Following Vine Spot’s trip to
Barboursville Vineyards we decided to saddle up and head to the charming town of Washington, VA located in Rappahannock County. The town of Washington plays host to a number of B&B’s, antique shops, novelty stores, farms and the purpose of our trip,
Gadino Cellars.
Gadino Cellars
Gadino Cellars opened doors in 2005 and typifies a number of small family owned and operated wineries in Virginia producing quality hand crafted wines. The Gadino family brings forth an Italian heritage of home winemaking and successfully produced wine in California for a small circle of friends and family before heading eastward to plant vines in a burgeoning Virginia wine industry as early as 1989. Let’s just say that since the move, their circle of friends have expanded greatly and we were eager to taste their wines after hearing so many wonderful things about them while traveling about the Virginia wine trails. We arrived at the tasting bar and were warmly greeted by tasting associate,
Mary-Anne, who would guide us through the tasting of Gadino Wines. After some friendly chat and a brief history about Gadino Cellars, we paid our $3 tasting fee and proceeded with the tasting. Do remember that once you pay this fee all you have to do is bring your Gadino wine glass for free future tastings. What a deal!
Dezel enjoying Gadino Wines @ Tasting bar
The white wines offered were as follows: Premium Chardonnay 2005, Viognier 2004 and the Sunset 2005 (Traminette and Chardonnay off dry blend). The red wines offered were the Moonrise 2005 (dry style Rosé), Merlot 2004 and last but not least the Cabernet Franc 2005, Virginia ’s flagship red. The Gadino wines tasted were lively and bright showing good varietal character. In particular, the perfumed and honeysuckled Viognier 2004 won the palate over displaying lush peaches and tropical notes inside subtle vanilla framing. The Premium Chardonnay 2005 is the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish dishes offering a nice integration of fruit and toastiness with a mild nuttiness and crisp acidity. The Cabernet Franc 2005 is estate bottled from vines planted in 1990 and offers subdued dark fruit and cherry aromas with similar flavors backed by a sprinkling of spice and mild oak notes. Consider this your food friendly red that would also make a pleasant and relaxing evening sipper. As you can tell, even though Gadino Cellars is a fairly young winery, their wines are highly mature and already garnering numerous awards.
Comfy seating area next to warming fireplace
Following our tasting, we enjoyed the Cabernet Franc 2005 and walked about the tasting room and admired some of the beautiful artwork hanging from the wall. Gadino Cellars interior is spacious and for cooler months provides ample seating and a fireplace to keep you warm and comfortable. Gadino Cellars also offers light gourmet fare in the tasting room to pair with your favorite Gadino Cellars wine and has a nice gift shop with a variety of wine related items.
Beautiful Outdoor view from Gadino Cellars Sun Deck
On nicer days the sun deck is where you will want to be with your bottle of wine, cheese platter, fruits and French baguettes while enjoying the manicured greens, vineyard and Blue Ridge Mountain views. Gadino Cellars is a family friendly environment where their labor of love for producing quality wine shows in the glass. When you decide to pay the Gadino’s a visit, do let them know you saw and read about them right here on
Virginia Vine Spot.
- Do stay tuned friends as Vine Spot goes Tasting and Touring at Breaux Vineyards!
Happy Sipping!
Dezel
