This is the third in a weekly series of articles on road trips within reasonable reach of the University.
A Drinking Song
Wine comes in at the mouth
And love comes in at the eye;
That's all we shall know for truth
Before we grow old and die.
I lift the glass to my mouth,
I look at you, and I sigh.
--W.B. Yeats
For Yeats, it was all about love and wine. They are two things to savor, two things that intoxicate, two things to consume carefully. And while no trip I can describe can put you on any reliable road to love, I certainly can tell you where to find good wine.
With over 1,500 acres of grapes on 59 vineyards, there's no shortage of the stuff in Virginia, and the Charlottesville area is no exception.
For this adventure, I traveled with three trusty companions to White Hall and Autumn Hill Vineyards, both located northwest of the University with a drive of less than an hour.
The day started gorgeously; the sun stretched out over the mountains and few clouds stained the sky. It was a perfect day for driving. Because this excursion combined wine and driving, the first goal of the trip was simple: to eat. Drinking on an empty stomach is never wise, and it certainly isn't if driving is part of the plan. So we pulled into nearby Crozet (250 west to Route 240) and ate at the Crozet Snack Corner, a "White Spot" of a restaurant nestled into a short row of shops. The Snack Corner, which has been in business for 27 years, is open every day but Sunday. The eatery has a drugstore-type counter and down-home cooking that is bound to please. The restaurant is old-fashioned and unapologetic, as the "Smoking Permitted" sign suggests.
But though the grilled cheese and chocolate milkshake are pretty good, they're just not the nectar of the gods.
White Hall Vineyards is just outside of Crozet down Route 810. The drive to the winery is stunning. Scenery like this is hard to imagine, but heading up the mountain to White Hall, it spreads before you like landscape you've seen in pictures but never personally visited. Go there. The drive to White Hall, which is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is only 13 miles, and it's worth every minute.
Tours of the vineyards themselves are best experienced later in the season -- when the grapes actually are growing -- but that doesn't mean that visiting White Hall now is a bad idea. Tastings at the winery are free and delectable. Enter the vineyard's main building and venture over to the tasting table for a fine array of wines.
Even for the tasting novice -- which I certainly was -- wine tasting is an enjoyable time. The pourers at White Hall are polite and will answer any question you may have. Additionally, a brochure published by the Virginia Wine Marketing Program, which can be obtained at most wineries or by calling 800-VAVINES, gives plenty of tasting tips. The most important thing to know is a good wine appeals to more than one's sense of taste. Swirl the wine around your glass and take a good look at its texture and color. And be sure to let the aroma of the wine invigorate the olfactory glands. You'll find after several tastings that you usually can tell if you'll enjoy the wine by its smell.
And, at White Hall, chances are you'll enjoy quite a few of them. Especially delicious are the Merlot, a red wine that is rich and ripe, the Gewürztraminer, which boasts a fragrance of rose petals, grapefruit and orange blossoms that sounds funky but tastes amazing, and the Sugar Ridge White, a wonderful white wine.
Be sure to pick up a bottle to take home -- many Virginia wines are hard to come by in the basic grocery store. Harris Teeter, Kroger and even Whole Foods do not carry White Hall wines, so grab a bottle while you can.
The second winery of the day was Autumn Hill, a small, family-owned vineyard in Stanardsville. From White Hall to Autumn Hill, a drive up Route 810 provides spectacular vistas full of farms, mountains and plenty of blue sky. The road eventually will intersect with Route 33, from which you turn right onto Route 633 (Amicus Road) and follow to the end at Route 603 (Bingham Mountain Road). Take a left and keep your eyes peeled -- Autumn Hill is on the left about a mile down the road, but it is easy to miss.
Autumn Hill usually is not open for tasting except for a few weekends when it holds small festivals. This weekend (and the weekend I visited) Autumn Hill holds the 7th Annual Focus on Cheese, during which wine tasting costs $5 and comes with a souvenir glass. But as the title of the event suggests, the focus is on cheese, and the folks at Autumn Hill have plenty for the tasting, with special attention to which cheese best complements each wine.
The festival was an interesting mix: The cheeses were fantastic and the wines, including a delicious Riesling, which mixes floral tastes with spice and green apples, and the outstanding White Cabernet Sauvignon, a fruity blush-style wine, were scrumptious. The festival also included a venture down into the cellar for tasting straight from the barrel. This was especially educational and enjoyable.
One problem, however, was the stark difference between the experienced tasters -- who tended to be a bit snobbish -- and the amateur tasters. What may be hard for the veterans to remember is that wine connoisseurs must begin somewhere, and taking tours is an easy way to start. But that does not make one any less deserving of savoring a good wine. So even if you just are making the jump from Boone's Strawberry Hill, don't be dissuaded from attending festivals such as these. Just make sure to bring your own company.
An important thing to remember about this trip is that drinking is going on, and drinking and driving aren't a good combination. Keep the tasting at just that -- you don't need to guzzle wine in vineyards. It's tacky and simply unwise.
And don't limit yourself to White Hall and Autumn Hill. There are many vineyards in Virginia from which you can choose. Pick up the festival and tour guide circulated by the Virginia Wine Marketing Program and look for a festival that interests you. Wine tasting may seem an exclusive venture, but it's only that way if you remain at home.
Read More
A bite of home at Barbie’s Burrito Barn
By Sophie Guettel | 23 hours agoBarbie’s Burrito Barn is more than just a restaurant — it is a testament to the dreams and hard work of its owner.
The fluffiest Swedish coffee bread
By Finn Trainer | YesterdayWith its semi-sweet flavor and cloud-like texture, this Swedish coffee bread is a calming, delicious treat to enjoy this finals season.
Cleaning out my closet — and my mind
By Julianne Saunders | YesterdayCleaning out my closet has become more than a seasonal comfort — it has also taught me that I should not rely on school or social media for fulfillment and peace.
