Winery Visit - Attimo Winery

Attimo means "in the moment"

On April 13th, 2012 my friend (and classmate) Jordan and I traveled to Christiansburg to visit Attimo Winery. Attimo winery was a completely different experience from Chateau Morrisette from the beginning. First of all the wine is not made at the winery so we were not actually able to see the barrels and other machines that they use. Rik and Melissa (the owners) actually make the wine at their house right down the street where they used to also hold their tastings before the Tasting Room was opened in July of 2011.

Attimo Winery Tasting Room & Restaurant

Attimo Winery has an interesting background story. Rik and Melissa are graduates of Virginia Tech which is when they fell in love with Southwest Virginia. Rik had always had an interest in wine and spent a lot of time travelling around the world before they settled down and decided to open their own vineyard. They started planting vines in 2006 and opened the business in April 2011. I was really intrigued by how the tasting was done. Instead of standing at a bar we actually sat down at a table for this. Rik often travels to Eastern Europe where he picked up on this style of tasting.

Comfortable atmosphere inside of the tasting room

Jordan and I chose one of the tables in the tasting room and the owner Rik immediately introduced himself to us. After we met him, we were introduced to our server, Ryan, a senior Hospitality and Tourism major at Radford. They had a menu featuring items like cheese platters, a Cuban pulled pork sandwich, personal pizzas, etc. Jordan and I had already eaten before so we just stuck to the tasting. Ryan taught us something very interesting about wineries and restaurants - farm wineries are not allowed to serve food so the restaurant is a completely separate business entity. We tasted nine different wines all named original names:

Jordan and I during the wine tasting

• Masquerade 2010 (Chardonnay): Aged in oak for seven months before it's bottles. Dry, smooth, and oakey.
• Sonnet 98 2010 (Vidal Blanc): Named after Shakespeare's Ode to Spring. A perfect wine for spring weather - dry, crisp, floral, and hints of fresh greens. I really enjoyed this wine.
• I do 2010 (Traminette/Petit Manseng): This wine signifies marriage. Very popular among people getting married. Semi-sweet, distinct citrus nose. My favorite wine out of all of the ones we tasted.
• Deep Silence 2010 (Cabernet Franc): Named after long days of work and class when you want to just go home and relax in silence. Dry red, intense berry flavors and light smoky pepper finish.
• Vertex 2010 (Cabernet Sauvignon): This is Ryan's favorite wine. Dry red, rich with black currant flavors and French oak notes.
• AD 325 2010 (Chambourcin): This is the wine used to make the wine stain on their tasting menu. This wine is made in fluid cool barrels that mimic geothermal properties. Intense, robust wine with a very rich color. Ryan warned us that this wine will stain anything and everything. Bold flavors and cherry undertones.
• Sweet Berry Sunset (Raspberry/Red blend): Semi-sweet, intense berry and fruit flavors. Pairs well with chocolate. When a glass of this is served they dip the rim in chocolate and freeze them. They use Brix chocolate (named after the sugar content in grapes) which is formulated to pair with specific types of wine.
• Sudden Downpour (Apple/White Blend): Sweet, apple wine with bourbon notes and earthy tones. This wine is aged in a used Kentucky bourbon barrel. Similar to the previous wine, this wine is served with a wine glass where the rim has been dipped in caramel and cinnamon.
• Seduction 2010 (Tinta Madera/Touriga nacional/Souzao): Sweet, vintage ruby port. Direct from Portugal, hints of raspberry and raisins. This wine has a higher alcohol content (18%) since it is fortified with brandy. One of the most interesting wines I have tasted this far.

Brix chocolate used for the Sweet Berry Sunset wine

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience at Attimo Winery. I loved being able to sit down during the tasting and while I did not leave with any bottles (a little beyond my ideal price) I plan on asking for a bottle of I Do for graduation. I look forward to seeing Attimo winery again in a few weekends at Fork and Cork!