Warrenton Adventures - Glassblowing and Wineries

Sharing some recent personal work with you!  Two weeks ago I was in Warrenton for a little bit and got to see Tom Veirs working in his glassblowing studio after lunch.  I'm also bringing you something a little different; today's entire post contains a lot of black and white - a medium I love, but almost never publish in.

Warrenton Glassblowing at Veirs Studio Glass and Gallery

Tom will be retiring in end of May, so go visit his studio to buy some of his work before he says farewell!  He also had a visitor in the shop who studied glassblowing at VCU, and was practicing some of his skills.  It's a neat process that I'd only seen in limited amounts at the Maryland Renaissance Fair; here they showed me how to make some basics, like a shot glass and spiral patterns in wine glass stems.

Pearmund Cellars Winery

Afterwards was a visit to nearby Pearmund Cellars.  I'm not using this blog to post wine reviews, but I did to a full tasting and took tasting notes in my wine journal, which marks the first time I've wine journaled a Virginia vineyard.

Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company

It's not secret that I am a wine enthusiast.  Red, white, I love it all (but mostly drys, if we're being frank...).  With global warming changing vineyards' playing fields, and living in the midst of what has been hailed as "the East Coast Napa," it's a very interesting time to be a wine lover in Northern Virginia.

Today, however, I won't be sharing my latest Loudoun wine discovery, or newest Page County vineyard adventure - I've already Met Virginia.  No; today is about California... San Francisco, California, and a band you may have heard on the radio singing about Jupiter and Angels and Crappy Purple Scions.  Yes, today is about The Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co... colloquially known as Train Wine.

(Do This - Trust me, just do it!  Click here and just let it play in the background while you read this post.  JUST DO IT!)

The first time I heard about a band putting out a wine was ACDC and their "Highway to Hell" Cabernet, "Hells Bells" Suvignon Blanc, along with a few other varietals.  My first thought when I heard about it, and saw it for sale not long after?  "What a damn gimmick."  Let's get that mindset out of here before we go any further: The Save Me, San Francisco Wine Co. is NO gimmick - it's the real deal.  Jimmy Stafford and his bandmates came up with the wine company while touring; the various wines while on the road as their inspiration (and of course, the wine had to be from California).  This is wine you can appreciate even if you don't appreciate the namesake music... but you will surely grin a little wider when you read the wines' names.

There are currently six wines in the lineup, however there were only five when I shot these photos - you'll notice that the newest addition, "Bulletproof Picasso" Sauvignon Blanc is missing.  Even as I write this, I unfortunately still do not possess a bottle of it.  Observant drinkers will also note that the labels have since been refined as well.

Wines currently on the roster include:

• "Drops of Jupiter" Petite Sirah
• "Calling All Angels" Chardonnay
• "Hella Fine" Merlot
• "Soul Sister" Pinot Noir
• "California 37" Cabernet Sauvignon
• "Bulletproof Picasso" Sauvignon Blanc

While I've tried most of the wines over the past two years, I haven't tried all of them just yet; pictured is the only bottle of "Soul Sister" I have, and I still need to get my hands on "Bulletproof Picasso."  I was both pleased and frustrated when this was announced; pleased because Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite wine varietal, and frustrated because I had already shot the pictures, and it meant I have to wait to have my "Train Wine Tasting" party I've been plotting for a while now.  That's right - gather friends, hold a tasting with all six Train wines, and enjoy a little picnic (perhaps with Train chocolate too - yup, Train chocolate), all while jamming out to Train's discography.  What better way to celebrate my birthday?

For these reasons, I am not writing any kind of wine review or tasting notes.  For now, I will say that overall, Train's wines all have very bold flavors.

You can also now enjoy Save Me, San Francisco wines at any Train concert (although at concert pricing: one glass for the cost of a retail bottle - yikes!!!).  Train is always a great concert, by the way.

Hopefully for my birthday in a few months I will have a bottle or two of "Bulletproof Picasso," and can report back with an actual review / tasting notes on all of these bold, colorful wines.  Until then, I will simply leave you with...

Burberry Bonus

While I had this lighting set up, I also had some fun with a few other products; here is one of them.  In the coming days I will have to share highlights of some of the marketing and product photography I have been shooting for the past year at both Dulles International and Reagan National airports, as they both change their restaurants, and add luxury concessions such as Tumi, Esteé Lauder, and Burberry.