Thought-provoking tasting: Omni Homestead’s Virginia Wine Experience

After sportive activities — or for some of us, maybe instead of! — at the historic Homestead resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, here’s something cultural and tasty to do: the Virginia Wine Experience! I was happy to be hosted to experience it.

Tucked away in a corner and the end of the retail arcade, what seems like a little nook opens up with Jeffersonian windows to look out on the spa and mountains. Here at small round tables, you can order flights of different Virginia wine types, get a charcuterie or dessert plate, buy bottles to take home or to your room. It’s all about the Commonwealth, to preserve that sense of place when you visit the Homestead.

Just like any place, artistic expression or field of study, it’s always better with a guide. Quyhn Cohen is the Homestead’s ace card: she’s a sommelier who’s lived all over the world, whose family put her in a position to learn about the finer things in life. She is so well-versed in flavor notes and blends, she can playfully mimic your favorite wine from several different Virginia varietals!

I’ll say it right now: I couldn’t care less about sniggers regarding my years-long study of sweet wines. I’ve learned about the ins and outs — including how acid balances sweet — in such places as Austria’s the Burgenland, New York’s Finger Lakes, Old City Quebec, as well as Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant in Las Vegas. So, I was delighted that they have a Residual Sugar Wine Flight to explore.

Williamsburg Petit Fleur – I didn’t notice a sweet hit at first. Noble rot combined with vegetal and sweet spice notes.

Chrysalis Sarah’s Patio Wine – Is fruit-forward, minerality, multi-layered and complex flavors.

Rockbridge V d’Or – I experienced a perfumy nose and spice. Flavor-wise, it was spicy too — cinnamon. It’s not cloyingly sweet. You could serve it with thin slices of cheese and ham. It has a medium-full mouth feel.

Michael Shaps Raisin d’Etre Blanc – I experienced golden raisin and honey notes.

Michael Shaps Raisin d’Etre Rouge – This port has plum fruits, spice and sweetness.