of something sweet without being a sweet wine; medium body and light acidity; lightly oaked, but missing the oaky wonderfulness.
2 Corks

After tasting the Veritas wines, we moved over one table to taste the wines from Villa Appalaccia Winery.  Villa Appalaccia is located close to the North Carolina and West Virginia borders in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwestern Virginia.  As the name suggests, they mainly grow Italian grapes—Sangiovese, Primitivo, Pinot Grigio, and Malvasia.  What stood out about Villa Appalaccia is that they are doing something different from most of the other Virginia wines by growing Italian grapes, and they like talking about that fact, so it will be interesting to see if they can turn their unique use of grapes into something bigger.  Admittedly, though, the wines are average.

2009 Simpatico ($15)—very floral with a touch of honey; the residual sweetness is usually not my style, but I enjoyed the freshness of this wine.
3.5 Corks

2007 Toscanello ($17)—cherries and red plums with a touch of cedar and tobacco; good acidity.
3.5 Corks

2008 Villa Appalaccia Winery Pinot Grigio ($15)—apples, pears, and mangos; light body.
3 Corks

2007 Villa Appalaccia Winery Primitivo ($18)—strawberries, raspberries, and a hint of pepper.
3 Corks

2007 Villa Appalaccia Winery Sangiovese ($17)—strawberries and spices; good acidity and light body.
3 Corks

2006 Villa Appalaccia Winery Cabernet Franc ($17)—black cherries and black plums; good body.
3 Corks

As we were walking away from the Villa Appalaccia table, one of the ladies in our group ran into a friend, so we absorbed the new couple into our group before heading over to the Unicorn Winery table.  I was excited about visiting Unicorn because I wanted my friends to taste their Chambourcin, a wine that another reader turned me on to (it’s particularly nice as an alternative to Chianti).  Unfortunately, Unicorn wasn’t showing their Chambourcin, but we had a good run with 6 of their other wines.  Their best seller, the Slightly Embarrassed, was well liked among the group.  I can see where people enjoy it, particularly on hot summer days, but even after tasting so many sweet, summery wines at the festival, they just aren’t my style.

2008 Unicorn Winery Chardonnay ($16)—apples, pears, and honeydew; medium body.
3 Corks

2008 Unicorn Winery Traminette ($15)—very subtle apples and honeydew; light body.
2.5 Corks

Table Rock White ($14)—honeydew and vanilla; touch of sweetness.
2.5 Corks

Slightly Embarrassed ($14)—cherries, strawberries, and raspberries; touch of sweetness.
2.5 Corks

2005 Unicorn Winery Merlot ($20)—cherries with a touch of pomegranate; light-to-medium body.
3 Corks

2005 Unicorn Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ($22)—cherries and raspberries; medium body.
3 Corks

*See Part 1 for reviews of Rosemont Vineyards and Winery, Delfosse Vineyards and Winery, and Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard.
*See Part 2 for reviews of Tarara Winery, Davis Valley Winery, Wintergreen Winery, and Mountfair Vineyards.
*See Part 4 for reviews  of Cooper Vineyards, Cardinal Point Vineyard and Winery, Paradise Springs Winery, and Château Morrisette.