Fork and Cork!

Fork and Cork 2014! Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day for this wine festival. I went with one of my friends, another wine lover, and had a great time trying the different wines... although the lines were a lot longer than we thought they were going to be. We stayed for almost the entire time trying wines for 5 hours straight, and by the end of it we were tired, buzzed, but satisfied! 

The very first winery booth we visited was one of our favorites: Peaks of Otter Winery. All of their wines were unique and extremely flavorful. I wanted to write my tasting notes for these particular wines because they were all bursting with flavor. These Peaks of Otter wines are shown in the picture below.

Name: Peaks of Otter Blueberry Muffin

Variety: Light Apple, Blueberry Still Wine

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $18.00

Winery Review: "Very sweet and fun - good with a mimosa"

My Review: On the nose there was the obvious, predominant aromas of blueberry. There was also a mineral component to this wine that gave it a metallic feel. This was a round, full-bodied but very casual wine. The woman working at the booth described it as a wine to drink when you have kids, because it is so delicious and made for easy drinking... which I can agree with! Although there was mostly blueberry, I was also getting honeydew, mango, and apple skins. A delicious wine that was not paired with food, but should be eaten with fruit, pastries, and any other type of sweet dessert.

Name: Peaks of Otter Light Pear

Variety: Still wine, Light Pear

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $15.00

Winery Review: "Tang in the aroma, pear on the tongue, but dilute"

My Review: A beautifully refreshing, light yet flavorful wine that boasted of white peach, lycee, and of course pears on the nose and palate. The nose and palate were nearly identical, with plenty of light fruits such as asian pear and sweet apple. There was also a floral component with honeysuckle and rose. This had a crisp sprightly feel that makes it perfect for the springtime. I did not pair this one with food, but I would love to have it with a fruit tart or fruit salad. 

Name: Peaks of Otter Passionfruit

Variety: Still Wine, Passionfruit

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $20.00

Winery Review: "Fun and fruity - passionfruit is very apparent and gives it a nice kick"

My Review: An extremely sweet but refreshing wine. This was my favorite, because I adore exotic tropical flavors such as passionfruit! On the nose there was honeydew, pineapple, and a floral bouquet. On the palate of course there was passionfruit with added honeysuckle, vanilla, and sweet cream. My friend and I both agreed that this was the best (probably because it was so girly) wine that we tried that day. It was like drinking juice- there was essentially no heat or acidity. It was not paired with food but it should be eaten with fresh fruit, cakes, or pastries.

Name: Peaks of Otter Strawberry Shortcake

Variety: Light apple, strawberry wine

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $15

Winery Review: "Smooth, crisp, refreshing. Light and a little fruity"

My Review: Again, a wine bursting with intense and unique flavors. On the nose there was sweet creme, condensed milk, and fresh strawberries. The palate revealed hints of red berries, vanilla, and of course strawberry shortcake. It was a light, fun wine. Although the passion fruit trumped the strawberry shortcake in flavor because of personal preference, it was still an enjoyable wine. Again, this should be paired with fresh fruit salad or pastries. It would also be good with vanilla or strawberry ice cream.

Name: Peaks of Otter Salty Frog Margarita

Variety: Light Apple Wine

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $15

Winery Review: "Bad margarita, interesting mixer maybe, but why do this with wine? 76 points"

My Review: I did not like this wine one bit. On the nose there was a distinct dish washer fluid smell. What's worse, it tasted exactly like how I'd imagine Windex tasting like. My friend felt the same way and simply poured the rest of hers out- she could not even finish it. It tasted cheap and lazy, and this was a disappointment compared to Peaks of Otter's other great wines. Perhaps they went too far in trying to come up with unique wines, and this one just did not work in my opinion. I unfortunately would not pair this with food, because I would not want to taste this wine again.

Name: Peaks of Otter Chili Dawg

Variety: Light Apple and Chili Pepper wine

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $15

Winery Review: "97% apple blended with 3% chili pepper wine, tastes like a pepper jelly"

My Review: This was their most popular and best-selling wine, and I could definitely tell why. We tried this with Cheddar cheese squeezed from a can, which made this an interesting wine tasting experience! We were instructed to take this like tequila- "lick, drink, and suck". The wine itself had jalapeno peppers and spices on the nose. On the palate, it had a gritty surface texture and plenty of chili and spicy peppers. Paired with the cheese, it tasted exactly like Pepper Jack. I really enjoyed it, and it was so unique that I couldn't believe that I wasn't eating straight cheese instead of wine! This should be paired with pepper jack or monterey burgers.

Name: Peaks of Otter Kiss the Devil

Variety: Light Chili Pepper Wine

Region: Bedford, VA

Country: USA

Price: $15

Winery Review: "Made from 30 varieties of peppers, including ghost, better for basting than tasting, super hot"

My Review: What a handful of a wine. I didn't know that this was made from 30 varieties of peppers, but I absolutely believe it. On the nose there was a Sriracha, red pepper, and jalapenos. The palate was bursting with that same pepper blend. I don't know too much about peppers, but I can tell you that there were a lot of them! It was very hot and strong, with a long aftertaste. The woman working at the booth even poured us a "chaser" to help with the heat. My friend did not like this wine at all, but I actually loved it! I like spicy food, so it was definitely interesting to be able to get these same spices from a wine as you'd get from food. This should be paired with chicken and celery or anything with ranch dressing.

I had a food and wine pairing at Fork and Cork as well. I bought the best bruschetta I've ever had sold at one of the local vendors. It was wonderfully savory, with tomato, basil, garlic, and a nutty component. I paired this bruschetta and bread with the Horton 2012 Syrah. The Syrah was bold on the nose, with plump dark berry flavors, hazelnuts, and buttered bread. The pairing was perfect- and both wine and food complemented each other well because both had complex and full flavors. You would think that the Syrah would clash with the brushetta cause both had big flavors, but it really did not. I enjoyed both the wine and the food separately, but together they uplifted each other's individual flavors. Next time, I'll try the bruschetta with different types of bread- maybe pita or ciabatta bread instead of the plain white baguette I had with it. I'm sure a Cabernet Sauvignon would also pair well with this food.

My favorite wine: My favorite wine was undoubtedly the passion fruit still wine from Peaks of Otter. Like I mentioned before, I am a sucker for those exotic, semi sweet to sweet tropical flavors. The passionfruit wine was not overly sweet, but crisp and refreshing. It was made for casual drinking and perfect for spring/summer time. I wish I took a bottle of this home with me, because this was a unique wine bursting with flavors that I am unlikely to find again.