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Vol. III, Issue No. 8
August
2008 |
Dear Friend of
Virginia
Wine:
The Blessing of the Grapes will
take place at vineyards and wineries throughout the
Commonwealth during the month of August, signifying the
end of the summer and beginning of harvest. The
custom can be traced back to the seventh century when
grapes were honored as the "first fruits" of
harvest. In today's world, the blessing is a time
to honor the grapes, the vineyards, as well as the
people who make the annual harvest a
reality.
August festivals range from a Beach
Party Luau at Lake Anna at the beginning of the month to
Harvest Festivals at Wintergreen, First Colony and
Oakencroft over the Labor Day Weekend. And there's
lots in between, including Virginia's "coolest" event,
the Virginia Wine Showcase, indoors at the
air-conditioned Dulles Expo Center on August 22-24.
August is a great month to
celebrate the good life in Virginia, so get out and
enjoy her beauty and bounty . . . sampling her
fine wines along the
way
Cheers!
Frank C.
Britt
Publisher
P.S. Don't forget to
subscribe to the magazine. Get a free
Tuscany Wine Bottle Opener with a two year
subscription.
 |
| CROSSKEYS VINEYARDS...DISCOVER, TASTE &
EXPERIENCE THE GOOD LIFE
By Mark
Parsons, General
Manager |
|
|
 Stunning views of Massanutten and the
Blue Ridge mountains provide the perfect backdrop for
one of Virginia's newest vineyards. With a rich
history and culture as part of the Cross Keys community
CrossKeys Vineyards offers guests the best in wine
hospitality. The facility, opened in May of 2008,
houses a state-of-the-art winery, beautiful courtyard
and terraces, spacious function rooms and a Tasting Room
with views to the vineyards and mountains.
Owners Bob & Nikoo Bakhtiar have realized their
dream of making a contribution to the community and to
the VA Wine Industry through the production of fine
wines and promoting a gracious way of living. Mark
Parsons, General Manager brings a wealth of experience
form his work in hospitality and wine education with
Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley and the historic Spier
Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Future plans
include a comprehensive wine, food and arts program
beginning this September with the Art of Food and Wine
Education Series to provide participants with hands-on
learning and the joy of wine culture. August will
feature the Heartland Dinner on the 1st and The Blessing
of the Grapes on the 17th. A unique "Great Grape
Experience" for children is planned on Sept. 27th.
A festive Harvest Festival on Oct. 4th will feature
music, harvest tours, plein air artists, entertainers,
and culminate with a dinner featuring foods from famous
wine regions of the world.
 The
winery is open daily at 11:00 a.m. Tours
& Tastings are scheduled throughout the
day.
CrossKeys Vineyards
6011 East Timber Ridge Rd.
Mt. Crawford, VA 22841
(540) 234-0505
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WINESTYLES...FINDING
THE PERFECT WINE FOR YOUR TASTE
By Gay Rutland Argyros,
Proprietor, WineStyles, Harrisonburg,
VA |
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|
Wine should be a simple pleasure. Now,
shopping for it is simple, too.
Walking into WineStyles for the first time,
you'll feel like you've stepped into a lovely Old World
wine cellar. Banked in stone-like alcoves, each
wine is accompanied by tasting notes outlining its
characteristics, flavors and suggested food pairings,
simplifying the shopping experience. Rather
than organizing wines by country or varietal, our wines
are organized by "style" so it's easy to find the
perfect wine for your taste.
Our wine experts carefully select unique
labels, many available only at WineStyles, and we
specialize in hard-to-find wines from small and large
vineyards. We bring these recognizable and boutique
wines to you at affordable prices, $10 to
$25.
The concept is to be a neighborhood version of
wine country. At WineStyles, you get the look,
feel and comfort of the wine country experience.
With complimentary weekly wine tastings, customers get
to try new varietals, blends and have conversations
with winemakers who participate in our WineMaker Series
events.
Special Virginia wine tastings are crowd
pleasers, especially when the winemakers visit.
Veritas is one of our favorites and will be featured in
August. Rob Gardner, Owner of Crow Mountain
Vineyards, has poured his 2006 Monticello High
Maintenance Cabernet Sauvignon, a simply stunning
wine. Michael Shaps is another Virginia winemaker
featured in our WineMaker series, and we have planned
many more of these events for 2008. Some of our
favorite Virginia wines include Willowcroft Chardonnay,
Naked Mountain Chardonnay, Blenheim Viognier, Jefferson
Meritage, Hillsbourough Rappahannock Cab Franc, Blue
Crab Blanc, and Pearmund Cellars.
Suggested food pairings include:
Crow Mountain High Maintenance Cabernet
Sauvignon
Steak au Poivre, roast lamb,
grilled squab, chocolate
Rappahannock Cab
Franc
Poultry dishes, grilled duck, and
pork
Blenheim ViognierAsian and
poultry dishes and local artisan cheeses
Michael Shaps
Chardonnay
Salmon with lemon sauce, oysters
In addition to wine, WineStyles offers wine-related
accessories, gift baskets, event planning, food pairing
consultation, wine cellar consultation, wine education
classes and winemaker events. Come visit us at
WineStyles, where every day is an
occasion!  Pictured: Gay Rutland Argyros,
Proprietor
WINESTYLES HAS FOUR LOCATIONS IN
VIRGINIA:
WineStyles Fairfax, 12717 Shoppes
Lane, Fair Lakes Shopping Center, Fairfax , VA
22033
WineStyles Harrisonburg, 4745 Spotswood Trail,
Crossroads Plaza, Penn Laird, VA 22846
WineStyles Montclair, 4394 Kevin Walker
Drive, Montclair, VA 22025
WineStyles South
Riding, 25031 Riding Plaza, Suite
110, Chantilly,
VA 20152 |
BED & BREAKFAST OF THE
MONTH:
IVY CREEK FARM B&B,
LYNCHBURG, VA
By Jack North,
President, B&B Association of
Virginia |
|
|
Ivy Creek Farm B&B, in the heart of Central
Virginia in historic Lynchburg, Virginia, invites you to
come relax in the indoor swimming pool with 50-ft lap
lane and Jacuzzi, next to the two-tier deck, ideal for
sunning and relaxing.
Or
immerse yourself in the extensive library, complete with
Web connection and daily copies of the New York Times,
Barron's, The Week AND some Virginia
Wine.
Or hike on the property, or walk,
run, or bike on the nearby 6.7-mile Blackwater Creek
Nature Trails. Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail
are nearby. Lynchburg was cited by National Geographic
as one of the best fifty hiking regions in the United
States.
Enjoy afternoon samplings of fine Virginia
Wines and hors d'oeuvres and a three-course gourmet
breakfast on the veranda, featuring local produce.
Sample Lynchburg's fine restaurants, including several
with outdoor dining. It's an easy drive to the Bedford
Wine and Monticello Wine Trails, Thomas Jefferson's
Poplar Forest, Appomattox, and the D-Day Memorial. Come
join us, and enjoy Virginia hospitality at its
finest!
Lynn and Marilyn Brooks,
Owners Ivy Creek Farm Bed and Breakfast 2812 Link
Road Lynchburg, Virginia 24503 (434) 384-3802 or
1-800-689-7404 www.ivycreekfarm.com
|
|
AUGUST FESTIVALS AND
EVENTS |
|
|
Our information comes from many sources, so we
strongly suggest that you check websites or call
wineries for costs and details. Space limitation
prevents listing all the winery and vineyard events that
take place this month; for additional information,
please refer to www.virginiawines.org/events/august08.html.
August 1: Heartland Dinner...The
Tastes of Summer
CrossKeys Vineyards (Mt. Crawford)
Hors d'oeuvres & Wine at 6:30 p.m. with
three-course dinner at 7:15 pm
$80 per person plus tax and gratuity
Reserve your table by calling (540) 234-0505
August 2: Beach Party Luau Wine
Festival
Lake Anna Winery
(Spotsylvania) Five wineries. Dress for the occasion
and enjoy Caribbean foods and island music.
(540) 895-5085 www.HOVAwinetrail.com
August 2: Blackberry Harvest
Festival
Hill Top Berry Faram & Winery
(Nellysford) True to the Fruit wines and meads
tastings. Bluegrass music. Old fashioned pig
pickin' and yummy blackberry desserts. Pick your own
berries. (434) 361-1266 www.hilltopberrywine.com
August 2-3: Tarara's Annual Blackberry
Days Wine Festival
Tarara Winery
(Leesburg) "Hottest" event of the year with live
music, kite flying, canoes/kuyaks/paddleboats on the
lake, u-pick berries and much more. (703)
771-7100 www.tarara.com
August 9: Black Dog Wine &
Jazz Festival
Chateau Morrisette
(Floyd) Live jazz along with crafters, artisans,
vendors, wine tastings....and giveaways. (540)
593-2865 www.thedogs.com
August 9: Country/Bluegrass
Jamboree
Lake Anna Winery
(Spotsylvania) Pig roast and comfort food; foot
stomping, knee slapping
entertainment. (540)895-5085 www.lawinery.com
August 9: 50's Sock
Hop
Virginia Mountain Vineyards
(Fincastle) Put your dancing shoes on and cruise on
up to the vineyard for the first ever sock hop at the
winery. (540) 473-2979 www.vmvines.com
August 16: First Anniversary
SoireeSugarleaf Vineyards (North
Garden) Celebrate the 1 Year Anniversary of the
release of the first vintage and opening of the tasting
room. (434) 984-4272 www.sugarleafvineyards.com
August 17: Blessing of the
GrapesCrossKeys Vineyards (Mt.
Crawford) Traditional celebration to bless the grape
and onset of the harvest. 540-234-0505 www.crosskeysvineyards.com
August 22-24: Virginia Wine
Showcase
Dulles Expo Center, Chantilly,
VA Visit Virginia's Coolest Wine Festival.
Indoor, air-conditioned tasting of over 300 of
Virginia's hard-to-find artisan wines. Wine
seminars, fine art and gourmet offerings. (703)
823-1868 www.vawineshowcase.org
 August 23: Fifth Annual
Mini Cooper RallyCooper Vineyards
(Louisa) (540) 894-5253
Join Cooper Vineyards and James River Cellars
for one of the most unique wine events in Virginia -
Cooper Vineyards 5th Annual Mini-Cooper Rally
from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. For both Mini-Lovers and
Wine Lovers alike!!
Drive your mini if you have
one and join Richmond's RiverCityMinis for a "drive" out
to the vineyard the morning of the event. More
information about participating in the Mini Cooper
caravan at www.rivercityminis.org. Sponsored by
Crown Automotive / Crown Mini of Richmond. There
will be a display of new mini-Coopers on site.
A portion of ticket sales will also benefit
Animal Connections, a local animal rescue organization.
The event is held at Cooper Vineyards in Louisa County -
just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Lake
Anna or Charlottesville. Tickets are $10 in
advance at www.coopervineyards.com or $15 day of
event. Ticket price includes: mini-wine glass,
food, live music and mini-goodie bag. Picnics and lawn
chairs are welcome.
August 29 - Sept. 1: Endless Summer
Party
Barrel Oak Winery (Delaplane) Wear
your bathing suit and win a prize at Virginia's newest
and greenest winery. Child and pet friendly. (540)
364-6402 www.barreloak.com
 August 30: Discover
Virginia Music & FestivalRoute 33
between Ruckersville and Stanardsville Showcasing
award-winning regional wineries. Fabulous food, artisans
and fantastic musical entertainment. (434)
985-6663 www.discovervirginia.netAugust 30: Labor Day
Bash Veramar (Berryville) End the summer
at Veramar with wine tasting, music and gourmet picnic
fare. (540) 955-5510 www.veramar.com
August 30: The Irvington
Stomp
White Fences Vineyards
(Irvington) Stomp grapes in giant barrels and put
your footprints on tee shirts. Fun for the whole
family. (804) 438-5559 www.irvingtonstomp.com
August 30-31: Romp, Stomp &
Chomp Harvest CelebrationWintergreen Winery
(Nellysford) Grape stomping, live music, picnic fare
(riverside picnic sites). (434) 361-2519 www.wintergreenwinery.com
August 30-31: Harvest
Festival
First Colony Winery
(Charlottesville) "Weingarten" with brats, kraut and
other traditional German food. (434) 979-7105 www.firstcolonywinery.com
August 31-September 1: Oakencroft
Harvest Music FestivalOakencroft Vineyard
and Winery (Charlottesville) Music by Jimmy O and The
Ryalls Brothers. Bring a picnic and relax by the
lake. (434) 296-4188 www.oakencroft.com
|
|
WE
WERE THERE! |
|
WINE DOWN THE MUSIC TRAIL
July
5-6, 2008
Floyd, VA
Wine Down The Music Trail offered a unique musical
experience along with wine tasting from both
Virginia and North Carolina wineries, as well as local
meads and ciders.
HORSE & HOUND WINE
FESTIVAL
July 12, 2008
Peaks of Otter Winery & Orchards, Bedford,
VA
There was fun for everyone at the Horse & Hound
Wine Festival held at Johnson's Orchard Farms in
Bedford, County, VA. Great wine, dog and
horse demonstrations, muskrat races, lure
coursing, and a Mounted Search & Rescue
demonstration made for a full day of
entertainment!
DAYLILY & WINE
FESTIVAL
July
19-20, 2008
Andre Viette Farm & Nursery,
Fishersville, VA
The daylilys were a perfect backdrop to the
many activities during the Daylily and Wine
Festival. Along with artists and crafters booths,
wine tastings, food booths, activities in the Children's
Tent, horticulture and culinary seminars, attendees
walked the beautiful flower gardens, then relaxed to
live music.
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Travel and Leisure
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travel wine destinations in the world - July 2007.
 If
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magazine, contact us at info@vawinelover.com.
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