WINING ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS

Gray Ghost Winery

Our first stop was the Gray Ghost Winery, 11 miles West of Warreneton, VA on route 211. Each year starting on the first weekend of December, the winery decorates for Christmas and holds an open house on weekends serving cheese, breads, crackers and a full line of hot hors d'oeuvres, including venison.

A cork Christmas tree adorns the winemaking area behind the tasting room. Tastings are free and run 11 a.m-5 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Like most vineyards in Virginia, Gray Ghost produces both white and red wines. Just about every Virginia winery makes a Chardonnay and at least one of a Cabernet Franc, Cabernet

Unicorn Vineyards

From Gray ghost, we backtracked east on 211 for about 5 miles and headed North on 622 to Unicorn Vineyards. Open from 10 to 5 on weekends, Unicorn boasts a gold medal Chardonnay. In business for only a year, five of their eight wines were sold out so we sampled the remaining three. As we finished tasting the Vidal Reserve, Caroline remarked, "this would be even more fun if Gordon here had agreed to be a designated driver."

Since we would taste several dozen wines while driving throughout the countryside, we had to keep our tasting samples down to a small sip. The time the wine spends in your mouth is only a small part of the experience. After the wine is poured, first hold the glass up to the light to examine the clarity. It shouldn't be cloudy. Then swirl the wine to aerate it (let it breathe) to enhance the flavor and also check the viscosity. The slower the wine settles out of the swirl, the fuller it is and is said to have good legs. Swirling also fills the glass with the wine's aroma, or nose. When smelling the wine, it's okay to stick your nose all of the way into the glass and inhale deeply. The bouquet may include a variety of aromas: fruity or flowery, spicy, or woody, usually oak from barrel fermentation. Now it's time to take a sip. Let the wine settle throughout your mouth so that it melts across your tongue before swallowing. Note both the taste and the aftertaste, or finish. Sometimes a wine may have a great nose and then taste awful. Or the converse, I once tried a wine that smelled like paint thinner but had a wonderful light fruity taste.

Oasis Vineyards

Leaving Unicorn we turned right and followed the road across a scenic one-lane bridge before turning left onto 688. The road led us past farms, stables and small town Orlean. To reach Oasis Vineyards, we took a left onto 635 to enjoy the scenic roller coaster for another six miles.

Oasis features eight wines (four whites, three reds and a blush) and two champagnes. The vineyard has a very large tasting area with two decks, one looking out at the mountains. On weekends in December, Oasis hosts special champagne tastings from 10am to 5pm. It's the only vineyard on our tour to offer sparkling wines and is the first wine maker to produce champagne in Virginia. The Brut is rated one of the top 10 champagnes or sparkling wines in the world by Wine Enthusiast magazine. But as good as this tasted, we all agreed that the more expensive Celebration Brut Cuvee D' Or (at $89 per bottle) tasted even better. Of the wines, we all liked their cheaper ($9) Chardonnay, the Dogwood Flower Label, best.

Linden Winery

The next stop was Linden. From Oasis, turn right and then left onto 726 and left again onto 638. Linden also offers a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and makes a great spot to stop for lunch. They sell a variety of cheeses and sausages, as well as baguettes. The winery is open from 11-5 (Sat-Sun, Dec- Mar) and features winter soup weekends on 12/2-3 and 12/9-10. The soups are prepared to compliment a particular wine and a bowl with bread costs about $6. A standard free tasting includes four of their 10 wines. To sample the remaining six, including the Late Harvest desert wine, you need to sign up for the cellar tasting at a cost of $5 per person.

Naked Mountain Vineyards

With food in our bellies, we moved onto Naked Mountain. Turn left out of Linden and follow 638 to 55. Turn right, go about 5 miles and then turn left onto 688. The vineyard is on the right few miles after passing under I-66.

Naked Mountain holds a holiday open house on 12/9-10 from 11-5 with the standard fare of cheese, crackers and breads. But they also serve up several hot hors d'oeuvres including Swedish meatballs. As with the other open houses, they have special sales on both wines and wine related gifts, such as corkscrews.

From January 6-February 24 (11-4), Lasagna Lunch Weekends have become a winter tradition. The cost is $12 per person for a large slice of lasagna (either standard or vegetarian) served with garlic bread and a glass of the wine of your choice. They currently sell four wines-- the Cabernet Sauvignon is sold out. Washington Post magazine rates their Chardonnay as the best. "Unlike other white wines, it's important not to over chill a Chardonnay below 56 degrees," we were told by salesperson Angela Proctor, of Maurertown, VA. "Otherwise much of the flavor is muted. I don't know how many Chardonnays I froze to death before learning this."

Piedmont Vineyards

We had to head back south on 688 and take I-66 east to reach the next group of vineyards. At exit 31 we turned left onto 245, then right onto 55 and an immediate left onto 626. Piedmont five miles onward. They produce five wines and are open from 10-4. The tasting fee is$3, which is refunded if you buy a bottle. The 1998 Native Yeast and 1998 Special Reserve Chardonnays won Silver and Bronze and the 2000 International Wine Challenge in London, England. But again our cheap palates preferred the 1999 Hunt Country Chardonnay, which was only $11 per bottle, as opposed to $25 or $20 for the other Chardonnays.

Swedenburg Estate Vineyard

Continuing North on 626, we then headed East on Route 50 and through historic Middleburg to the Swedenburg Estate Vineyard. Unlike the other vineyards, the ambiance differed with the open airy landscape looking out onto flat farm fields. They produce six wines (again the Cabernet Sauvignon was sold out) and they're only one of five vineyards in Virginia to produce a Pinot Noir. "Pinot is one of the oldest grapes and dates back to the 4th century. But it's a temperamental grape like a difficult child", says owner Mr. Swedenburg. "Still, we're putting in more plants because we like the end results." Swedenburg also produces a delightful Rose (blush) called C'est la vie, not too sweet, yet very fruity. It's the 2000 Gold Medal winner from the State Fair of Virginia.

Willowcroft Farm Vineyards

As the four o'clock hour past, we valiantly pressed on to make it to five more wineries. Right out of Swedenburg, left onto 15 and then left onto 651. This gravel road wound deep into the woods and led us to another gravel road (a left onto 797). But the long dusty trail was well worth it as we arrived at the bucolic setting of Willowcroft Farm Vineyards. The winery and tasting area are housed in a rustic barn overlooking Loudon Valley and the Blue Ridge. Hours are 11-5, Wednesday to Sunday and only on weekends in January (call ahead for an appointment) and February with a holiday open house on 12/10.

Our host Hunter McCulloch, a wine consultant from Middleburg, guided us through the tasting. Our palates were beginning to burn out so we didn't sample all of the wines. Hunter kept pushing the 1999 Seyval even though we insisted that we weren't great fans of this grape. Relenting to his praises of the wine, we were pleasantly surprised. Instead of the flowery and almost bitter taste of most Seyvals, the Willowcroft had a slightly tart flavor with a hint of green apples and no bitter finish. I bought several bottles!

Loudoun Valley Vineyards

With time running out, we were only able to make one more stop on our tour-- Loudoun Valley Vineyards. From Oasis, turn left and then left again onto 662. After a few miles, left onto 704 to Route 7. Turn right and the take the first left to continue on 704. Upon reaching Route 9, turn left and proceed five miles. The winery features a fireplace, holiday decorations for the season and an open house on 12/9-10; it's open from 11 to 5 on weekends. Fourteen wines are featured, including a 1998 Late Harvest Gewurtztraminer and the dessert wine Poire, a delicate nectar from Bartlett pears. Even my wife, who dislikes sweet wines, found the Poire refreshing.

The remaining vineyards we had hoped to visit are Tarara, Breaux and Shadwell-Windham. Tarara hosts holiday open houses on December 2-3 and 9-10. I ended up buying over a case of wine, which really isn't enough for me and for gifts for my family. I wonder how much they'll whine when the find out I drank their Christmas presents?