Morais Vineyards & Winery
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Morais Vineyards & Winery offers a lovely Portuguese-style venue for tasting traditional wines and Portuguese-style wines and hosting special events including weddings.
Businessman José Morais from Portugal purchased the property the winery is located on in the 1990s. Today the vineyards are made up of 12 acres include Albariño (Alvarinho), Muscat of Alexandria, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Touriga.
José purchased the land and built the winery to honor his Portuguese nationality. His daughters, Janet and Linda, are involved with the winery. José would like to pass his Portuguese heritage on to his daughters and grandchildren.
A recently completed Portuguese-style tasting room built in a circular style is attractive and elegant. A short distance away is a larger Portuguese-style building that stands tall and inviting. This is the location of a large ballroom. The original tasting room was also located in this building. The winery is located beneath the event room. Located between the tasting room building and the event building/winery, a small chapel has been built for weddings. The petite-sized chapel holds 35 people and wedding vows taken in this chapel can make a wedding especially memorable.
The winemaker is Vitor Giumarais who is from a 4th generation family of winemakers in Portugal. In the winery the red grapes are crushed by foot in large concrete presses. Vitor tries to follow organic methods whenever possible. Currently the winery is producing 2,000 plus cases of wine.
White Wines
A small plate of food was served along with the wine tasting. Select 2012 was 100 percent Rkatsitelli. The Rkatsitelli grapes were sourced from Horton Vineyards in Virginia. The wine was a light yellow with a floral aroma. The taste was floral with peach and citrus notes. The finish was crisp with lingering peach. Battlefield White (Vinho Verde) 2012 was a blend of Vidal Blanc and Albariño. This is considered a green wine that should be enjoyed early. The wine was a straw color. The aroma was floral with yellow stone fruit notes. The taste was of citrus with a hint of peach. The finish was crisp.
Rosé 2012 was produced with Cabernet Franc. The juice had skin contact for 18 hours. The color was red with an orange tint. The wine aroma and taste had cherry notes. The crisp finish offered mild tannins. Cherry yields to green pepper on the aftertaste.
Red Wines
Select Red 2012 was a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine was aged in French oak for two years. The wine color was a ruby color. The aroma was of dark fruits and the taste had notes of black cherry. The finish was very crisp with mild tannins. Merlot 2012 was a translucent ruby color. The wine offered dark fruit notes including black raspberries and black cherries with some earthiness. The finish was very crisp and fruity with tannins. Cabernet Franc 2012 was a translucent ruby color. The aroma was of dark fruits, spice and pepper. The taste offered notes of blackberries, plums, pepper, and spice including cinnamon. The finish was very crisp with tannins and fruit yielding to spice. Touriga Nacional 2012 was a ruby translucent color. The wine offered dark fruit notes and some spice. The finish was crisp with mild tannins.
Jeropiga 2012, with 18 percent alcohol, was a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This wine was made with no fermentation of the grapes. A grape brandy was added immediately to prohibit fermentation. The wine was a sienna color. The sweetness is from the grapes. The aroma was of dried fruits and alcohol. The taste was sweet and velvety with dried dark fruits. The finish was also fruity with no heat. Pair this wine with dark chocolate with sea salt. Moscatel 2012 produced with Muscat of Alexandria was fortified with brandy. The alcohol was 17 percent. This gold color wine offered an aroma of orange blossoms with a taste of oranges. The finish was of oranges, sweet and smooth. Cherry 2012 is a Ginjinha a liqueur made with Morello cherries. The wine was 18 percent alcohol. The wine was red with an orange tint. The aroma and taste was of cherries and reminded one of cherries freshly picked from a tree. There was a slight heat on the finish. The wine was served in a small chocolate cup. One could either sip the wine from the chocolate cup or eat the whole chocolate cup and wine at once. The wine and chocolate matched very nicely and was a lovely way to end a wine tasting.
If you enjoy wine or are planning a wedding be sure to check out Morais Vineyards & Winery in Virginia.
Morais Vineyards & Winery
11409 Marsh Road
Bealeton, Virginia 22712
Article written March 2014
Visit these Virginia wineries and wine tour groups that partner with Wine Trail Traveler.
 |
 |
 |
 |
