Monday, August 26, 2013

Wine, Wineries, and Your Monday Fortune Cookie 8/25/13

A DRUNK MAN'S WORDS ARE A SOBER MAN'S THOUGHTS.

SNARKY RESPONSE: Guess it's a good thing a drunk is usually incoherent.

A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. 

Don't know if it's the best way to open this week's fortune cookie, but anyone who follows me on facebook knows I was up in Northern Virginia Wine Country sampling the local wines this past weekend.



It's beautiful country up there in Northern Virginia. There was a race at Winchester on Saturday night, and we drove back along the back roads checking out all the lovely wineries.

We travelled along Routes 17 and 55 for the most part, up in the edge of the Middleburg Virginia AVA (American Viticultural Area). We'd never been up to that part of the state other than to pass through on our way to Canada, so it was a real delight to be able to get off the highway and just meander along winding roads and enjoy wines offered by a variety of wineries.

Delaplane Cellars was our first stop. It offered a lovely patio for enjoying a glass or bottle and cheese plate. The lady pouring our tasting was a delight particularly when Joe and she found out they knew a little dirt track up north. She'd worked there as a young girl, and he'd visited many times to see races.


Three Fox Vineyard has the most delightful outdoor setting with tables galore scattered all over the property. Even among the vines. Bocci balls and corn hole were available, and they had a tasting area set up outside under a big tent.

Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn did wine and food pairings with tasty tidbits of cheese and sausages. Quite different from the usual cup of crackers to "cleanse the palate." They wanted to help folks actually experience the way their wines tasted with food. The barn was lovely, and they had live music.


Chateau O'Brien had my favorite reds. Nice full bodied wines. The building is really different, kinda like two houses linked by a central enty. The dining area has a wonderful view.


Philip Carter Winery of Virginia was slammed with people on such a lovely day. And they're dog friendly.


Now, we're home and we're stocked up on quite a few wines. We'd like to go back in the fall. Maybe we can talk some friends to go along. It's a bit of a haul, but definitely worth it. I may be a little worse for wear right now, but what a way to go!




4 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great trip! I've been to Three Foxes, which is about 20 minutes from where I grew up, but not to the others. I think there's another right around there too-- Naked Mountain or something along those lines?

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    1. Delaplane was right along that stretch of 17 and I think Naked Mountain was (though we didn't hit that one). Grew up there, did you? Beautiful country. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I'll be popping more pics over time. I'm hoping some will make nice backdrops for blogs, stories, or poems.

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  2. Beautiful photos, Denise! Sounds like those will be "keeper" memories. :-)

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  3. Hi Leah, sorry to be so slow replying to your comment. Yes, it was a wonderful day and filled with memories galore. I was really impressed by how lovely the wineries were and how visitor friendly. I'm thinking we should try to get a group to go up to one of them for a day, just to lounge around, drinking wine, eating picnic foods, and enjoying each other. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

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