PURPOSE

 

We began the Sabin Wine Blog on May 12, 2021, dedicated to the wines of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  We came at this from the perspective of having visited over 100 Virginia wineries and vineyards at that time and visiting many wineries multiple times.  In that group of 100 wineries, we discovered many delicious wines and wonderful settings, and some wineries that were better left to rot on the vine.    

Our goal is to visit all of the wineries in the Commonwealth, knowing that some wineries come in geographic clumps while others are widely scattered and remote, and knowing that the list of wineries continues to grow and change.  Even though Virginia defines wine to include cider and mead and other such fermented products, Va Code 4.1-100, we will be focusing on wine made from grapes, including grape wine with added spirits (so-called “fortified wine”).  On the journey, we hope to learn something about making wine in the unique confines of Virginia with its range of soils, climate, and winemaking philosophies.  We are aware that there are other blogs about Virginia wine, for example, the blog sponsored by the Virginia Wine Marketing Board.  We will be trying to impart our personal – not corporate – perspective as we travel around sampling this great, if imperfect, art.  We are not formally trained in wine or wine tasting, but we will try to give an honest assessment.  We hope to include other important considerations in our posts – like fireplaces for the winter, co-located breweries, hospitality, size and special features, facilities, and the view, to name a few.    

At times we may include a quote from an outside source or a photograph that we ourselves did not take.   We intend to follow fair use/fair play principles in selecting and referencing these materials when indications are that they are not otherwise in the public domain.

At this point, we do not intend that this blog will be a money-making enterprise.  We can’t predict the future, however, and we might reconsider that approach assuming we can figure out a business case.  We may also change our approach on accepting comments.  In any case, please follow us as we wander the Commonwealth.

 


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