After my charcuterie at Early Mountain (I could have stayed there all afternoon and into the evening – that is a NICE tasting lounge!), it was time to head to Uphill House, a super charming bed and breakfast. The drive up the gravel road to get there (past a house with a Confederate flag – eek!), I arrived to a quiet, tranquil environment and a cozy room, complete with a coffee machine right outside my room and a plate of fresh baked cookies on my dresser.
I may or may not have had Keurig coffee and a cookie for dinner as I worked on editing my upcoming book, Occasional Drinking. Being away from my normal, everyday life made it really easy to just sink into work, and it seemed like the first time I got up to use the bathroom, it was time for bed! Time flies when you’re absorbed in a seemingly neverending project.
The next morning I was treated to a breakfast of fruit salad with mint and honey glaze and ricotta pancakes and fresh-brewed coffee from a local roaster. I felt so spoiled – there were even to-go cups, so I brought some for the road as I headed to Glen Manor.
It was a slightly rainy day, and up in the Blue Ridge mountains, the fog looked so beautiful and mysterious wrapped around the vineyards. The Petit Manseng, with its electric sweet-tart balance, didn’t hurt either.
Then it was on to Linden, another producer in Front Royal, known for its wines made with minimal intervention. Jim, the winemaker, showed me around his property, and I loved seeing how stripped-down and broken in all the equipment was, like this old German press from the 1950s. So cool!
The wines were all beautiful, but the single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc had a wonderful weight and chalky texture, with bright lemon flavors. So refreshing and perfect for summer.
I can’t wait to take another trip to some Virginia wineries – I’m lucky to live so close to a wine region, and there’s a little bit of everything, from spacious tasting rooms with up to the minute equipment like Early Mountain, to tranquil and minimal operations like Linden.
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