Winery Visit - Attimo Winery

Attimo Tasting Room

Attimo Grape Vines

Friday, April 20th my roommates and I decided to check out Attimo Winery in nearby Christiansburg on a gorgeous afternoon.  We originally thought about going to Chateau Morissette but a two o'clock quiz would have caused us to miss the 3 o'clock tour so we trusted Google to give us a winery closer by.  Attimo came up and that turned out to be a great decision.

Not the biggest winery, it sits on 17 acres of land, Attimo impressed us early on with the obviously new and nice tasting room.  Somewhere between the giant, unpainted Hokie bird and cozy tasting room I felt at home.  Rik, the owner (and with a Ph.D in microbiology and biochemistry, one smart dude), greeted us in seconds as we walked through the front door in the most friendly and inviting manner.  We told him we were interested in a tasting and he offered us seating either inside or out.  Since it was such a beautiful day (the last one before a weekend of Thunderstorms, rain, and snow) we chose to sit outside and Rik poured us our first wine.  As he explained that he had seen many students from the wine class throughout the semester, he knew the deal and brought us out paper and pens to write notes about the wines we tasted.

I'll go through the wines below and include the description next to the name of the wine and note things that stood out about each one.  These were some of the best wines I've ever had so the majority of what follows will be glowing praise:

Sonet 98 (2010): Dry, crisp, floral, hints of fresh greens. $17

We were told this first wine was the best selling wine in their lineup and I could tell why.  This wine was just as described, very dry and crisp.  I could definitely see myself sipping this wine on a warm day just as it was this day.  I noticed it had a good finish that lingered for quite a while.  The tasting was off to a strong start. 

Masquerade (2010): Dry, smooth and oakey. $19

You can definitely taste that this wine was oaked but what comes through is just how smooth it is. I wrote that in my notes and circled it in my description as that is what I took away from it.  It would have been nice to taste their other Chardonnay that was described as more fruity and less oakey but they had sold out of that one. Darn. Maybe next time.

Vertex (2010): Dry red, rich with black currant flavors and French oak notes. $20

On the reds, we were told this wine was aged in French oak for 11 months and that oakiness came through.  A little tannic, we were also told it paired well with steak and bleu cheese and I can definitely see that.  We were all very impressed with this wine and I can't wait to test out how a nice steak pairs with it.

Deep Silence (2010): Dry red, intesne berry flavors and light smoky pepper finish. $18

Rik told us this wine was aged in American oak but made in the traditional Bordeaux style.  A little tannic, I could  really smell the pepper in the nose.  I am not very good yet at picking out smells and flavors but pepper is so distinctive I really notice that one.  The wine tasted delicious and had a really nice finish.  I was impressed with this one.

AD 325 (2010): Dry red with bold flavors and cherry undertones. $16

Georgian style, really dark

This was by far the coolest wine in the lineup and the coolest wine I have ever tasted.  I believe named after the First Council of Nicaea, this wine is done in a Georgian style (the country, not the state).  Before trying this wine, I did not even know that Georgia even made wine much less had its own style but it is quite distinctive.  Rik told us he has gone to Georgia numerous times to learn how they make their wines and he seemed most proud of this wine.  So much so that the decorative stain in the tasting menu was from this wine.  The skins are left in the juice after being crushed for 3 months creating a very dark wine, as shown in the picture to the right and making for the perfect wine to display its stain.  Apparently, Georgia produces the most wine per capita of any country in the world and had been doing so for thousands of years but they do not ship any wine to the US, explaining why I had never heard of Georgian wine. The wine itself was aged in concrete and, strangely, clay and this created a very earthy quality in the wine.  My roommates and I liked this wine the most out of all of them because of how unique it is.  I have never had a wine that tasted quite like it and I'm looking forward to cracking open one of the two bottles we purchased at the end of the tasting.

Seduction (2010): Sweet, vintage ruby port.  Direct from Portugal, hints of raspberry and raisins. $26

It was very difficult to follow the AD 325 in the tasting and Rik was right to save the AD to the last dry wine in the lineup.  This wine, rightfully called Seduction, was also very different.  The grapes are from Portugal and brandy is added once it makes it to the US.  I have had ports in the past that I just did not like very much, likely because the high alcohol content is hard to balance in a wine, but this port, at 18% alc, was silky smooth.  I don't know how they do it but it just goes down so easily that you can only be impressed.  I initially thought there was no way that at $26 I would buy this wine but, lo and behold, I just had get a bottle to save for a special occasion.

Sweet Berry Sunset: Semi-sweet, intense berry and fruity flavors. $13

These next to wines tasted were not made from grapes alone but with grapes and raspberry.  I had heard of fruit wine before but never of a grape/fruit blend and when I asked Rik why they blended the two fruits, he told me that fruit wine by itself tends to fall apart.  It lacks the structure provided by the tannins in the grapes to hold together.  So, to rectify this problem, he adds red wine to the raspberry wine.  He explained that this wine is best with chocolate, so much so that they serve it in a dipped in chocolate glass.  What a cool idea.  We did not try it while we were there but this is an idea I will try in the future.  I noticed that the wine stings the nostrils, as Ron Burgundy would say, and had an interesting after taste that I think would be balanced out by chocolate.  A very good and intriguing fruit wine, I will probably buy it at some point in the future.

Sudden Downpour: Sweet, apple wine with bourbon notes and earthy tones. $13/375 mL

Also blended with wine, white this time, the apple wine is aged in bourbon barrels to capture some bourbon flavor.  The apples are local (from Roanoke) but not grown on the property like the raspberries.  It also stings the nostrils, must be something to do with the fruit wines, and with 8% sugar was a little sweet for my tastes.  It still was complex with lots of flavor, especially for a fruit wine, and I can see why people would like it.  Personally, I just prefer wines that are semi-sweet at most (although the Seduction was a nice exception). Still, a very strong close to the tasting part of our visit.

After tasting all these wines, we asked Rik if it was ok for us to wander around the vineyard some.  He told it was more than ok and told us some stories about his two Border Collies.  He actually trained them (after a year and with the help of a professional trainer) to make rounds through the vineyards to keep animals from destroying the vineyards.  Bears, racoons, deer, rabbits, and other animals all like to eat the various grapes and berries grown here and it is the dog's responsibility to keep these animals out.  If you have doubts that two dogs could keep all those animals away, consider this story.  Border Collies are herding dogs.  They can be used to keep herds of livestock together and where they're supposed to be, or to tire deer to exhaustion and kill them.  Apparently it has happened twice that the dogs chased around a deer until it could not keep going and struck for the kill.  If that is not a lesson to animals to stay away in the future than I don't know what is!

The grapes are just budding

One grape vine

Vines with room to grow

Luckily we weren't herded as well, the dogs were away for their 3 o'clock nap so they would have the energy to guard the winery all night.  We checked out the vines just to see how they are planted and it is all pretty neat.  I was especially interested because this wine class actually inspired me to buy 24 vines to plant in Northern Loudoun County so I wanted to see how a real winemaker did it. I found a few things interesting.  First, there was a low wire that the vines are pruned to each fall that the vines are kept at.  This ensures that the wine doesn't grow too big for itself to handle and that a smaller amount of fruit is produced by the vine.  Too much fruit would result in poor quality grapes and could stress the plant to death so pruning is necessary for quality wine.  Second, each large post was spaced 6.5 steps apart and each line was spaced three steps apart.  If the vines are planted too close, then there won't be enough nutrients to make quality grapes.  Between the pruning and the space between grapes you can see the tradeoff required between making quality grapes and total yield.  I can see where it would be tempting to get as many grapes as possible to make the most wine as possible (and thus as much money as possible).  But to make a quality product, as Attimo does, responsible growing conditions must be upheld. 

Medals, medals...

... and more medals

Wine for sale

Here we are

 The people at Attimo are very proud of their wines and it shows in the overall quality of the winery.  To illustrate this, many of their wines have been recognized and honored with awards. Of the wines we tasted, the Sonnet 98, I do, Deep Silence, AD 325, Sweet Berry Sunset, Sudden Downpour, and Vertex have all won awards.  The AD 325 was even voted 2nd best wine in Virginia, quite the feat considering the many vineyards across the state. I cannot overemphasize just how impressed I was by this vineyard and, as proof, my roommates and I combined to buy 6 bottles before we left.  With the Sonnet 98, Vertex, Deep Silence, Seduction, and two AD 325s to add to our collection, we left satisfied and happy with our Attimo Winery experience.