For the month of July us FDPs decided to hit the road! Don't get us wrong we love the hustle and bustle of DC (oh and not to mention the stifling heat) but we had to get out.... fast! After much research, discussion and a million email exchanges later we decided to head down to Virginia's wine country and sample what it had to offer.
Before heading out we had to take care of the first order of business- filling our bellys with substance before a full day of wine consumption. We met at a central location for all of us, Whitlow's on Wilson Boulevard in the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington. We gorged on hash, eggs, french toast and potatoes and washed them down with refreshing mimosas. This was the perfect way to start our day.
Now on to touring and tasting. We didn't want to venture too far out so it was nice to see that there were several wineries within an hour and half to us. First up on the list was Linden Winery, located in Linden, VA. Some of us had visited this winery before and loved the location so we thought it would be a nice place to revisit. In terms of VA wine we think that Linden's quality is a bit above the rest. Specializing in Bordeaux varietals and blends, winemaker Jim Law has a great understanding on what works well with Virginia's climate and soil. One change to the winery tasting room, since the last time we had been, is that the gorgeous outdoor patio is reserved for case club members only. Because Linden's production is only about 5,000 cases they were unable to accomodate everyone who came in to enjoy their wines and scenery therefore leaving them with the tough decision to make an exclusive patio. Besides that we highly recommend visiting Linden for the tasty wine and friendly staff. While at Linden, we received a tip to check out a new winery not too far away called Chester Gap.
We arrived at Chester Gap only about 15-20 minutes after leaving Linden. This winery is owned by the husband and wife team of Bernd and Kristi Jung. Also, resting among beautiful mountain scenery Chester Gap released its first vintage in 2004. The tasting room is still in the process of being finished, so don't be discouraged by the bare white walls and cement. We tasted through the 6 offerings that were offered and the overall favorite was definitely the reserve Viognier. we enjoyed the regular Viognier as well, it is fermented in stainless steel rather than oak, and thought both were reasonably priced at $16 for the regular and $19 for the reserve. We purchased a few bottles, watched the Jung's youngest son attempt to skateboard and continued on our way. At this point we were starting to crave some munchies to balance out the wine consumption. Fortunately our handy dandy winery map gave full details of each winery and we new our next stop would have some munchies available.
Gray Ghost was a little bit larger in scale compared to the previous places. There was a limo out front, which made us a little nervous that there would be some huge ruckus going on inside, but fortunately that party was kept seperate from the rest of the tasters. We walked right into the tasting bar and were presented with two options- try any 5 wines complimentary or all 11 for $5. Molly, with her determination, pushed through all 11 while the rest of us coordinated to taste as many wines for free! We found the whites more enjoyable than the reds except for one of their newer blends, Ranger Reserve, which is a blend of all five Bordeaux grapes- Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. We're starting to think Bordeaux blends are the way to go in VA..... We purchased 2 "Picnic Baskets" for $5 each and a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and sat outside to take a break from our marathon tastings.
Our last stop was at Pearmund Cellars. Again some of us had been (and some not) so it was another good place to see what had changed. We arrived around 5:00, one hour before closing and it was packed. Although they were preparing for a wine dinner that evening with Chris Pearmund, the tasting area was still very full. We filled in where we could and looked over the wine list. We all opted for the classic tasting which had a range of Chardonnay, Viognier, some red blends and dessert wine. The tasting staff was friendly but it was clear that they were just volunteers. Most of our questions about grape sourcing, fermentation and production was met with a friendly "You know, I don't know the answer to that." We gave up asking questions and just decided to enjoy what little time we had left on our adventure away from the city.
As fun as our day was and as anxious as we were to get home, we needed to make one more stop. In true FDP fashion we went in search of some good ol' BBQ. Our top choice, Carolina Brothers was not exactly in the same direction we were going so we went with Virginia BBQ Company in Manassas. We had to drive through a few strip malls and neighborhoods with houses that all look exactly the same, but when we arrived all we could focus on was greasy food to soak up our wine (oh and the fluorescent light up pig that they had in their window that would have made the perfect logo for us). Inside was simply decorated with red and white and we were greeted by the friendly staff who recommended everything on the menu. We put our heads together and figured out a way to maneuver our combo plates so that we tried every side dish possible. We each got a different BBQ sandwich (North Carolina Pork, BBQ Chix, "Original VA BBQ") and a choice of 2 sides and a drink for about $7.95. Sides included Mac and Cheese, Coleslaw, Hush puppies, Fries, whipped potatoes, green beans, and baked beans. They all were quite enjoyable, but the beans and hush puppies were some favorites. The sandwiches were good, but not great. Plenty of meat but the meat was a little dry. Overall it satisfied our hunger and we gave it 2 1/2 oinks, (the extra 1/2 was for the friendly service).
Our first FDP field trip was a huge success and will be looking to do more. In the meantime our next meal is T.B.A. and is contigent on Melissa who will be celebrating her 30th (our 3rd member this year!)
Before heading out we had to take care of the first order of business- filling our bellys with substance before a full day of wine consumption. We met at a central location for all of us, Whitlow's on Wilson Boulevard in the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington. We gorged on hash, eggs, french toast and potatoes and washed them down with refreshing mimosas. This was the perfect way to start our day.
Now on to touring and tasting. We didn't want to venture too far out so it was nice to see that there were several wineries within an hour and half to us. First up on the list was Linden Winery, located in Linden, VA. Some of us had visited this winery before and loved the location so we thought it would be a nice place to revisit. In terms of VA wine we think that Linden's quality is a bit above the rest. Specializing in Bordeaux varietals and blends, winemaker Jim Law has a great understanding on what works well with Virginia's climate and soil. One change to the winery tasting room, since the last time we had been, is that the gorgeous outdoor patio is reserved for case club members only. Because Linden's production is only about 5,000 cases they were unable to accomodate everyone who came in to enjoy their wines and scenery therefore leaving them with the tough decision to make an exclusive patio. Besides that we highly recommend visiting Linden for the tasty wine and friendly staff. While at Linden, we received a tip to check out a new winery not too far away called Chester Gap.
We arrived at Chester Gap only about 15-20 minutes after leaving Linden. This winery is owned by the husband and wife team of Bernd and Kristi Jung. Also, resting among beautiful mountain scenery Chester Gap released its first vintage in 2004. The tasting room is still in the process of being finished, so don't be discouraged by the bare white walls and cement. We tasted through the 6 offerings that were offered and the overall favorite was definitely the reserve Viognier. we enjoyed the regular Viognier as well, it is fermented in stainless steel rather than oak, and thought both were reasonably priced at $16 for the regular and $19 for the reserve. We purchased a few bottles, watched the Jung's youngest son attempt to skateboard and continued on our way. At this point we were starting to crave some munchies to balance out the wine consumption. Fortunately our handy dandy winery map gave full details of each winery and we new our next stop would have some munchies available.
Gray Ghost was a little bit larger in scale compared to the previous places. There was a limo out front, which made us a little nervous that there would be some huge ruckus going on inside, but fortunately that party was kept seperate from the rest of the tasters. We walked right into the tasting bar and were presented with two options- try any 5 wines complimentary or all 11 for $5. Molly, with her determination, pushed through all 11 while the rest of us coordinated to taste as many wines for free! We found the whites more enjoyable than the reds except for one of their newer blends, Ranger Reserve, which is a blend of all five Bordeaux grapes- Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec. We're starting to think Bordeaux blends are the way to go in VA..... We purchased 2 "Picnic Baskets" for $5 each and a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and sat outside to take a break from our marathon tastings.
Our last stop was at Pearmund Cellars. Again some of us had been (and some not) so it was another good place to see what had changed. We arrived around 5:00, one hour before closing and it was packed. Although they were preparing for a wine dinner that evening with Chris Pearmund, the tasting area was still very full. We filled in where we could and looked over the wine list. We all opted for the classic tasting which had a range of Chardonnay, Viognier, some red blends and dessert wine. The tasting staff was friendly but it was clear that they were just volunteers. Most of our questions about grape sourcing, fermentation and production was met with a friendly "You know, I don't know the answer to that." We gave up asking questions and just decided to enjoy what little time we had left on our adventure away from the city.
As fun as our day was and as anxious as we were to get home, we needed to make one more stop. In true FDP fashion we went in search of some good ol' BBQ. Our top choice, Carolina Brothers was not exactly in the same direction we were going so we went with Virginia BBQ Company in Manassas. We had to drive through a few strip malls and neighborhoods with houses that all look exactly the same, but when we arrived all we could focus on was greasy food to soak up our wine (oh and the fluorescent light up pig that they had in their window that would have made the perfect logo for us). Inside was simply decorated with red and white and we were greeted by the friendly staff who recommended everything on the menu. We put our heads together and figured out a way to maneuver our combo plates so that we tried every side dish possible. We each got a different BBQ sandwich (North Carolina Pork, BBQ Chix, "Original VA BBQ") and a choice of 2 sides and a drink for about $7.95. Sides included Mac and Cheese, Coleslaw, Hush puppies, Fries, whipped potatoes, green beans, and baked beans. They all were quite enjoyable, but the beans and hush puppies were some favorites. The sandwiches were good, but not great. Plenty of meat but the meat was a little dry. Overall it satisfied our hunger and we gave it 2 1/2 oinks, (the extra 1/2 was for the friendly service).
Our first FDP field trip was a huge success and will be looking to do more. In the meantime our next meal is T.B.A. and is contigent on Melissa who will be celebrating her 30th (our 3rd member this year!)
