a fanciful day at zephaniah farm vineyard

On a government form that vineyard owners must complete, it asks for the "fanciful name" of your wine, explained Bonnie, owner of Zephaniah Farm Vineyards and wife to the winemaker, as she poured our group a taste of the Three Captains Red.

The fanciful name has a family history: three of the men in the family-owned vineyard have been Captains. Then again, everything at Zephaniah is all in the family. From the family members who help with harvesting to the ones who pour tastings, running the tasting room and vineyard at Zephaniah Farm is a family affair.

Zan and I convinced our friends (and my colleagues) Jess and Staley - and Staley's husband Brian, to come out to a few Leesburg wineries with us this past Saturday to celebrate Jess's birthday. Our first stop was Zephaniah, a new to us winery, and one that we'll be frequenting. It was Jess's first time wine tasting, and Zephaniah might have ruined her. I think it ruined us all!

In addition to the family feeling that made us feel so welcomed, the tasting room is housed in Bonnie and Bill's home (her husband), a house to which she recently found a deed tucked away in a corner drawer from 1818. Bill grew up in the home, and as we all picnicked outside in the garden, a loft barn and vines in our periphery, we wondered aloud, how incredible to grow up here?

The old house is stunning. The owners live upstairs and have converted the entire downstairs into tasting areas. Instead of a typical tasting 'bar,' every single wine tasting is seated - in the library, a former guest room converted into a dining area, or in the larger living room. We were seated in the dining room, a private table that seats 7-8, filled only with our five seats.

The tasting is unlike any other I've experienced. Bonnie started off by saying that she would not be describing the wines for us, and no sense in reading the tasting sheet - leading tasting notes weren't there, either. In her natural, good-natured way, she noted that even she and her husband have vastly different palates, so how could they possibly agree on what notes and flavors are present in each wine? At Zephaniah, they encourage each guest to define the wine themselves, to savor each and pick out what scents are on the nose and tastes are on the body for themselves. We had a great time doing this, and in the process I realized how heavily I rely on written and verbal descriptions to encourage me to smell and taste what I do. In the six-wine tasting, I learned to trust my palate more than in all the wineries I've been to before.

And the wines... are spectacular. All five of us enjoyed nearly every single one, with a few clear-cut winners at our table. The 2012 Rose, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Chambourcin, and made in the classic French style, is dry and crisp, with a hint of oak and enough body to hold up on its own or with food. We also collectively loved the 2010 Cabernet Franc, a perfect summer red that Bonnie suggested pairing with sauteed portobello mushrooms. (In fact, she mentioned at least 3 wonderful food pairings that had us all salivating and hoping for an invitation to dinner!)

Finally, we all somewhat surprisingly loved their Sangria. This sangria isn't your typical fruit-flooded, sweet concoction. This sangria is made with the Three Captains Red blend and tastes like wine. It's a wonderful, deep red sangria that's only made fruity with citrus. Bobbie and Bill created the sangria when their son "married into a beer family." They needed a middle ground for the two parties at the wedding, which was held on the property.

Going out on a blind limb, Zander and I purchased a bottle of their 2012 Viognier. It wasn't available for tasting because there are only 3 cases left. Bonnie described it as dry and gave me a thumbs up that convinced me I have to try it. When we open it, I'll let y'all know how it is. I have a feeling I'll be running back to get more before those 3 cases are gone.

Speaking of food pairings and Viognier, Bonnie suggesting sauteeing shiitake mushrooms with olive oil and viognier and serving it over basmati rice. I'm not sure I will let any of this bottle go into that pan, but doesn't that sound divine?

We were so enamored of the wines, the relaxing experience, the property, and Bonnie and Bill themselves, that Zan and I asked if they have a wine club.

"No," Bonnie said, smiling at us. "I feel like I'm pouring wine and having fun, not trying to sell." 

a day of virginia wine with ellie

Ellie came to visit about a month ago. On paper, she came so we could see the Veronica Mars movie together on opening night. As loyal marshmallows, seeing it together and on opening night was the only possible option (if that made zero sense, can I recommend an Easter weekend spent binge-watching the series on Amazon Prime?). Her visit was perfectly timed for other reasons, too. She was here the night that I found out I got the Rangel Fellowship. Let me tell you, that girl can scream. We were in the packed movie theater on Friday night, around 10:15pm, waiting for the movie to start, discussing whether to get a small or a large popcorn to share (priorities). Ellie went to grab the popcorn and a soda while I had the job of holding our seats (a very serious job, no doubt). I opened the email and saw the "congratulations" in the subject line, and my entire brain turned to mush. I jumped up out of my seat on autopilot, and like 20 rows below me, walking towards the exit, Ellie started waving her arms and motioning for me to sit back down (i mean, this theater was seriously packed, and we had prime seats we did not want to lose!). I couldn't form a real sentence to try to tell her what was going on. I just kept saying, like a broken record, "I gotta go!" And Ellie read right through me and she just knew. So she started jumping up and down, and screaming. No, really. Screaming at the top of her lungs "congratulations!" and "holy shit you got rangel!" and so we met in the middle and hugged and jumped up and down together. (Mid-hug, she got the attention of our seat neighbors... i mean the whole theater was watching us anyway, so it wasn't hard, and asked them to save our seats. she is a very good friend and just as good a multitasker!)

In addition to seeing the movie (amazing) and having one of my closest girlfriends there to celebrate with me, we also used the weekend as an excuse to do something we never did while we lived together in this fine city: get out of the town and out to some vineyards. It was Ellie's first time at Virginia wineries, and we picked some winners.

We started at Hiddencroft Vineyards, where the dessert wines surprised the heck out of me by being so similar to ice-wine that I had to ask if they somehow use similar techniques (it's not nearly cold enough in Virginia to do so, but our tasting guide said that many are, in fact, processed in a similar style as ice-wine!). In my opinion, the dessert wine is what they do best. That and the views. They're situated on a whole lot of land off a literally beaten path... we drove down a gravel and dirt road for miles and even called to make sure we were heading in the right direction. There's a small creek and a ramshackle old barn that begs for exploration and adventuring, which is exactly what Ellie and I did, wine glasses in hand.

Next, we ventured over to Doukenie, a popular northern Virginia winery that we were excited to finally try. The most impressive parts of the winery were the scenery (including a beautiful lake) and the man who did our tasting. He was hilarious - sardonic and dry and, ultimately, very friendly. The wines were lacking. He did everything he could to help us find some we enjoyed, even allowing us to taste some reserve wines. There was one red (a 2010 Merlot) that captured our attention. Overall, this winery is a "miss" for me. Skip it and head to...

North Gate Vineyard! Oh my. This is my kind of winery. It's small, green, and the emphasis is truly on producing quality wines. We enjoyed everything we tasted. The dry Rose and the Petit Verdot (2011) were the standouts. We stopped in at the end of the day, less than an hour before they were closing. The winemarker's birthday was that day, and the staff brought out a cake, and everyone still there (including us) sang and wished him a happy one. It has that feeling - of being welcomed, home, comfort, warmth. It was the clear winner of the day, and we'll be back.

And that is how Ellie and I do a weekend reunited. 

i'd rather be at marterella winery | virginia

I told them it looked like a country club when we pulled up. Zander asked if I'd ever seen a country club, and Matt asked me, too, and Ryan, well, I think he'd gone off to have a smoke, but he probably would have concurred with the others. "Because," Matt finished for Zander. "This looks nothing like a country club."

I tried to keep explaining what I meant, in that rambling way I do sometimes - when I have a point and it's buried somewhere, but I can't find the words to spit it on out. For a writer, it's a real problem to have. I said that it was the manicured lawns that made me think that, and didn't they agree? Had they ever seen a lawn so well-manicured that wasn't at a country club?

They looked at each other and back at me and shrugged and left me standing in the vines, lost in my thoughts. The sun was doing that thing where it shined so bright it put a haze on every picture, and I kept taking them anyway because it's one of my favorite filters. And I thought more about this country club conundrum.

I thought of my lawn at 465 Freestone Drive, my childhood house, the home I had from years 6-21, the address that I put as "permanent" when my school address and internship addresses were nothing but fleeting. That lawn was always messy, and it was always a toss-up who would mow it, about two weeks after it first needed to be mowed. My mom on the riding lawn mower, her big, thick, curly hair going everywhere and a smile that is bigger than everything in life playing on her face - it's so funny that she fought mowing because I think she lived for the power of that motor under her control. My brother with a standing mower when the riding one broke down, headphones in his ears, and hair longer than the trendiest cut. And when the headphones weren't in, his best friend Andy sometimes walked along beside him, and they had conversations over the sound of the mower, and I don't know how they did that, but they circled the yard like that, talking the lawn into neat rows, sweat dripping from their foreheads to the blades below them, growing them again.

I've always liked things a little messy and a little un-put together. I used to ask my mom when she would worry and get anxious over new people or family coming over to 465 for dinner, "Why does it need to be clean? This looks like it's lived in. Isn't that better?"

I laughed myself out of my thoughts - and have you ever done that, think so hard and get lost so hard in another place and another date, and you laugh like you're back there in that moment, and then you're in the present, standing in a row of vines in front of a well-manicured lawn laughing? I must have looked crazy, but I didn't bother to see who noticed.

I walked into the tasting room, where the guys had glasses and a fourth was sitting for me. An '80s punk rocker congenially welcomed me and asked all our names, and she became our friend for a half hour. Her outfit was a Halloween costume, and the rest of the staff was dressed up, too. The owner came by and personally said hello. And the winery there at Marterella is situated on well-manicured grounds, but it's in an old house with live music played just a little too loud and tastings are poured from a functioning kitchen not unlike the one at 465, and it's small and personable and produces a modest number of cases of wonderful reds, and it feels lived in and homey, and that is better than perfectly put-together.

We sat outside with cheese and sausage and big glasses of Merlot in that hazy bright sunshine, and a golden retriever fetched us a ball. Later, the guys jokingly asked if I wanted to see pictures of a real country club.

I never live these things down.

if you go...

Marterella Winery

off rt 15 (from 66) in Warrenton, after Manasses and before Sperryville

red & white tasting flight: $15

my wine picks: Sangiovese, Merlot

miniature horses and sangria at aspen dale winery | virginia

As I was uploading photos for this post, an odd memory came back to me. It was one of those memories that flashes by and then is gone, and you have to go searching for it in the twists and turns and ridges in your brain. The most I can make of it is the distinct memory of a small round horse riding arena, the smell of dung and hay and that absolutely unique scent of horse that's a mixture of the outdoors and fresh air and wildness. I remember riding the horses, trotting around the arena slowly, getting used to the saddle beneath me and wishing I were riding bareback. I mean it with as little euphemism as possible when I say I've always been the sort of woman who prefers riding bareback.

What I can't remember is exactly where I was or with what friend. I can pull from the annals of time that I had this friend for a short time, and maybe we weren't so close, and I can see her mom carrying a baby out of an old house with peeling wood, and my mom went in after her to stay for a while and say hello. The friend's name might have been Katie, but I can't be positive.

I've ridden other horses over the years and found always that I'd prefer no saddle and that I'm quite possibly allergic to the animals, and that there's a fearlessness and wild abandon in me that gets the horse, but also that I find riding kind of boring, if truth be told. Most of the times I have ridden have been on trails that I'd rather be hiking. But they're beautiful animals, that for some strange reason are always the cause of excitement when people see them.

Have you ever noticed that? From the horse-drawn carriages in Central Park to officers patrolling on horseback to actually visiting a stable, people get very excited to see horses. I think it's a combination of the paradox of their large size and typically gentle nature and their romanticized role in America's entire history. Really, the only thing more exciting than seeing a full grown horse is seeing a miniature one. 

There are a lot of horses and a few miniature horses at Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn, another stunning, rustic Virginia winery that I'd like to call home. On the same gray day that Zander and I visited Linden Vineyards, where we met vintner Jim Law, we also visited Aspen Dale, known for its hominess, coziness, and barn animals.

Walking into Aspen Dale, my gaze immediately turned upward to the loft situated above the main floor, accessed by a spiral staircase. The very thought of a loft makes me crave thick socks, a long novel, and a steaming mug. In a winery, the association of comfort persists but with a touch of romance, intimacy, and lingering conversations.

When I finally pulled myself away from the loft, I saddled up to the tasting bar. We were handed our glasses and a plate each of small tasting bites. I love when wineries do standard wine tastings with food pairings (it also happens at Fabbiolo Cellars). It's a particularly smart choice for Aspen Dale, where I think the food makes the wines shine a little brighter than they would on their own.

We tasted six wines, with a few there were notable. In particular, the 2009 Rockawalkin' is a dry, earthy, peppery Cabernet Sauvignon that was okay on its own but came alive paired with dark chocolate. When I hear "dessert wine" I cringe, and Aspen Dale changed my preconceived notions with this one. Typically, dessert wines are sweet - like ports, some reislings, and ice wine - but a dry red with the right earth tones pulls out the bitterness and seductiveness of a piece of dark chocolate. I wanted to drink this wine and indulge in chocolate covered cherries or strawberries late into the night.

My other favorite was completely unexpected - Sangria! I've never seen bottled Sangria at a winery, but you know what? It works for them. It's also delicious. The tasting staff openly admitted to us that it was from a rough harvest, and they experimented with it, coming up with a top-secret recipe. They started offering it to customers, and it took off. It's selling like crazy. It reinforced the wine truth that the whole business of tasting and drinking and enjoying wine is individual and subjective. If you like it, go for it.

So I did. I bought a bottle that I can't wait to open.

They're so smart with their food pairings, too, that when Zan  and I ordered a glass each to enjoy on the grounds, we also ordered a food plate with more of what we sampled.

While sipping my wine, I wandered around the extensive grounds that lead back to a functioning barn. I was the only one milling around the wet grass on the gray day, and I liked it like that. It was just me and the horses. I was quickly enamored with the view - fog settled in over the mountains in the distance in one direction, and vines stretching endlessly in another.

The miniature horses of course stole my heart. I joked that I had met Li'l Sebastian from Parks and Recreation.

Aspen Dale Winery is the kind of place I want to settle into, a glass of wine in one hand, listening to the crackle of flames in the fireplace, a live guitar player singing the blues, knowing there's a bit of wild right outside the back door. That's the kind of memory I can hold onto.

if you go...

Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn 

located off rt-66 in delaplane, virginia

tasting with food pairing: $8 (with glass $10.50)

if you plan to go with a group of 8 or more, make a reservation by emailing reservations@aspendalewinery.com

tasting the best of virginia wine at linden vineyards

The hours between a rain storm and before the sun shines again, when the temperature hovers around chilly and the grass is a little greener and the fluttering fall leaves are a little more pronounced in their new colorful shades, has become my favorite time to go wine tasting. A gray day pairs perfectly with a glass of wine, I've found.

A week or two ago when it rained for four days straight in DC, a cloudy Saturday felt like a respite and an opportunity to trade the couch for a trip out to wine country in Virginia. We headed to Delaplane, Virginia, barely more than an hour from DC, and home to a handful of great wineries that we hadn't been to yet.

We navigated the winding gravel drive to Linden Vineyards first, mountains behind us cloaked in fog. The vines angle upward along steep hills, and we'd come to later learn from Jim Law, winemaker, that for certain grapes, it aids in the process.

The winery is housed in a beautiful old barn, refurbished and renovated for modern necessities, while maintaining much of its rustic charm. The view looks out over the vines and mountains and a pond alongside a stunning Weeping Willow tree. The tasting room is open to the public, but the vineyard's deck and lounge are reserved for wine club members; a true perk of joining but a disappointment to many who would stay and purchase a glass or drink a bottle, if they could.

There are two tasting options: the standard with five of their wines and a cellar tasting, featuring reserves. We opted for the introductory tasting but were generously offered tastings of many reserves, as well as industry discounts on bottles we purchased. In total we tried nine wines, and we quickly realized why Linden is recognized as being one of the top-notch Virginia wineries. Complex, deep, aged wines delighted us from start to finish.

Linden's wines are made in an old world style, many exhibiting notes of minerality, earth tones, and acidity. The 2010 single-varietal Petit Verdot captured our attention with blackberry and herbal notes and a medium tannin finish. It's a rustic, mildly spicy wine that would be perfect right alongside turkey and greens on a Thanksgiving table.

My other favorite standouts are the 2009 Hardscrabble, a 64% Cabernet Sauvignon blend that's still considered young. We bought this bottle and plan to age it for the next 5 years or so. And the 2012 Rose is light and fruity on the nose with spicy undertones, and so very dry. I'd love to wait to open it until the first warm days next year, but I don't think I can wait long.

Jim Law walked into the winery in the middle of our tasting, clad in mud-and-rain covered boots straight from the vineyards, where he was busy managing and working this year's harvest. He took the time to talk to Zander and me about grape-picking, and vines that have done well this year and ones that haven't (it has been a wet year). He has been interviewed and profiled numerous times, and his talent is first-rate. He's a vintner in the truest sense, his mind and craft focused on terroir and the science of growing grapes.

Linden was kind enough to allow us to enjoy the perks of being a member for the day, and we sat and chatted and drank wine in their lounge, watching Law and other harvesters move from row to row and vine to vine picking grapes that will undoubtedly turn into some of the best wine in Virginia.

if you go...

Linden Vineyards

located off rt. 66 near delaplane, virginia

tasting fee: $5 standard; $20 cellar

read more about Linden & Jim Law in Forbes

willowcroft farm vineyards | virginia wineries

On a rainy, unseasonably cool Saturday a few weeks ago, Zander and I braved the wet roads to drive out to Leesburg, Virginia to taste wine (what else?!). Our first and only planned winery visit was at Willowcroft Farm Vineyards. I'd heard about a spicy food and wine pairing at the vineyard, and RSVP'd right away. For a minimal fee - less than $20/person, we tasted six of Willowcroft's wines and the same amount of bites. We went in knowing a fair amount about pairing wine with spicy food, as we're of the mindset that spicier is always better in our every day lives, but the pairing was insightful and enjoyable, nonetheless.

A basic rule of thumb: wines with small amounts of residual sugar (sweeter wines) help offset the spiciness of a dish. White wines and blends like an off-dry Reisling or Rosé pair incredibly well with dishes like Thai drunken noodles and spicy Asian dishes, in general. Our tasting progressively increased in heat and sweetness. Typically, I stick exclusively to dry wines, so for me it provided an opportunity to appreciate the sweeter side of wine life. 

After the pairing, we migrated one room over to Willowcroft's tasting room to try the wines we hadn't already. The tasting flight is so extensive there are a few options for tasting, including picking and choosing what you'd like to try. We discovered a handful of wines that we truly enjoyed, including a nice summer sipper - the Seyval, and left with several bottles. 

Willowcroft produces quality wines, but the real reasons to visit this winery are the events and the small touches. The winery offers food and wine pairings nearly every weekend - including s'mores in September! But what I loved most is the homey feeling at Willowcroft. We arrived right as it was opening, and a few employees were sweeping the old wooden barn floors and made us feel more like family than customers. 

Willowcroft is the kind of Virginia winery that has accolades and awards to its name, but is so down to earth and proud of its roots, that you might not even know it. I could sit with a glass of wine in the barn loft-turned-rustic-lounge and forget what time it is for a while. 

if you go...

willowcroft farm vineyards

check out the upcoming events 

tasting fee: $10 for 10 wines

gadino cellars is an italian family affair | virginia wineries

Gadino Cellars sits on an assuming gravel road near a school and a smattering of personal homes. The first view of the cellars is of an attached garage. There's a car parked in it and an assortment of the kinds of tools and household items that are commonplace in any suburban home garage. The gravel road veered to the right as we neared the garage, and a small parking area opened up in front of us. As Zander navigated into a spot, an unexpected sight came into focus: the soft curves of the Blue Ridge Mountains framed a baby blue sky so clear I thought I might be able to see into the clouds themselves. Grape vines stretched for acres back to a wooded forest, and a well-manicured lawn led the way to the front doors of Gadino Cellars - a family-run, local Washington, Virginia winery that doesn't show its entire hand at once.

Married couple Derek and Stephanie - who goes by Steph - own Gadino Cellars, but running the winery is a whole family affair. Steph brings the Italian influence to Gadino, a family name. Bill Gadino and Aleta Saccuta Gadino developed an interest in wine as children, when their Italian grandparents instilled in them the cultural tradition of home wine-making for family events. With extraordinary foresight, Bill bought 15 acres of land in Rappahannock County, Virginia, an area he believed would one day emerge as a leader in the Virginia wine industry. He began planting grape vines in 1990, bestowing some of the Gadino vines the superlative of oldest vines in Virginia. Bill and Aleta founded Gadino Cellars in 2004 and passed on the torch to Derek and Stephanie when they showed an interest in continuing the family business.

When I tweeted that I planned to stop by Gadino for a tasting last Friday, Derek quickly responded, introducing himself and welcoming my visit. In the tasting room, Zander and I were greeted by a variety of unique, hanging flags depicting medieval Italian coats of arms. A wooden "amore" sign adorns a fireplace in the corner, and a long, arcing bar invites visitors to step closer. Derek and Steph greeted us warmly, told us the family story, and made us feel right at home.

Finally, we got serious about the main purpose for our visit: the wines. Steph takes charge of the tasting flights, and her current picks are perfect for the summer: they range from crisp, light, and refreshing, to medium-bodied reds promising robust, nuanced futures with age. Here's what's on the current flight:

• 2011 Chardonnay: a complex, full-bodied Chardonnay aged in oak. It's not buttery or overly oak-flavored; citrus flavors dance on the palette, and the finish is creamy. 
• 2012 Luminoso: An off-dry Petit Mensang and Vidal Blanc blend with 1% residual sugar. This would pair well with spicy dishes. Zander enjoyed it.
• 2011 Sunset: dubbed a "picnic style wine," it's a total patio pounder with 2% residual sugar. It enjoys fangirl status. 
• 2011 Moonrise: A rosé style wine with very little residual sugar- this is my kind summer wine. It's dry with strong aromas of strawberry. 
• 2011 Cabernet Franc Riserva: Cab Franc is a popular varietal grown in Virginia, but it occasionally is too full-bodied or pepper-heavy for my taste. Gadino's version is medium-bodied with notes of blackberries and a soft peppery finish. It's a "mouth-dry" wine with tannins, and it's a red I'd drink with or without food. 
• 2010 Nebbiolo: The star of the show, this Italian varietal boasts cherry on the nose and is dying to be aged. At $33 a bottle, it's Gadino's most expensive offering on the flight, but it's well worth buying one... or an entire case and opening it in a few years. 
• 2010 Imagine: Things are all in the family at Gadino, including this wine, named to celebrate the family's first grandchild's young imagination. It's the sweetest wine of the bunch with an oak finish. As Steph suggested, it would pair well with a dark chocolate-covered strawberry but isn't quite a dessert wine. 
• 2011 Viognier: Not on the flight, Gadino's first-prize winning Viognier is what drinking wine is all about. It is crisp, dry, full of tropical flavors on the palace, and has a slightly spicy finish. I go nuts for a dry Viognier, and this is the best I've ever had. 

It seems like every time Zander and I visit a new winery lately, it jumps to the top of our "we have to get back there again soon" list, but this one - really, really we will be back soon. The family behind Gadino Cellars knows wine and loves it, and it shows in every single inch of this stunning, made-with-love winery. 

if you go...

Gadino Cellars  

tasting: $6/person, including signature wine glass

2 regulation sized bocce courts are open for guest enjoyment

the tasting room and entire winery is dog-friendly, but keep your Theo on a leash

wine list with descriptions

 connect with Gadino on twitter like i did

the barns at hamilton station vineyards | virginia wineries

The story behind The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards is enough to fuel the imagination of any dreamer. The story, as I heard it, goes something like this... A girl and a boy were childhood best friends. They grew up and found and married the loves of their lives. Both couples had kids and stayed close through the years. As they neared that age where retirement feels closer than it is farther away, they started talking about was next. As dinner drew to a close one evening, and another glass of wine was poured all around, the two couples talked about what it might look like to open a winery. (I've had that conversation, haven't we all?) Their nightcap conversation turned serious in the many days and months and years to come, and eventually, they went through with it. Together, the two couples purchased a 103-year-old dairy farm in Hamilton, Virginia and converted it to a vineyard and winery. They recruited their kids to help clean the place, tear down what was too old and restore what was beautiful and well-kept.

One of the owners' daughters, now in college, told Zander and me the story as she poured our tasting. We were so hooked we kept forgetting to taste the next wine (most of which were notable). The historic barn-turned-winery captured my imagination last weekend, and it still has it held captive now.

I love the idea of the stories a barn holds - the memories of generations of kids jumping from a loft into bales of hay, screaming with delight and fear the whole way down, and the intimate connection between humans and animals and nature. I like the idea of this particular old farm and barn and its stories joining forces with two couples with a powerful story of their own.

The owners kept the original wood floors - re-purposing them in some places and leaving them as is, in others. The tasting room sits on the first floor and showcases exposed wooden beams and natural light. Once upon a time, the basement housed milking cows, and while you might not know that right away, it's not hard to imagine. The floors have barely been touched, and the smell of hay and milk and land still permeates the whole place, if you close your eyes and breathe in deeply.

The owners have kept the integrity of the farm structure and its aesthetic and historical appeal in tact while re-imagining a modern, solvent life for it. Fortunately for all of us, that new breath of life involves award-winning Viognier and tables with a view.

if you go...

the barns at hamilton station vineyards

tasting fee: $7

45 minutes from DC

the most photographed spot in the winery is the pinterest-inspired rakes as wine-glass holders