"From the Bay to the Blue Ridge"
By Matt Fitzsimmons Pairing Wine and History Wine and history are two of my favorite past times. Luckily for me, Virginia is the perfect state to pair them. Virginia is the birthplace of American wine, going back to 1619 when settlers in Jamestown were required by law to plant grape vines. Thomas Jefferson also experimented […]
By the Gastronomes Al Fresco Dining Is Back…What do we do now? This whole pandemic has put a whole new twist on “Dining Out” but it looks like we are headed in the right direction as far as restaurants being able to open is concerned. There have been so many rumors about what has to […]
By Doug Fabbioli You Take What You Get Over the past few decades we have had some great times growing a culture and an economy around agriculture. Combining history, open spaces, celebrations, weekend getaways, retreats, culinary artistry, craft beverages, performing arts, and nature in a way that allows us to create a respite zone for […]
By Matt Fitzsimmons How To Find Great Beer in Virginia’s Winery Scene For years, Virginia’s wine and brewery scenes were separated by the red tape of ABC law; the former were only allowed to sell at the winery, and the later could only be sold at their tap room. But no longer! Now, you can […]
Let’s Eat by Charles Oppman Porcine Perfection With Fathers’ Day just around the corner many families are wondering what they can do for dad to make his special day a memorable one. No, you can’t just give him a card and be done with it. And cutting the lawn for him isn’t good enough either. […]
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 […]
By Doug Fabbioli Entrepreneurism Encouraged Clearly our springtime work on the farm has been a bit disrupted by the current circumstances of the pandemic and how our lifestyles have changed. Our vibrant rural economy, focused on hospitality and tourism, has been dropped on its head. The business owners, managers, association heads and politicians have been […]
By the Gastronomes Curb-side Pick Up? Delivery? Dining at Home! It has been nearly eight weeks since we sat in our favorite restaurant or bar and watched the folks outside gaze in the windows to check out the action inside. Is the bar too crowded? Are there any seats available? Some even had their noses […]
By Bob Tagert Dining In! Wow, how things can change in thirty days. Last month we wrote about a new Irish restaurant for our March issue. At the beginning of March we had already been to our next restaurant, Sweetbay, in Leonardtown, Maryland, and then all hell broke loose. The Coronavirus came on the scene […]
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 […]
