Wannabe Wino

Traveling along our route in VA Wine Country for our anniversary celebration, we found ourselves at Loudon Valley Vineyards. We have subsequently returned to Loudon, as we very much enjoyed our first afternoon there.

Walking up to the tasting room, I was reminded of many of the old cabins I used to see in VT/NH when Matt and I lived up that way. It looked homey and inviting. Inside, the tasting bar was not large, but on our first visit we had no trouble getting a spot to taste. Even if you need to wait, there is plenty of seating inside and outside, if it's a beautiful day like when we visited.

Loudon Valley was our final stop for the day, and spent a good 4 hours tasting, walking the grounds and relaxing on the porch. The winery offers several options for eating, including a fruit, bread, and cheese platter that we took advantage of. It was fabulous, for $10 we got a beautiful plate with grapes, sliced apples, pineapple and strawberries, 3 kinds of cheese, and a full French baguette. We also picked up a bottle of chilled Vinifera White to drink with our late lunch and enjoy on the porch overlooking the vineyards.

The winery was pouring an amazing 13 wines to taste for the day:

2005 Chardonnay: $18. Lemon, pineapple, apple, light wine, slightly sweet at the end.

2004 Vinifera White: $13. Honey, apricot, sweet wine, good very cold. Matt really liked this, we bought 3 bottles.

2006 Classic White: $11. Spice on nose, peach, sweet and light in the mouth.

2006 Rose: $11. Spice, slightly sweet, red berries, slight smell of butter. We bought a bottle for the porch on our second visit.

2002 Cabernet Franc: $15. Spicy, tannic, currants, light and well balanced in the mouth.

2003 Merlot: $18. Berries, rum (I know, that's odd), tingly in the mouth, tannic.

1999 Merlot: $21. Smells denser than the 2003. Berries, cherries, plums, well done, smoother than the 2003.

2002 Dynasty: $15. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot blend. Raspberries, leather, spice.

2002 Sangiovese: $15. Smoke, barnyard, very light, berries.

2003 Pinot Noir: $15. Cherries, slight leather, light and fruity, well done. We took home one bottle.

2002 Red Wine: $10. Blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese. Sweet, fun, very different. We took home two bottles.

2005 Pomme: $9. Dessert wine made of Granny Smith apples. Too sweet for me.

2005 Chambourcin: $13. Very sweet, but not cloying. Blackberries.

All in all an excellent day, we had a blast hanging out here. Everyone was so nice and helpful, I hope we can return for Sunday Soup, hosted periodically throughout the winter!