Don’t drink and drive. This makes for quite the conundrum for anyone wishing to visit Virginia Wine Country and sample the fines wines of the many vineyards. And with the legal blood alcohol level being 0.08, down from 0.10 a few years ago, even a couple of glasses of wine could put you over the limit. What’s a vinophile to do? The answer is quite obvious. Leave the driving to Virginia Wine Country Tours and travel in style on a wine tasting tour via limousine.

Virginia Wine Country Tours will pick up people at their homes, offices or any arranged meeting place. My wife, Karen, and I, along with friends Brian and Carolyn, met up in Gainesville at 11 a.m. for a six hour tour. A long, sleek white stretch limo awaited us. It could have easily held ten people. Our driver, Landon, had stocked it with a bottle of Chardonnay, as well as nuts, crackers, bottled water and soft drinks. We climbed in, opened the wine and poured a glass to toast Karen’s and my 20th wedding anniversary.

Our first stop was a quick trip down the road to Pearmund Cellars in Warrenton. Virginia Wine Country Tours not only plans out all of the stop, they contact the vineyards to arrange VIP treatment. Owner Chris Pearmund met us and set up a special tasting area at one end of the bar. The vineyard has been in operation for over 20 years and is located on a 100 acre farm that dates back to 1743. We started with several hearty reds—a Cabernet Franc, one of my favorites varietals, and two blends: Ameritage and Ameritage Reserve. In the Unite States most wines are named after the variety of grape (varietals), such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. In Europe, wines are also named for the growing region, such as Bordeaux. Wines blended from several grapes are sometimes called estate wines or simply given a name by the vintner. Pearmund’s Cabernet Sauvignon was much more full bodied than we expected. Most Virginian Cab Sauv’s are lighter and a bit acidic.

Pearmund is one of the few wineries that make a Malbec, a South American varietal. Unfortunately they were sold out. Chris, however, poured us each a tasting directly from the barrel. It was also quite robust and had hints of red raspberry. Pearmund offers a program where patrons may buy a barrel for $750.The purchaser receives one case of wine per year for four years, has his or her name placed on a plaque on the barrel and then gets to take the barrel home after the four years. Chris says “It’s like being a part owner of the winery.” We then moved onto the whites - Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling. I purchased a couple of bottles of the Cab Franc, the Ameritage and the Chardonnay, including a chilled bottle for the ride to the next vineyard.

Although the limo included recessed cup holders for the wine glasses, I managed to spill a glass of the Pearmund Chardonnay right square in my lap as I fiddled with the satellite radio. Thank goodness I hadn’t opened a red wine. Our next stop was about half an hour away, so I removed my pants and hung them out the window as the vehicle sped along the country roads on a beautiful sunny day. Hey, if you can’t take your pants off in a limousine, where can you? Ahh, the freedom! Landon didn’t seem to notice or at least pretended not to notice the trousers flapping in the breeze. Brian poured me another glass of wine, laughed and we carried on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. As the car slowed near our next destination, Rappahannock Cellars, I quickly redressed in my freshly dried pants. Sam, one of the managers at the vineyard, gave us a tour of the winemaking facility and an explanation of the processes. This is customary at most vineyards upon request. Likewise, the staff at any VA winery will be happy to educate people on how to get the most out of a tasting. Even though I’ve been a wine lover for over 20 years, I always learn something new. One of the key aspects to the taste of wine is the smell, in vine talk ‘the bouquet.’ It’s important to swirl the wine in the glass to release the various scents. Then put your nose into the glass and inhale deeply. As I demonstrated the technique, Carolyn quipped, “Hey, my nose is too big to fit in there.” Of the seven wines we tried, the claret stood out as our favorite. It includes nine percent of Norton, a grape native to Virginia.

We piled back into the limo for a short drive to Oasis. Oasis has a huge deck with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s the most beautiful setting of any winery I have ever visited and it’s often the venue for weddings and other special occasions. The hostess, Rita, led us to a special table covered in a white linen tablecloth with a basket full of baguettes, cheese and fresh fruit.Rita brought out each the fine wines of Oasis, starting with two different Chardonnays, followed by a Riesling, a Blush and Cab Sauv and a Merlot. All were excellent. The best, however, was yet to come.

Oasis is ranked one of the top 10 sparkling wine (AKA Champagne) makers in the world. ( Champagne can only be called Champagne if it is from the Champagne region of France and meets other strict requirements.) The Brut sells for $58.75 per bottle. The Brut Cuvee D’Or sells for $125 per bottle and the Grand Reserve costs $300 per bottle. Tastings of the Brut and Brut Cuvee are free as part of the tour and we all agreed that the Cuvee was an amazing creation - decadent and refined at the same time. There is an additional charge of $20 per person for a sample of the Grand Reserve, a pink (Rosé) sparkling wine that is aged for at least 15 years. Rita, however, overheard Brian’s toast to my and Karen’s 20th anniversary and brought out four clean glasses, opened a bottle of the Grand Reserve and poured each of us a large sample. It was truly magical to be sitting outside on a picture perfect day drinking $300 champagne with my wife and good friends against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon at Oasis. However, we had one last vineyard on our itinerary, Gray Ghost. Karen and I had been to Gray Ghost about fiv- years ago. The once small tasting room had been replaced by a cathedral-like space with 25-foot-high ceilings, a bar that seemed to stretch to infinity, a balcony, a second tasting room upstairs and a separate hall for special winemaker’s dinners. The owners had obviously been doing quite well over the years thanks to their many award winning wines. In addition to the usual Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, they serve a Vidal Blanc and a very crisp Gewürztraminer, a slightly sweet German wine. Gray Ghost also makes Adieu, a desert wine that has won “Best of the East” for three consecutive years. Wine drinkers, including myself, love to use obscure or convoluted terms to describe wines—soft yet bright, with a fruity palate… lusty like the full lips of a Latin goddess… tart overtones and a silky lingering finish. It’s great fun to come up with new descriptions. The best way to describe the Adieu, however, is “yummy”. It’s a really yummy wine.

We joined Landon at the car at he took us back to Gainesville. Even though none of us were feeling the effects of a full day of drinking, we had a leisurely dinner followed by coffee to be safe. It felt a bit odd to have dinner without wine, but I didn’t mind. We’d have some soon when we returned home. A newly purchased case of Virginia’s finest wines was waiting in the trunk of my car.