A proposal for a ball park in Loudon County includes plans for an onsite microbrewery. Ball Park Digest reports:Organizers of a new Loudoun County ballpark in suburban D.C. are looking at quirky features for their new ballpark in the proposed Kincora d…

Meet Odette!
Odette is a very sweet beagle mix who is in desperate need of a loving home.  She is looking for a second chance at life that will include lots of hugs and baths!  Odette is about 4 years old and seems to get along with other dogs.  She is very good with adults and […]

The few Virginia storms that did fire today didn’t begin to be chase-worthy until about 90 minutes before sunset, and these storms were – you guessed it – about a 90 minute drive from me and heading away. So I’ve been gazing hopefully at the radar and…

Gun Owners of America executive director Larry Pratt recently announced his organization’s strong endorsement of Catherine Crabill for delegate in the 99th House District (the NRA backs incumbent Albert Pollard in the race).
So, who is this Pratt guy anyway? He served in the VA House of Delegates for a term in the early 1980’s, and […]

It’s not surprising that most people have never heard about Pineau d’Aunis. It’s an obscure little varietal that comes from the Loire Valley in France, a region mostly known for its whites (think Sancerre and Vouvray). It is also called Chenin Noir and was popular among French Nobles during medieval times. My first introduction to this grape was last Thanksgiving when Matt raved about a new wine we had brought in by my favorite French producer Thierry Puzelat called La Tesniere. It was a revelation. The wine had a light to medium body very much like a Pinot Noir but instead of the delicate (or ripe ones these days) fruit flavors this wine had warm flavors of cinnamon and dark prune all balanced by mineral and earth flavors normally stripped away from wines these days.

This wine was different, food-friendly and didn’t wear out my palate with a syrupy texture or huge alcohol. Needless to say it was a hit among everyone present and a testament to a more restrained style missing so often from retailers shelves. It’s the kind of wine that has a subtle beauty that reveals itself with each sip; so unlike most of the wines consumers normally seek out which try to impact the palate as heavily as possible right from the get-go. Do I sound bitter? Only a little. I wish we sold more of these wines than huge Aussie Shirazes, but if we can just develop a few more fans for these wines that would be OK with me.

Our newest Pineau D’Aunis is from another talented producer Christian Chaussard. This one is blended with a bit of Cot (Malbec) for richness and sells for the insanely low price of $21.99. I know $22 is not an inexpensive bottle of wine, but it is for this wine. If you are curious about it we have it in the Enomatics right now. Oh and both of the wines I mentioned are grown under strict organic and biodynamic standards, naturally made and have minimal sulfites added.

2006 Coteaux du Loir Rouge ‘La Dérobée’
From around 90% Pineau d’Aunis with Côt. Polished. Deep appearance. Youthful ruby red. Dense fruit character on the nose, although not obviously Pineau d’Aunis on first sniff. Broad, creamy, vanilla flavours on the palate. Soft tannins and well structured. Pepper and spice to finish. The small proportion of Côt adds density. Drinking now, but could be expected to age further. (12/08)

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office recently arrested and/or indicted a number of individuals as part of an online sting that was done over the summer. The Democratic nominee for Attorney General, Steve Shannon, released this press release regarding the sting:
Fairfax– Steve Shannon, candidate for Attorney General, today commended the Spotsylvania police department for their work […]

The hurricane season has entered a decided lull, with absolutely nothing showing on the National Hurricane Center’s probability graphic (mostly thanks to El Nino). We haven’t seen any rain – other than some light drizzle – in a number of days even tho…

According to The Northern Neck News, Catherine Crabill’s infamous “bullet box” speech actually inspired this move. The Gun Owners of America executive director Larry Pratt said that he will instruct members to send money to Crabill instead of the statewide ticket of McDonnell/Bolling/Cuccinelli. The NRA, who’ve backed Del. Albert Pollard in past elections, is also […]

Steve Shannon for Attorney General:
Fairfax– Steve Shannon, candidate for Attorney General, today commended the Spotsylvania police department for their work in finding and charging 15 child predators in an Internet sting.
Spotsylvania’s sheriff, Howard Smith, announced today that 15 perpetrators had been caught in an online trap set by detectives. Detectives involved in the sting posed […]

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor is having a good week. At his recent Health Care event in Richmond, he told a woman with a dying relative to either seek a government solution or find a charity to remove the tumors from her stomach.
The other day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got choked up when a reporter […]