Veramar Vineyard

Wine: Winery: Ambiance: May 11, 2011

My first vineyard!!!

Wine: Winery: Ambiance: May 06, 2010

Norton Wine Review: Veramar Vineyard is a beautiful 100 acre setting surrounded by the Shenandoah hills where 5,000 gallons of wine are produced annually. There are 12 acres of vines at this site with other winery vine locations scattered nearby. A $5 tasting fee is charged, but dropped with purchases. Though nine wine selections are listed, be aware that their $50 Estate Norton is not offered for tasting and only available to Veramar Estate Club members (can you believe there is a Virginia Norton deserving this price?). Another thing that irked me a bit was that Reserve wines can only be tasted and purchased on weekends. I found it amusing that half of the wines had descriptions of pineapple or grapefruit. Sounded like we were getting ourselves into a fruit bar. Interesting was VV’s production of a 100% Mourvedre. We enjoyed the opportunity to try this Virginia grown Spanish wine, but left with only their Riesling/Vidal white and for a friend a Rooster Red blend (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot). We are still curious about the almost non-purchasable $50 Norton one is not able to taste. If it follows in taste as the other rather middle-of-the-road Veramar offerings, we know that there are other good Virginia Nortons to be had (thank you Cooper, Chrysalis, DuCard, Castle Gruen, Rappahannock, Paradise, etc.). Hmmm, I wonder if I know someone that can help me out on this tasting note at a later date? Has anyone else noticed at this location how many negative signs are posted around the grounds (Harley Parking Only, No Parking, Employees Only, Authorized Personnel Only, Private, Foods Only Purchased Here to be Consumed)? Just found a Veramar review from Brian at THE OTHER 46 blog about Veramar’s 2007 Norton: "Retailing for $50, I wasn’t sure what to expect, as this was easily the most expensive wine I’ve tried from Virginia. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. A solid wine with nice black fruit and oak, the wine is FAR, FAR from a $50 wine. But then again, everyone’s palate is different, and I’m sure they sell the heck out of it."