Virginia wineries
 

We're driving up from NC in Jan/Feb to do a little scouting for a couples' winery tour. Any favorite wineries in the southwestern area or around Charlottesville? Will we find interesting places to eat...it's not exactly picnic weather, is it? We'd also love a B&B recommendation. Thanks!

Our favorite is barboursville.Very nice and close to Charlottesville. You can check out their website at www.barboursvillewine.com The ruins of a house designed by Jefferson is also on the site and worth a tour.

We also like Hortons which is just a few miles away. Wine is very good, but the atmosphere is kind of hokey.


Good information on virginia wines is at: http://www.virginiawines.org/

There are many lovely Inns & B&Bs in the Cville area. My first choices would be Prospect Hill and Clifton Inn.

I would suggest the Silver Thatch Inn, in Charlottesville, they also have a pretty good restaurant. If you are looking for quality wines, I would not suggest Barboursville. Horton has a massive wine menu & their wines are hit or miss. The best (in my opinion) are to be found @ Villa Appalachia which is right off the Parkway (near I-77) if you are traveling up from Charlotte. It would be out of your way otherwise, but they do a great job w/Italian varietals & we typically stop there for lunch as they always have some good tidbits to eat as well. I would also suggest Rebec (Cab only), Prince Michel, Afton Mt. & Sharp Rock (great Cab Franc). I believe Sharp Rock has guest a guest house or something but they are kind of out of the way. Check out virginiawines.org & that will also help you narrow your choices. Where do you "chef @" if you don't mind my asking ? There are a ton of new wineries since we were last there (about 2 years ago) I'll be interested in your report as we are going up that way again this Fall.

Just an aside, although Virginia wines are improving everyday, there are still some that just aren't very good, as well as others that (just as in NC) choose to make sweeter wines using local varietals that are not to my taste. The web-site can act as a pretty good filter. In addition, if you are traveling from the Charlotte area, there is a pretty good little winery right off of 77 (& I'm not talking about Shelton) called Round Peak that makes some very good wines as well.

Another vote for Barboursville. Excellent reds, remarkably.

Perhaps Barboursville has come around (?), it has been nearly two years since I visited can vahiker or gekko give me some specific wines that they found to be good ? Last time we were there they had little that was even drinkable.

I am a wine snob and love Barboursville! You can try from whites to reds to GREAT dessert wines. How far north are you going? There are some other vineyards in Northern VA, a bit further away than C'ville.

We love Breaux vineyards and Tarara as well.

8-)

I guess Barboursville has wide appeal from the self-proclaimed wine snobs who recommended it to myself, a self-proclaimed wine moron who really enjoys that vineyard.

As for places to eat--there area ton in Charlottesville--what meals and types of food are you looking for? Barboursville has a restaurant (pricey and no clue how the food is and it is closed for January) just FYI.

Can some of the self-professed 'wine snobs' please provide a little more detail as to what wines they specifically found to be good. I'm pretty sure most of us are aware that there are reds & whites (& probably blushes as well). As I recall they do some Italian varietals (speaking of Barboursville). I am no wine snob but would consider myself a wine-lover...Some details, please...

Some time back, at least a year ago, there was an excellent article in Winespectator magazine about the emergence of Virginia wineries. I don't remember any specifics but you may be able to research it on the magazine's website. It may require you to log in to get access.

Linden Winery is also quite good.

Thx, je. I'll take a look, just looking for additional info for my trip in the Fall. Hopefully the original poster can also provide some helpful/up to date info.

If you want to drive a little further into Shenandoah County, there is Shenandoah Vineyards in Edinburg, and North Mountain Winery in Toms Brook. Both towns are off of I-81.

Sorry! The Cabernet was great at Barboursville, Merlot was pretty good too. My friend who doesn't like much wine, absolutely loves their dessert wines - Phileo is the favorite.

I haven't eaten at Barboursville yet, but they have a restaurant. If you check the virginia wine website, you can find special events at some of the vineyards.

I agree with SAnParis, we have had some pretty poor wines at some vineyards as well.

As far as wine spectator, I believe they premiered Breaux vineyards in their article. Beautiful view and great wine...

:-D

One last bit if you are planning a trip, there are some hot air baloon packages in the area (sunset ride with champagne, sunrise with breakfast, etc). I haven't done it yet (the day I booked, it rained), but it looks like a great deal and I heard it is beautiful.

Had some very good viognier at Miche's Tavern one trip.
The winery was about a 15 min drive away. Went and had a few bottles shipped home.

Try Chateau Morrisette near Floyd and Meadows of Dan. Their restaurant, The Black Dog, is outstanding as well.

Chateua Morrisette is kind of right across the street (& down the road) from Villa Appalachia which I had mentioned prior. I would recommend the restaurant @ Chateau Morrisette, but not necessarily the wines. Although I do recall their Chard not being too bad.

Has anyone tasted the wines from Dave Mathew's (the musician) vineyard outside of Charlottesville? I think some has been released. Just curious, as I read an article in (I think it was) Food and Wine about this vineyard.

(BTW, Breaux has a very good viognier.)

I am not much of a wine drinker so can't really appraise the wines at Chateau Morrisette. The food at the Black Dog is exceptional. Reservations a must. If you are coming up I-77 Shelton Winery just off the interstate at the DOBSON, NC exit is worth a stop. My wine drinking friends said the product is excellent. It is a lovely site with a good restaurant.

I just noticed SAnParis mentioned Round Peak in NC which has also garnered a lot of praise locally.

For a sampling of NC wines there is a great little wine bar/restaurant in downtown Mt. Airy (I think it is Mt. Airy). Also, a location going towards the D/E concourse in the Charlotte Airport. Shelton also has a little cheese shop adjacent to the winery although that may have been moved since I was last there.

You are right, SAnParis. The tasting bar is on Main Street, Mt.Airy. Park at the Emporium (free) on Oak St. just off Main.
At Shelton's they added a full service restaurant to the cheese shop location. The chef is Johnson and Wales grad and she is doing a nice job. The service still has some rough edges. Both Sheltons live on the winery property so they are overseeing the operation closely. A hotel is planned for the near future.
Another NC winery which is experiencing explosive growth is Childress Winery just off US 52 near Lexington (maybe an hour drive from CLT). They have a bistro style restaurant which has gotten good reviews locally though I have not tried it myself.

I also agree with Chateau Morrissette and find the wines exceptional.

Thanks a bunch! We decided to postpone until March as several of the wineries recommended aren't open until then. So continued suggestions will be great for me and others. I'll give a full report afterwards! I chef at home, and love it! I was a Pampered Chef rep for awhile, hence the name.
If you were taking 5 couples to either the southwestern area or Charlottesville for a long w/e, where would you stay? It can be B&B or hotel...probably looking to stay under the $180/night range.

There is an Omni in downtown C'ville...loved it!

8-)

We moved from Charlotte to Northern VA. We enjoyed a few of the wineries in NC, but have found many more to love in VA. We have visited nearly every winery in VA, some several times. It is a "hobby" of ours. A few people mentioned Breaux. It is one of our favorites as it is close to where we live. It's too far for the trip you are planning though.

Charlottesville would be a perfect place to stay at a B&B, take in some history, shop and dine. There are lots of great wineries to choose from in that area. My husband and I spent a weekend doing just that last March. I would highly recommend the following wineries based on good wine, service and atmosphere: Oakencroft, First Colony, Stone Mountain, White Hall and Jefferson (to name a few.) I did not particularly care for Barboursville as I felt it was too crowded and we were herded like sheep through the tastings (it's very popular though.) I also did not particularly like Burnley (not clean and bad wine.) Horton offers something like 45 different wines to choose from. It can be difficult to do that one and others unless you are very careful and selective. Good luck in your planning. Maybe we'll see you along the way!

Try Silverthatch.com. The Inn @ Sugar Hollow Farm always gets good reviews as does the Inn @ Monticello.

my husband and i just spent a weekend touring wineries near wintergreen , just outside charlottesville. we both loved the veritas winery. i can highly recommend that. as for a b&b, i can tell you where NOT to stay. the meander inn also near wintergreen - it's awful!

What was so bad about the Meander Inn?

i thought the meander inn was by far the worst b&b i have stayed in. first, it was VERY dirty. cats and many dogs running throughout the house, on the furniute, etc. our room was filled with lady bugs, so many that they fell out of my hair in the shower. i also felt that the owners were a bit too involved with the guests. they would sit with us at all meals and after meals and were obnoxious. one thing that particularly stood out was how she insulted guests at the inn based in their tv preferences. the inn was also very noisy, you could hear the other guests in their rooms and vice versa. bottom line, if you can stay anywhere else - do.

Thanks.

Looking for updates on this topic & recent visits please.

My boyfriend and I just went to Charlottesville for the weekend and had a great time. We only made it to the Kluge Estate (12 mi from Monticello), but it was really fun. There is no tour, only tastings of flights of wine. Warning, it is expensive if you eat. We each ordered a flight ($10 pp) which amounts to about 2 glasses of wine. Plus we ate lunch there - a quiche will run you about $13, and they have an amazing dessert case. All in all, if cost is not a factor, it is a fun little detour and the building is beautiful. I suppose some would call it overpriced and I'm inclined to agree with you, but we were playing "high roller" that weekend.

We also ate at Blue Light Grill, which was okay, and C&O Restaurant in Charlottesville. It's nice that they have a late-night menu, because we got into town quite late.

Since this thread has been bumped, if anyone else is doing a wine tour, I like Rebec Vineyards, near Amherst. It's a bit out of the way, between Lynchburg and Charlottesville, but they have (or had, a few years ago) a Bulgarian guy who brought Bulgarian wine recipes (this is what they told me). The result is at least one unique white wine, Sweet Sofia, which is sweet, but has this neat undercurrent of herby taste.

There are also some neat wineries near the Peaks of Otter, in Bedford County, which is east of Roanoke. One of them has wine from just about every fruit except grape, including a pepper wine that was interesting.

Hi all,

I don't know where the chef was talking about when he postphoned his visit because of wineries not being open in the winter - we run wine tasting tours in Charlottesville and have a small B&B and run the tours year round. (arcadyvineyard.com) There is only one I can think of that is occasionally closed in the winter. All others are open all year round - starting from west of town towards the east of town: Cardinal Point, Veritas, Afton Mountain, King Family, Whitehall, Oakencroft, First Colony, Blenheim, Jefferson, Keswick, Barboursville, Horton, DelFosse, Wintergreen, Kluge off the top of my head. Do check at http://www.virginiawines.org/wineries/r-central.html to see which are closed one day a week - usually a Monday and/or a Tuesday, and if the weather is bad call ahead to be sure that they are in and open only because of road conditions if icy. Other than that, it's a great time to wine taste as there are no crowds and lots of cheery fireplaces burning.

As far as several couples staying somewhere under $180 check the Omni, Hilton Garden Inn, and the Bed and Breakfast Assn website as inns are allowed 5 rooms in Albemarle County: http://www.innvirginia.com/
We have great B&Bs! (Sorry our B&B has only one suite right now. More rooms to come!
Erika

Virginia is getting a good reputation for its Viogniers. If they are offered, you may want to try some.

For the person asking about Dave Matthew's winery, that is Blenheim Vineyards. The winemaker until recently was Brad McCarthy. The wines are EXCELLENT.

They operate on a call first basis as many French Wineries do - they don't necessarily have a tasting room staff so that's why you need to call ahead to book your time for tasting. It is one of the prettiest tasting rooms around.

They are closed this winter for upgrades and to my knowlege will be reopening in the Spring for tastings.

Erika