There's No Place Like Home

All good things must come to an end, even vacations.  After a few quick days with my mother we were headed back to Tennessee where the lives we had put on hold for 10 days waited for us.  Now we still had more than 900 miles to drive and there just happened to be several wineries scattered throughout Virginia and Tennessee, so don't feel too sorry for us!

First stop - the Shenandoah Vineyards and Winery in Edinburg, VA.  This winery is as pretty as a picture when driving up to it.  There are mountains in the background of the lovely red barn that serves as a tasting room and gift shop.  Vines grow around the balcony railing just outside the entrance and the view of the vineyard is gorgeous.

 Sadly, we did not enjoy the wine near as much as the view and the interior of the tasting room.  The only bottle we left with was a Johannisberg Riesling (the spelling is theirs).  Most of their wines were on the dry side and some just didn't have any flavor.  With prices around $20 per bottle we weren't willing to take a chance on maybe liking it better when we got home.
  Shenandoah has several events through the year and does charge a tasting fee of $8 for approximately 8 wines.  If we lived in the area we would probably give it another try.

Our next stop was somewhat difficult to find and appeared to be fairly new.  The tasting room was locked when we arrived, but soon the owner came walking over from his house and let us in.  Also in Edinburg, The Wolf Gap Vineyard is nicely done with the tasting room on the second floor and a beautiful view looking over the vineyards.  Again we were disappointed in the wines with most being too dry for us.  The only one we liked well enough to buy was made completely from blueberries.  It was a bit pricey and came in a smaller bottle than most, but after having a lovely visit with the owner and some generous tasting pours, we felt it was worth bringing home.


Next up was Cave Ridge Vineyard in Mt. Jackson, VA.  Again, a beautiful setting in a rural area, but only one wine we liked well enough to buy - the Mt. Jackson Rouge, a semi-sweet red.  We're learning that the grapes grown in this part of Virginia produce drier wines than what we tend to enjoy.

We were beginning to despair of finding a wine we liked in this area when we found Bluestone Vineyard in Bridgewater, VA.  This winery appeared to be more well known and had a fun atmosphere.  The tasting room is small, but there were about 12 people all having a good time and enjoying the wine.  We liked Beau, which is a semi-sweet white that is named after a beloved dog that lives at the winery. This is a blend of Traminette and Vidal Blanc and is quite tasty.  The other wine we liked at Bluestone is the Crooked and Weedy, which is a semi-sweet red blend that goes well with spicy food or a good steak.  We've actually stopped at this winery again because we liked the wine so much.

Another "find" was the Cross Keys Vineyard in Mt. Crawford, VA, not far from Bluestone.  This is a very elegant winery with fantastic views and a very nice patio, perfect for enjoying some of their wonderful food and a good bottle of wine.  Our favorites here are the Joy, which is a sweet white made from the Vidal Blanc grape, and the Fiore, which is an off-dry blush made from a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Pinot Noir.  We also stopped at this winery again on another trip because we enjoyed it so much the first time.

 Now we've played enough and it's time to head for home.  The rest of the wineries in Virginia will have to wait for another time.  It's back to work, chores, and normal life, but with several bottles of new wine in our trunk!  We should be good for a few months.