Everyone talks about visiting the Sonoma Valley, driving through the vineyards, and sampling the wines. I know I would like to do it but the airfare alone from DC to San Francisco is between $400 and $1,000 per person plus land transportation, meals, lodging and pretty soon I am looking for an alternative. Well I have found a way to tour vineyards and want to pass it on to you. The Northern Neck of Virginia.
This is the Eastern portion of Virginia bordered by the Potomac River to the North, Rappahannock River to the South, and the Chesapeake Bay to the East. It is the birthplace of George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, and Robert E. Lee, contains 1,100 miles of shoreline, five state parks, and is the home of 8 very good wineries which are open to the public. There are several roads into the Neck but if you are driving from Maryland or DC don’t take I95. Trust me, the road is congested and will ruin your trip right from the start. Take the Beltway to either routs 4 or 5 and then head south on 301. There is a minimal one-way toll to cross the Potomac but it is well worth it.
While many tourist areas of Virginia are usually cluttered with traffic, vacationers, monuments that block the landscape, and plaques that tell you peanuts were planted near that particular location, the Neck is almost pristine. The routs are easy to follow but I suggest you get a map either from chesapeakebaywinetrail.com or pick one up at the first vineyard you visit.
Unfortunately Nancy and I didn’t have the chance to reach every winery we did visit a good selection. Our first stop was at the Oak Crest where everyone was very friendly and the wine surprisingly good. Neither Nancy nor I are wine connoisseurs, we just like what tastes good to us and Oak Crest had several wines fitting that description. The Hot Jazz appealed to me the most probably because it contained Jalapeno peppers. Great for sipping and taking home to entertain and surprise friends.
Tasting wines on an empty stomach is not a good idea so we took a side trip to nearby Colonial Beach. This city has a large beach, nice boardwalk, and good food. I highly suggest you try it.
Next stop, Ingleside Vineyards which is one of Virginia’s oldest and largest wineries. A basic tasting costs $3 and a full tasting only $10. The Blue Crab Blush alone was worth the stop but try several. The Chesapeake Cabernet Merlot is said to have a hint of black cherry but my pallet isn’t sophisticated enough to detect it. It was good though, as was the Syrah.
The Vault Field Vineyards are very neatly laid out with decorative signs telling you which grape is growing where. As a steak lover I have to say that their reds were fantastic, especially the Reserve Red. It screams to be matched with a quality rib eye or porterhouse. Don’t skip the others though, getting to the one you like is most of the fun.
The Hague as I recall is located on 5 acres, contains about 6,000 vines, and offers a very good Cabernet Franc. As far as I could see, the Hague is the smallest vineyard we visited but produced some excellent wines. The owners, as at the other locations, were extremely friendly and could answer all of our questions. The watch dog didn’t really want to have anything to do with us though as he was in search of a cool and comfortable place to lie down.
At first I felt bad that we did not have the opportunity to visit every vineyard in the Neck. As most people we originally thought of the area as nice but probably not worth more than a half day. Next year we will revisit it though, stop at the wineries we have already seen and travel to the others as well. We will also take in the historical sites, go back to Colonial Beach, and possibly stay the night at a B&B.
