Vineyards and a Bachlorette

My friends Shannon and Doyle are getting married later this month in Santa Barbara, and  our girlfriends celebrated Shannon by hosting a bachelorette party in her honor. I have quite a few friends who are recently engaged, and it's a great to excuse to plan a party or host a trip to the nearby Virginia vineyards. 

We spent the day tasting lots of wine (some good, some not so good!) and just generally having a great time. We were blessed with sunshine and warm weather, although we did encounter a downpour on our way to dinner. 

A Day in Wine Country

Living in Washington, DC, means that I'm just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Virginia wine country, ranked in the top 10 wine destinations by Wine Enthusiast. I've lived here for more than six years but have never been to the Virginia vineyards, so I was excited that a group of us gals planned a day in wine country. October is Virginia Wine Month, so our timing was perfect.

Our first stop was at the Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, VA, where we tasted nine wines ranging from a Pinot Gris to a Cuvee Blanc to a Tannat. The Viognier, the state grape of Virginia, was my favorite by far; we learned that it's the "red wine drinker's white," which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. My other two favorites were both reds--the Cabernet Franc and the Norton, the native American grape. We each grabbed a glass of wine and walked the grounds, which were beautiful. 

Our second stop was Chrysalis Vineyards just outside of Middleburg, VA. Our visit coincided with the 12th Annual Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival, and by this time the clouds had mostly departed so it was a bit livelier and much more crowded than our first stop. We tried a variety of reds and whites, and again I enjoyed the Viognier the most, followed by Sarah's Patio Red (made with the Norton) and surprisingly, the sweeter Patio White. 

A Day at Blandy Farm

Did you know that the Commonwealth of Virginia has a state arboretum?  The Virginia State Arboretum, which occupies a small portion of Blandy Farm, is located in Boyce, Virginia, a little over an hour outside of DC.  I volunteered with some fellow Tenfold Forty members at the Arboretum on Saturday and had a great time.  Although I lost my way on the drive out (I ended up an hour outside of DC and an hour from Blandy Farm!), it was a beautiful day for a drive.  I loved driving through parts of Virginia that I'd never visited before, like Middleburg, the Shenandoah Valley, and an assortment of farms and vineyards.

Our particular project was helping children, and some adults, make scarecrows during the Arboretum's bi-annual ArborFest.  The kids were so excited to make their scarecrows, and one particular rambunctious little boy, Eli, will not be forgotten; his grandfather, known as "Popcorn Poppy Pop," helped him make Scary the Scarecrow, who was about twice the size of Eli.  I took plenty of pictures but I accidentally deleted them and could only recover a few; I'm so mad but at least I was able to save some of them.  It was a sunny and warm autumn day and I'm glad that I had the chance to help these children enjoy the season!