By Matthew Fitzsimmons Special Rosés for Mother’s Day Years ago I gave my mom a wine glass etched with the phrase “Mommy Juice”. She was not amused. But I must have been on to something, because now every time I check-in to a winery on Facebook she inevitably posts “What you getting me?”. Like the […]

Eco-Friendly Virginia Wineries To Visit On Earth Day Most people think of Earth Day as a celebration of fresh air, clean water, and the goodness of a healthy environment. To others, it’s a time to reflect on the importance of being good stewards of the land. I like to think of it as a time […]

By Nancy Bauer Luck, Love, and Life: Christine Vrooman Brings Her Whole Heart to Ankida Ridge Vineyards Though serendipity powered much of the fruition of Ankida Ridge Vineyards, a central Virginia winery known as much for its fiery sunset views as for its rare-for-Virginia pinot noir, spiritual connections will take it into the future, if […]

By Nancy Bauer 10 Tips to Up Your Wine Game in 2020 A survey I read recently said that half the respondents drink wine several times per week or daily. Now, you might think that at that level of consumption, they’d know something about wine, and some did. But a whole bunch of the group […]

By Nancy Bauer 2019 in Virginia Vineyards, a Time to Saber Like a life raft for the forsaken after 2018, this year’s Virginia grape harvest started a little damp and unsteady, but when the sun came out in late spring, all was well. More than well, actually—splendid. Superb. All the right feels–wet, dry, sunny, cool, […]

Holiday Gifts from Virginia Wine Country By Nancy Bauer If you’ve ever had to de-junk a house in preparation for a move or sale, you’ll agree with this:  consumables are the new go-to gift. They don’t put the “giftee” in an awkward position (Where the heck do I put this?) or need dusting, and if […]

By Nancy Bauer Three Days of Wine on Northern Virginia’s I-95 To weary DC commuters, a “3 Days on I-95” itinerary may sound like a cruel joke, but trust us: there’s gold in those exits. And wine. For this getaway weekend, make Ashland – that burg you whiz by on the way to Richmond – […]

It’s veraison season. What could possibly go wrong? By Scott Elliff By the time you read this, our DuCard Vineyards grapes will be in the ‘veraison’ stage of ripening, where the berries start to soften and turn color.  It’s pronounced ‘ver-ay-zon’ but most of us have Americanized it as ‘ver-ay-sion’.  No matter – sort of […]

By Nancy Bauer Three Days in Southern Virginia: Martinsville – Henry County You already know way more than you think about southern Virginia’s Martinsville–Henry County. The region is known as the home of many household names: Bassett, Fieldcrest, NASCAR, Marshall Fields. Today, it’s also home to locally-crafted libations, plenty of culture, and lots of options […]

By Nancy Bauer The Grower of Barboursville – Fernando Franco “I love the challenge.” That’s all you’ll get out of Fernando Franco about what was perhaps the most demanding growing season in Virginia wine history. No complaints, no whining, no drama. “We were diligent with the vineyards and we kept everything healthy,” he said. “We […]