The Winery at La Grange: Historic Hot Spot

Next stop: The Winery at La Grange! We had plenty of time once we arrived at La Grange-the sister winery to Pearmund Cellars-to taste all of their 14 wines and get a bit of history. They have a detailed tasting sheet, very similar to the one we picked up from Potomac Point which is a great reference. Both sheets list the area, vineyard, aging (barrel type), alcohol %, residual sugar %, prices and winemakers notes of each wine.

I really don't think we found a bad wine in the bunch, but some we certainly liked more than others. As our friendly server walked us down the line we favored the light and refreshing 2010 Pinot Gris, lightly sweet 2010 Cuvee Blanc with 1.2% rs, the smooth 2009 Meritage, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009 Bunoni's Dead but Still Red (Cab Franc) and the 2009 Snort a port style wine with 8% rs. The bar was cozy, and the servers were inviting, we also found there were several cheeses, meats and breads for purchase which made us even happier to have wandered in. 

Benoni's Lounge 

The Winery at La Grange was established as a farm in 1787 and is apparently haunted by former owner from the 1700s Benoni, who has his own wine as mentioned above. Tradition is to leave a full glass for him on the mantle each night. There is also a basement lounge that is said to be where the ghosts hang out. We took a peek at this cool cavernous room with low ceilings that did give an eerie vibe. There is also an upstairs sitting room with comfy chairs and fires where we settled down with our drinks and snacks.  We were so happy to have made this stop as we finished off the day with good company and great wines in a warm and inviting atmosphere. You'd be hard pressed to not find a wine (or 3) you wouldn't want to take home at this stop!

Winter lights to the barrel room

Paradise Springs Winery: The New Tasting Room

My first visit to Paradise Springs Winery was a year and half before. I've heard a lot of praise for their new tasting room and wanted to see for myself what the hype was about. We made it our second and what we thought would be our final stop for the day.

The tasting room was huge, beautiful and luxurious. As the closest winery to DC it was packed, very packed. All of the tables, stools & outdoor couches were occupied. We stepped up to the bar, but there was a wait. Unlike some other wineries there was no host, no server also greeting folks. We stood there unacknowledged for 15 to 20 minutes, to worried that if we left our spot we would miss our turn for the tasting. First of this irritated us, second I hated the feeling of hovering over the other guests who were trying to enjoy their tasting. This tasting was not off to a great start, but we hadn't had the wine yet.

We got up to the bar and our server was very nice, but mentioned nothing of our wait or their busy day. or $7 we tried 7 wines. Most of us did enjoy the 2009 Reserve Cab Sav and the 2009 Meritage. The price points for their wines are higher by the glass and bottle than other vineyards. It seems as though Paradise Springs has geared themselves toward the city crowds who want to visit the vineyards, but not get too far from the Beltway. Unfortunately this experience was less than mediocre, instead of sitting and enjoying their wines like we originally intended we quickly left and searched for the next closest option.

Original TJ from the 1870s

Potomac Point Winery: Sitting Solo

During one of the several long weekends January seemed to have we, Megan, Debbie, Scott and I, decided to visit the vineyards that sat by themselves, the first was Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery. One of my coworkers was married there and raves about it, so it was time for a visit. With the holiday weekend it was an easy drive down 95 to the vineyard which does sit alone near Quantico.

Behind the Bar

It was a quiet day there and Potomac Point was much more Italian influenced that I expected. It was decorated with lots of dark wood, murals over the bar and there was an olive oil tasting bar too. We opted for the premier tasting rather than the basic so we were able to taste all 11 wines that were available, since its time to bottle soon they were sold out of a few. They had a very good 2009 Chardonnay Reserve aged in oak as well as the 2009 Petit Verdot-Megan said she could sit and smell this one for hours! To me it tasted similar to the Cab Franc, but was smoother. We also enjoyed the Custom Label White which is 50% Chardonnay & 50% Viognier and their 2010 Abbinato (50% Sangiovese & 50% Touriga) which had a butterscotch nose but we tasted cherry. After the wine, we tasted the lemon, orange, basil and rosemary olive oils which were also enjoyable.

Potomac Point has an onsite bistro so we moved to the next room where tables were made from barrels and enjoyed lunch. We opted for a bottle of the 2010 Norton to have with lunch since they were so low on quantities we were unable to taste it. Was that a great idea or what! All 4 of us loved the Norton & I'm pretty sure we all took a bottle home!  We enjoyed our visit to this unique winery and recommend sitting down for the food, it was all very warm and delicious especially on a cold winter day.

Italian inspired art, photo by Debbie

8 Chains North Winery: Wrapping Up a Long Day

I've learned that 3 and maybe 4 vineyards is my limit if I'm driving. Its best to be safe and part of why I like longer winery visits is that it gives me time to enjoy the wine and know that I'm being responsible. Since it was after 3:00pm when we finished up at North Gate, Kurt & Carol were headed to Corcoran, one of their favorites, we wanted to join, but I knew it was time to take it easy. Being so close to Leesburg, Lori and I were going to stop by the outlets before going home. However we made a detour since en route we passed 8 Chains North Winery. So we stopped. We figured it would give us time to decompress from our busy day of tasting before facing the crowds at the outlets.  The tasting room was packed as they had a winter craft fair of sorts with local vendors and live music, it was the opposite of all the other stops for the day. It took some time to get some attention at the bar, but we were able to taste their 5 wines. Most of what they were pouring were reds, but we both really liked their 2010 LoCo Vino a Loudoun County blend of 54/46 Traminette and Vidal Blanc. We sat and sipped and took in the boisterous scene for about an hour or so before reaching our outlet destination.

Since it was late on an eventful day, the staff seemed tired and it would be nice to go back on a mellower day and learn more about their wines. It would be nice to catch their views too, since it was nearly dark when we arrived and the tasting room was so full I sadly didn't get any pictures. 

North Gate Vineyard: Sustainable Wine?

Typically when tasting we start at the farthest vineyard from home and work our way back, we stuck with this pattern for the day so our next stop was North Gate Vineyard. Stop #3, it was still early in the day, and I needed sustenance to continue. My amateur wine blogging/tasting experience was brought to my attention on this trip since Kurt & Carol have the system mastered! We lunched and then tasted at North Gate.

Just when I thought things couldn't get better than Bogati, they did!  We tried their 7 wines and we all took home a few bottles. Highlights were the 2010 oak aged Chardonnay, they 2009 Cab Franc and the 2009 Meritage. The rest of the group also thoroughly enjoyed the 2010 Rose.

We chatted with Mark & Vicki, the owners, as they told us about their wine making, the facility and its energy efficiency. I was very interested in the facility since I'm kind of a nerd and green buildings are my thing. They are currently seeking LEED Silver certification for the vineyard and fully embrace their slogan "Committed...from Bloom to Bottle."  Hopefully they'll break even on the their energy consumption v production for the year, subtle solar panels are embedded on their roof. The tasting room is modern, spacious and inviting and includes an indoor/outdoor fireplace with plenty of tables to sit and enjoy the wines. Another great vineyard with terrifically hospitable proprietors, one I'd recommend without hesitation!

Fireplace seats

The recycled wine and beer bottle tasting bar

Solar panels and vines

Bogati Bodega & Veramar Vineyard

Back in December Kurt & Carol of Wine About Virginia invited me to join them on a tasting. It was great! For once I didn't have to plan out a route, they have much more experience with the Virginia wineries than I do so they said where and when and we were there. 

We headed west all the way to the mountains where we passed a bit of snow to get to Veramar Vineyard. We got there just before they opened and were the first customers to belly up to the bar. It being December the tasting room was decked in festive holiday decor and a great fragrance from the mulled wine they had simmering. Our server was pleasant and friendly, but unfortunately the wines were not some of the best I've had in Virginia. Most of the whites were a bit sour with the exception of the Riesling/Vidal and their D'Ora a Vidal dessert wine with 6% rs. They had 3 reds for tasting and while the Mourvedre and Cab Franc were a bit too light for me as far as reds go, I did like the Rooster Red which was a bit drier and darker than the others. We had a full day a head of us so we neglected sitting and sipping and headed to our next stop.

A few miles down the road was Bogati Bodega & Vineyard. Bogati and Veramar are sister wineries, they have the same wine maker and even use the same grapes, but their wines were quite different. It just goes to show that the process of wine making can turn good grapes in to poor wine or poor grapes can make a decent wine. Bogati was also decked for the holidays and instead of backing up into the hills like Veramar it rested next to a lazy river. I think everyone in the group had a favorite wine at Bogati and I enjoyed all the wines we tasted. My highlights were the Seyval Blanc which is 1/2 steel & 1/2 oak aged, the Viognier and Cabernet Franc. They also had the most interesting Syrah/Mouvedre which we were told was very earthy, but when I tasted it I definitely tasted bacon! Of course being the holidays we also had some mulled wine  which was a combination of cider and Syrah.

There were no other visitors while we were at Bogati and both staff members were very helpful and entertaining from the moment we walked in the door. They also have a great looking tapas menu that Lori & I agreed we need to go back and sample while sipping and watching the river flow. It was a great visit and I'd definitely recommend stopping in to Bogati.

Veramar's Views

The "goods" at Veramar

Bogati's Wall-o-Wine

Bogati's Tasting Room

Pearmund Cellars

I stayed in DC for the Thanksgiving holiday so the Friday after I decided to go for a run on the Mall since I had not participated in a “Turkey Trot.” It was unseasonably warm and there were even a few cherry trees blooming! I came home to a message calling in a rain check on what were my afternoon plans, what was I to do on a warm November afternoon? It was so gorgeous that I just wanted to be outside all day, but I also wanted to catch up on this blog and what better place to do that than at a vineyard?

I decided on Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run since it wasn’t too far from DC and near others if I decided to try more than one. This was my first solo tasting, but found it a pleasant experience. Upon arriving on the Pearmund property you drive through the vineyards to get to their tasting room, it’s very beautiful and makes you feel farther away from civilization than you are.  I tasted with a couple who happen to own a barrel at Pearmund and another at their sister winery the Winery at La Grange. Their words of wisdom were that if you like Pearmund, you’ll love La Grange, but I’ve since heard conflicting reports on which of the two is better. I guess it just means I need to get out to La Grange sooner rather than later!

The tasting at Pearmund was $10 for 14 wines! There were 5 whites, 6 reds and 3 sweet wines.  Their 2009 Old Vine Chardonnay and 2010 Viognier were my favorites of their whites.  They did also have an interesting 2010 Riesling that was good, but tasted nothing like a Riesling and instead like a green apple cider. On the red side the 2007 Ameritage, 2009 Ameritage Reserve and the 2009 Petit Verdot were my top picks.  The 2010 Sweet Petit was the sweet I’d prefer to sip, but our friendly server suggested soaking fruit for a fruit pie in their 2009 Late Harvest Petit Manseng as it caramelizes when cooking; an interesting tip that I just might have to try next holiday season.

Before settling down on the front porch out front I scoped out their barrel room complete with a bust of a jackalope and other wildlife. The side porch was more the social side with gardens and several tables, out front it was quiet except for the soft tunes coming from the surrounding speakers with a view of the vines.  I really enjoyed this stop, it was pleasant, there were several quality wines, a nice view, the staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and I really liked the detailed tasting sheet that included the percentages for the blends, vineyards where the grapes were grown, percentage of sugar and alcohol for each wine. When it comes to Pearmund you should do what their slogan says and “think globally, drink locally.” 

Porch Views

Fall Festivities

Jackalopes in Virginia? 

Blue Mountain Views: Veritas Winery & Vineyard

We were much more impressed with our next stop, Veritas Winery & Vineyard. We arrived to a full parking lot and tents being set up for a wedding & thought we were in for disappointment.  We were instead pleasantly surprised with amazing service & great wines. It must be true that they do trust in the wine like their slogan says "in vino veritas." A hostess promptly greeted us and set us up a at large table in the bustling tasting room.  While full of visitors it wasn't chaotic or obnoxiously loud, Veritas was well prepared for a full house. The tasting room which was warm with its large, dark wooden tables, but still managed to give off an airy vibe with its many french doors.

We were then greeted by a friendly server who managed to serve us and another table or two with prompt, but not rushed service. For $5 we tasted their 9 wines, 2 were from their sparkling list.  I'm not sure there was a bad one in the bunch, but my favorites white was the 2010 Saddleback Chardonnay which was crisp & fruity, similar to a Riesling; of the reds I'd go with the Red Star which was a Cab Franc, Merlot, Chambourcin blend and the Chambourcin stood out the most; on the sparkling side the Scintilla a dry Brut made from Chardonnay. We all walked out with full glasses & bottles where we sipped and enjoyed the views on yet another perfect November day from one of the many sets of Adirondack chairs splayed across the property.

From the impeccable service-ordering from your server w/a pocket register to have some one in the back bring out your bottle(s) in minutes to the comfortable tasting room, spacious grounds and quality wines, it is safe to say that Veritas has snatched up a top spot as one of my favorite wineries in Virginia!

Finding our way to the tasting room

The bustling bar 

The glass is included with the tasting

Enjoying the day

Blue Mountain Views: Afton Mountain Vineyard

Day 2 of our Charlottesville adventure started with a stop at Afton Mountain Vineyards where we wound through the mountains to the tasting room. Our choices were a standard tasting for $5 or the reserve tasting for $8. We were split on who tastings and nobody was thrilled enough to buy a bottle. (We did not get to keep our tasting list so I can't even tell you what was decent.)  Debbie was the only one who bought a glass of one of the reds, while the rest of us quickly exited the cramped tasting room for the fresh mountain air. The wine at Afton Mountain definitely leaves something to be desired; they do however have a great outdoor space with several picnic tables and beanbag toss games set up for visitors with sweeping mountain views.

View from the tasting room deck

Enjoying the perfect fall day

Backed right up to the mountains

Neighboring Tastings: Keswick Vineyard & Castle Hill Cider

Following our Sweely stop we headed over the rolling hills to Keswick Vineyards. For some reason I envisioned Keswick to have a very large tasting room, when in reality it's a very cozy bar and a great porch complete with rocking chairs and blankets.  Our host was Dennis and he did a wonderful job explaining the wines and exhibiting great patience with us! A member of our group who shall remain unnamed found the mirror to be the most fascinating part of the tasting. It is a great mirror with the vineyard etched into it, but the earlier tastings may have influenced this photographer to get the perfect reflection picture.

The tasting consisted of 5 wines, 1 white and 4 reds for $5. The heavy favorite was the 2010 Chambourcin with the 2010 Touriga not far behind. I love the juiciness of the Chambourcin, the Touriga was little too dry for my taste, but those who like the Malbec will probably find it enjoyable. Their 2009 Merlot grown onsite follows with a kick as one can taste the alcohol more than in the other wines. We enjoyed a glass out on the porch with the rocking chairs and setting sun which would have been a great finish to the day had we not learned about a new cider house just down the road. 

We were cutting it close to closing time, but we wanted to try the cider so we hustled over to Castle Hill Cider. Walking away from Castle Hill with the better part of a case, we were glad we made it over there. They have 4 ciders for $5 (glass included), three sparkling and one still. The tasting room is in a section of the big barn, very warm with wood paneled walls and deep red leather couches, there may have even been a fire in the fireplace downstairs when we arrived. 

Terrestrial, Levity, Celestial and Gravity are the earthy (or atmospheric?) names of their ciders. The Terrestrial and Celestial were our favorites with the latter tasting more similarly to a champagne. The Levity was a bit drier and the Gravity was the still cider. The tasting didn't take long and is well worth the visit to try something a little different in Charlottesville's wine country! 

The Mirror, my unperfected shot

The Castle Hill Cider barn

The upstairs sitting room, very similar to the main floor by the bar

Old Meets New at Sweely Estate Winery

After our visit to Prince Michel we continued on our journey south to Sweely Estate Winery, where I must thank Erich for taking care of a fellow Coug (a Washington State University Coug that is). I had heard some mixed reviews on Sweely, which may soon have a new name, but we were very glad we made it a point to visit. It just goes to show that the differences in palate and opinion is what makes life interesting.

Even though the tasting room is large and airy we almost had a sense that we were walking into a private residence since the bar is behind a large fireplace in the back third of the cavernous space. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable as we tried their 7 wines. Of the four whites and 3 reds the 2007 Sweely Estate Cabernet Franc came out a strong favorite among the group. I also enjoyed their 2007 Wolftown Chardonnay which was their steel aged blend with 25% vidal.

As we wrapped up our tasting we had the pleasure to meet Peter, their relatively new CEO, and Franz, the winemaker. Peter gave us a great tour of the property, where we got to see some vines getting pulled out so they can rearrange where they plant the different grapes. Franz walked us through their wine making process in their very large, clean tank room. I find it so interesting to see how slightly different each winemaker chooses to make their wines or with varying degrees of technology.  We lucked out and Franz gave us a sneak peak at their 2011 Pinot Gris which was a big hit, they'll be bottling it come spring and it's worth the trek! It had hints of pear and banana, but not too sweet.

This November has been incredible and the day we were out at Sweely was no exception. It was a little windy, but they sky was a clear blue and the sun was shining bright. It made for the perfect backdrop when Peter took us to the old barn on the property, historians have dated it between the late 1700s and 1800s and its a really great old structure especially next to their modern, yet rustic tasting room. The winery is well equipped for large events as well and as it is just off the main highways, tucked back against the mountains for great views. Our visit was peaceful, informative and leisurely, just the way I like my winery visits to be!

Sweeping views

The "Weekenders" with the historic barn

Lori blending in with the foliage on the back patio

Uprooting vines, credit Scott Spencer

The Tank Room, credit Scott Spencer

The soon to be renovated tasting room, credit Scott Spencer

Pit Stop or Wine Stop: Prince Michel Winery

Today I'm trying something new. I'm not writing in my living room or a coffee shop as it usually happens; today I'm writing from a vineyard, Pearmund Cellars actually. It's a spectacular day in November and my plans changed after I finished my late morning run so left the city behind for my favorite place when I need some fresh air. They have a great porch with a view of the vines, more about that later, its time for me to catch up on some past adventures!

Entering the month of November with not one, but two four day weekends it was prime time plan a wine weekend. There are so many down in Charlottesville that I wanted to visit that the votes were unanimous to spend the night down there. I found a decent cabin down at Shenandoah Crossing, booked it and off we went on Veteran's Day weekend. My goal was 4-5 vineyards, a cider house and a brewery in two days. Ambitious? Perhaps.

Our first stop was Prince Michel Vineyard right off 29 south. I included this in the itinerary since we always pass it when heading south and by the time it creeps up on you and you consider stopping you are already 10 miles down the road. This tasting room reminded us a lot of Horton's. They had A LOT of wine accessories and a lot of non-wine accessories. It was very glittery. We walked away with a "redneck" wine glass (a mason jar with a stem) and a donkey dressed as a sheriff on his back that serves as a wine holder (a gift for a friend).  For $5 we were able to sample 15 of their 25 wines. With that many you'd be hard pressed not to find a couple that went down easy. I walked away with a bottle of their Dry Riesling which wasn't as sweet as a typical riesling. We also liked their 2008 Barrel Select Chardonnay, 2005 Mountain View Cab Franc which was much more of a Cab Franc than what we had at Capital Vineyards. They had several sweet wines and liked the Sweet White Reserve and Sweet Red Reserve the best of the bunch agreeing that they'd both be great over fruit. The group consensus was that this vineyard is a great detour as opposed to your final destination.  The staff was relaxed and friendly, the wines were alright, but the environment encourages a stop in and go as opposed to a long leisurely visit.  If you're curious, definitely stop in, its $5 and you won't lose anything but a few miles en route to your final destination.

Warming up our palates, photo credit Debbie Nip

Orchards & Vineyards, Oh My!

While my apple spice cake bakes I think its the perfect time to summarize last weekends trip to Stribling Orchard in Markham. Thank you Lori for getting me out the door to do the apple picking I had intended a few weeks before. Getting out to Markham was a chore, there was construction in DC, then Rock Creek Parkway was closed, then 495 was closed off of 66 causing major delays. Yuck! Once we got out of that bottleneck it was smooth sailing and the changing foliage was gorgeous. I just love getting outside the beltway to the fresh air. I suppose I could move out that way, but I'm not ready to endure that painful commute daily.

We both had a good time picking apples, however Lori insisted on gather as many different types that she could find which meant wandering around the very picked over trees with apples souring on the ground around them. Ok, fine. We did that for a bit, then it was off to this side of the orchard, then the other! She ended up with 20 lbs and I finished with 12 lbs. Not bad for a leisurely hour and a half. I was a little bummed that they were cleaned out of pumpkins.  After finishing and picking up some apple treats we were ready for lunch and wine. Lunch seemed harder to come by than wine so we were off for the latter. We were very close to Barrel Oak and I had some free tasting coupons, but Lori suggested checking out Philip Carter Winery.

The winery was just a few miles down the road, set back against the hills. It was beautiful to approach. It was also just as busy as the orchard. There were families picnicking outside on the lovely patio. It was a perfect day. There was quite a wait to get to one of the two tasting bars. After waiting for about 10 minutes one group was escorted to a one bar, while we continued to wait. I was bit disappointed since the hostess didn't acknowledge us or the other folks waiting, not even to tell us it was busy, she'd be right with us or there'd be a bit of wait. Eventually they set up an additional table for a tasting where we were set up with some other tasters. I must say our server saved the day. He was knowledgeable, engaging and entertaining. He chatted about the history of Virginia wine, told us how they had lost one of their grapes completely with all the recent rain we had gotten.

For such a large vineyard I expected them to have more than four wines (for $4), but with only 10 of their 27 acres in production that's what is yielded. We had the '10 Vidal Blanc a sweet, easy to drink white; '10 Chardonnay which tasted a lot like buttered popcorn. The reds were the '10 Cabernet Franc which wasn't too dry and lightly peppery, then the '09 Cleve a blend of cab franc, cab sav and petite verdot and that was a bit tart. They were all average wines, I think I liked the Cab Franc best and Lori favored the Vidal Blanc. Instead of enjoying the view we were still famished and headed to Flint Hall for lunch, which as the closest place was about 20 miles down the road. En route we passed the infamous Oasis Winery, Desert Rose and Berry Hill. We didn't end up stopping at any of those as we needed to get back to the city in time for dinner. It was a lovely day once the sun finally came out and as Philip Carter is very dog and kid friendly, I'd recommend it to families who want to let the kids roam outside while relaxing, but don't forget to bring snacks!

Stribling Orchard

Reaching! Gorgeous Foliage! 

Presses like this are still used in Eastern Europe for house wine

Breathtaking views

Capitol Vineyards: October 9, 2011

We decided to see if we could fit one more vineyard in after Apsen Dale. Capitol Vineyards was close and relatively new so we made it our target. Side note: the former English teacher in me just noticed this is "capitol" with an "o" rather an "a" and that seems off since it is near the "capital" city, but I guess they want to refer to the actual "capitol" building.

Anyways, moving along. This place would be very easy to miss, they usually keep an "open" flag on a near by tree as the small, white tasting room is just around the bend. Its a very modest structure and they had been hit by the crazy stinkbugs too, but at least the ones at Capitol were more sedated and not flying in your face. We met the proprietress who seem very tired, it was about 5 and closing time is 6, but they had a Living Social deal that expired that day so she had been slammed. It wasn't until we were getting ready to taste here, that I realized how much more my friends had drank than me-I had 2 glasses, lots of bread and cheese, while they polished off at least 3 bottles in the course of 4 hours. Maybe 2 stops would have been enough that day. Alas we were already there so we tasted their 5 wines, 1 white and 4 reds: Traminette, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot & Meritage. Our favorites were the Cab Sav and Cab Franc. I think we may have each taken a bottle of the former home. When looking at the wines, you will notice their labels, drawn by the owner's former roommate they each feature the capitol building and a character indicative of DC, the Traminette looks like an intern, there is a military officer, professional (fed?) woman, professional (lobbiest?) man, and a student.  Most of the grapes for their wines have been grown in Charlottesville, but they are starting to grow some on the property surrounding the tasting room.

If planning a trip here, there isn't a lot of space to sit and enjoy a glass. There are some couches and chairs on the narrow porch and that is about it and the only restroom is a port-o-potty out back. I wanted to stay away from the bugs so we wandered across the property to a grassy spot where we settled down for a bit. It was cool and the air smelled so sweet. Its obvious that this is a young vineyard, still trying to get a firm hold on the business demands, but their wines were plesant so if you are in the Markham/Delaplane area I'd recommend stopping in for a quick visit.  Now, today, I'm off to head back in the Markham direction to hopefully get into those orchards I missed on the 9th!

The decorative lables

Views of the vines & tasting room from our grassy spot

Taking in a Shenandoah sunset

Aspen Dale Winery: October 9, 2011

After Naked Mountain I was ready for anything and the next stop "Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn" looked like it would be an adventure. Considering its name, its website featuring lots of horses and graphics that are a bit of an eyesore I was assuming this would be a very rustic experience much like our trip to Autumn Hill. It was anything but! When you pull up it looks like an unassuming barn and the entryway is a little crowded with a wrought iron staircase directly in front of you, instead of passing it was walked to the left and found the kitchen-oops! A quick corrective turn and we were promptly greeted by a host who ushered us to a server with a smile. How refreshing, and even more so because there were no stink bugs to be found!

I didn't catch our server's name, but she was very friendly and while she explained to us that at Aspen Dale they include pairings I was enthralled with the bar. It was made of weathered wood and stones, but so nicely laid, it was modern, yet rugged. Loved it! The four of us stepped up to the bar and each had a perfect pairing tray complete with 3 pieces of pheasant sausage (1 plain, 1 jalapeno, 1 cheddar), chevre, derby sage, brie, dark chocolate and white chocolate. Just as our tasting began a local musician started to play & sing his acoustic tunes for some great ambiance. We sampled six wines for $7 and the hands down favorite was the 2007 Rockawalkin Cab Sav, maybe it was the name, maybe it was the fact that there were limited bottles left or maybe it was just good wine! The next favorite was the 2010 Hildersham Sauvignon Blanc and another white so new its not on their website and sadly I cannot track down my tasting sheet with notes. They also served a merlot called the Parris County Blend which was decent, just not as good as the Rockawalkin along with 2 semisweet wines. While tasting we all fell in love with the derby sage cheese from England, our server told us since they started serving it there have been so many requests for Harris Teeter in Northern Virginia now carries it. I can personally verify that the HT in Pentagon City does have it with some other varieties because I bought some last week. Yum!

Our tasting here was great, such an improvement to be at a spacious, lovely bar with an engaging hostess. She told us all about their "Stable Club Membership" that includes access to box seats to the polo matches they host along with all the wine discounts. A polo club at a winery?! I guess that's why its at the barn. After we decided on a bottle we headed outside to the gorgeous day and found a perfect veranda seat. We had a great view of the property including a fountain and barns with a horse and pony wandering around. Dan and I could not resist petting the miniature pony, he was just so cute and tiny! We relaxed on the veranda for several hours and (3-4 bottles) as Jill & Brad joined our party. The wines were good and the ambiance was great, Aspen Dale has definitely snatched a top spot on my list of favorite and must see vineyards!

Scott getting settled & unwrapping the prepped pairings

Up close & personal with the stylish bar

The adorable pony tried to eat my scarf! 

Barnyard views

Our perfect veranda

First Colony Winery: August 20, 2011 (part 3 of 3)

After our quick trip to Jefferson we intended to head north to Keswick, unfortunately their tasting room closes at 5 and it was already after 4, realizing it was several winding roads to get there we quickly checked our maps for close vineyards and found First Colony Winery. I'd never heard of First Colony before but we made our way down the winding dirt road to find it backed right into the woods. It was very quiet there, only one other group was tasting when we got there. For $5 we sampled 8 wines, my favorites being the 2008 Merlot and the 2009 Chardonnay Reserve. Not sure what it is, but Charlottesville soil must do great things to those grapes as they were consistently my favorite wines and they are most typically my least favorites elsewhere.  They also carried some sweet wines: Sweet Shanando 3% rs that wasn't too sweet for me, Claret 3% rs that had a nose like a port but wasn't as smooth sipping and a 2007 "1607" Red Dessert Wine 3% rs fortified with brandy that made it very sweet and strong.

The small staff of 2 at First Colony, were quiet and seemed shy at first but became more engaging as our visit lengthened. They gave us some maps of downtown Charlottesville and suggested some dinner spots before closing up for the night, leaving us on the back deck to enjoy the evening with our wine.  The back deck was very surrounded by woods, more dense than the usual Virginia kind that reminded me of being in the mountains of Idaho or Northern California. It was a nice peaceful evening and after we finished enjoying the quiet we took the recommendation to try Shebeen, a South African restaurant. It was amazing! We loved it! It was just across the street from the Omni and the downtown mall. After dinner we meandered the mall, saw some interesting art display with live moths and caught a few songs by Dave Matthews carried out from the amphitheater.  It was a perfect way to close our long day.

2008 Merlot, juicy with a raspberry nose

Back porch views

Harvest prep