Narmada Winery (Rappahannock) is located right off of Route 211 in Amissville, about fifteen minutes from Warrenton. I’ve been here several times – once to celebrate a friend’s birthday, once to hear friends play bluegrass (live music at the pavilion!), and four other times just for tastings. They often have live music, sometimes inside the tasting room and other times outside at their pavilion. There are picnic tables located by the pavilion so spectators can enjoy the music comfortably. We ended up going for a tasting once and they had an Indian buffet being catered – it was DELICIOUS. They have Indian fare available for purchase every day, but this was a treat.
On my most recent tasting trip, they introduced a new system since I was there last. They now have three Tasting Flights to choose from. Flight One ($8.00) is called the Tasting Room All-Stars, it features some white, red, rose, & dessert and was described as being the best choice for those who like sweet wines. I ultimately chose this flight and you can read about each wine down below. Flight Two ($8.00) is the “Fruity Fresh Fun!” selection featuring two whites (2010 Chardonnay, 2011 Viognier) and three reds (2011 Reflection, 2010 Melange, 2011 Cabernet Franc). Flight Three ($10.00) is the Proprietors’ Reserves and Classics and are the more hearty choices of white (2011 Dream Reserve), red (2010 Cabernet Franc Reserve, 2010 Yash-Vir, 2010 Tannat), and dessert (2009 Allure) wines. All flights include a keepsake glass!
Being a lover of the sweeter wines, I chose Flight One – the Tasting Room All-Stars. We started with the 2011 Dream Festival, which has 0.8% residual sugar, and won Silver in the 2014 Tasters Guild International Wine Competition. I liked this one a lot, but not as much as the next selection. Mom boasts the award for Concordance Gold/Best of White Wines of the South in 2012 – and for good reason. This wine has always been my favorite here ever since my first tasting. I also love to buy this wine as part of my baby shower gifts for friends so they can enjoy a glass of “MOM” wine after having their little ones. Mom is 1.6% residual sugar and is also their signature wine.
This flight also features a rose (with a fancy E, but I can’t seem to find that font option…), their 2011 Gulabi with 0.3% residual sugar. This also won a Gold Medal in the 2012 Mid-Atlantic South East Wine Competition. It was alright, but not something I would choose to have a glass of. The featured red was the 2011 Midnight. This red was served at room temperature at the tasting, but I would prefer to have it chilled. It is 1.7% residual sugar and won a Silver Medal at the 2012 Finger Lakes International Wine Competition. This is a sweeter red, which I definitely prefer and for not being a big red drinker, I actually liked it a lot.
The two dessert wines are the 2010 Lotus and the 2010 Primita. The 2010 Lotus is 7% residual sugar and won the Silver Medal in the 2011 Indy International Wine Competition. A little goes a long, long way with this wine and it could truly be dessert by itself. The 2010 Primata is 12.8% residual sugar and also won a Silver Medal at the 2012 San Francisco International Wine Competition. This is a Chamcourcin infused with raspberry and goes perfect with just about any kind of decadent dessert you can think of. They also use this in their special chocolates they sell by the box at Narmada – those are awesome. I also got to try a “slushy” drink, which was very good and refreshing.
I ended up drinking a glass of Mom on the deck and enjoyed the amazing views and the quiet of Amissville. The vines are so beautiful to look at across the property, along with the pond and the pavilion area. The large tasting room features a cozy fireplace area and multiple tables to enjoy your wine and food – there is also a small retail area with jewelry, wine accessories, etc. This is a different style winery, which I think is a lot of fun. Their slogan is “Taste Virginia, Experience India” – and I think the experience is pretty awesome!
~Dawn R.
Virginia Wine Diaries 