Staff Palate Tasting: Jacquelyn Moriarty

This Saturday from noon-4pm we kick off a new tasting feature: Staff Palate Tastings.  Over the next few months, each of our team members will take over the Saturday tasting table to showcase wines they love. Through each session, you'll have the chance to get to know our staff members a bit more and discover the flavors, textures and stories that drive their passion.  And just maybe find new-to-you wine styles you'll come to love too!

Jacquelyn is up first, bringing both her wine passion and experience as a winemaker in Portugal (Douro), Spain (Priorat), Australia (McLaren Vale) and New Zealand (Marlborough).  And also right here in Virginia where she's worked with Lost Creek Winery, Bluemont Winery, and is currently making terrific Merlot/Cab Franc blends under her own Holmes Wine label.

This Saturday, Jacquelyn will be sharing a mixture of Spanish and Italian wines that represent some of her favorites in the shop right now and help you understand a bit more about how a winemaker tastes and falls in love with wines.  She’ll pour:

Lagar de Costa Albarino Rias Baixas Maio 5 2021 – Jacquelyn’s first love is old vines, and this from two parcels of 100+ year-old Albarnio will show you why!

Manincor Riserva Della Contessa 2023 – Winemakers respect pioneers, like Manincor who pioneered biodynamic farming in Italy’s Alto Adige. A silky blend of Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Pietracupa Greco di Tufo 2021 – A great example of a still obscure grape grown on volcanic soils and producing wine with fruit, but not at all “about” fruit.

Bideona Rioja Alavesa Mayela Cosechero 2.0 2023 – Sometimes wine can be serious AND fun (kind of like Jacquelyn). Meticulously grown Tempranillo from Rioja Alavesea is treated with uncommon respect and allowed to shine without oak. The results are simply a joy to drink.

Bideona Rioja S4mg0 Vinas Viejas 2020 – Bideona is all about showcasing the character of the villages of Rioja in wines that express place and grape by stripping away a bit of what we think of as “traditional” Rioja oaky character. After tasting the winery’s current releases, Jacquelyn wrote, “You can see the vision come together with this wine. Depth of fruit dynamic, age-worthy, quality to drink now.”  You won’t want to miss it!

With the wines, have a nibble of Jose’s latest cheese discovery,  Fiore Sardo. Also known as Pecorino Sardo, this is 100% sheep’s milk from Sardinia's Sarda sheep and is aged 8 months. Smokey, salty, nutty and with a decisive bite on the finish, this is a brilliant snacking cheese and pairs nicely with all kinds of wines. Join us!