The record
what has been written about this room since 1990
“William C. Curtis, who is the proprietor of Tastings, a Charlottesville wine shop, and is a leading authority on Virginia wines...”
R.W. Apple Jr., The New York Times
“Jefferson Gets His Wish: At Last, a Decent Bottle of Virginia Wine,” Dining section, September 13, 2000. Read it →
“Or he could sit at the bar in Tastings, Charlottesville's remarkable wine shop/restaurant/tasting room, and swap stories with Bill Curtis, the region's leading raconteur and purveyor of historic wines.”
John Hailman, Thomas Jefferson on Wine
The closing passage of the book — “he” being Jefferson, imagined back for a day. University Press of Mississippi, 2006. Read it →
“Located in Charlottesville's Downtown Mall... Tastings includes a wine shop in front and a casual restaurant in the back.”
Sarah Belk King, Wine Spectator
“Virginia Wine Country,” October 5, 2000 — three weeks after the Times piece. Fall 2000 was the house's national moment. Read it →
“A wine lover's nirvana... it's probably the best place to go when you don't know a whole lot.”
Megan J. Headley, C-VILLE Weekly
“Tried-and-true Tastings of Charlottesville,” October 18, 2012. Read it →
“This dude knows his wine.”
Scott Jones, Southern Living
As published by the house since 2009, from Jones's tenure as Southern Living's food and wine editor.
And the regulars
“May it live ten thousand years.”
“By far the cheapest good wine of any restaurant in central Virginia, and by far the greatest selection.”
“It is a place for grownups. There is no music. Yeay!”
“Bill is Mr. Wine as far as I'm concerned.”
“When I moved to town, I tried to get a job at Tastings, because for me it was obviously the best business idea in town.”