Winery Visit #2: Attimo Winery

Attimo Winery's Winery License

        


  My friends and I visited the Attimo Winery in Christiansburg, Virginia on Friday, April 18th, 2014. I thought this Winery tour was much more educational and interesting than the Winery visit we did to Beliveau Winery Estates two weeks ago. The owner of the winery Rick Obiso, actually was our tour guide and he was phenomenal! This experience was awesome and I would definitely recommend a trip out there when Rick is in town.

One of the many Vineyards at Attimo Winery

   Rick Obiso, the owner and part-time operator was a phenomenal tour guide and taught us much more about their vines and scientific wine processes than the other tour which I really appreciated. Rick told us about his past and that he was a Hokie alumni who had a Doctorates degree in Biochemistry. He also told us about how he got kicked out of the dorms for making wine in his room when he was an RA. We all got a good laugh out of that one. He noted that they had over 60 thousand vines and over 15 thousand bottles sold. He noted that some of these vines could live up to 50-75 years and the root of the vine was of Vitis Labrusca while the vines themselves were Vitis Vinifera.

Rick Obiso showing us this Vidal Blanc vines

   Some of the types of grapes they grew were Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Bordeaux, Reisling, and many other types of vine grapes. Rick taught us about the different levels of fruit wires, what times they usually harvest the grapes, and that the vineyard brush gets so thick in the summer you couldn't even here someone shout three hedgerows away. It was a very impressive presentation.

Vidal Blanc wines and the "Fruit Wires"

  After showing us around some of the winery's vineyards, Rick took us into the winery's housing and storage area. He probably had anywhere from 50-75 wine oak barrels and plastic wine containers. He noted that at Attimo Winery, they like to use the old-time or ancient way of making wine by hand because he thought that those wines had more character and better taste. Rick also told us they used three different types of Oak barrels to age their wines: French, American, and even Hungarian oak barrels.Each of these barrels would weigh up to 800 pounds full and that due to evaporation, they would lose on average $400 a day in lost wine revenues. He also noted with some of the Red wines that they do not crush the grapes until AFTER the fermentation process has been completed, like we learned in class.

Grabbing a selfie with Rick real quick in the wining area

   After showing us some of the machine and aging barrels, Rick opened the tour up to questions. Being a finance major and interested in the business side of the winery, I asked what the payback period was of the winery investment. He said anywhere from 14-15 years. He also noted that he doesn't see a positive cash flow until 5 years into the winery being opened....not what you would call a good investment.

Me at the wine tasting

Me in the barrel aging area/storage area

Oak aging barrels

For the wine tasting, we tried several of Attimo Winery's wines. Some were great, some were not so great.


1. Yesterday's Song: This wine was a Chardonnay that had a "Dry white, crisp, lightly oaked, with pear notes." This wine had a floral nose mixed with pear. It was a light and easy wine to drink but really was not my cup of tea.

2. Off-the-Cuff: This sweet blend of Riesling and Chardonnay was one of my favorite wines I tried at the tasting. Described as a "semi-sweet white, fruity with mineral and citrus notes", this wine is a nice summer/spring wine that would go well with a peach-cobbler.

3. Just Kissed Blush: This "semi-sweet blush, fruity: distinct berry flavored" wine had one of the best noses I have ever smelled. The wine smelled of bubble gum and roses. It was strong but not overwhelming and I enjoyed the crisp, sour taste immensely.

4. After Midnight: This Merlot/Blackberry/Zinfandel was described as a "red wine with training" wheels because of its sweet finish and lesser dryness than most reds. You could most definitely taste the blackberry on the finish which really decreased the "red wine" effect of the wine. Not a bad wine at all.

5. AD 325: This Chambourcin was the last red wine I really enjoyed at Attimo Winery's tasting. It was described as a "dry red with bold flavors and cherry undertones". It had a bland and dry and tart flavor with a little peppery taste thrown in there as well. It was a really smooth and dry wine that I thoroughly enjoyed.



Award area: Some of Attimo Winery's awards

   


Extra:

Just another selfie in front of some of the plastic storage/aging barrels