The anticipation, the excitement, and the feeling of seeing a new place yet again. I have never been to Charlottesville, VA before and why not now? Having friends that live there make it that much better and now after my first experience there, I want to back.
This would be the first time seeing where our friend Lauren and her fiancé, Derek, live. We chose this great weekend to go to take part in exploring the winery they are getting married at in June 2017 and to have a little fun as well.
The drive was easy and fairly quick, as I am finding out on the east coast as I travel more and more. We got into town early on Saturday afternoon just in time to make lunch. We were eager to take part in the Taste of Monticello Wine Trail so after eating, we headed out to the festival.
Pulling up on the auditorium I was amazed by the little town as it reminded me of a town in Oregon I visited as a kid. This was a quaint close nit community that surrounded the University of Virginia and at first glance you would have no idea. We embedded ourselves into the fun of the Festival. Knowing that Virginia had a lot of wine was one thing, but to see the amount that were located within 35 miles of this town was something else. This was a festival with wine that would rival any other across the United States.
The wine was great too!! I had varietals I had never had or heard of before and I loved them. We took our time tasting away until we fell upon Jefferson Vineyards. This was our favorite by far in the bunch. They had a Viognier and a Petite Verdot that were sublime. Once we found these gems we got a few bottles to have with our cheese, olives and salami.
This was when we decided to call it a day and head back to the house where we could enjoy dinner, bourbon and cigars. On our way back to the car we stopped at one of their favorite spots in town, The Whiskey Jar. This place had the most amazing selections of Whiskey, Bourbon, and Scotch that I have ever seen. We had a drink from their fine selection and headed back to the house. As the night grew later the views from their house became better and better as the sun set over the hills of Monticello. We enjoyed our Virginia Distillery Highland Malt Whiskey that was finished in port casks, as we smoked CAO cigars on the patio. This was another gem that Derek had found and we thoroughly enjoyed it.
On day #2 we started the day packing picnic snacks to take to the wineries. Our first stop was Keswick Vineyards. This is where Lauren and Derek are getting married, and we spent a lot of the day here enjoying the grounds and tasting the wine they had to offer. This is a beautiful place tucked back beneath rolling hills and a variety of estates.
Our next stop was to the other side of Monticello. This was Jefferson Vineyards, where we found an amazing view overlooking beautiful farmland. We sat on Adirondack chairs and overlooked the land as we talked enjoying their very tasteful wines.
Unfortunately following our afternoon and a great few days we had to call it a trip an head beck to reality. This was a trip to remember and an amazing experience. I would recommend to anyone, if you have not been to Charlottesville, VA you need to go!
Grow it. . . Cook it. . . Eat it. . . Another Chef's Day Off 