Below The Beltway

It looks like last year’s drought may actually lead to a bumper crop of the grapes that lead to high-quality wines this year:
MOUNT CRAWFORD, Va. (AP) — A statewide drought that damaged crops last year was a bitter pill to swallow for some farmers.
But it’s left some winemakers with the sweet taste of success.
Vineyards in […]

CNN has an article up today about the growing prominence of Virginia wineries that is well worth a read.
The article itself focuses primarily on Barboursville Winery, which is one of the well-known wineries in the state, but there are several wineries out there worth checking out, especially if you’ve got nothing else to do on […]

I wrote a few weeks ago about our visit to The Winery at La Grange, in Haymarket. Today, the Washington Post has an interesting profile about it in the Prince William Section.
Cindey and John Tamayo tucked into their afternoon picnic of Vidal Blanc and sharp cheddar. In the distance, fledgling grapevines extended toward the surrounding […]

I’ve actually been meaning to write this post for several weeks now, but, well, life intrudes in ways that I really can’t discuss publicly right now.
Nonetheless, recently, Kellie and I visited the first winery to open in Prince William County, Virginia, The Winery At La Grange, located in Haymarket.
The public portion of the winery is […]

The New York Times reports that wineries in New York are starting to face a problem that has long plagued wineries in the Napa Valley, and even here in Virginia, they’re becoming too popular and too crowded:
AQUEBOGUE, N.Y., July 3 — In the 35 years since vines began sprouting out of its sandy soil, the […]

Allan Liska at CellarBlog alerts me to his interview with Virginia Delegate Chris Saxman, co-sponsor of the legislation I wrote about in this post that would allow Virginia wineries to bypass distributors and sell directly to the public.
Go check the interview out, and then, call your Delegate and Senator and urge them to support this […]

As with every other state in the country, alcohol distribution in the Commonwealth of Virginia is heavily regulated.
What that means for Virginia wineries is that they can’t sell win directly to the public, but must sell through distributors who, not surprisingly, have several allies in Richmond. As the new legislative session begins in January, wineries […]

When we weren’t watching several movies, Kellie and I spent a good part of our time exploring new parts of Virginia, which is something I haven’t written about in quite some time.
We started out on Sunday by heading West, stopping first a Linden Vineyards, which is quickly becoming our favorite winery in Virginia. Even though […]

Yesterday, Kellie and I spent the day touring Virginia Wine Country and visiting four wineries that, in their own ways, presented something unique and different. One of the best parts of the trip is that it was a chartered tour, which meant we didn’t have to worry about driving and getting from place to place. […]

I’ve lived in Northern Virginia for 15 years and have seen this area transform from a congested suburban area to an even more congested suburban area. Anyone who knows me has heard me complain, sometimes loudly, about the traffic that is a daily part of life around here or even about the fact that dinner […]