Wine and Dine
- Jenny Fogus
- Feb 12, 2018
- 3 min read
Do you ever have those " man I need a drink " kind of weeks? Life can be hectic and once you make it to the weekend or days off you're ready to unwind. I spent last weekend with a group of beautiful ladies as we wine hopped and celebrated my bride to be cousin. These are also 20-30 minutes apart so it makes the perfect day trip! While Virginia is known for their craft breweries and wineries I had no idea how many wineries there are here to explore! Over 230 to be exact... *Gasp*.
We hit up four wineries and here's why you MUST go.
1) Gabriele Rausse Winery - Tucked away in the mountains rests this BEAUTIFUL winery. When we first arrived here I literally wanted to live here. This is the smallest winery I have ever been to. The building is a gorgeous wooden structure with sky lights and windows all around. They even have real trees growing inside! Even a lemon tree.. yes a lemon tree. I guess you could say it's like drinking wine in a fairy tale green house. Though small, among the wooden bench nooks and bar there is plenty of room to stay awhile. They are also dog friendly, so bring your fury friend. The staff is so kind and very knowledgeable. The tastings are very affordable, and they serve you homemade sour dough bread and oil. If you want to eat they have a select menu as well. I give this winery a 10/10.
2) Blenheim Vineyards - This is a Gorgeous winery! Do you ever walk into somewhere and it has that wow factor? Blenheim does just that. With high arched ceilings and a see through floor down to the wine cellars. They offer two large separate bars, standing tables, and a huge back patio that overlooks the rolling hills and mountains. Even their bathrooms are awesome.. no lights needed as a huge sky light is used to brighten the room.. Hey I'm a sucker for details. Their Cabernet Sauvignon was delicious!
3) Pippin Hill - Sculpted out of a beautiful barn structure nestled in the mountains, sits Pippin Hill. This one was by far the most grand winery we visited. By the time you have made your way down the gorgeous pathway and the front door, you're already having a great time. They offer an enclosed heated patio, with floor to ceiling glass windows and rocking chairs. The perfect place to get a couple glasses of wine and relax. There is a formal sit down dining area, where you can get lunch. We ate here and the food was AMAZING plus they had live music. This is the perfect place to spend a couple of hours and just relax.
Hilltop Winery - This winery is so homey. Hilltop had by far the most unique wines of the day, with wines that range from sweet to hot and spicy. They also offer Mead which is a honey based wine, if you love sweet wines this one is for you! I bought a bottle from here because I had never tasted wine like this before. They make a raspberry wine and oh my gosh...WOW. I am not one for sweet wines, I prefer a more dry oak taste but this one got me. They paired this tasting with a chocolate truffle and once those flavors mixed I was sold. We ended our day on their back patio over looking the vineyard in front of a cozy fire pit. I give this one a 10/10. I can't wait to go back.
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