May 2013 - The Accolades keep coming & MORE WINE!


In This Crushin' Issue: Introduce Alicia Wine Enthusiast Spring Release Concerts Riedel Tasting Solstice Friday Nights Flights Cellar Happenings Vineyard Happenings Tasting Room Happenings Where we are What we're up to The Tarara Road Show It seems like we are all over the place this month. Literally! If you happen to live near or visit any of the following spots, be sure to stop in, have a bite, and say hello: The Iron Bridge Wine Company Wine Tasting May 23rd, 5:00pm Vine Club Lounge Closures None in May. Woohoo! Le Team Extrordinaire!!! Jordan Harris Those who know me well know that I am very conflicted this year. My beloved Toronto Maple Leafs have made the playoffs for the first time since 2004! I have started to raise my children to be Caps fans, wearing team gear whether they like it or not. Look at Declan cheer! When I told Ethan he has to be a Leafs fan now, he told me they play like a bunch of babies. Touche, Ethan, Touche!!! I guess what he was telling me was to go back to making wine because my hockey team choices leave something to be desired. So after some holidays to the happiest place on earth, I am back to another happiest place on earth. We are starting to see this vintage kicking off all over the place after a long drawn out winter. Spring is here and the vines are booming. Time for me to go get ready for another awesome year. Sonya Farrell Chocolate, Cheese, and Charlotte – that’s right: 2 of my favorite things, and one of my new favorite cities! So, by now everyone knows that I’m an admitted food junkie. Quick: what food am I thinking about right now?!? Answer: Yes! If you’ve stopped in lately, you’ve noticed that we have some new delicious food items (including new cheese and chocolates, of course) added to our repertoire. And I've got a few other things that I'm trying out as well (including a couple gluten-free options), but they've gotta earn the “Farrell Seal of Approval” before I put them out to you! And yes, I just got back from Charlotte. I was on a NC distributor-finding mission, and things are looking hopeful. I met with a fantastic, locally based operation that seems to be well-aligned with our objective to get our wine out to our highly selective market. I’ll keep you posted. But in case you were wondering, while I was there, I had dinner at an amazing spot called Napa on Providence. As the name suggests, their wine list was CA centric (I suppose I’ll let that slide), but their food menu really embraced the area’s southern influence. And the live entertainment on the patio was the icing on the chocolate cake. If you’re in Charlotte anytime soon, go there! Other than that, I’m just cooking up (food pun intended) some fun ideas for all of you for the summer….some food related, some wine related, some purely fun related, but all awesome. Got a fun idea for food, wine, or otherwise? Tell me! Cheers! PS...Go Caps!!! 10 things you probably didn't know about... Margie Russell: Favorite Dr. Seuss book: I hate Dr. Seuss – those books never made sense to me! What is your go-to carry out/delivery meal when you just don’t feel like cooking? When I don’t feel like cooking I just skip right to the wine. Pet peeve: Mean People Last book you read: The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon Your hero: Too many to name Fill in the blanks: When in doubt, ___punt___. Favorite number: 3 Favorite 80’s sitcom intro song: Sorry missed that Era (For the record, someone here LOVES the intro to Mr. Belvedere. Just sayin'.) Weirdest talent: I know an extinct language - shorthand If stranded alone on a desert island, what 3 things (pretend the smartphone hasn’t been invented) would you bring? I wouldn’t stay – I would start swimming for land right away. 9 things you've been dying to know about.... Kim Parker: Chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin? Oatmeal raisin with a cup of tea If you could compete in any Olympic sport, whether real or made-up, what would it be? Archery, and I don’t know why, just looks cool. Favorite commercial: What’s the one about the baby in crib and his iphone is taken away? Makes me laugh every time but I have no idea what the commercial is for – an investment company perhaps? Don’t you hate when that happens? Pet peeve: You arrive on time for a seminar but they delay the start to accommodate those folks who are late – hey, I could have stopped to enjoy a sunny day and a glass of wine if I knew I’d have to wait for the “late folks”. Last book you read: 1Q84 by Murakami Weirdest celebrity crush: I have no idea. Kitchen appliance you use the most: Stove top Who’s your hero? Any “cool” old lady Favorite 90s TV show: Seinfeld. I thought we’d seen them all but “new ones” keep appearing on re-runs. Last place you went to dinner: We keep it pretty simple – Ironwood Tavern Bryan Winfrey Since Bryan put his efforts into telling you all about the Tasting Room he forgot himself...Not to worry, we know he was upset that we missed celebrating May the 4th be with you day. He has also been incredibly busy with Alicia getting ready for another great summer season so we found this fitting. He also forgot the awesome spreads that come with the Cheese and Charcouterie spreads from McCutcheons in Maryland...	This year keeps getting better and better. We are almost afraid we are going to hit a wall at some point, but until then we are just thrilled with…well…everything! We just finished one of our best months that we have ever had at Tarara with record amounts of Vine Club members coming and having a blast tasting some new releases, their Vine Club packages, and some great locally raised/grown food from a farmer/chef just down the street. We have continued to garner wild accolades and press from local, regional, national, and international media. We have had some awesome new additions to our team. The concerts are around the corner. The vineyard looks great. Most of all we have some awesome new wines to release to you, including some of those that have helped us garner all this great attention. It feels like we have had a year’s worth of great news in just 4 short months so far. So, here is more… Meet Alicia Whitestone In our last newsletter we brought you Bryan Winfrey, one of our new faces of Tarara joining us to help manage everything in our cluttered brains. Well, that's a big job and it took two, so here is Alicia. Together you will see them hanging with Sonya, Margie, Kim and Jordan ensuring everything is great each time you are here, whether at a concert, the tasting room, Vine Club Lounge, etc. So here she is....Alicia Whitestone. Hello everyone! My name is Alicia whitestone and I couldn't be more excited to start my new journey here at Tarara. I was born and raised in Lakeville,Minnesota, a bit south of the Twin Cities. Anxious to get out of the Midwest I attended James Madison University, graduating in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in history and political science. Here in Virginia I discovered my love for wine after touring many wineries throughout the state. I am a huge music lover and over the years have obtained quite the collection of music trivia. I spend much of my free time doing all types of art from painting to photography. I've recently become the proud parent of an adorable puppy,Tabitha. Being a pit bull, lab, boxer mix she is quite the ball of energy, but I am excited to see her grow. That about sums it all up, can't wait to get started! Wine Enthusiast shows Jordan the love…again. Our very own Jordan Harris was just named as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40: America's Tastemakers. As if that weren’t cool enough by itself, he’s also the only VA vintner mentioned on the list. His focus on what some might consider to be non-traditional blends helped seal it, and we’re sure that it comes as no surprise that his 2010 #Social Secret and 2010 Honah Lee White were singled out! Well played, sir. We mean it this time, really! – Spring Release Sunday, May 19 - 1:00-5:00pm Complementary to reservations made prior to May 12th $10.00 per person after May 12th Reservations Recommended We’ve been teasing you for the last couple of months, and we’ve even changed the date on you. But this time, it’s etched in stone. No really, it’s written in chalk somewhere! We’re talking about our Spring Release Party!!! The wines may already be out there, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate them. Join us at Lakeside Pavilion on Sunday, May 19th, to try new wines and make new friends. Oh yeah…we’ll have food for purchase and music, too! In this release we get to show you the first of the incredible 2012 vintage - my favorite ever - and the follow-up to our wildly acclaimed Cabernet Franc (and the last of the media and fan favorite 2010 vintage). Could be our best release yet... For a couple of the wines, we expect them to sell out quickly, so this may be you only chance! Charval 2012 - Almost polar opposite to the 2010 vintage but equally killer. The first time we have used the ancient variety Rkatsiteli and wow, we love it! Crisp, herbal with great amounts of fruit balancing it, blended with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Think Sauv Blanc with an attitude. Grrr.... Nevaeh Red 2010 - Our flagship Red from the wildly celebrated 2010 vintage. Enough Said! Really though, this is a big and young wine that could be locked away in a dungeon for a few years, or could be decanted and enjoyed with a big meaty meal. It is a great representation of the complexities of the varieties and Nevaeh as a site. Smoky, meaty, and powerful but balanced with gobs of fruit and concentration. Tranquility Red 2010 - You have probably already heard about this one from the publicity it received with the Cabernet Franc and CasaNoVA as one of the first Virginia wines to ecplise the 90 point level in Wine Enthusiast (not that we're bragging or anything). Big and fruit forward with Tranquility Vineyard's telltale leafy, earthy notes. We held only about 50 cases for this release. Cabernet Franc 2011 - This is a super pretty Cabernet Franc (kind of like when Jordan had long hair, but now he cut it). It is elegant, showing bright red berry fruit and loads of floral notes. The medium body frame and vibrant acidity make this a great food wine and a fabulous follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2010. Whities D9 2010 – One of the only truly estate grown fortified reds I have ever heard of. The distillate for the fortification was from early harvested and fermented grapes, rushed to Catoctin Creek Distillery to get back here and jack up some Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Simply put, a massive wine loaded with what we can only call crazy yumminess. That's a technical term, in case you were wondering. They're baaaack... It's Summer Concert Series time! Are you ready to rock, Leesburg (or Lucketts)? Dance under the stars like no one's watching, or just lay back and soak up the fantastic view of the band and Shadow Lake. Tarara's Summer Concert Series is where it's at. Come hang with us on Saturday nights all summer long. Love blues or country? Check! Classic rock? We got it. 80's pop hits? There's a band for that! And of course it goes without saying that Tarara wine is available for purchase at the venue, as well as whatever delicious bites Monk's BBQ cooks up! Here's the June lineup.... Pebble to Pearl June 1 Tyler Toliver June 8 2U June 15 Gonzo's Nose June 22 The Reflex June 29 Click here to see the full Summer Concert Schedule and buy tickets! Riedel me this! June 1^st, 2:00pm $45/person. Includes 3 Riedel stems to take home Reservations required. Only 62 remaining spots remain. This is probably our most requested tasting and event each year since we started it a couple of years ago. Come and see what the different shapes and sizes actually do to the wines you are drinking. It is truly one of life's "Aha" moments. Most people question the concept until you do this. The tasting will be set at our Lakeside Pavilion. It will include a tasting of several of our wines as we show how they are affected by the different stems. It will also include three different stems to take home with you from the Riedel Vinum XL Collection - Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Syrah! $45.00 per person - Includes: Tasting of 4-5 Tarara wines One each Cabernet, Syrah and Pinot Noir Riedel Vinum XL stem - Retail - $90.00 Instructive Tasting from a Riedel Representative and Jordan Harris A Super Awesome time hanging out drinking fine wine with some cool people before the first concert of the year We will have the ability to pre order extra stemware at the event at Riedel's lowest regular retail prices (not the promotional price of the event, and we will not be able to offer our Vine Club discount at these prices). $35.00 per stem if purchased individually for any of the three $90.00 for the set of all three There will also be the ability to order other styles if you love these, including Riesling, Viognier/Chardonnay, Oaked Chardonnay, Vintage Champagne, Water and Martini at the same prices I Wear My Sunglasses at Night* (At least during the longest day of the year I do…Yeah Summer Solstice!) After having such a great time and a view that could only be described as magical last year we knew we had to do something again for the solstice. This is easily Jordan’s favorite day of the year. It is the transition of the early summer and the start toward the vineyard getting riper and riper. The next stop after the Solstice is harvest for him! The best part…It’s on a Friday this year so no work the next day. Just a great opportunity to come enjoy some wine up in the vineyard, talking wines and vines as the sun sets over the Catoctin Mountains. Get the picture in your mind yet? More details to come so watch the website, facebook, twitter and next months letter. Save the Date – June 21^st, 2013 – 6-10ish Friday Night Flights Get a babysitter and grab your friends! Unwind with us every Friday night, starting June 7^ththrough Oct. 25^th, from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. There might be music, there might be comedy, there might be ballroom dance lessons. Who knows? Join us over at Lakeside Pavilion for a fun, laid-back, adults-only evening, complete with entertainment, good friends, and great wine. $20/person. Includes admission, entertainment, and 1 flight of wine. Reservations suggested. Must be 21 or over to attend. Food available for purchase. Check back soon for more details! In the Cellar They're back...well half of them are back and the other half at the end of this week. Kevin got back from wild adventures around New Zealand's north island working a harvest Kiwi style. He has come back loaded with new ideas and knowledge and with a bit of a sore back. Turns out Tarara's 150 tons of fruit isn't so tough afterall, now is it, Kevin? Tim is due back at the end of this week from his south island Kiwi harvest. In our brief discussions he has had a blast but is excited to come back, hang with Jack Russell and rock another Tarara harvest. We will now be getting ready to bottle the next of the Boneyard wines due to be released in July with an all new (and I must say super crazy, wildly freakin' awesome) look. There will also be a couple additions to the portfolio to include a Cabernet Sauvignon from Tranquility Vineyard, a Rose and a Sparkling. Yep, I said it. The first Sparkling in Loudoun County! Excited? We are!!! "Bad to the Bone Bubbles" coming soon. In the Vineyard Well I guess all I can say is learning is great, and that is what we continue to do. We had three main goals this year for increasing our environmental stewardship of the land, and so far, we have been successful with one. We have our Wild Flowers planted around the vineyard to bring beneficial insects to lower the need to worry about negative pests. We will also soon have our Bat Houses made and up (hurry up to get back, Tim!) for the same reason. The last goal was our sheep. Quite frankly we have been having difficulty finding sheep the right size. Most sheep will grow to be about 38 inches tall apparently. We want them at 30 inches full grown...hmmmm. I still think it will happen, maybe just not as grand for 2013, we will see. On a much more successful note we have got our vineyard subsoiled and ready to go for the new vines being planted starting this week. This year is a big planting of Viognier, Petit Manseng, Petit Verdot, and Tannat. This is replacing the rest of the hybrids (Chambourcin, Seyval, Vidal) as well as Mourvedre, Grenache and Pinot Gris. Ultimately it is the final step of replacing the vines that just are not perfect for our site or our wine styles here at Tarara. Always busy in the vineyard!!! In the Tasting Room Yeaahhh, boyyyyy… Food service in the tasting room is in full effect, and boy is it a hit! Here are some pics of the platters we’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ out in the tasting room. We’ve got Cheese Plates, Charcuterie Plates, and Cheese & Charcuterie Plates (affectionately known as the C+C Music Factory plate), all of which consist of local ingredients and are absolutely delicious! Come on, what could be better? Maybe some wine… Oh, we’ve got that too! We’ve also got some terrific new, smiling faces on the Tarara team in Danielle, Jon, and Linda, all of whom have been showcasing their talents and Tarara wine in the tasting room. These three are destined to become rock stars in their own right… It’s true, come see for yourself if you haven’t yet! Any new wine, you ask? Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! Right now on the tasting menu, Nevaeh Red 2010 and D9 2010 are both shining bright. Come taste them for yourself and see what the buzz is all about. If you haven’t been in the tasting room for a bit, now is the perfect time to come out, visit, and see what’s poppin’. Wine, food, friends, and fun.. YES!!!