We drove out the day after some heavy rains, which left many of the local creeks pretty swelled. We were unable to visit the first winery we had picked out because their driveway was flooded! Unlike Napa and Sonoma which have long singular roads from which the many winers branch, the wineries in NOVA (Northern Virginia) are spread out all over the place. And just when you feel you've gone too far down a seemingly dead end 1 lane road, you find the place you're looking for.
The tasting room on the far right
The vineyards
We had arrived just as the tasting room opened, so we were the first customers of the day! Our server was very friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic about the wine. The Virginia wine community is definitely a lot younger and well known than California's, so there's a definite scrappiness to them that is admirable. So you have the attitude of wine makers who are really striving to prove themselves without the pretentiousness you can get from some Napa or Sonoma wineries that are resting on their laurels. The result is an exuberant atmosphere and good wine! One wine in particular that I took a liking to was Cabernet Franc which grows well here. It has a peppery taste to it that I found really unique. We ended up buying a few bottles and set out for our next destination.
Along the way we passed an orchard that opens up for customers to pick their own fruit when the season is right. We will return!
Orchard entrance
The orchard (what we could see from the gate anyway)
Our next stop was the Philip Carter Winery of Virginia. We again appeared to be one of the first arrivals of the day. A few tastes in we discovered our pourer was originally from San Deigo! We keep running into folks out here who have lived where we have. We always seem to get polar opposites of opinions as well. Some love having moved out here from California, others hate it. She fell into the former camp, but still loved returning to San Diego to visit family. This winery had beautiful grounds that they encouraged their visitors to make the most of. Picnics can be set up and guests can walk through the vineyards as long as they take care not to disturb the vines and grapes. So again, good wine, great people, and a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere all around.
Admiring the view
The tasting room
Pond leading up to the tasting room
Our last stop for the day was the Fox Meadow Winery. This place was a little busier being later at the afternoon by this point. For our tasting we had the option to add a paired food to each wine we tasted. That sounded like a great idea since we hadn't stopped for lunch yet! It turned out to be a good decision as each morsel they chose to pair with the wine complemented it quite well. Our server recommended a local place called the Apple House for lunch so we snapped a couple of pictures and departed.
The grounds around the tasting room
In addition to tasty BBQ, the Apple House is best known for its homemade apple spice donuts. Hot damn these things were delicious right out of the fryer! We each had a pulled pork sandwich along with the aforementioned donuts for a dessert and made our way home.
Piggy above the entrance
So we have some great places scoped out for when we have visitors who want to explore Virginia's wine, and an even longer list of wineries left to experience!
Check out our web album for the rest of our wine tasting pics and other springtime shots around our neighborhood.
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