The Oxford Times Wine Club was very pleased to welcome Rachel Martin from Virginia’s Boxwood Winery at a fabulous dinner at The Cherwell Boathouse last week.

It was a terrific evening and a first chance for many people to taste their way thorough a selection of some of what Virginia has to offer.

That Rachel had made the journey specifically for the dinner made it all the more special and she was able to deliver a unique insight into the place, the people and the wines.

As always, we had worked to put together a menu that would show the wines at their best and — even if I do say so myself — I think we nailed it.

When it comes to white wines, Virginia is making a name for itself with Viognier. It is a grape I can love and hate in pretty much equal measure.

I am occasionally uncomfortable with its richness when it is uncontained and its fruit rolls out in an inelegant squelch.

However, when the grapes are judiciously managed and sufficient freshness is retained, Viognier can be triumphant.

Happily, both the Viognier wines we had on the night fell into the latter category, though stylistically they could not have been more different.

Both whites were from the 2008 vintage. One from Breaux Vineyards and the second from White Hall.

The Breaux example was unoaked and made entirely from Viognier. I loved its linear, dry style and the generous pineapple and mango fruits.

It had a lot of finesse. Lovely. The White Hall is predominantly Viognier but has a helping hand from the variously aromatic Muscat, Petit Manseng and Gewurtztraminer.

Fermented in oak, it was an undeniably richer wine with more weight and plumper tropical fruits.

Importantly, it had not lost sight of the acidity that is so important in keeping Viognier vibrant, and consequently was very successful. For me the Breaux was a more pleasing glass of wine but I thought that both worked very well with the Spider and Cox crab with peach pûrée.

Boxwood’s focus is on red wines and it was their Boxwood 2007 (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) that we had chosen to drink with Mallard served with plum and blackberry sauce.

The success of the match was without question.

The wine, still youthful, had an alluring intensity; prominent blackberry fruits and spice. I know that everyone at my end of the table loved it.

We finished off with the estate’s other red wine, Topiary.

Also 2007, this is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Even more concentrated than the Boxwood, I found it earthier with hints of chocolate and sweet spices that most likely come from the Malbec.

The fruit was abundant and ripe and the tannins well-integrated but with a graininess that worked well with the selection of cheeses that brought our meal to an end.

It was a great night out; great wines, fantastic food, good people and a little bit of learning thrown in too. What could be better?

A selection of wines from Virginia are now available from The Oxford Wine Company (oxfordwine.co.uk 01865 301144).