The traveling adventures for the 2012 Wine and Dine season culminated this past Saturday with a trip to AmRhein Wine Cellars in Bent Mountain, VA. AmRhein’s was part of the 2011 Wine and Dine season, with their March event drawing our largest crowd, thus we felt they should be asked back! This year, AmRheins will be our February event–a great pairing for a romantic Valentine’s weekend.
If you have never been to AmRhein Wine Cellars, the drive is absolutely beautiful. From Roanoke, take US221 South towards Bent Mountain and Floyd. After a huge climb up to the Blue Ridge, the view of the Roanoke Valley in the rear view is absolutely fantastic! You then wind on country roads along Bottom Creek and pass the Bottom Creek Nature Preserve and the beginning of Bottom Creek Gorge (a great place for a day hike or a Class V+ kayak run). AmRhein’s is only a few miles past Bottom Creek on the left. Driving up the gravel road, the vineyard looks almost majestic as it is set into the mountainside.
Inside the tasting room, we met with Russ AmRhein, the owner. Russ has been with the vineyard since it opened in 1999. AmRhein is 
German for “On the Rhein,” meaning Rhein River, and has three different vineyards in the Roanoke area amounting to over 40 acres. Having done tastings there before, Julia, Koko, and Renee were looking to mix it up a bit for a second Wine and Dine event. Rather than a traditional tasting, Russ treated us to some new things AmRhein’s was working on.
We started out with some whites and reds off of the current tasting menu. Some wines that we highlighted last year are no longer available, such as the Traminette that was paired with the pork and pineapple spicy won tons, a favorite of many from March 2011.
This year AmRheins has a new sparkling wine called “Cloud 9.” Harvested in 2010, this sparkling wine is the first they have done and is popular among those who usually prefer beer, according to Russ. It has a light, airy and refreshing flavor, but did not make the cut for the Wine and Dine menu. After tasting a few wines, we headed into the wine processing room and did some cask tastings from this year’s crush. Some of the 2011 harvests are absolutely amazing, and while they still need more time, by February they will be bottled and ready to go!
So, after much deliberation about what wines to keep from last year (since we had so many pairing ideas!) and what new ones to add, here is the list for 2012! Last year for dessert, we choose the Ruby, a chocolate flavored semi-sweet red, and are going with the Vin de Peche for 2012. After passing it up last year, we decided to appease the South Carolina in Julia and go with the traditional dessert wine that has a special kick–it tastes like you are biting into a fresh peach! For the other courses, we will do two whites and two reds. The Vidal Blanc 2011 was so good from the cask that we could not pass it up. Plus, this is the first time in several years that AmRhein’s has a Vidal Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is the other white wine for the evening. The reds will consist of a second go around of the Aglianico, which is a very popular wine from 2011 that has rich undertones of plum and a smooth finish and the Veranda, a blended red with a unique flavor.
Interested in getting in on this awesome event? Make a reservation today by calling 540-864-6792.
Price: $100 per person or $175 per couple includes tastings and pairings (5 wines and 5 course dinner), lodging, and breakfast the next morning. Add on additional activities to make it a fun filled weekend: $20 per person per ride of rour 900′ zipline, $15 per person for our 50′ climbing wall, $40 per person for our 1/2 day caving trip, or $10 per person for a guided hike to our Bluff Overlook for a beautiful view of the mountains and a great workout.
