Veritas Vineyard and Winery

After enjoying a wine tasting and a bottle of Steel Chardonnay at Afton Mountain Vineyards, we made our way down the street to Veritas Vineyard and Winery. This vineyard was much larger than Afton and was also packed with tourists from all over the region. Once you walked inside, someone greeted you and seated you at a table. This was different from the Afton Vineyard because there we just sat ourselves. The wine tasting could only been done inside, which was very packed with people. I didn't really like this because it made the experience seemed rushed since we could tell people were waiting. Perhaps on a slower day, the tasting would have been more fun and relaxing.

A Beautiful Day at Veritas Vineyard

At Veritas, there was only one option for wine tasting. The tasting cost $5 and we tasted seven wines.

The first wine was the Sauvignon Blanc 2011. It was harvested only six months ago yet was very tasty. I could smell grapefruit and lemon right off the nose. The bouquet was very fresh and was the perfect wine for a day like this. Because this wine was so delicious, it was the best wine to start the tasting off.

The next wine was the Saddleback Chardonnay 2011 which is modeled after the "old world" style from Chablis, France. I liked seeing the "old world" style because I was able to explain to my sister what this meant. This wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and matured in French oak barrels for four months. This wine smelled like apple and melons. The oak aging definitely gave it a spicy after taste.

Next up was the 2011 Viognier. This wine had a citrusy-taste on the palate with a long finish. Although it had a spicy taste to it as well, it was also very light and had a fruity aroma.
White Star was the next wine we tasted which was a blend of Viognier, Traminette, Chardonnay, and Vidal Blanc. This wine also had a fruity nose and was very fresh. This was my favorite white wine of the tasting.

Rose 2010 was a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This wine tasted like strawberries and was very fruity. I decided that I am not a big fan of Rose wines. It felt slightly artificial on my tongue. However, I was told that this was one of the more popular wines at Veritas!

Next up was Vintner's Reserve 2010 which is comprised of 42% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 25% Petit Verdot, and 16% Cabernet Sauvignon. The bouquet on this wine was a nice balance of cherry and chocolate. This wine was a very dark red and had hints of vanilla on the palate along with the chocolate taste.

Red Star was the last wine I tasted. This red wine tasted fruity but still had nice balance. It was very easy to drink and palate-friendly. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Chambourcin and tasted like raspberries. 

Wine Tasting Menu and a bottle of my Favorite- The Red Star

After the tasting, we decided to enjoy the winery and purchase a bottle of Red Star. We found a nice table on the deck and ordered the Red Star and a cheese plate. The cheese was a nice complement to the red wine. We decided to go with the Red Star because it pleased our palates the most and because we already had a bottle of white wine at Afton. The first couple sips of Red Star were kind of rough but after we let the wine air out a bit, it tasted much better.

Me and fellow Wine Geographer sipping on Red Star and enjoying the beautiful weather

I would rate Veritas Vineyard a 7.5 out of 10 based on Virginia Wineries. It was a beautiful landscape and the main building had a lovely deck. However, there weren't enough staff to accommodate the large amount of visitors during this holiday weekend. This winery seemed much more commercialized than Afton which seemed more homely and rustic. If there would have been more staff or less people, I'm sure my experience would have been different.