May 16thVintage Virginia

While on our trip to Virginia, we visited several of the state’s 206 wineries.  Two of the highlights were a trip to Keswick Vineyards (one of the state’s most beautiful) and to Reynard Florence Vineyard (one of the newest).

Keswick Vineyards produces some of Virginia’s finest wines.  It is located on the 400-acre historic Edgewood Estate. In just over ten years, Keswick has made a name for itself in the Virginia wine culture. They’ve won awards for a number of their wines, such as the Gold at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition for their Cabernet Franc. My personal favorite is a dry white made with the Verdejo grape. This is a Spanish grape that is rare in the United States. We have visited here many times in the past and will continue to visit in the future.

 Reynard Florence opened the winery in October 2011. Unlike many new wineries, they are already producing excellent wines. One of their most notable wines is a Reynard Rouge – Monticello, a blend of Merlot and Malbec. Aged for 15 months in French oak, the wine has a complexity, but allows the fruits to show through. This was our first visit; we will return. 

Dec 2ndBlack Friday

My husband and I have had a Thanksgiving tradition for several years. After dinner on Thursday, we travel to Brown County Indiana, for the weekend. We spend Friday shopping, but it involves casually strolling around Nashville rather than pushing and shoving to get the best prices at stores like Best Buy.

For those who have never visited Nashville, the town is full of unique shops full of one of a kind items, artisan crafts, and unusual gifts.  Our Christmas cards come from a lovely little shop named the Totem Post, that sells Leanin’ Tree cards. As someone who loves to cook, I also enjoy a stop at a gift shop called Kiss the Cook. The Nashville House and the Nashville General Store and Bakery offer a wide variety of local jams, jellies and spices. Dining in Brown County offers many choices, from the Brown County Inn and the Ordinary featuring old fashioned country cooking to restaurants with more modern cuisine.

Fine wine is also to be found at several local wineries. Our stops include Brown County Winery, Chateau Thomas Winery, and nearby Oliver Winery just north of Bloomington. Oliver Winery, the largest in Indiana, offers tastes of a large variety of wines from drys to sweets.  They also have many flavors of hard cider. Chateau Thomas, while offering some sweeter choices, have many varietals of dry reds. If you love dry reds (and I do), I recommend a visit. Brown County Winery has many lighter reds and fruit wines that are quite popular with visitors.

Each season in Brown County offers a panoramic vista of the hills in southern Indiana.  The change of seasons provide visitors with many opportunities to enjoy the area.  We find it a lovely, relaxing way to spend Black Friday.

Oct 30thFrench Lick Winery

Sunday, after visiting Huber’s, we drove west to have dinner and taste wine at French Lick Winery in French Lick, Indiana. It’s about an hour and a half from Louisville and definitely worth the drive. French Lick is attracting a lot of visitors now since the remodeling of the French Lick Resort. The West Baden Springs Hotel, the French Lick Springs Hotel and the French Lick Casino have become destinations for many people in the region. While I do recommend the hotels, especially the domed one in West Baden, we visit for the winery.

The French Lick Winery and Vintage Café features award-winning wine and amazing Italian food. We discovered them several years ago and continue to return as often as we can. For those who enjoy wine gifts, I personally recommend the gift shop and never leave without some new wine decor items. My favorite wine is the Norton, but all of the wines, whites, reds, and those made from fruits are very good.  Also, you can’t go wrong with any of the dishes from the café, but we usually can’t pass up the pizzas. I have to suggest an order of the all natural pan Bigio, an Italian crusty bread.

If you find yourself traveling in Southern Indiana, I recommend a visit to the towns of French Lick and West Baden.  They are lovely little towns that were famous for the hot springs in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  In recent years, they were noted as the hometown of Larry Bird and are now known for the resort, but wine lovers visit for the French Lick Winery.

Oct 30thHuber’s Orchard Winery & Vineyards

Many Kentuckians are familiar with Huber’s as a destination. Just a short drive from Louisville, there’s a farm store, a u-pick farm, petting animals, a play ground, a restaurant, a gift shop, a cheese and ice cream shop, another restaurant, a winery and a wine shop. Families and couples find their way there seven days a week.  It is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

We enjoy tasting the wine and the wine gift shop. They are the only winery locally that is also a distiller. They make brandies and grappa. Their gift shop on two levels at the winery has some of the most unusual wine gift items one will find. The farm store is a must stop for us. Their packaged soup mixes, the fresh produce, the jams and jellies, and the bakery items are worth a visit all on their own. Down the road, the family restaurant serves delicious food.

If you want a quiet visit, you will want to check ahead to see if they are having an event. We stopped by on Sunday and hoped for a relaxing visit, but it was u-pick apples and pumpkins. There were people everywhere. We ended up making a very short visit, just buying what we wanted and left.

Sep 23rdA visit to a Virginia Winery

Years ago, the first winery my husband and I visited was Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia. Since then we have continued to visit every chance we get. Both the owners and the winemaker are Italian, and the wines and decor reflect this. We visited last month and as always found the wine to be fantastic. Our favorites are the full-bodied reds: Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, and Barbera. We also enjoy Octagon, a blend of their finest grapes. Barboursville’s wines are served at events in Washington, D. C. and Octagon was served to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Virginia a couple of years ago.

The vineyards and winery are located on an estate once owned by Governor Barbour whose home was designed by Thomas Jefferson. A fire destroyed the home, but the ruins remain.  Visitors to the winery can enjoy a walk around the ruins, stay at the 1804 Inn, or dine at the Palladio Restaurant. 

If you’re like me and enjoy visiting wineries, I recommend Barboursville Vineyards if you’re traveling in Central Virginia.