Dinner - Shenandoah Vineyards

Over Easter weekend, my parents and I visited my grandmother in Woodstock, Virginia, located in the Shenandoah Valley. After one winery trip earlier that Saturday, my family and I decided to head to the nearby Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, Virginia to do a special wine and food pairing they were featuring that day. Shenandoah Vineyards is the oldest vineyard in the historic Shenandoah Valley! The wine and food pairing was a fun experience, especially because my grandmother used to play tennis with the owner- so we got special treatment! My grandmother opted out of the tasting, but my parents and I had a great time sampling Shenandoah Vineyards’ selection of wines and pairing them with the suggested foods.

Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, VA

View from the top deck of Shenandoah Vineyards

My family and I walked in and were immediately greeted warmly by our wine guide for the evening, Maureen. She was wearing bunny ears for Easter and I thought she was hilarious. She welcomed us in and explained how the wine tasting and food pairing worked. We would have a wine poured for us, and then look on our list to see what the suggested food pairing was with that wine, and walk to a buffet table to try the food. The buffet table was set up with a wide variety of foods- lots of cheeses, cucumber dip, pepperoni, jalapeño yogurt dip, elk salami, gingersnaps, fresh fruit, and chocolate for the dessert wines! Maureen instructed us to first take a sip of the wine, try the food, and then try the wine again to see how the flavors changed. We were welcome to pair whatever food we wanted with each wine, but my parents and I mainly stuck to what the winery suggested.

The table set up with pairing food

The fruit and chocolate section of the food!

My parents and me during our food and wine pairing dinner!

The first wine and food pairing was the 2011 Founders Reserve Chardonnay ($20) paired with a soft, creamy Boursin cheese. The wine was fermented and aged in French oak barrels, and the oak taste definitely came through in the wine. It was very dry and had a buttery, creamy aftertaste. After sampling the cheese, the woody, oaky flavors of the wine were more apparent. The soft cheese really coated my mouth and made the entire experience with the wine much different!

Maureen- our tasting guide!

The second wine was the 2010 Chardonnay ($15) that was paired with Brie cheese. This chardonnay was aged in stainless steel, and it was much less creamy with a stark finish. It was also fruitier tasting, while the oak was not as apparent. With the cheese, the fruit flavors were drawn out and tasted sweeter.

My parents and me sitting at a table inside

The third wine and food pairing was a 2012 Johannesburg Riesling ($19) and garden pepper jack cheese or jalapeño yogurt dip. My parents and I chose to sample it with the yogurt dip. The wine had a light sweetness balanced by a crisp finish, and was very refreshing. Combined with the jalapeño yogurt dip, my dad pointed out that the sweetness became bolder and the acidity became more apparent, which I agreed with!

The fourth wine was the 2011 Shenandoah Blanc ($14) paired with Tzatziki cucumber dip on pita chips. My parents and I are big fans of cucumber dip, so we loved this pairing! According to Maureen, this wine is one of the winery’s most popular wines. It was clean and fresh, and reminded me of a wine that would be great in the summer. The tang from the Tzatziki cucumber dip did not overwhelm this fruity wine, and made it taste more refreshing.

Shenandoah Blanc- pair with Tzatziki cucumber dip on chips

Our fifth pairing was Cabernet Blanc ($15) with savory oregano cheese.  The wine had a delicate cherry taste and was sweet and fruity. Because it was a very light, easy to drink wine, I think the oregano spice overpowered the wine a little bit, but it did bring out more of a sugary taste in the wine.

The sixth pairing was a 2010 Founders Reserve Chambourcin ($20) with elk salami. This heavy, complex wine was aged in oak and was spicy and peppery-tasting. This is not my taste, but the greasy salami brought out the full elegance and complexity of the wine.

The next combination was 2010 Rhapsody in Red ($23), which is a blend of Shenandoah’s Vineyards’ finest reds, and blue cheese. This extremely dry wine had notes of vanilla and dark fruits like plums. At first, the wine really punched me in the mouth and had a high level of mouth pucker. I enjoyed the blue cheese, but felt it would be better paired with a sweeter wine, as it just emphasized the dryness in the wine.

The eighth pairing was Shenandoah Vineyards’ 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon ($20) and pepperoni. The wine had spicy, berry flavors and was aged in American oak. I also found this wine to be spicy and pretty dry. Combined with the pepperoni, the wine’s dark berry flavors were drawn out more, which was enjoyable.

The next pairing was a 2010 Cabernet Franc ($22) and cheddar cheese. The wine tasted like a typical, solid Cabernet Franc, and was very tannic and strong, which the hard cheddar cheese could handle.

My sheet for tasting notes

Next was Rebel Red ($15), a sweet red blend, paired with cheddar or Gouda cheese. I loved this sweet red wine, and it was actually the bottle I ended up bringing home. It was medium-dry and very drinkable. I could see it being great in the summertime! Paired with the Gouda cheese, the fruity, lightly sweet flavors became even more defined and delicious! I can’t wait to drink my bottle.

The eleventh pairing was Sweet Serenade ($14), a fruit flavored table wine made with hybrid grapes, combined with ginger snaps and cream cheese and pineapple. This wine had a sweet start and a dry finish. It had fruity notes of peaches and pears, and I really enjoyed it. Combined with the ginger snaps, cream cheese, and pineapple, the acidity of the sweet white wine was even more delicious and refreshing!

Next was Fiesta ($14), a sweet Rosé table wine, paired with fresh fruit. The wine was very rich and luscious, and was obviously a dessert wine. It was almost syrupy, but in a good way. Paired with strawberries, pineapple, and grapes, this wine was even more luscious and tasty. It was definitely a delicious combination with strawberries!

The last pairing was Raspberry Serenade ($10), a Grenache dessert wine, paired with Hershey’s chocolate kisses or a square of brownie. This sweet, rich raspberry wine was perfect for dessert, and the chocolate brought out the rich, luscious raspberry tastes even more. The wine was good on its own, but the chocolate pairing is what made it stand out as an awesome dessert wine in my mind!

Shenandoah Vineyards' list of wine/food pairings

Overall, my family and I had a great trip to Shenandoah Vineyards and had a very educational experience with pairing wine and food. Our guide, Maureen, was extremely knowledgeable about how to pair wine with the right type of food, and her fun, cheerful disposition and sense of humor made the experience even more enjoyable. I thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to taste delicious wines and foods with my parents at a gorgeous vineyard. When I open my bottle of Rebel Red, I am going to try sampling it with a few types of cheeses. I can’t wait to pair more foods with wines and learn more about how to choose an appealing wine/food combination!

Shenandoah Vineyards in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley

My new Shenandoah Vineyards wine glass!

My granny and me on the porch at Shenandoah Vineyards