On March 27th, my friends and I went to Bellevue Estate winery. I have been there a couple times before and have very much enjoyed each visit. This was the first time I actually talked to someone to learn more about their process of collecting, bottling and making their wine. During our visit they had an Easter buffet, that my friends and I ate. The food was very delicious and paired well with the wines we drank.
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Bellevue Winery, Blacksburg VA
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I especially love the ambiance Bellevue has. I have been to a good number of wineries back home in Northern Virginia, but this winery definitely has the best atmosphere. Not only, is Bellevue a winery, it is also a Bed and Breakfast and Wedding venue. The first thing you notice pulling into the winery is the a lovely lake. When you pull into the parking lot, you are met with a sea of grape vines. The tasting room is small, but has a very nice decor. The best part visually about Bellevue is the breathtaking view on the hilltop. There is a gazebo on the hilltop that is a great place to sit and drink wine in any type of weather.
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| Bed and Breakfast |
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View of Hilltop
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| Tasting room and bottling facility |
Bellevue winery opened in May of 2012, and is located on the edge of Blacksburg, Virginia. The entire estate is 165 acres, and it has 12 acres of grape vines. They currently sell 20 wines, with an even split of 10 red wines and 10 white wines. The winery has a variety of planted grapes including niagara-utis labrossa, pinot grigio, chardonelle, riesling, traminitte, and vidal blanc for white and for reds, tempranillo, syrah, merlot, concord, pinot nior, cabernot franc, and cabernet sauvignon. All of the grapes are grown on site, with the exception of the Zinfandel, where they are imported from California, because of the required air quality to get the spiciness out of the grape. The wines are oaked in both French and American Oak. The French oak gives the wines a nice buttery flavor, whereas the American Oak gives the wine a smokey flavor. Bellevue has won several awards for their wines including awards from Wines of the South, Dixie Classic Fair and the Taster's Guild.
The wines are trimmed eight per stock. Once a week during the summer, the wines are sprayed with an alcohol based spray to keep the nutrients within the grapes. The vines are trained to grow up and out by being attached to a plastic which helps the vines not break. The grapes are harvested in October and bottled on site. The entire process from harvest to bottle takes a few months.
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Grape Vines at Bellevue
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During my visit I tried three wines which were the Millennium, Trailblazer, and. The first two of the wines were Merlot based. With my wines, I also had an Easter buffet which including chicken, green beans, and white rice. The wines paired really well with the food.
- 2013 Millennium: Merlot Reserve, Smooth & Smoky, with notes of figs, plums, raisins, and cloves
- I thought this wine was very smokey. It smelled like tobacco. On the nose, you get plum and dark cherry. The wine had a nice even finish, it was less full bodied than I anticipated.
- 2014 Trailblazer: Merlot, Black cherry, plums with a light smokey finish,
- I thought this wine was similar to the millennium, but it was more earthy than smokey. On the palate, it was tart and jammy. I also got a flavor of cranberry and black currant.
- 2012 Kaleidoscope: Dry Pinot Grigio, hints of melon with a white pepper finish
- On the nose, I received a fruity smell to it. It had a cantaloupe flavor. I did pick up on the pepper flavor that the description mentioned. Overall, it was a solid dry and light white wine.
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| Millennium |
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| Lunch buffet |
I had another great experience at Bellevue. I plan on going back before the end of the semester. They have pretty good local wine and a lovely ambiance. Another thing I love about this winery is their "unofficial" mascot of the winery, their dog, Duchess. She is very friendly around all of the visitors at the winery and another great addition to the experience of the winery.
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| Petting Duchess |
