Aug 31stGabriele Rausse Winery

Visiting Gabriele Rausse Winery is an unusual experience. Unlike the other wineries around Charlottesville, the tasting room is a cozy, but more rustic building set in the woods. Somehow the feelings it inspires makes visitors feel they are at home sharing the wine with the winemaker, Tim Rausse.

Pours of excellent wines are served with homemade bread and olive oil. The wines are exceptionally well made and it’s hard to choose which ones you want to take home with you. This year, we chose Rosso, a dry red blend and a Malbec.

We got a chance to see the winery this visit with Tim and watch a bit of their bottling process. Along the drive up the mountain we were able to see some of the vineyard. The Nebbiolo grapes were gorgeous. Their beauty wasn’t diminished at all by the netting that protects them from the wildlife, birds, deer, and an occasional bear. Their dark beauty makes one think of the wonderful Nebbiolo wines to come.

Aug 31stAfton Mountain Vineyards

For our trip to central Virginia this year, we wanted to stay somewhere different and unique and found just that in Afton Mountain Vineyards. The winery has cottages on the grounds that provide a  lovely home away from home, with complete kitchens and living area, separate bedrooms and baths and back porches with rockers and lovely views.

During our stay, we enjoyed wine from the winery as well. I discovered an amazing Albariño, a dry white that is typically associated with Spain.

We were surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains and enjoyed the views of the mountains with the goats and lots of deer. It was a quiet, relaxing, enjoyable place to stay.

Aug 31stVisiting Virginia

Central Virginia is our favorite place to visit and our visit last week was enjoyable as always. We enjoyed some of the same places, revisited some places we hadn’t been to in years, and discovered some new places we enjoyed so much we’ll be sure to visit again.

A visit to Monticello is a must on our trips. Even though we have been there many, many times, we always enjoy the tour and learn something new each time. Our favorite tour is the Behind the Scenes Evening Tour. Visiting shops in Charlottesville and tasting at the region’s best wineries such as Barboursville Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, and Gabriele Rausse Winery are the tops on our list.

This year included visits to DelFosse Vineyard and Winery and Afton Mountain Vineyards. We hadn’t visited either one in recent years because they are off the beaten path that we usually travel. There had been a lot of changes at both, and they were both excellent.

We made a few great discoveries this year. Bold Rock Hard Cider is a great spot to sit, relax, have lunch, and to sip ciders. Flying Fox Vineyard makes an excellent Vermouth. Ox-Eye Vineyards is a new must visit kind of place.

Check out future posts for a close look at our favorite experiences.

Jul 22ndFrench Lick Winery

A visit to French Lick Winery, in Indiana, isn’t just for tasting wine. The winery is home to a café, a distillery, and a gift shop. While their wines are always great no matter what your tastes are, a visit to the café is a “must do”.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided that it had been too long since our last visit and made the trip one Friday. For us, it is about a three hour drive but it is really worth it. There were some changes since our last visit, such as the décor, the gift shop, and the variety of tastes offered by the Spirits of French Lick Distillery, but the wine and the food were still the same – excellent!