Cheers to Valerie Hill Vineyard!

Well, I had really hoped to be writing up a fun review of the Valerie Hill History and Hauntings event today.  Mickey and I have  wanted to do this experience since we first visited Valerie Hill over a year ago.  For on that trip, we fell in love with Valerie Hill.  We first thought the wine was fabulous; and in fact at the time, Mickey declare it the best reds in Virginia!  Check out this post from our archives on our first visit to Valerie Hill….and Mickey’s first facebook post extoling its virtues:

http://virginiavinesandtrails.com/2013/09/03/north-mountain-vineyard-and-winery-and-valerie-hill-vineyard-and-winery/

On that visit in 2013, we learned just enough of the history of the establishment (including the civil war significance and tidbits of the ghost stories) to want to delve deeper into both.  And, we were thrilled to learn a few months later that Valerie Hill started offering an enticing event to do both:  Their History and Hauntings evenings.

Here is a link to find out more about the offering:

http://www.valeriehillwinery.com/historyhauntings.html

Well, being located over an hour away from the vineyard, and with most of the dates of the H&H being offered during the week, which we found hard to fit into our family and work schedules;  we bided our time and planned well in advance to attend.  We were lucky enough to score tickets for a special offering on Valentines Day 2015, which happed to fall on a Saturday night:  a major score for us.  And, we recruited two other couples to join us, regaling them with our expectations of the evening.

Everything went according to plan….until about 20 miles into our trip, when winter squall descended upon us on 81, and the driving conditions went from bad to worse in as short of time as I have ever experienced.  So, we got on route 11, hoping the change of scenery would help our pursuits.  It got worse.  We tried a back road, hoping for less traffic as a hindrance.  It got worse.  And finally, we had to call Valerie Hill and tell them we would not make it that evening, unfortunately.  And you know what they did……just about 15 minutes before their evening event was to begin?  The refunded our money, saying it was not our fault we did not make it.  And they did this without us even asking.  So, cheers to Valerie Hill.

One other thing I really noticed and loved on our one and only trip to Valerie Hill thus far was the customer service.    And it still stands out over a year later.   In the case of our missed History and Hauntings experience,  their customer service  shone through again.  Making us an even bigger fan of this vineyard.

We will plan ahead (we have to, because they sell out) for one of these experiences in fall,( **Note, they do not offer the H&H evenings in the summer, and the rest of their spring dates are full) and report back on it to all of our VW&T readers once we have attended.  But, for now….I wanted to give a big shout out to Valerie Hill,  and recommend it highly to anyone interested in one of the most unique vineyards in Virginia!

 

 

 

 

 

 

North Mountain Vineyard and Winery and Valerie Hill Vineyard and Winery

The view from the deck of North Mountain Vineyards

If I had to describe North Mountain Vineyard in one word, it would be relaxful.

North Mountain Vineyard

The Weasly Family’s ‘burrow’ from Harry Potter!

The vineyard is in a cool house which resembles the Weasley’s family residence (the Burrow) in the Harry Potter movies:

There are two tasting options…the first is free and consists of 6 wines; the second options is $5 and consists of their 3 reserve wines.  It is rare to find a vineyard with a complimentary tasting anymore, so right off the bat we had a good impression of North Mountain.  We each did the free tasting and shared a reserve tasting.  There were two servers working at the tasting bar when we arrived.  We had to wait about 15 minutes, but this was due to a high maintenance large group in front of us, not the servers.  They greeted us as soon as we arrived and did their best to get to us as quickly as possible. The server was very knowledgeable about the vineyard and wines and was very friendly.  Unfortunately, none of the wines stood out as great.  However, all were at least average.  My general take was the whites were very acidic and not well balanced.  The reds were solid, but somewhat flat.

After our tasting, I elected to have a glass of the 2011 Chambourcin while Minnie enjoyed a glass of the Octoberfest (a blend of Vidal Blanc and Traminette).  We enjoyed our wine with a baguette and an order of locally manufactured goat cheese.  This leads me to the best part about North Mountain Vineyard…the multiple areas in which to enjoy wine and food, and the views after your tasting. There are at least two pretty good sized rooms in the winery furnished with comfortable tables and chairs.  Additionally, there is both a covered and uncovered deck with beautiful views.  To top it off, there are several chairs sprinkled around the grounds under shade trees.  It would be very difficult to find a spot that wasn’t private, relaxing, and with great views.

In summary, the service and tasting room are excellent.  However, the wines are just average.  We would highly recommend a visit to North Mountain, but don’t go expecting awesome wines.  They are solid, but not great.

Valerie Hill Vineyard and Winery

In a word….AWESOME!  Everything about this vineyard is excellent.  The service, the wines, and the facility were second to none.

Valerie Hill is in an old residence originally constructed in 1807.  The building served many functions, an inn, a private residence, and even a hospital during the Civil War.  There are still visible blood stains in the wood floor just inside the front door.  The carpentry is all original and was obviously built by a true craftsman.

One room functions as the tasting room, while two additional rooms and two patios act as seating areas. The number of choices allows a customer to choose between a social atmosphere or a more intimate and private setting.  There is also a small seating area outside with great view.

The beautiful parlor just off the tasting room.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the facility is the adamant belief by all employees that it is haunted by at least three spirits.  I don’t believe in ghosts myself, but the servers were very convincing in their stories and obvious belief.  The servers go out of their way to tell everyone about the history of the home, but did not mention the spirits until asked by Minnie who had read about them on the web.

The service was far and away the best we have ever experienced at a Vineyard.  All of the employees were friendly, knowledgeable, engaging, and were obviously all concerned with the success of the enterprise.  Everyone was working hard and dedicated.  The young children of our servers were even helping to deliver food to customers.  All (3) generations were working hard and doing a great job!

There are a number of wonderful rooms and patios to enjoy the fabulous wine of Valerie Hill. Each one is tastefully restored and full of historical artifacts.

It is always so refreshing to visit any establishment where all of the employees are so obviously dedicated and competent.  Kudos to Valerie Hill and their team!

The Wines

Incredible!  A tasting of Valerie Hill’s 8 wines is $8.  It is well worth the price!  All of the wines are spectacular; Minnie described them as “pop rocks” in your mouth.  They offer 4 whites, two reds, one Rose’, and one white desert wine.  Brief notes on each follow:

• 2012 Seyval Blanc – Just the correct amount of acidity and very well balanced.  Great as an appertif or with light food.  This wine is a perfect 10!

• 2011 Chardonnay – Crisp and fruity with a barely noticeable amount of butter.

• 2010 Chardonnay – Fruity, but with more body and butter than the ’11.

• 2012 Manor House White – A blend of Vidal Blanc, Riesling, and Traminette.  A very refreshing wine with just a bit of sweetness.

• 2012 Cameo – This is Valerie Hill’s Rose’.  It consists of a blend of Mouvedre, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Seyval Blanc.  It is semi-sweet with a very noticeable splash of strawberry and cherry.  This wine would be great with either a cook out or as an appertif’.

• 2012 Cabernet Franc – A full bodied, bold red.  Great!

• 2012 Stone Chimney Red – A very fruity and full bodied red blend.  This wine was extraordinary and would rate a 10 out of 10 in my book.  We purchased a bottle to enjoy at home with hamburgers.

• 2012 Bellaria – This 100% Vidal Blanc desert wine was good as far as desert wines go.  It has 2.5% residual sugar, which is very sweet.  However, not so much as to make it “syrupy.”

All of the wines were extraordinary!

We loved Valerie Hill wine so much, that they inspired Mickey to make his first every Facebook post (on Minnie’s page, of course!) ‘Looking for the best VA wines? They are here’…..then he tagged Valerie Hill Vineyard!