Alex and I took a weekend trip to The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia in early April and visited wineries on the return trip to break up the 3.5hr drive. Barren Ridge Vineyards was our first stop. The wine was good. Very friendly. I’m not sure if that’s a proper wine term but the style was drinkable with a focus on minimization of offensive characteristics. Across the board, the outstanding features of different grapes were muted to make…
… wine blogs and (choose your favorite, e.g. Yelp, TridAdvisor, etc.) review site are always a funny read for me. I love them, and almost always consult those sites before a visit. Sometimes it’s easy to see through the biases of those who want a quiet romantic vineyard but end up at a family friendly venue, or those who want a balanced selection of wine and go to a vineyard to has only big bold reds. No review of ours…
Found this guide awhile back and it’s a great way to judge how good a wine is. Perhaps I’ll use it for future wine reviews. Nose intensity 2- Light 4- Average 6- Pleasant 8- Inviting 10- Highly Aromatic Fruit Intensity 1-10 – None 11-15 – Soft 16-18 – Ample 19-20 – Abundant 21-23 – Bountiful 24-25 – Powerful Flavor Characteristics 4 – Undrinkable 8 – Ordinary 16 – Good 24 – Very Good 30 – Outstanding Balance 2- Off 4- Slightly Off 8- Proportional…
I figured a blog post is the best possible way to document a wine wish list. As I discover new wines I’d like to try, or cross them off my wish list, I’ll update this page accordingly with some details. This page will be ever evolving 🙂 USA Col Solare Meritage 2010 Baldacci Four Sons Fraternity Napa Valley 2011 Caymus Vineyards, Special Selection, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 Beringer Private Reserve Napa Valley 2012 Spain Pasion Blue Chardonnay 2015 France Chateau Beaucastel…
I’ve been a big fan of the Lake Anne Brew House since it initially opened (it’s awesome, try the Nitro Iced Coffee and a burrito at the farmers’ market on Saturday!), and have been patiently tracking the construction progress of the new Lake Anne Coffee House. I was pleasantly surprised when they opened recently. Not only is the coffee delicious, but they decided to open a Wine Bar upstairs! I must say, they really did a great job with this…
Laura and I decided to take an extended weekend trip down to Charlottesville for Veterans Day. After Trump winning the election, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a trip down to Trump Winery to check it out, as I hadn’t been there in years, and Laura had never been. Pippin Hill Farm & Winery Definitely a staple of the area. We decided to head straight there from Northern Virginia and have lunch. When we arrived, we were surprised…
We chose the Clifton Inn as the starting point for our long Charlottesville weekend and moved on to the Inn at Willow Grove for our second night. I had remembered the property from when Southern Living featured it as “One of the South’s Best B&Bs” but hadn’t heard much more about it. I believe it opened in 2011 and the property dates back to 1778. After staying there, I have no idea why it doesn’t receive more praise. It was…
The Clifton Inn has been highlighted for years as a Charlottesville retreat and has been on my list of DC-area inns to visit. When I’m looking at lodging in an area that I’m not terribly familiar with I usually first meander over to the Relax and Chateaux site to see what they have to spotlight. Then Trip Advisor. Then Yelp. We wanted to dine on the property and I called to inquire about if there were any packages available. I…
I’ve visited Barboursville Vineyards a handful of times in the past, and it’s always been kind of frustrating due to large crowds in the main tasting room. However, we were pleasantly surprised that over the 4th of July holiday weekend, this wasn’t the case. Upon arriving, the staff was extremely attentive and advised that they offer a seated tasting option in Library 1821. While this initially seemed like an expensive option at $20 per person, we decided to give it…