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.
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