More than 100 wineries in 11 states submitted 538 entries to the 6th Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition held recently at the Regency Country Club at Dominion Valley, and Northern Virginia came away with a good share of awards.

In the Best of Category, Pearmund Cellars took the medal for its 2009 Petit Manseng for Other White Vinifera Varietals. In the category of White Interspecific Blends: newcomer Paradise Springs Winery won with its 2009 Sommet Blanc.

Paradise Springs also claimed gold for its 2008 Cabernet Franc; it was joined by Pearmund Cellars for the 2008 Viognier and Sunset Hills Vineyards for the 2008 Reserve Chardonnay.

Silver Medal winners included:

2009 Rosa Luna by Fabbioli Cellars
2009 Chardonnay by Paradise Springs Winery
2009 Sommet Blanc by Paradise Springs Winery
2007 Ameritage by Pearmund Cellars
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon by Pearmund Cellars
2009 Petit Manseng by Pearmund Cellars
2008 Chardonnay by Philip Carter Winery
2008 “Fletcher’s” Chardonnay by Winery at LaGrange
2008 Snort by Winery at LaGrange
2007 Tannat by Winery at LaGrange

Bronze Medal winners included:

2007 Chegada Merlot by Casanel Vinyards
2008 Cabernet Sauvignon by Fabbioli Cellars
2009 Riesling by Pearmund Cellars
2009 Rose by Sunset Hills Vineyards
2009 Viognier by Sunset Hills Vineyards
2008 Alouette Cabernet Franc by Three Fox Vineyards
2008 Piedmontese Nebbiolo by Three Fox Vineyards
2009 Malbec by Veramar Vineyard
2009 Pinot Gris by Winery at LaGrange

You can visit all of these winning wineries on various weekends on Reston Limousine’s weekend wine tours, where we visit two wineries each Saturday and Sunday. For a schedule of tours, visit Reston Limousine’s online Calendar at http://restonlimo.com/imscart/index.php?page=shop/events_calendar.

New to the wine world? The friendly folks at all the wineries are happy to dispense tips and advice, including Doug Fabbioli of Fabbioli Cellars:

Following are the Gold Ribbon winners on our weekend wine tour schedule:
Casanel Vineyards: Chegada Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Notaviva Vineyards: Cantabile 2008 and Calor 2009
Pearmund Cellars: Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Riesling 2009, and Petit Manseng 2009

Silver Ribbon winners include:
Notaviva Vineyards: Verano 2009
Paradise Springs Winery: Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Pearmund Cellars: Viognier 2009
Sunset Hills Vineyard: Sunset Rose 2009 and Viognier 2009

In the category of Label Designs, some of our winning wineries were:
Individual Label Design: Paradise Springs Winery, 2nd place, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Best Use of Whimsy on a Label: Notaviva Vineyards, 3rd place, Cantabile Cabernet Franc

These winning wines will be showcased at the Black Tie & Boots benefit gala on Sept. 22, when the “2010 State Fair of Virginia Best of Show” ribbon will be awarded. Winning wines will be on display during the State Fair of Virginia from Sept. 23-Oct. 3 at The Meadow Event Park. To view a complete list of the winners, please visit www.statefair.com/pdf/AwardsFINAL2010.pdf

But you don’t have to wait for the State Fair to enjoy these award-winning wines! Here are our upcoming wine tours to these wineries:
Saturday, Aug. 7: Notaviva Vineyards and Sunset Hills Vineyard
Saturday, Aug. 21: Casanel Vineyards & Corcoran Vineyards
Sunday, Aug. 29: Pearmund Cellars & Paradise Springs Winery

For a complete schedule, please visit Reston Limousine’s online Calendar at http://restonlimo.com/imscart/index.php?page=shop/events_calendar.

Our July 11th public wine tour, for instance, will take guests first to Notaviva Vineyards and then to Sunset Hills Vineyard, where the band Small Town plays from 2-5 p.m.

If you’re looking for evening performances, you can reserve a vehicle to transport you and your guests to Tarara Winery’s Sounds of Summer concert series on Saturday evenings through October 2nd.  To view the concert lineup, click here.

Here are some other special events to consider for a private winery tour:
Wine & Dine on Rt 9, Hillsborough Vineyards
Friday, July 9
Enjoy live music, mouth-watering food and discounted wine selections at Hillsborough Vineyards’ new event, Wine & Dine on Rt 9. This month’s band is the contemporary and traditional bluegrass band, The Zekiah Swamp Cats, who will play from 6-10 p.m. Admission is free, food and wine are available for purchase. For more information, visit www.hillsboroughwine.com.

The Race Through Tuscany, Three Fox Vineyards
Saturday, July 10
TriPerformance will host a 5K and a 1 mile “Fun Run”. Come take a run or a walk through the rolling hills and vineyards that are so reminiscent of Tuscany. For more information, visit www.threefoxvineyards.com.

5th Annual Key West Festival, Breaux Vineyards
Saturday, July 17
Take a trip to Key West for Breaux Vineyards’ annual daylong festival, featuring a reggae band starting at 11 a.m. followed by a Jimmy Buffett cover band (the Key West Band). “The Vineyard in Paradise” ends at 6 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit www.breauxvineyards.com.

Herb & Wine Pairing, Corcoran Vineyard
Sunday, July 25
Join winemaker Lori Corcoran in this special culinary event from 3-4 p.m., when she will be pairing 5 wines with several herbs in the wine garden by the winery. For tickets and more information, visit www.corcoranvineyards.com

Byzantine Icon, Doukenie Winery
Thursday, July 29
Doukenie resident artist Isabelle Truchon provides a glimpse in the art of icon writing. Participants will create icons on a 3×4” wood panel using gilding and tempura paints. For cost and more information, visit www.doukeniewinery.com.

The new program, which includes partners Bon Appetit and epitourean.com, promotes the area’s dining scene. Also included in the Foodie Experience are Washington Walks’ 3-hour culinary tours, DC Metro Food Tours, epitourean.com’s Hip & Hungry Getaways to DC and more.

If you’d like to be part of Destination DC’s Foodie Experience, click here to visit Reston Limousine’s online Reservation page and book your seat on an upcoming weekend wine tour today!

Destination DC also is spotlighting a foodie event that Reston Limousine can provide transportation for you and family or friends:  The Park Hyatt Masters of Food & Wine Event, which takes place June 17-20 at the Park Hyatt Washington. The event focuses on the commitment to working with local farmers and to supporting sustainable agriculture. It includes tea tastings, wine and cheese pairings, guest speakers, and a visit to Virginia’s Chapel Hill Farm and a local farmers market.

From left, Nelson and Kathleen DeSouza of Casanel Vineyards, and bloggers/writers Dezel Quillen and Kathleen and Terry Sullivan

The Sullivans, who joined Reston Limousine’s Blogger’s Wine Tour last August, have visited more than 400 wineries in over the last three years and are well-qualified to offer these “simple rules of etiquette can help to make the experience enjoyable for all.”

While some rules follow good common sense (”Don’t act or sound like a wine snob”), others offer an insider’s perspective on the wine tasting, such as:

♦  Do not wear perfume or cologne the day you are visiting winery tasting rooms. The smell will interfere with a wine’s aroma, not only for you, but also for those near you.

♦  If you appear drunk, the tasting room attendant is not permitted, by law, to serve you even if it is a tasting.

♦  The wines for a tasting are presented in a particular order based upon the style of wine. If you choose not to drink a particular wine that’s fine. Gently cover your wine glass with your fingers to indicate you do not want to taste a wine. It is so much more subtle than declaring, “I don’t like that wine.”

Read their complete article at http://winetrailtraveler.com/opinion/columnists/tastingroometiquette.php

Ready to book your public wine tour? Visit our online Calendar to view a schedule of weekend wine tours, click on the tour you’re interested in, and reserve online!

Reporter Jennifer Nycz-Conner led with Reston Limo’s pursuit of a contract to provide parking shuttles at Dulles and Reagan National airports, and went on to provide a history of the company.

Read the article and view the video at Washington Business Journal.

In cyberspace news this week,  DC Weekend Travel Examiner Blair Baker promoted Reston Limo’s shuttle service to the DC’s Wine Country Food and Wine Festival in Bluemont, Loudoun County.

Reston Limo’s shuttle offers pickups from Park Hyatt in Washington, DC,  the West Falls Church metro station, and from Reston Town Center. To purchase tickets, visit Virginia Food and Wine Foundation.

To read Blair’s article on the event, visit Examiner.com.

The three-day summer festival will showcase the flavors of 20 Loudoun wineries, as well as some of the finest foods, crafts and entertainment that Northern Virginia offers – all in in a genteel country estate setting. Guests can choose from a Summer Buffet Dinner inside historic Whitehall’s Manor House or four Vintners Box Suppers for a picnic in the garden.

For your convenience, Reston Limousine will be providing a private shuttle bus for each of three pickup locations: Park Hyatt Washington in DC, West Falls Church Metro, and Reston Town Center.

Reston Limousine also is providing transportation for guests of Lansdowne Resort who purchase a special festival package that includes overnight accommodations at the resort.

To purchase Reston Limousine shuttle tickets, please visit the Virginia Food and Wine Foundation. For more information on the festival or to purchase Festival tickets, visit the foundation’s Festival page.