We lucked out and made it through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel with no traffic (a minor miracle), and headed for the Pungo section of Virginia Beach. Not too far off the beaten path is Pungo Ridge Winery. This is a small, family owned farm-type winery. We sampled three wines: blackberry, blueberry-honey, pear. We enjoyed listening to Fred's stories and he generously offered us second tastings . . . which we graciously accepted.
Our second and last stop was in Norfolk. Calling itself an urban winery, Mermaid Winery is located in the Ghent section of downtown Norfolk. What a find! We had the option of tasting at the bar or at a table. Claudia took us to a table in a small dining area behind a stack of wine barrels. They offered several flight options. We all chose to taste the flight of their own wines. We tasted a Chardonnay, a white blend, a red blend, a Cab Franc, and peach and Viognier blend, and a raspberry and Cab Franc blend. Each generous sample was poured into stately glasses. The Chard was served separately, but the others were presented in what could best be described as a wine glass tree. We thoroughly enjoyed all the wines and between the two couples, we left with a half dozen bottles. We were all particularly impressed with the Poseidon's Red and the East Beach Peach.
The owner, Jennifer Doumar, came to meet us. She had previously worked at Prince Michel's and told us a little about her journey to opening Mermaid. The name Doumar sounded familiar, so after a little investigation, we found out that she had married into the same Doumar family that owns Doumar's Ice Cream and Barbeque, so we just had to make a stop there. Afraid that the near 100 degree weather would spoil our wine, we waited until after our meal to buy our wine. We headed home, again with no traffic, and are ready to open a bottle of Mermaid's Siren's White. Living nearby, Diane and I will surely return . . . and soon.
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