So, the PoLo Wine Tasting Club of VA, according to its unofficial bylaws, cannot add to its count -- 135 and holding -- a visit to a winery unless all four members are present. This past weekend, Diane and I made a trip to Loudon County, primarily to listen to our friends Christal and Pete, AKA "Chatham Street" perform at Fox Meadow. (If you ever have a chance to hear them, you won't regret it.) We spent the night in Front Royal and then headed to Old House, outside of Culpeper, on our way home.
We also made stops at two of our favorites wineries. Gray Ghost was our #100, chosen for its variety of wonderful wines, impressive upstairs sitting room, and convenient location. On this visit it was all about the whites. We left with one bottle of each: Vidal Blanc, Riesling, Victorian White, Victorian Red. Diane and I have spent the last few months drinking mostly red blends, our new passion, but with the changing weather, I guess the proverbial "porch wines" were calling us. We also like the Victorian Red, a light blend that goes with just about everything and is safe to serve to all except the "I only drink sweet wine" crowd.
We also made a second visit to Narmada (#99). Our last visit was so much fun, with a live band and an attentive server. This time, there was no band and they switched servers on us mid-tasting. I don't like when that happens, but I'll assume they had their reasons.
When we got back on the road, we saw a sign for Little Washington. The last time we were in the area, we tried to make an official visit there, but they weren't open yet. Even though we knew this would be an unofficial drop-in (or a recon, as Mike likes to call it), we just couldn't resist.
We were greeted by the owners, Donna and Carl. At the time of our arrival, we were the only visitors, so we got the personal touch. They were hospitable and engaging. But here's what I thought was most interesting. They're new and only have two wines (a white and a red, both of which we liked). Many start-up wineries will offer tastings with very limited offerings. What Donna and Carl are doing is to not only pour their own wines, but to also pour other wines from around the state, country, and world and let you compare these to their own. They call this the "Dirt Road" tour because they only choose wines from small, off the beaten path, boutique wineries (i.e. ones that require taking a dirt road to get there.) We enjoyed everything we tasted, but we left with a bottle of George, Little Washington's Cabernet Merlot blend.
Carl, who told us he was going to return to his office to work on the computer, ended up staying with us the entire time, sharing his journey from making wine in his basement to opening up his own winery. By the time we left, the tasting room had filled up. We are excited about bringing Mike and Deb there soon.
