Wine Day - Corcoran Vineyards; Waterford, VA

The biggest challenge with starting to write about wine is this:  How long can I do this before I start falling into the traps of wine-snobbery that have ruined many a wine lover?

One trap I've already fallen into is this:  I was under the impression that a good Pinot Noir couldn't be done outside of the states of Washington and/or Oregon.  Because I like Pinot so much, I thought for sure that the chances of me finding a winery in Virgina that could do one were slim to none.  As such I offered myself a mental challenge, and that challenge was if I ever found a Virginia winery that produced a even remotely drinkable Pinot, they would be my new favorite.

Well, dear readers, I did.

There's a catch though.  The Pinot I found is not at all what I'm used to finding out of the Pacific Northwest, which are lighter, and nearly water in some cases.  The Pinot Noir at Corcoran is thick, hearty and rich with tannins, and will age beautifully over the coming years.  Quite frankly, I can't wait to pop it open in 5 years and give it a try.

Heavy Rain!

My trip to Corcoran happened on an extremely rainy Saturday.  While not great days to bring a picnic and sit out on the lawn with a bottle or glass of wine, rainy Saturdays are arguably the best days to visit wineries here in the DC area, strictly because they're substantially less crowded, and you can generally get more attention and detail from the person conducting your pouring.  My trip to Corcoran happened on the same days as the trips to Loudoun Valley and 8 Chains (Link coming soon), and ended up being my favorite visit of the day.  It wasn't just because of the Pinot.  As opposed to 8 Chains, which is a very new winery, and Loudoun Valley's improper storage, everything I tried at Corcoran was if not on par with, above average for the Loudoun area.

In the end, everything I tried was very drinkable, and on-par with other Virginia wineries on price.  As such they're well worth a visit if you're looking for another winery to stop in during a weekend wine blitz.  

You can reach Corcoran on the web at http://www.corcoranvineyards.com/ or on twitter @corcoranwine.