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My boyfriend, Ian, and I under the gazeebo with the grape
vines in the background. The bed and breakfast is on the right,
while the main building for tasting and dining is on the left. |
Introduction: On this fine weekend, some of my friends and I took a trip to a local winery in Blacksburg, Virginia, located about 12 miles from Virginia Tech's campus called Beliveau Estate Winery. The winery opened in May 2012, and is currently producing its third year of grapes. It is owned by a Yvan and Joyce, where the Yvan is a professor at Virginia Tech. Joyce greeted us at the main building where we tasted eight wines. She told us that Yvan had always dreamed of opening his own winery after they had traveled throughout Europe and enjoyed a variety of exquisite wines. The winery consists of a bed and breakfast, the main wine-tasting building, the grape vines, and a lovely lavender garden located near a gazebo for picnics. They also host a lot of weddings and wedding receptions because the location is ideal for beautiful pictures. Located in the countryside of Southwestern Virginia, Beliveau Estate Winery is the perfect place to relax.
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Yvan and Joyce, owners of Beliveau Estate Winery
located 12 miles away from Virginia Tech's campus
in Blacksburg, Virginia. |
Beliveau Estate holds three awards as readers ofVirginia Wine Lover Magazine: Gold for "Best Bed and Breakfast for a Wine Weekend," Silver for "Best Red Wine of the Western Region of Virginia," and Bronze for "Best Dessert Wine of the Western Region of Virginia." Beliveau Estate has also been named a "Top Wedding Venue in Southwest Virginia" by Virginia Living Magazine and was voted "2013 Silver Best Winery" by Blue Ridge Country Magazine. Many of their wines have also received awards.
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The main building at Beliveau Estate Winery where we tried
eight wines. The grape vines are located on the hill right
behind the building. In the foreground is the lavender
garden, which is a popular wedding photo setting. |
Wine Tastings at Beliveau Estate Winery: Our tasting experience consisted of four white wines, three red wines, and one Reserve wine. It cost us $5 each to taste the wine, which was well worth it because everything was delicious! Their wines definitely did not taste like stereotypical Virginia wine, which is usually does not turn out well because of Virginia's humid climate.
Here is a list of the wines we tried:
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First wine tasting -
"Kaleidoscope." |
1) "Kaleidoscope" - 2012, $18,Awards: 2 Bronze. Winery Review: "A refreshing Pinot Grigio with hints of melon, pie apple and distinct undertones of white pepper." To me, this wine smelled like peaches, melon, and citrus fruits.
It was tart but refreshing, with flavors of peaches, melon, and a slight corn-syrupy taste, like Candy Corn.
2) "Reflection 2012" - $17 Awards: 2 Bronze. Winery Review: "Our dry Traminette has complex notes of exotic fruits and flowers." This wine smelled like lilac flowers and lavender mixed with notes of melon rinds. The taste was very floral and was slightly tart with flavors of citrus and leechee fruits coming through. I thought it was very well balanced and delicious! Joyce told us the picture on the bottle is of their pond, but the picture is flipped upside down on purpose to give it a more artistic, interesting look.
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Second wine tasting -
"Reflection 2012." |
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Third wine tasting -
"Lover's Quest." |
3) "Lover's Quest" - 2012, $18. Awards: Silver. Winery Review: "A favorite of those who like white wine on the slightly sweeter side. Pairs well with brie and apricots." This wine smelled like lavender, peaches, and melon and had a very different taste than its smell, which Joyce said is typical of Vidal Blanc grapes. It tasted very floral but I could not detect specific fruits like I could in its bouquet. I loved this wine!
4) "Discovery" - 2012, $15. Awards: Bronze. Winery Review: "A sweet Niagra/Riesling blend with aromas and flavors that transport you back to the days of your youth." The label on the bottle is a picture of Yvan and Joyce's two grandsons discovering a bird's nest. This wine smelled like leechee fruits, grape juice, and some type of candy I have had before, but could not specifically identify. It tasted very sweet like grape juice and like sour apple candy, but still was not sickeningly sweet.
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Fourth wine tasting -
"Discovery." |
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Fifth wine tasting -
"Silhouette 2012." |
5) "Silhouette 2012" - $20. Awards: Bronze. 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Pinot Grigio to perfect the wine's color. Winery Review: "Our Cabernet Sauvignon is a cornucopia of red berry flavors, topped with spicy overtones." This wine smelled like plums, dark red cherries, blackberries, and peppercorns. The taste was just like it smelled - peppery, with plums and blackberry flavors. It was very thick and creamy.
6) "Portal 2012" - $24. Awards: Bronze. Winery Review: "A full-bodied Red Zinfandel, well balanced yet complex, with distinct layers of fruit and spice." This wine smelled peppery and sandy like the beach. It was a really nice, comforting smell. It tasted jammy, like plums, and was spicy.
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Seventh wine tasting-
"Sweet Surrender" |
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Sixth wine tasting-
"Portal 2012." |
7) "Sweet Surrender" - 100% Concord Grape, $15. Winery Review: This sweet red table wine is light and fruity with a beautiful candy-apple red color. The wine smelled just like grape juice, peaches, and sweet apples. It tasted like "Communion Wine" - it was very sweet, just like grape juice. I liked it and felt like I could easily drink a lot of it without even tasting the alcohol
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Eighth wine tasting -
"Serenity." |
8) "Serenity"-2011, $15. Awards: 2 Silver. Winery Review: "An after dinner favorite, this blend of two Chambourcins is decadent yet mellow, and pairs fabulously with dark chocolate. Light effervescence upon opening." This wine has 5-6% residual sugar and was very sweet! It smelled earthy and peppery. It tasted very different from the smell because it did not smell super sweet, but was surprisingly so. I also enjoyed how the earth tones came through on my palate and they were very well-balanced with the sweetness. When I had it with a few pieces of dark chocolate, the combination tasted like a gourmet Govida chocolate covered cherry truffle. This wine was my favorite by far!
I loved every single one of the wines I tasted and definitely want to purchase their wines in the future!
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The grapes are just starting to bud on these vines. You can
tell that Beliveau Estate's vines used to be planted on the
hill in the background if you look closely. There are
organized rows of dirt where the vines were originally planted. |
Making the Wine/Production/Bottling Information: Beliveau Estate complete 100% of the wine-making and bottling process on their own. We were able to walk in the vineyard and look at the grape vines, which are just now beginning to bud, as well as tour their on-site storage and bottling facilities. Derek, the head manager of the vineyard, told us that their decision making process as to what grapes to plant and how to blend grapes to make certain wines are based off of blind taste-tests. They blend certain grapes to enhance color (i.e.: the "Silhouette 2012" Cabernet Sauvignon we tasted), and some blends are to enhance flavor and add complexity. He said they blind taste test small samples with blends between 5-20% of another grape, and vote on the best blend. If a particular mixture has a large amount of votes, they produce that mixture of grapes to make a wine. Derek also told us that it takes them about three years to produce grapes and some of the vines must grow for six years for root development. Beliveau gets its grapes from about a two-hour radius from its location in Blacksburg, Va. They produce about 500 gallons, or 20,000 cases of wine per year.
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| Another view of the vineyard from the top of the hill. |
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This year, Beliveau Estate is planting
another 6,000 vines in late May. They will
have volunteers come out to help plant
the new vines. |
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Some of Beliveau Estate's wine requires
aging or storing in Oak barrels. We asked Joyce
what kind of oak they use and she did not know.
However, she told us that they often use oak
chips to oak their wine to incorporate a creamy
mouth-feel and a buttery richness in their wines. |
Beliveau Estate makes a variety of wine. Some are stored in stainless steel barrels, others in wood barrels, and some are aged in huge plastic vats. All of these types of wine are being made and stored in the same crowded room, where boxes of wine are stacked high to the ceiling, and walkways are narrow.
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This is one of the plastic storage vats where some wines
are left to age. |
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A stainless steel barrel used for many wines
if oaky or creamy flavors are not desired in
the wine. |
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This is the grape crusher/de-stemmer. The grapes
are placed inside, and there is a gear that turns inside
and crushes all of the grapes. The cap formed by the
grape skins (if left in the wine) are pushed down
twice daily to enhance the colors and flavors
of the wine.In a separate room from where the wines are stored and aged, are the bottling, labeling, and corking devices. A different employee is placed at every station to make the process fast. After the wine is bottled, they are boxed up and put into storage until they are distributed. |
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Derek, the Head Manager at Beliveau Estate
Winery, showing us one of the machines in
the bottling process. This machine shoots
carbon dioxide into the bottles. |
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| Derek showing us how the corking machine works. |
Miscellaneous Photos at the Vineyard!:
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Selfie with the moutains and vines in the
background.
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After tasting wine, Matt Rost and his girlfriend, Anna,
enjoyed a glass together in the middle of the vineyard.
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Group photo with friends after tasting eight delicious wines!
From left to right: Carl, Matt, Anna, Rob, Courtney (me), and
Ian. |
Going to Beliveau Estate Winery was an excellent
experience! It was truly gorgeous and I was not disappointed by any of their wines! I think they have a bright future ahead of them since they have already won won so many awards for their wine and are only in their third year of production. I think it is fascinating how a couple who had never made wine before started up the winery and have done so well. I highly recommend visiting!
