2020 Briedé Family Vineyards Brut Sparkling Winchester ($53)

From the Shenandoah Valley AVA, here is a wonderful sparkling wine!

Briedé Family Vineyards was established in 2013 in the Shenandoah Valley AVA in Winchester Virginia (just west of the Baltimore/Washington D.C. areas)

Approved in 1982, the Shenandoah Valley AVA comprises Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Shenandoah, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Rockbridge, Botetourt and Amherst counties in Virginia, and Berkely and Jefferson counties in West Virginia.  Covering 2.4 million acres surrounding the Shenandoah River, it is a major agricultural and viticultural area of Virginia and West Virginia.

Awards for this 2020 Sparkling Winchester include:

• Silver Medal winner in the 2023 Governor's Cup and the DENVER International Wine Competition 2023 

• Gold Medal and 2nd in the Shenandoah Cup 2023, and in top 7 wines in the Shenandoah Valley.  

This award-winning 2020 Briedé Sparkling Winchester is made from 100% Cayuga White grapes. Cayuga is a French-American hybrid grape variety, first bred and now found predominantly in the Finger Lakes wine region of New York State and vicinity. It was bred for its cold hardiness and produces both sparkling and still wines with good acidity and clean flavors.

On the nose, this Briedé Sparkling Winchester has notes of green apples, pears, and a bit of yeast. On the palate its bubbles are consistent and small with nice complexity and a lengthy finish,

This is a unique Shenandoah Valley sparkling wine that’s perfect as this week’s Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Media Sample Provided by Briedé Family Vineyards via Donna White Communications