Northern Neck Winery Tour.....Take II

About a year and a half ago Mark and I visited the Northern Neck area of Virginia.  We went on a 1 day, 6 winery tour that I blogged about here.  We didn't have enough time to hit all of the wineries in the area so planned to return on a day or days when we did have more time.  A couple weekends back we lucked out with a perfect day to visit the area again.  The first visit took us to the North end of the peninsula so this visit was taking us in a more southern direction. 

Our first stop was at Athena Vineyards in Heathsville, Virginia.  This winery was started and is run by three nurses.  So some of their wines are 'Nightingale' wines names after Florence Nightingale :-) With a big porch and scenic view it's a perfect place to get a glass of wine and relax. 

Stop number 2 was just a couple miles away at Jacey Vineyards, in Wicomico.  They do their tastings just a little different.  Instead of standing at a tasting bar you are seated and a waitress comes to your table and does the tasting.  You can also order various foods from a small menu.  There seemed to be more wines that were made from grapes imported from Europe than grapes grown on site so I don't know how that translates into a Virginia wine but we gave them a shot.  They do boast that they are the only Virginia winery to grow and make a Zinfandel wine. 

Stop three was at Good Luck Cellars, in Kilmarnock.  Large tasting bar, large reception room and big wrap around porch...divine.  Good wine too!

The fourth and final stop was at The Dog and Oyster Vineyard, in Irvington.  This vineyard is also part of the Hope and Glory Inn.  I was most excited about this visit because I've been scoping out the Inn as a possible adventure one weekend for just Mark and myself.  The first thing you notice about the vineyard are the two giant corkscrews you pass to enter the lane to the vineyard.  Being new to the wine business they are only making two of their own wines right now but offer tastings from the nearby Ingleside Vineyard.  This tasting is also done while seated....not a large place and not a lot of seating but very quaint and romantic.  There were several bikers that had been doing a trail and a few from the Inn that pedaled over for a tasting.

 

I still am hoping to return for a visit to the Inn one day :-) We enjoyed our day visiting the wineries and came home with enough wine to stock the wine cabinet and then some.  We were lucky with the weather and I couldn't have asked for better company.

Colonial Beach

While exploring the Northern Neck region this last weekend, Mark and I made a stop in Colonial Beach.  Located on the Potomac the town itself started as a get-a-way for people living in Washington D.C.  I think the draw today is that you can enjoy the sandy beaches and still feel like you are in a small hometown.  Residents get around town on golf carts and there seemed to be a church on every corner. 

Not knowing what we would find in the town we had made arrangements to stay at Breakers Bed and Breakfast.  Along with The Tides Inn, Breakers is a cute spot to stop and spend a night.  There were a few other small hotels/motels in the area but even with the summer fading the area was busy with tourists coming and going, so I'm glad we made prior arrangements. This particular B & B is just down the street from High Tides Restaurant and The Black Pearl Tiki Bar :)  Can you guess where we had dinner and stopped to listen to the band play?



Breakers Bed and Breakfast



This baby was in our bathroom :)

Our room



Wine is served on the porch at 5 o'clock



Tides Inn just across the street from The Breakers



Food and Music just two short blocks away

We could sit on the front porch and hear the music playing from down the street.  The breeze off the water mixed with the music and the wine left out on the porch chilling made for a more relaxed Momma....and since we had Emma I needed all the help relaxing I could get.  Terrible 2s....need I say more?



On the deck at High Tide Restaurant



 

There is a pier for fishing, a half dozen or so other restaurants near by a gourmet food shop to grab a few goodies and everything is within walking distance.  If your willing to go for a short drive there are two wineries, Oak Crest and Ingleside, to tour and do tastings.  We've been to both....I blogged about them here.  There is also George Washington's Birthplace and Robert E. Lee's Birthplace available nearby to tour.  Of course Westmoreland State park is also just a short drive south of here.  Plenty to do and lots of beautiful Virginia to see.

I'll just park myself here please :)

More wine please

About mid September Mark and I got a wild hair and decided to try some of the wineries in the Northern Neck area of Virginia.  This area is located in the Chesapeake Bay region and is East of Richmond.  We knew there were a lot of wineries and planned on just heading out and stopping at one or two.  We ended up on quite a journey in deed!!!!!

Heading east on Rt. 360 we passed through Tappahannock and over the Rappahonnock River.  Our first stop was at Belle Mount Vineyards in Warsaw.  It was a small winery with the tasting room in the basement of a large banquet facility.  



First stop of the tour

Even tho they were a small winery they had some good wine.  I got a couple bottles or their Workboat wine to make sangria at our next big family function.  This winery told us about a "passport program" that various regions in Virginia offered.  If we visited 6 wineries in the Chesapeake Bay Wine Country we would get 10% all the wineries in this area for the rest of the year.  All we had to do was have the wineries stamp out "passport".  Mark and I had only planned on visiting one or two but decided why not at least get the couple we visited to stamp our new Passport.  And with that idea we got our first stamp and headed down the road.

We probably only travel 15 minutes along route 3 to our second stop Vault Field Vineyards in Kinsale.  A good size winery with a tasting room about the size of an average house room.  We lucked out here and got a discount for their "After Labor Day Sale" :)  We got a few bottles of wine but bought 2 bottles of the Conundrum wine.  After getting our passport stamped we realized it was still pretty early in the day and there was a third winery very close by.

General's Ridge Vineyard, our third stop, was literally 5 mins away from stop # 2 so it was super easy to find.  This winery has a Manor House that you see when you first drive up.  Tasting is NOT done here but the Manor can be rented out for special events or just a weekend away.  Wine tasting is done just a little further down the lane in an old out building.  The wine for this winery is actually made off site and then transported back here to be tasted and sold.  We enjoyed the tasting and got a couple bottles, Viogner and the General Ridge White.  With our third stamp we again loaded up and headed for a different type of location. 




Love my state parks

I love to visit the state parks in Virginia.  Call me crazy but I like to go to the different parks to see what each one has compared to the other.  I like to be outside and do all the things that go along with the parks like hiking, biking, swimming, rafting, tubing, fishing.  We had planned on stopping at this park for the first time and checking out the views of the Chesapeake Bay.  Sadly because of damage from a recent Hurricane the park was CLOSED!  Dang it!  Now what?  Um oh that's right we were in wine country.  So off to winery #4....

The Hague Winery is located in Hague and is the home to the historic Buena Vista Plantation, circa 1835.  The tasting room is in an old barn (you really can't tell that) and offered a good selection of wines.  We got a few bottles here as well.  I don't love dessert wines but did enjoy the Cynthia Dessert wine.  Yummy.  Again we got our stamp and figured with four down and only two wineries to go what the heck?  Let's do it!

Wine stop #5 was at a very popular Virginia Winery, Ingleside Vineyards in Oak Grove.  This winery has to be the prettiest.  They have a courtyard right outside the tasting area and on this particular day they were setting up to host a wedding reception.  With the candles lite and small white lights twinkling it was so romantic  :)  Now we had our 5th stamp on our passport and could see the end in site!




Wine stop #5

All the while we were touring we were going through some of the cutest little town and passing some truely beautiful country.  I have never visited this area but it's now on my radar to make a visit back very soon.

Our last stop was at Oak Crest Vineyard and Winery in King George.  We made it here by 4:30 or so....just in time to try all of their wines before they closed for the day.  Now I have to be honest....by this point we had already been at 5 wineries and tried numerous wines.  I was tired and by now a little hungry.  So I really had a hard time figuring out if the wine was really as good as I thought it was....or if I was just a wee bit tipsy :)  Mark said they were really that good so I just went on blind faith and bought about one of each.  We also go our 6th and final stamp!  Yay we made it! 




Stop #6.....we made it!

All of these wineries were just off of route 3 and if you continue on this route it takes you right back out of the Northern Neck area to Fredericksburg.  It wasn't really that late but after our long day we were exhausted and hungry.  Mark found us a place to stay for the night in Fredericksburg and we got a nice steak dinner to finish off the evening.  It was a great trip and an exciting day.  My dreams were filled with visions of Colonial Beach and the Chespapeake Bay and my car was full of sweet Virginia wine :)