Stockholm wine tastings & what that has to do with Virginia

A selection of the Virginia wines we tasted at the Grand Hotel. Photo by Peter Ortvik, Frontface magazine.

Kluge sparkling wine from Trump Winery. Photo by Peter Ortvik, Frontface Magazine.

A sampling of antipasti to accompany the wine tasting.

Bourdeaux, Loire, Napa, Sonoma, Tuscany, Umbria, Hunter Valley. These are some of the regions that come to mind when I think of great wine. And if the state of Virginia has anything to do with it, their wine regions will be added to that list. Over the last few years, Virginia wine making has exploded. The state has become the fifth largest grape producer in the US. There are close to 200 wineries producing there now and even Donald Trump owns one. On top of it all, Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Virginia as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012.

I have to confess that I had no idea that wines were even made there. But right here in Stockholm, I drank my first Virginia wines and they were pretty impressive. I was at two Virginia tourism events this week: on Tuesday, I was at the Grand Hotel to sample the wines and hear about them and then Wednesday, I was at the US ambassador’s residence to taste them again.

Between the two events, I tried about six different wines, including Trump’s sparkling wine Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc 2008. Out of all the wines I tried, my favorite was Williamsburg Winery’s cabernet franc. The wine had a big, bold taste and it was perfect with a piece of dark chocolate. And that combination is always good with me. You can find out more about Virginia wines, wineries and festivals at the Virginia wines site.