Winery Visit- Attimo

On Friday, April 13th, 2012, five of my friends and myself went to Attimo Winery to take a quick tour of their grape vines, and participate in a wine tasting. This was the second time I have been winery for a  wine tasting, and therefore I was feeling pretty confident about my wine skills! This winery however, was much different from the previous winery I had visited. It was on the smaller side, with the vines visible to the people visiting.

Attimo Winery, Christiansburg VA

Attimo winery is located off of 460 in Christiansburg, Virginia. This winery is located far off the main road, very secluded, and is in a quaint building. Most of the grapes that are used for the wine made by Attimo are actually made at this site. This is different than most other wineries and is one thing I really enjoyed. To know that one can be successful growing their own grapes where they are located seems to give the owners a lot of pride in their work. There are twelve different variations of grapes grown on site, that are used to produce the wineries fifteen wines.

Front of Attimo. Grape Vines

Back of Attimo. Grape Vines

As we went on the tour around Attimo Winery, we were taught exactly what types of grapes were grown here and why they grew certain grapes. It was fascinating to learn that since Attimo was not located up high in the mountains or near water, they were still able to grow the amount and types of grapes. At the end of our tour around the ground we went inside and we were able to participate in a wine tasting! We sampled the following nine different wines:

• 2010 Masquerade: This was the first wine that was given during the wine tasting. We learned that this Chardonnay was aged in oak for seven months prior to being bottled. Masquerade was a beautiful golden color that really seemed to shimmer in the light. On the nose, aromas or oak, vanilla, along with hints of cream really came through. On the palate, this wine was dry but smooth, along with having a very creamy taste with a bit of a buttery complex coming through on the end. I really enjoyed this wine.
• 2010 Sonnet 98: This wine is a Vidal Blanc with 100% Vidal Blanc grapes used. There was 1/2% sugar added to the wine. This wine also had a great golden color to it. On the nose I got aromas of fresh grass, and hints of floral notes. On the palate, The fresh grass seemed to come on too strong which I did not care for. Sonnet 98 however is one of Attimos most popular wines, winning numerous awards!
• 2010 I do: This wine is a mixture of Traminette and Petit Manseng. This wine's color was not as beautiful as the others but still was a nice golden color. On the nose, aromas of floral, citrus, and spices were detected. On the palate, this may have been my favorite wine. The combination of the floral hints, with the spices came together beautifully. This wine I would have loved to taste with spicy food to complement. I do was also another award winning wine from Attimo.
• 2010 Deep Silence: This was the first red wine we were able to taste today. This also happens to be my favorite red wine of the day. This wine is a Cabernet Franc that gave a beautiful ruby red color. On the nose, aromas of berries, smokeyness, peppers were detected. On the palate, the combination of aromas came together wonderfully. This was a dry red wine, that had a very peppery finish but not too much that it hurt the overall taste of the wine. 
• 2010 AD 325: This wine is a Chambourcin. Since I have never tasted Chambourcin before this I did not know what to expect. I have to say though I was not a huge fan of this wine however. On the nose, an earthy aroma was far too powerful and I could barely find the hints of cherry. On the palate, this was a very dry wine, again that tasted of earth. However, the cherry flavors did come out more than it did on the nose, I did not care for this wine that much.
• 2010 Vertex: This is the most decorated of the Attimo wines that are produced. This Cabernet Sauvignon is a deep red/ruby color. This is one wine that was not grown from grapes produced at Attimo. The grapes were bought from the Hampton Roads area and delivered to Attimo. On the nose Vertex was rich with aromas of black currant flavors and French Oak notes. On the palate it was easy to understand why this is such a popular wine. The black currant taste, along with some other darker berries came together amazingly. There was a hint of pepper in the middle which complemented the berries. I really enjoyed this wine.
• Sweet Berry Sunset: This wine is a mixture of raspberry and red blend. I was told that this wine is not sweet enough to be classified as a desert wine but is sweeter than most other wines. The wine was a very light pink color with sediments floating around. On the nose the berry aromas were not as strong as I would have liked. On the palate, the wine lacked a lot of flavor. While being sweet I really wanted to enjoy a berry and fruit flavor experience which I did not. This wine overall was not bad but just disappointing. 
• Sudden Downpour: This wine was an apple and white blend wine. Again much like Sweet Berry Sunset, this wine I found to be decent but I had high hopes for and therefore was disappointed. This wine is made by taking apples and then adding Chennin Blanc and then Bourbon at the end. This wine was a pale color and on the nose aromas of apples and sweetness that I could not find a descriptor for was detected. On the palate, the wine was very bland with a lack of any one taste to stand out. The apple seemed to be almost diluted. 
• 2010 Seduction: This was my least favorite wine of the day. This wine was made from Tinta Madera, Touriga nacional, and Souzao. This wine is the other wine that is not made from grapes grown at Attimo. The grapes come from Portugal and are delivered here. The color of Seduction was a nice ruby port color, and on the nose aromas of raspberry was detected along with raisins. Unfortunately, on the palate, the high alcohol content, 18%, was far too overpowering. I was barely able to even drink the tiny amount that I was given. 

Glass from Attimo!

Overall, Attimo winery was a very interesting experience where I feel I learned a lot about the grapes that are able to grow in the an immediate area where I am located. I was able to taste new wines that I have never had before and it was a very enjoyable experience. For a small winery in Virginia, located only a few miles away, I was very impressed with Attimo Winery. 

My friends and I