One of the things I like about living where we do is the multitude of wineries/vineyards within close proximity of us that make it easy to pop in for a tasting or a glass (or two). And while I don’t intend for this blog to be a review of every time I go to a Virginia winery (Dan from MyNovaWineBlog does a much better job of this than I ever could), every now and then I do want to let you know about some of our visits that I particularly enjoyed or wineries that I think you might like. Thus, the following . . .

When word came down from the weather folks that we were in-store for some wintery weather come Saturday night/Sunday, Mrs. Chump and I (and by the traffic what seemed like the rest of Northern Virginia) decided to get out of the house on Saturday. And what better thing could you do to prepare for a winter storm than go visit some of your favorite wineries, which is exactly what we did!

Our first stop was Greenhill Vineyards. Not that we need an extra reason to go to Greenhill, but we were excited for this visit because they were offering a “Pop-Up” Library tasting, including one of their new upcoming releases as well as several older wines from their cellar. As my friend Lisa, aka “The Nicest Person in the World”, and her mom are verified rock stars at Greenhill, I let her know we were going in the hopes that they could join us and to our great pleasure they were able to. One of the things Mrs. Chump and I like about Greenhill is the welcoming environment you feel as soon as you walk in. As always, we were greeted right away and asked if we were there for the pop-up tasting and directed to the barrel room where the tasting was to occur. After Lisa and her mom arrived, we approached the table and were immediately greeted by Jed, the general manager, who then gave us our tasting (see tasting sheet below). Jed, as always, was very knowledgeable about the wines, sharing facts about which blocks of which vineyards the grapes had come from, the growing factors for the vintages and more. A couple of quick tasting notes on the five wines:

• Chenin Blanc Reserve – Crisp and vibrant with good acidity – looking forward to trying in warmer weather. Our favorite out of the group.
• Chardonnay Reserve – Walked the line beautifully between the typical crisp chardonnay flavors with just a touch of oak to smooth it out
• Nebbiolo – The tannins are still present in this but you can feel the edges getting smoother. Nice cherry, earthy flavors.
• Mythology – 100% Merlot – beautiful full bodied wine that we enjoyed a lot. Our second favorite.
• Tannat – Another dark-colored, full-bodied wine. I usually prefer Tannat in blends though this was an excellent representation of the varietal.

Overall, we very much enjoyed the opportunity to taste some of Greenhill’s wines/vintages that aren’t normally on their regular tasting menu.

After the tasting was finished, we all proceeded downstairs to a table and shared a bottle of the Cab Franc, which was absolutely delicious. And as much as we love the welcoming environment at Greenhill, we might love their truffle popcorn even more! So so good. Lisa’s mom approves too! As we finished our bottle and the last kernel of popcorn disappeared and we were wrapping up our visit, we ordered a bottle of the Seyval Blanc to bring home for our eldest (Chumpette-1). Kudos to the server who not only recognized me but remembered Chumpette-1 and asked how her studying was going (she is studying for her Certified Sommelier exam). As we said our goodbyes, Lisa also gave me a belated birthday present of a bottle of Zweigelt (I told you she was nice). I have only tasted that variety a couple of times (both at Greenhill) and it is delicious, so I was very grateful. All in all, a wonderful visit.

As we made our way back down Route 50, we made our second stop of the day at one of our other favorite wineries, 50 West Vineyards. I can’t tell you how convenient it is for us that they are located within a couple of miles of each other. I had been wanting to get back to 50 West for a while (ok, it had only been two weeks, but that is when we ran out of their wine at home. It seemed like a while). In addition to their wines (and very friendly and knowledgeable staff), we love the views at 50 West. Was I smart enough to take a picture to show you said views? No. So you will have to either imagine them or, preferably, go there and see them yourself. Seriously, if you have not had the opportunity to visit 50 West, it is well worth your time. As the day was growing later, we unfortunately did not have as much time to spend there as we would have liked. So we enjoyed a glass of their Cabernet Franc and Ashby Gap, (a Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot blend), our personal two favorites, by their fireplace while enjoying the views and then procured a bottle of each to replenish our stock at home. And with the storm approaching, we begrudgingly made our way home, already looking forward to next visit.

So that was how we “pre-gamed” the snow/ice storm. I hope everyone managed to stay safe and warm (and slightly less sore than I was after shoveling). Would love to hear how everyone else “pre-gamed” as well.

Until next time, cheers!