Narmada - favorite winery?

View of Pavilion and pond from tasting room deck

What makes a great winery?  Great wines, of course, great tasting room, knowledgeable and personable staff, friendly owners, and a great location.  Narmada has all these and more.  Narmada's logo,  Experience India, Taste Virginia, says it all.  Narmada would be great even if you couldn't sample Indian cuisine or see statues of Lakshmi and Ganesh next to the fireplace. With the inclusion of Indian culture into the winery you find a truly unique Virginia wine experience.

Pandit and Carol

We have been really impressed with Narmada ever since our first visit.  The place improves every time we stop in.  Sudha and Pandit have created one of our favorite winery experiences in the Commonwealth.

On this visit we redeemed our Capitol Deal coupon.  We received a full tasting, an appetizer, and a $20 credit towards a purchase.  This was one great deal. 

Our friendly tasting guide was Jennifer, who led us through all 13 wines on the tasting menu.  After inquiring about our last visit Jennifer pointed out the new wines and new vintages released since then.  Jennifer is a great hostess for Narmada. 

The tasting included two dry whites, two off-dry whites, a rose, four dry reds, an off-dry red, and three dessert wines.  We liked almost everything, but we were really impressed with the 2009 Melange ($21).  This is described as supple and silky on the tasting menu and we agree.  It is a blend of 40 percent Cabernet Franc, 40 percent Merlot, 10 percent Tannat, and 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is one tasty red blend and we brought home a bottle.  It is always a difficult choice of what to bring home as we do appreciate most every wine offered.  Also a new addition to the tasting menu since our last visit was the 2009 Allure ($38), a port style fortified wine, mostly Chambourcin, with a bit of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon added.  We found it quite nice. Even the 2009 Gulabi ($20), with its touch of Concord which we do not care for, seemed much better with some time in the bottle.  With the new 2010 vintage of Dream ($21), the Traminette has a little less rose nose and seemed drier, although it actually is .6 percent residual sugar instead of the last vintage's .5 percent. The wines keep improving at Narmada.

We settled at a table with glasses of the semi-dry Mom (Vidal Blanc/Chardonell blend) to wait for our yummy samosas, which were part of the Capitol Deal. Mom pairs very well with the spices that accompany the samosas.  Pandit stopped by to visit with us.  It's always a treat to talk to him. He is a gracious host, greeting everyone in the tasting room.  Narmada is a winery we will continue to return to often.  It is truly an unique and wonderful winery well worth a visit.

Narmada Winery 43 Narmada Lane
Amissville, Virginia