Charlottseville Wine Trip

One thing that Virginia is fast becoming known for are their great wines.  And with close to 200 wineries there is a little something for everyone.  Mark and I love nothing more than to get in the car and tour a couple of vineyards and sample some wine. 

In March of 2010 we went on a special day trip with my sister and her hubby to a few vineyards in Charlottseville.  The area is packed with great wineries and it seems like you can go from one to the other with just a little drive down the road.  Some have more to offer, like food pairings or restaurants.  While others are simple and to the point, step up to the bar for your tasting.

Our first stop was at Afton Winery.  The tasting room itself was really pretty and I can see why people use it for weddings and receptions.  It had gorgeous views of the vineyard!   It was cold and dreary outside when we visited but warm and cozy on the inside!  I can't remember which wine we came out with and I would check my stock but it's been long gone by now.

The second stop was Veritas Winery.  This winery was the biggest of the four we toured that day.  It had tables and couches so that you could seat down and do the tasting.  It was also the busiest of the wineries and we had to wait a couple times while our server ran around finding the next wine to taste.  Again it was a gorgeous place and would be a great place for a wedding or group gathering of some sort.  We got a bottle of the Othello 2009 (I only remember because I kept this bottle).  It was on the sweeter side but not sickenly so. 

The thrid stop of the day was at Cardinal Point Winery and this was my favorite.  I can't say that it was so much the wine as the laid back and relaxed atmosphere.  They were very friendly and accomodating.  I have to appologize for not remembering what we got here but I wasn't keeping good notes at the time.  I do know that we opened a bottle while here and had it with our lunch out on their patio.  We had packed a picnic lunch of sorts and it went well with what we had selected. 

I got this picture from the CP website

Our fourth and final stop of the day was at Jefferson Vineyards.  The grounds of this winery are large, with a small older tasting room.  The wines were good but didn't turn out to be my favorite.  However we still managed to leave with a bottle of their Johannisberg Riesling 2009 and since I don't still have the bottle it must have been drinkable :)  I didn't get a picture of this place at all because we were trying to hurry up and get on the road for home.

It was a fun day and I'm glad I could share it with my sister and her hubby.  On the drive home she and I were getting a little silly and were probably annoying the guys. They were troopers and played along!  We haven't been on another wine tour together yet this year and with time winding down I think I better get right on that!



No idea about this shoot...maybe CPR for a stuffed animal?