Petite Cellars in the Turf Valley Town Square shopping center

Last evening, Kathy and I were invited to the 2nd Annual Turf Valley Fall Wine Festival held behind Petite Cellars in Turf Valley Town Square shopping center. The event supported Support Zaching Against Cancer. This well attended wine, beer and food event was well planned and coordinated. This post will focus on the wines and Kathy will write a post that will focus on the charity.

Wines from producers in Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Spain and France were available for tasting. The event also included food from the restaurants in Turf Valley Town Square. The event took place in a large tent attached to the rear of Petite Cellars, a wine shop in the shopping center. The tent was enclosed and there were heaters available. The mild October evening was pleasant and the space was perfect. Petite Cellars had the wines featured during the event for sale with a portion of the sales going to Support Zaching Against Cancer.

I started tasting a few white wines. Santa Julia is a winery in Mendoza, Argentina. Their 2016 Pinot Grigio was a light yellow color with tropical fruits, apples and pears. The wines was crisp with a hint of minerals. It is always nice to have a southern hemisphere vintage wine during the same year it was harvested. This was a great wine to start the tasting and was a great buy at $9.97.

Two Spanish wines made with Godello grapes and the other made with Treixadura grapes

My next white wine was from a Spanish producer. The 2015 Senda Verde Treixadura D.O. Ribeiro was a delicious rocking chair white that had a yellow color. The wine was made with 100% Treixadura grapes from the norther region of Spain along the Miño River. There were floral notes on the aroma and peach on the taste. The wine had a nice crisp finish. The wine retails for $15.97, and would pair well with fish, white meats and spicy dishes; however, I would enjoy this wine simply by itself.

Staying with this producer, I tasted the 2015 Senda Verde Godello D.O. Bierzo. This yellow colored wine was made with 100% Godello grapes that were hand harvested. There was about ten hours of skin contact prior to pressing the grapes for the juice. The wine offered notes of peaches and mineral with a crisp finish. The Godello retails for $15.97, and would pair well with grilled fish and poultry. This is another wine for a rocking chair on a porch.

With the whites wetting my appetite, it was time to turn to some red wines. The first was from Demorgenzon, a producer from the Western Cape of South Africa. The 2015 DeMorgenzon Maestro Red was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was a dark opaque ruby color with dark fruit aroma. The taste reminded me of blackberries, cassis and plums. The full bodied wine had tannins and a crisp finish. It retails for $28.97.

Just a sample of the wonderful foods

With switching to the reds it was time to sample some of the foods. I started with some Italian bites from Facci. There was a nice spread on a table with a fruit platter, vegetable platter and wonderful fried chicken. We also made stops at tables with foods from Asian Court, Grille 620 and Xitomate, a Mexican food restaurant.

A Merlot from the Lazio region of Italy

The next red was a 2011 Falesco Montiano Lazio Merlot. This all Merlot wine had a ruby opaque color. The aroma and taste reminded me of cherries with some earthy undertones. The full bodied wine had tannins and some leather hints on a long aftertaste. The wine retails for $49.97. Another Italian red tasted was the 2012 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico. Of the wineries represented at the event, this was the only winery that Kathy and I visited and wrote about. The wine had a translucent ruby color with cherries and licorice on the aroma and taste. The wine had medium tannins with a medium to full body. The finish was crisp with cherries and oak. This Merlot retails for $22.97.

The last red I tasted was the 2013 Zuccardi Tito. Zuccardi is a winery in the Mendoza, Argentina region. This opaque dark ruby colored wine was a blend of 80% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Ancellotta. The wine had dark fruits and licorice notes. It had a velvety smooth mouthfeel with medium to bold tannins and a full body. The finish was crisp and fruity. The wine retails for $44.97.

We enjoyed the 2nd Annual Turf Valley Fall Wine Festival and look forward to returning to the event next year.

Cheers,
Terry