Being the product of a childhood spent in a military family, I am no stranger to moving from one place to another, often on short notice. I suppose that upbringing has instilled in me a strong wanderlust, and there is nothing I love more than hitting the road to explore some new terrain. I’ve lived all over the eastern seaboard and called Belgium home for many years, but I have never found a place quite like Virginia. At first glance, to those of us who have spent decades or more here, Virginia seems commonplace and just…Virginia. What does it mean to be a Virginia resident, really? There’s a longstanding debate over whether or not we’re in “The South”, with some people saying we are because we’re technically south of ye olde Mason-Dixon Line, but there are others who refer to us as “Mid-Atlantic”. So we’re Southerners? Mid-Atlanticites? (I think I just made up a word!) I guess both are true. I don’t know, and I don’t really care, because neither one changes the fact that Virginia is an awesome place to live. If you take a minute to think about what it really means to live here, I can totally understand why “Virginia is for Lovers” was craftily chosen as the tourism slogan for our Commonwealth.
Virginia has the best of everything. For starters, we have these things called “seasons”, which are pretty well-defined between being snowy and cold (for the most part) in the winter and blazingly hot in the summer, with spring and fall being just short of heavenly, temperature-wise. We have beautiful mountains that are flecked with breath-taking waterfalls, streaked with hiking trails, and brimming with nature. We have beaches that families flock to as soon as Target starts selling bathing suits (i.e., late-February), we’re in close proximity to Washington D.C., and there is history dating back to the birth of our Nation nearly everywhere you look. We also have an impressive collection of dynamite, chef-owned restaurants that are artfully crafting some delicious nom-noms using locally grown ingredients. Now what goes best with artfully-crafted nom-noms? If you said, “HEY! I know! Artfully-crafted wine!” you would be correct.
Did you know that there are 208 wineries in Virginia? Did you also know that we have 6 distinct AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), 9 Virginia Wine Regions, with 24 Wine “Trails” that have been identified by ViriniaWine.org? With all of this wine greatness in the area, you could be really ambitious and do 2 different trails a month and it would still take a year to see every existing winery in Virginia!
I happen to live on the outskirts of the Monticello AVA, right smack in the middle of the Central Virginia Wine Region, so you can imagine how many times I’ve been to the wineries that make up a large part of the landscape in the Charlottesville area. Some of Virginia’s best wineries are here, including Barboursville, whose wines have seen national and international recognition twice since early 2011. (The Barboursville 2008 Reserve Cabernet Franc beat out 97 entries for “Best in Class” at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which is the largest wine competition in the nation.) Bleinheim Vineyards, owned by Dave Matthews, is a perennial favorite among wine and music lovers alike and boasts some of the most beautiful wine labels I’ve ever seen.
Lately, I’ve begun to explore wineries outside of my local area and have come across some very pleasant surprises. To supplement my exploration of Virginia’s wine industry, I checked out this amazing documentary that focuses on the industry’s growth in the Commonwealth. Here are some of my favorites with notes on each winery by region and wine trail, in alphabetical order:
Central Virginia Region, Monticello Wine Trail
o The Octagon takes the prize for me here. We always keep a bottle of it on hand to serve with robust dishes, such as braised beef perfumed with rosemary and thyme. Think “slow-cooked comfort foods” with this one, like Osso Bucco or Boeuf Bourguignon.
o Fun fact: The atmosphere here is wonderful, with the grounds including a Virginia historic landmark. The tasting room is large with a distinctly European feel. Barboursville is also one of the few wineries I’ve been to with a full-service restaurant, so you can truly make a nice afternoon or evening out of your visit.
o There are really no wines here that I dislike, but the standouts are the Cabernet Franc and the Viognier. The Cabernet Franc has that dark fruit intensity that I love in a red wine, reminiscent of cherries, along with spicy notes that make it a favorite of mine for sipping alone or with a nice steak.
o Fun fact: The grounds here are the site of Jefferson’s original vine plantings, so it’s almost like you’re getting a sip of history. Nice tasting room, to boot, and the last time I was there, the tasting glasses (that you get to keep) were Riedel. Not bad for $10.
o Wonderful wines and atmosphere, and the Meritage is my favorite of their offerings. The wonderful woodsy, dark fruit, and mocha notes make this one a favorite to sip and enjoy with a meal of grilled game or red meat.
o Fun fact: On Sundays, visitors can pack a picnic, grab any of King Family’s stellar wines, and enjoy a live polo match on the grounds. Wine + ponies? Isn’t that every girl’s dream?
Northern Virginia Region, Loudoun Wine Trail
o Breaux is a stunning estate with over 100 acres of vines. Their Nebbiolo, made from the namesake grape that is a hallmark of the Piedmont Region of Italy, is a delicious catch that is not seen at many Virginia wineries.
o Fun fact: Breaux often has “Gumbo Saturdays” where visitors can enjoy a steaming, fresh bowl of the traditional Cajun fare along with their wine. Would you expect anything less from a winery whose owner has deep family roots in Louisiana?
- Dry Mill Vineyards and Winery Leesburg, Virginia
o You will notice that this is the only entry where the winery name appears rather bloated. That’s no accident – this is by far my favorite winery in Virginia. Tucked away on a nondescript road just outside of the town of Leesburg, Dry Mill is easy to miss, but so worth the stop. Two words come to mind when I think of Dry Mill: Cabernet Franc. I am a huge Cab Franc fan to begin with (it is the star red grape of Virginia, after all), but this one has captured my heart, so much so that this is the only winery where I have joined their wine club, and it’s over two hours away from where I live! The Cab Franc is luscious and is absolutely delicious on its own or paired with a steak (are you noticing a pattern here in my eating/drinking habits?). It is so good that my husband called and emailed the winery trying to get his hands on a case of the 2008 vintage, but they are sadly sold out. Lucky for us the 2009 is a good one, too!
o Fun fact: Dry Mill does live music almost every weekend during the summer and invites their Wine Club members to participate in the annual crush and harvest. Once you’ve gone to crush, you can say you’re a winemaker! Sort of…
o Notaviva’s wines are all wonderful, and the winery takes the cake for most unique pairing options. That’s because they pair their wine with music! At first, I thought, “Wow, that’s interesting…and a little ridiculous”, but after having the Ottantotto (Viognier) and encouraged to imagine sipping this wine while listening to a beautiful piano solo, it totally made sense. Maybe it’s because you are forced to use your imagination with these wines, but I definitely could picture myself listening to Chopin with a glass in hand. Anyhow, regardless of whether you think the Ottantotto goes better with Chopin or Metallica, mixed greens or chicken, Notaviva is worth checking out. Your palate (and ears) will thank you.
o Fun fact: The tasting room is literally in the kitchen of the winery/homeowners. But this is no ordinary house: it was featured on HGTV’s “Dream House” and it’s easy to see why!
While I have been to many more than 6 of the wineries in Virginia, I really felt the need to include these in my first post about Virginia wine. Barboursville has the distinction of being the first winery I’ve ever been to with the sole intent of tasting wine, so it will always have a special place in my heart. Dry Mill was the first to completely blow me away with a totally unexpected, totally delicious Cab Franc, so it too will always be a special place for me that I will visit again and again. But each time I visit a winery, whether I enjoy the wines or not, it renews that sense of adventure in my soul to seek out another winery or two, to take a spur-of-the-moment detour in my travel plans, in the hopes that I will find another hidden gem out there in the countryside. Just having that as an option is one of the many reasons I am so glad to call Virginia my home.
About making up the word "Atlanticite," I regret to inform you, sir, that you are mistaken. In fact, sir, the word that you claim as your creation was coined by the nineteenth century American poet, Walt Whitman, in his letter to William D. O'Connor, dated August 23, 1869.
ReplyDeleteThe following is an excerpt from said letter where the word in question occurs: "William, do you see how Mrs. Stowe & the Atlanticites are getting cuffed & smitten front & rear, anent of the Byron resurrectionism?"
I invite you to attain a copy of Edwin Haviland Miller's _Walt Whitman: The Correspondence Volume II: 1868-1875_ (New York University Press 1961). For convenience sake, I offer yo the proper page: 86.
I bid you good day, Sir.
I am, as ever, &c. &c. -N
Ah, but I am not a sir and the word was "Mid-Atlanticites". :)
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