Our 23rd wine tour (with an average of almost 7 wineries per weekend) was a rousing success. It was the first time we ended where we began. Mike has the notes, so I'm at a loss with the specifics, but I'll do my best with what's left of my memory.
As mentioned in an earlier post, our weekend began Friday night at The Barns at Hamilton Station. After a lengthy guided tour of the winery and grounds, we enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and then headed back to the hotel.
Saturday took us to Purcellville, starting at Above Ground, the self-proclaimed "only urban farm winery" in the state. We had a grand time sampling the wines, talking to Mary Beth, and visiting the town. Otium was next. Max, the owners' son, was a class act. He recommended our lunch stop -- Magnolia's -- and 8 Chains North, our third stop for the day. It was there that we met up with the infamous green shirted contingency. (How many cock jokes can one person make with a fake chicken?) After lunch we went to North Gate. We loved that it is a "green" winery. We finished the day with Kyra at 868 Estate, #157.
Sunday began early at Jim Hanna's Catoctin Creek winery/home. We love visits like that! From there we went to Crushed Cellars, where we were wined and dined by Bob and his gracious server, Charmain(sp?). Number 160 was Hunters Run with its decidedly Irish flair.
Diane and I had planned on going as far as Fredericksburg Sunday night, but like steel to a magnet, we were drawn back to The Barns. We spent a raucous late afternoon/early evening drinking bottles of Cab Franc, eating freshly baked bread, creamy cheeses, and artery-clogging sausage, listening to great sin-along/dance-along music, and even watching a little football.
We fell back to our hotel, none of us having the energy to go out for dinner. Somehow we survived the night. We said our goodbyes the next morning after pancakes and eggs at IHOP, already planning our next tour.
That's the quick and dirty version. It was a weekend bookended by visits to the Barns with some spectacular filling in between. Thanks, Loudon County. You never disappoint.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Loud in Loudon
I don't know who was louder, that group from Harrisburg we met at 8 Chains North, the large crowds at so many of the wineries we visited, or our own crooning as we drove and listened to our homemade wine CD ("Sweet Caroline...bah, bah, bah...")
- #152 The Barns at Hamilton Station
- #153 Above Ground Cellars
- #154 Otium Cellars
- #155 8 Chains North Winery
- #156 North Gate Vineyard
- #157 868 Estate Vineyards
- #158 Catoctin Creek Winery
- #159 Crushed Cellars
- #160 Hunters Run Wine Barn
Catoctin Creek Winery
Every so often we come across a true surprise. On day 2 of our "Loud in Loudon" tour, we had an appointment with Jim Hanna at Catocin Creek Winery. Jim's operation is so small, you can see his barrel room, office, wine press, storage room, and tasting room standing in one spot. Nothing against large operations, but these very personal, intimate visits tend to be the most memorable.
Jim began his journey of wine making about 7 years ago. Working closely with Doug Fabilioli, Jim, currently a photographer by trade, produces only about 300 cases a year, but he is deadly serious about developing his craft. Not one to put ideas in your head, he believes in "wine democracy." He understands that everyone's palate is different, and he lets you draw your own conclusions about each wine.
We started with a small vertical tasting of his '09 and '10 Cab Francs. The four of us were in disagreement about which we preferred, but we all agreed that Jim was doing something right. He didn't have any whites bottled, but he gave us a barrel tasting of his Sauvignon Blanc. It still had some aging to do, but it's going to be a great summer wine.
Before we left, we took our obligatory group picture. The server/owner isn't always invited to be in the picture, but Jim was special. As this professional photographer set up our small, point and shoot camera on his tripod, he left us in stitches when the camera decided it wanted to visit the floor. What a funny picture he got as it took our picture on its way down!
Jim's hospitality and stories about his wine making experiences made us feel at home. We highly recommend that you contact Jim and make an appointment to meet him and see his unique operations in person.
Jim began his journey of wine making about 7 years ago. Working closely with Doug Fabilioli, Jim, currently a photographer by trade, produces only about 300 cases a year, but he is deadly serious about developing his craft. Not one to put ideas in your head, he believes in "wine democracy." He understands that everyone's palate is different, and he lets you draw your own conclusions about each wine.
We started with a small vertical tasting of his '09 and '10 Cab Francs. The four of us were in disagreement about which we preferred, but we all agreed that Jim was doing something right. He didn't have any whites bottled, but he gave us a barrel tasting of his Sauvignon Blanc. It still had some aging to do, but it's going to be a great summer wine.
Before we left, we took our obligatory group picture. The server/owner isn't always invited to be in the picture, but Jim was special. As this professional photographer set up our small, point and shoot camera on his tripod, he left us in stitches when the camera decided it wanted to visit the floor. What a funny picture he got as it took our picture on its way down!
Jim's hospitality and stories about his wine making experiences made us feel at home. We highly recommend that you contact Jim and make an appointment to meet him and see his unique operations in person.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Barnstorming
On Friday, November 8, season 5 of the PoLo Wine Club of VA quest to visit every winery in the state of VA began in earnest. We met in Leesburg and headed for our 152nd winery visit since November 2008. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that expectations are rarely accurate. In this case, I don't believe we were expecting much one way or another from The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards.
We had been in touch with Kim, one of the owners, and we knew they had music and food. Originally, we had hoped to visit two wineries on the 8th, but the POs and the LOs didn't meet up with each other until after 6:00, so we figured we'd only have time for one. Music and food was a big incentive, so off to the Barns we went.
When we arrived, it was dark, dark, dark outside. We pulled in beside an old house and were surprised at the large number of cars in the driveway. There was a chill in the air as we maneuvered through the dark parking area and headed toward a large barn still with its original silo.
Upon entering we were greeted with the sounds and smells of a busy winery evening at the Barns. A guitarist was singing over by the fireplace. Patrons were scattered around at tables eating chicken pot pie, salad, and whatever wine they thought paired best. A few small groups were doing tastings on or around the bar.
We bellied up near the far side of the bar, and we met Ashton, a young aspiring teacher who began our tasting while also serving another group. Soon, Charlie, an amiable sort who fit right in with our corny sense of humor, took over the pouring duties. I think Mike scared him a little when he took out THE BOOK and started asking him THE QUESTIONS. He did fine spouting off facts and figures about this relatively new winery, while we sipped Chardonnay, Viognier, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and a wondeful Meritage.
Charlie introduced us to the owners: Kim and her husband Craig and their partner Andrew (absent was Andrew's wife, Mary Ann). From there, the real fun began. After pouring a full glass of our favorites (most opted for the light but fruity Cab Franc -- I, for the deep, rich Petit Verdot) Craig and Andrew gave us a personalized tour of their winery. We learned all about how they met 30 years ago, how they transformed the old barn into an amazing facility, and how their vision has changed and still is with more changes to come. Their personal stories were funny, warm, and inspiring. By the time we refilled our glasses, we felt like we were all old friends.
The Barns has only been opened a few months, but they already have a large, loyal following. Some wineries attract you with their ambiance. For others, it's all about the wine. The Barns has it all. This is definitely a place where one visit won't be enough.
We had been in touch with Kim, one of the owners, and we knew they had music and food. Originally, we had hoped to visit two wineries on the 8th, but the POs and the LOs didn't meet up with each other until after 6:00, so we figured we'd only have time for one. Music and food was a big incentive, so off to the Barns we went.
When we arrived, it was dark, dark, dark outside. We pulled in beside an old house and were surprised at the large number of cars in the driveway. There was a chill in the air as we maneuvered through the dark parking area and headed toward a large barn still with its original silo.
Upon entering we were greeted with the sounds and smells of a busy winery evening at the Barns. A guitarist was singing over by the fireplace. Patrons were scattered around at tables eating chicken pot pie, salad, and whatever wine they thought paired best. A few small groups were doing tastings on or around the bar.
We bellied up near the far side of the bar, and we met Ashton, a young aspiring teacher who began our tasting while also serving another group. Soon, Charlie, an amiable sort who fit right in with our corny sense of humor, took over the pouring duties. I think Mike scared him a little when he took out THE BOOK and started asking him THE QUESTIONS. He did fine spouting off facts and figures about this relatively new winery, while we sipped Chardonnay, Viognier, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and a wondeful Meritage.
Charlie introduced us to the owners: Kim and her husband Craig and their partner Andrew (absent was Andrew's wife, Mary Ann). From there, the real fun began. After pouring a full glass of our favorites (most opted for the light but fruity Cab Franc -- I, for the deep, rich Petit Verdot) Craig and Andrew gave us a personalized tour of their winery. We learned all about how they met 30 years ago, how they transformed the old barn into an amazing facility, and how their vision has changed and still is with more changes to come. Their personal stories were funny, warm, and inspiring. By the time we refilled our glasses, we felt like we were all old friends.
The Barns has only been opened a few months, but they already have a large, loyal following. Some wineries attract you with their ambiance. For others, it's all about the wine. The Barns has it all. This is definitely a place where one visit won't be enough.
November 11, 2012
Let me open with an expression of awe and gratitude to the men and women who are defending or have defended our great nation. It's a cliche to say that freedom isn't free, but we are the leaders of the world because so many are willing to sacrifice so much.
We are less than a week past the 2012 election. Since I first voted at age 18 in 1976, I have a .500 average. My first candidate won, but the next three elections taught me how to lose graciously (let's not even start on 2000). So, I understand why so many people were so disappointed Wednesday morning. Yes, elections have consequences, but thankfully there were a group of geniuses who developed a system of checks and balances that keep us from swerving too far left or right. Despite the lament of so many, we're not headed for a European, socialist future. I am amazed that we live in a land where we have peaceful elections, and seamless transitions of power. I'm also amazed that four years after putting an African American in the White House, we (at least the majority of those who voted) trust him enough to give him four more years. So, VA is a blue state for two elections in a row. I know we're not a deep blue, more of a bluish purple, but still...
So with these thoughts in minds, and with a heavy heart for all my family suffering through the hardships and losses from superstorm Sandy, we know how blessed we are to be able to tackle our 23rd wine tour in a little over 4 years and maintain the loving and close relationship of Lo and Po. Wine on!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A Different Kind of Milestone
I'm the first to admit that I'm not great about keeping up with this blog. I have good intentions, but you know where that road leads. To that point, there was so much I wanted to (and will) share about our last wine trip and our experiences leading up to the much anticipated milestone of visiting winery #150.
This past weekend, we inched up to #151. Now, to most people this would not appear to be a significant milestone, but the events that surrounded this visit make it quite important, at least to the four of us.
Last May our son Nathan finished his graduate year at VA Tech with a degree in music ed. As teachers ourselves, we were so thrilled and proud. However, we knew it would be an uphill battle finding a teaching job in a specialized area in these economic times. He spent much of the last couple of months chasing job openings and going on interviews. Even during our weeklong trip to New Orleans, he was montoring job openings.
After we returned from our trip, we quickly shifted to a different mode. We prepared for the onslaught of a large number of my family from NY for a belated graduation party that Saturday. In the meantime, on Tuesday, Nathan got a call about a job interview in a county between Roanoke and Lynchburg (VA). He went on the interview on Wednesday, and got a job offer on Thursday. When my family members began to arrive on Friday, we were excited to pivot from graduation party to employment celebration party.
So -- if you're still reading this -- you may be wondering what this has to do with wine. At the end of the weekend, Nathan and his girlfriend headed to Roanoke to find a place for him to live. This past weekend, the other half of the Polo Wine Club came down from State College for their son's board of review to become an Eagle scout. Being the generous people they are, they offered to go with us to Roanoke and help move Nathan into his new apartment.
When Mike and Deb arrived we discussed how we could turn this trip into a wine weekend as well. I would love to share the details of our plan, but let's jump ahead to wine. After moving Nathan in, we had time to hit one nearby winery before returning home. Valhalla Vineyards is the closest one to Roanoke. After driving up a steep, winding road, we arrived at the gates of the winery where the winery earned its name, which means heaven on earth. As we approached the tasting room, we were stunned by the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The view rivals Stone Mountain Vineyards.
The men did a tasting of their reserve wines. The women picked and chose from their more recent vintages. Had we visited there a couple of years ago, the girls would not have been happy, but their tastes have changed. Valhalla's specialty is dry red wines. We were especially impressed with their Cab Sauv, a variety that (in my opinion) is hard to find a decent vintage of in VA. Some of their wines are named for Wagner operas. I bought a bottle of a 2002 blend called Valkyrie. It was pricier than most wines we buy, but we were celebrating both Nathan's new job and home and Matt's attainment of Eagle scout, so I figured . . . what the heck! Perhaps we'll save it until the 10th anniversary of Nathan's teaching career.
If you're a sweet wine person, you might have trouble finding a lot of wines you'd like at Valhalla, but if you appreciate good red wines, check this place out.
Although we only made it to one winery and that number is only 151 (a palindrome!), the milestones of our son starting out into the world and Mike and Deb's son making Eagle scout made this short trip a milestone worth sharing and celebrating. We named this short tour "The Rising Sons" tour. One winery does not a tour make, I suppose, but in this case we'll make an exception.
This past weekend, we inched up to #151. Now, to most people this would not appear to be a significant milestone, but the events that surrounded this visit make it quite important, at least to the four of us.
Last May our son Nathan finished his graduate year at VA Tech with a degree in music ed. As teachers ourselves, we were so thrilled and proud. However, we knew it would be an uphill battle finding a teaching job in a specialized area in these economic times. He spent much of the last couple of months chasing job openings and going on interviews. Even during our weeklong trip to New Orleans, he was montoring job openings.
After we returned from our trip, we quickly shifted to a different mode. We prepared for the onslaught of a large number of my family from NY for a belated graduation party that Saturday. In the meantime, on Tuesday, Nathan got a call about a job interview in a county between Roanoke and Lynchburg (VA). He went on the interview on Wednesday, and got a job offer on Thursday. When my family members began to arrive on Friday, we were excited to pivot from graduation party to employment celebration party.
So -- if you're still reading this -- you may be wondering what this has to do with wine. At the end of the weekend, Nathan and his girlfriend headed to Roanoke to find a place for him to live. This past weekend, the other half of the Polo Wine Club came down from State College for their son's board of review to become an Eagle scout. Being the generous people they are, they offered to go with us to Roanoke and help move Nathan into his new apartment.
When Mike and Deb arrived we discussed how we could turn this trip into a wine weekend as well. I would love to share the details of our plan, but let's jump ahead to wine. After moving Nathan in, we had time to hit one nearby winery before returning home. Valhalla Vineyards is the closest one to Roanoke. After driving up a steep, winding road, we arrived at the gates of the winery where the winery earned its name, which means heaven on earth. As we approached the tasting room, we were stunned by the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The view rivals Stone Mountain Vineyards.
The men did a tasting of their reserve wines. The women picked and chose from their more recent vintages. Had we visited there a couple of years ago, the girls would not have been happy, but their tastes have changed. Valhalla's specialty is dry red wines. We were especially impressed with their Cab Sauv, a variety that (in my opinion) is hard to find a decent vintage of in VA. Some of their wines are named for Wagner operas. I bought a bottle of a 2002 blend called Valkyrie. It was pricier than most wines we buy, but we were celebrating both Nathan's new job and home and Matt's attainment of Eagle scout, so I figured . . . what the heck! Perhaps we'll save it until the 10th anniversary of Nathan's teaching career.
If you're a sweet wine person, you might have trouble finding a lot of wines you'd like at Valhalla, but if you appreciate good red wines, check this place out.
Although we only made it to one winery and that number is only 151 (a palindrome!), the milestones of our son starting out into the world and Mike and Deb's son making Eagle scout made this short trip a milestone worth sharing and celebrating. We named this short tour "The Rising Sons" tour. One winery does not a tour make, I suppose, but in this case we'll make an exception.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Adapt or Die
Our current tour was planned as our attempt to reach and celebrate the milestone of visiting our 150th winery in VA. Originally planned for early June, circumstances beyond our control forced us to postpone this leg of our quest, but troopers as we are, we carried on. One thing we have learned is to never put our plans in stone. The June trip had us visiting several of the newer wineries in the most northern part of the Northern Virginia region – mostly Loudon County – as defined by our sacred VA wine map and the VA Wine website (http://www.virginiawine.org/regions/northern-virginia/). Potomac Point, although a little distance away, was penciled in as #150.
When we replanned our trip for July, the focus of the trip became Fauquier County and Culpepper. We were debating the merits (wine selection, venue setting, location) of four wineries four this vaulted honor. Potomac Point was still in the running. The Winery at Bull Run is actually located in Fairfax County, but it looked impressive and was located close to where we were planning to spend one of our nights. Morais got good reviews from our son Nathan and his girlfriend Kelsey. Old House was a rare place that Diane and I and Mike and Deb had visited but separately. (A visit is only official when all four of us are there.)
Our itinerary changed more times than the cast of a soap opera. We decided that we would not be able to visit both Bull Run and Potomac Point, so we settled on saving PP for another trip. Mike and Deb came down a day early for work-related reasons (yes, we have jobs), and because of convenience, we chose to spend the first night in Warrenton and make our first visit (#144) Bull Run. Then we would do a small cluster of wineries to the west of Culpeper, spend the next night in Culpeper, do a small cluster of wineries to the east of Culpepper, and that would take us to 150.
The next roadblock was the lack of hotel room availability in Culpeper. Apparently horse show aficionados take precedence over wine lovers. Luckily, the horse trail didn’t go southwest, for we were able to find rooms in Orange. By this time, we had decided to stick with Bull Run on day 1, four more on day 2, and #149-150 on day 3. We were now down to either Morais or Old House as our final destination.
Bull Run was marvelous (more about that on another posting), and we kind of wished we had saved that for 150. There’s a bit of a Catch 22. We can’t count a winery that we have already been to, but we usually don’t know how worthy a place might be of a milestone celebration until we’ve been there. As we met in the late afternoon, this was our one and only stop for the day.
That night, we settled on saving Old House for #150. We would hit Morais first, eat lunch in Culpeper, and then finish off with Castle Gruen, Brightwood, and Early Mountain . . . in that order. In the morning, we realized that Morais wasn’t open on Fridays. No problem. We swapped out #149 – Rogers Ford – with Morais. After the obligatory pancake breakfast, we arrived at Rogers Ford about 15 before they opened, and had a lovely visit (again, more about that on another posting).
We lunched in Culpeper as planned and then head to Castle Gruen. We had met the owner/winemaker, Dean, at a couple of festivals and were excited about this stop. When we pulled up to the entrance there was no sign and a rope across it. (Point of interest. The entrance had two, low castle walls, so we knew we were in the right place.) Upon further investigation, it turned out that they were only open Saturdays and Sundays (my bad), but even if we had arrived a day later, they were occupied with an event and weren’t open at all that weekend. This was a minor disaster. Would this keep up from reaching our milestone this weekend? Upon even further investigation, we discovered that Brightwood was by appointment only. Johnny-on-the-spot Mike made a quick phone call and Susan at Brightwood agreed to let us come by. We were only about 10 minutes away.
Still we needed one more winery to replace Castle Gruen. I left a voice message with Dean at Castle Gruen to see if there was any way he could squeeze us in. We tried reaching Chestnut Oak, another by appointment establishment, but the cell reception gods were not on our side. We were striking out left and right. As I pored over the wine map, I realized that Reynard Florence wasn’t too far off the path, but they were by appointment only on Fridays. One could only hope . . . Mike poured on the charm, and before you knew it, we had an appointment in about an hour. This would give us time to visit Early Mountain first and keep our numbers intact.
Early Mountain was a real surprise (another posting). We were enjoying Early Mountain so much, we considered cancelling our Reynard Florence visit, but of course, that would have screwed up our numbers again. We decided to make the trip to RF, and then return to EM for more wine and dinner. Well, RF was a little gem (yet another posting), and we did return to EM.
So that leaves us where we are right now. It’s 5:30 AM, and I’m writing this in my hotel bathroom. Our plan is to be at Morais when it opens, and then after lunch, spend the rest of the day celebrating our achievement of tasting wines at 150 VA wineries. Is it too early to start planning #200?
When we replanned our trip for July, the focus of the trip became Fauquier County and Culpepper. We were debating the merits (wine selection, venue setting, location) of four wineries four this vaulted honor. Potomac Point was still in the running. The Winery at Bull Run is actually located in Fairfax County, but it looked impressive and was located close to where we were planning to spend one of our nights. Morais got good reviews from our son Nathan and his girlfriend Kelsey. Old House was a rare place that Diane and I and Mike and Deb had visited but separately. (A visit is only official when all four of us are there.)
Our itinerary changed more times than the cast of a soap opera. We decided that we would not be able to visit both Bull Run and Potomac Point, so we settled on saving PP for another trip. Mike and Deb came down a day early for work-related reasons (yes, we have jobs), and because of convenience, we chose to spend the first night in Warrenton and make our first visit (#144) Bull Run. Then we would do a small cluster of wineries to the west of Culpeper, spend the next night in Culpeper, do a small cluster of wineries to the east of Culpepper, and that would take us to 150.
The next roadblock was the lack of hotel room availability in Culpeper. Apparently horse show aficionados take precedence over wine lovers. Luckily, the horse trail didn’t go southwest, for we were able to find rooms in Orange. By this time, we had decided to stick with Bull Run on day 1, four more on day 2, and #149-150 on day 3. We were now down to either Morais or Old House as our final destination.
Bull Run was marvelous (more about that on another posting), and we kind of wished we had saved that for 150. There’s a bit of a Catch 22. We can’t count a winery that we have already been to, but we usually don’t know how worthy a place might be of a milestone celebration until we’ve been there. As we met in the late afternoon, this was our one and only stop for the day.
That night, we settled on saving Old House for #150. We would hit Morais first, eat lunch in Culpeper, and then finish off with Castle Gruen, Brightwood, and Early Mountain . . . in that order. In the morning, we realized that Morais wasn’t open on Fridays. No problem. We swapped out #149 – Rogers Ford – with Morais. After the obligatory pancake breakfast, we arrived at Rogers Ford about 15 before they opened, and had a lovely visit (again, more about that on another posting).
We lunched in Culpeper as planned and then head to Castle Gruen. We had met the owner/winemaker, Dean, at a couple of festivals and were excited about this stop. When we pulled up to the entrance there was no sign and a rope across it. (Point of interest. The entrance had two, low castle walls, so we knew we were in the right place.) Upon further investigation, it turned out that they were only open Saturdays and Sundays (my bad), but even if we had arrived a day later, they were occupied with an event and weren’t open at all that weekend. This was a minor disaster. Would this keep up from reaching our milestone this weekend? Upon even further investigation, we discovered that Brightwood was by appointment only. Johnny-on-the-spot Mike made a quick phone call and Susan at Brightwood agreed to let us come by. We were only about 10 minutes away.
Still we needed one more winery to replace Castle Gruen. I left a voice message with Dean at Castle Gruen to see if there was any way he could squeeze us in. We tried reaching Chestnut Oak, another by appointment establishment, but the cell reception gods were not on our side. We were striking out left and right. As I pored over the wine map, I realized that Reynard Florence wasn’t too far off the path, but they were by appointment only on Fridays. One could only hope . . . Mike poured on the charm, and before you knew it, we had an appointment in about an hour. This would give us time to visit Early Mountain first and keep our numbers intact.
Early Mountain was a real surprise (another posting). We were enjoying Early Mountain so much, we considered cancelling our Reynard Florence visit, but of course, that would have screwed up our numbers again. We decided to make the trip to RF, and then return to EM for more wine and dinner. Well, RF was a little gem (yet another posting), and we did return to EM.
So that leaves us where we are right now. It’s 5:30 AM, and I’m writing this in my hotel bathroom. Our plan is to be at Morais when it opens, and then after lunch, spend the rest of the day celebrating our achievement of tasting wines at 150 VA wineries. Is it too early to start planning #200?
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