Veramar Vineyards and Twin Oaks Tavern Winery

After a number of rainy days in a row, we were fortunate enough to have some lovely weather to enjoy two unique vineyards.

We had the good fortune of having the need to “kill some time” in the Winchester area the afternoon of July 7.  As you might imagine, we immediately began scanning our handy Virginia wineries map to plan out of afternoon.  We immediately noticed that Veramar Vineyard was located just off of Rt 7 about 15 minutes east of Winchester and that Twin Oaks Tavern Winery was also nearby if we had time to visit two.

We knew we were in for a great afternoon as there is no such thing as a bad time wine tasting.  However, it turns out that we were in for an afternoon at two extraordinary wineries that rank amount our favorite.

Veramar Vineyard

Veramar Vineyard boasts a beautiful setting with views of a small pond, farm fields, vineyards, and the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains.  There are ample exterior chairs with ample trees and umbrellas to provide much needed shad on a hot summer day.  The spacious grounds allow the visitor to select a table near the tasting room or at a significant distance of other groups.  The tasting rooms itself is spacious and was manned by two very knowledgeable and friendly employees.

The wine quality at Veramar was outstanding.  It definitely ranks in the top two or three Virginia

Little personal tidbits are always interesting at vineyards. Here the crest of Veramar Vineyards represents the following 4 things about the family that owns the vineyard: 5 crowns for 5 people, a rooster which represents ‘prosperity’, grapes for the vineyard and a cross for their religious convictions. A pretty nice touch, if you ask me!

wineries that we have visited in terms of overall quality.  All of the wines were good and most were excellent.  Overall, the whites were better than the reds, but the “Rooster Red” is their best seller (and is what I chose to enjoy on the patio after our tasting).

• Chardonnay – Fruity with just enough butter.  Great wine best enjoyed with food.
• Seyval Blanc – This semi-sweet wine is crisp and clean and great for enjoying on a hot summer day.  The only flaw is a slightly unbalanced finish.  Definitely a good wine, but was the weakest that Veramar has to offer.
• Pink Chicken Rose’ – This Rose’ was made from the Syrah grape and is darker than most Rose’s that we have enjoyed.  It was very fruity and had  a distinct and strong odor of strawberry.  A very good wine!
• Riesling – This is an excellent example of a Virginia Riesling that rivals the finger lake area of New York for quality.
• Mourvedre – This red varietal is typically used for blending and is rarely used by itself.  In a word, spicy!  This wine had very distinct pepper notes and is very interesting.
• Cab Franc – A spicy, fruity wine with definite notes of cherry.  A very solid red!
• Rooster Red – This red was extremely well balanced and was very complex.  A red that can be enjoyed either by itself or with food.  Highly recommended!
• D’Ora – At 6.5% sugar, this is Veramar’s dessert wine.  I’m not a fan of dessert wines, but this one was better than most.  Minnie thoroughly enjoyed her (and most of my) tasting.

We highly recommend visiting Veramar Vineyards the next time you are in the Winchester/Berryville area.  The wines, service, and atmosphere are all excellent!

Veramar has a nice patio and beautiful grounds at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition to the mountains, the vineyard and a pond also add to the scenery.

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery

Twin Oaks Tavern is one of the most unique settings we have been to on our vineyard visits.

This winery is a replica of an old English tavern and is located immediately next door to a 1920’s era tavern that has been converted into a residence.  It is located just off Rt 7 on top of the mountain between Clarke County and Loundoun County.  The views are extraordinary and the architecture is really, really cool.  We were running out of time, so we each elected to enjoy a glass of Chardonnay and enjoy the view in lieu of a tasting.

Although I did not get a good picture, I wanted to post the motto from the inside of the tavern. This window overlooked the vineyard below, the mountain in the distance….and the town of Winchester beyond. It read, “Top of the Mountain to you!”

The Chardonnay was somewhat weak and watery.  It seemed like the heavy notes of butter were being used to mask a somewhat weak wine.  However, it was definitely drinkable and was more than made up for by the awesome views.

This vineyard is an absolutely fabulous place to enjoy a beautiful view of the northern Shenandoah Valley while enjoying a glass of wine.  I highly recommend that you visit this vineyard when you are in the area.  We’ll definitely be returning in order to conduct a full tasting.

*****Note:  This entire blog was authored by Mickey….with Minnie providing the captions for the pictures.

Top of the Mountain to you indeed!

The grounds and views of Twin Oaks Tavern are simply breathtaking.

Vine to Wine 5K at Barren Ridge

Vine to Wine at Barren Ridge 2013

For the past few years, a company called Corkscrew Racing has paired with Barren Ridge Vineyard to put on two unique events a year.  Essentially they are the same event:  a 5K beginning and ending at the vineyard, followed by a group picnic, live music, and glorious sunsets.  In the fall it is referred to as the Autumn Toast and in the early summer, it goes by the name of Vine to Wine.    We have tried to hit the event as many times as we can over the years, and have been successful now four times.

The races starts and finishes in the vines!

A few of our running buddies before the race.

Both Mickey and I have come into the sport of running a little later in life….actually let me qualify that….Mickey is a runner, and I am a jogger.   And while we both run/jog mostly for fitness and fellowship, it is always fun to enter a race from time to time.  Over the past few years, we have done a number of 5K’s…..a few half marathons, and one full Marathon in the spring of 2012.   The thing I love most about races (other than the t-shirt you get from participation) is the vibe from the running community.  Runners tend to be so supportive and fun and energetic; and being in a big group of these people is always so enjoyable, and inspiring.  So, when the race is held at a vineyard, all of that good fun is magnified.  Because people at vineyards are also so friendly and fun and interesting.  So, needless to say, the corkscrew events are always a blast.

Our stemless wine glass with the imprinted race logo.

Because we have quite a number of other events to compare the Barren Ridge 5K’s to, I can report that it is top notch.  Even this year with close to 500 runners, it has all the benefits of a small race, but it is high quality.  We always get a great technical shirt, which is gender specific.  We have never received one of those, except for at a women’s themed event.  And, we always get a nice wine glass with a nice logo of the race.  This year, the glass was stemless, and they are quite nifty!   The only downside to the Barren Ridge runs is that they always seem so hot!!!!  And because the course is pretty challenging (rolling hills!), that combination leads me to say that the  Vine to Wine 5K is the hardest 5K we have ever done.  And really, that is actually a good thing.

Not a bad view for our picnic after the race.

We staked out a good spot for the post race festivities!

For the post race festivities,  pre-order meals can be obtained from the local McAllisters, or bring your own picnic to enjoy on the Vineyard grounds.  There is live music and a enjoyable atmosphere.  Barren Ridge offers free wine tasting (as part of the race entry), and of course their wine is available for purchase.  It is a family friendly event, and this year, we brought Billy and JJ for the first time.  They played frisbee and football with friends, and we enjoyed having them there to experience the fun.  They are even considering running next year!  And finally, there are wonderful dogs at the event…..including the best wine dog I know, Barren Ridge’s very own Rascal!

Rascal the Barren Ridge Wine Dog holding down the fort!

Besides Rascal, Barren Ridge is famous for the sunsets of their porch, and the night of the Vine to Wine, the sunset did not disappoint at all: