Winery Visit - Rosemont Winery

Rosemont Winery is located in La Crosse, Virginia, about 5 minutes north of the North Carolina border near Lake Gaston. While on spring break at my friend Garrett's lake house, a family friend of his took us to Rosemont Winery. It was my first winery experience and we got to taste wines and walk down into the basement to see the inner workings of the winery. You can check out all of their wines here!

Rosemont Winery house

For a $5 tasting we were able to taste:

• Three whites (2010 Chardonnay, 2010 Traminette, and a 2011 Pinot Grigio)
• Rose - 2011
• Five reds (2010 Kilvarock, Lake Country Red, 2009 Syrah, 2010 Merlot, and their 2009 Cabernet Franc)
• Three sweet wines (Lake Country Sunset, Lake Country Blush, and Blackridge Red)

All of them were pretty good but the ones that I really enjoyed were the Chardonnay, the Syrah, the Traminette and the Lake Country Bourdeaux-style red blend

CHARDONNAY

2010 Chardonnay

"Bright and crisp with aromas of honeydew, orange blossom and grapefruit. A light bodied wine with a hint of creaminess and minerality." - Rosemont Winery

This wine was very tasty. Aged in American oak for 6 months, it has a very toasty taste and a buttery mouthfeel. Tasted of apples and citrus with a smooth long finish.

TRAMINETTE

2010 Traminette

"A crisp, dry white wine with linalool and a touch of spiciness, citrus and honey undertones. Slightly effervescent." - Rosemont Winery

The Traminette was my other favorite white wine. It had some noticeable spice to it but maintained the fruit flavors. At 13%, the alcohol was nicely balanced out by acidity which made this wine very delightful.

LAKE COUNTRY RED BLEND

Lake Country Red Bourdeaux-Style Red Blend

"A classic red table wine, medium bodied with aromas of oak, dried cherries and black currants that lead to a lingering fruit finish." - Rosemont Winery

This wine was excellent! Fruity, oaky, and full bodied. Great aromas that give off hints of cherry and blackberry and then a nice smooth mid-palate with a long fruity finish. Great wine!!

SYRAH

2009 Syrah

"A full bodied Syrah with warm aromas of cloves, oak and dark cherries. With a rich, velvety finish, this wine is the perfect pairing for game meats or Italian food." - Rosemont Winery

This was my favorite wine of the afternoon. I actually ended up buying a bottle and drinking it with dinner. It was delicious! I normally don't like super oaky wines but this one had a bit of oak in the aftertaste and I enjoyed it. Very big-bodied wine with dark cherry and berry flavors and a wonderful fruity aroma.

After trying all 12 wines, the Sommelier (who is friends with the family friend who took us to the winery and the mother of the wine maker) offered us a short tour of the winery itself so we could all see and experience everything that must come together to make the wonderful wines we just tasted.

She took us to the vat where they ferment the wine

Top-down view of a fermentation tank

And the tanks where they filter the wine

Tanks on the left are for fermentation. Horizontal tank is used for filtering

And of course the barrels where they age it!

Me with barrels of the wine

Overall this was a very interesting, fun, and rewarding experience. We have been learning about all this stuff in class all semester long and it was awesome to be able to go see where and how they actually do it!!