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After apple picking we decided to move on to another fruit...grapes! We stumbled upon an adorable winery that we hadn't been to before, nor had we heard of it. Aspen Dale Winery is probably one of the best winery experiences we've had to date, the perfect combination of excellent wine, beautiful scenery, and lots of charm.
Located in a Civil War era barn this vineyard takes its wine very seriously, but in a warm and welcoming way. They believe in offering food pairings with their tastings so that you can really get a feel for the depth of all of their wines. A sip of their Rockawalkin' Cabernet paired with a pheasant sausage seemed the more typical pairing and yet they then offered up a piece of chocolate with a smear of goat cheese. Now you find yourself feeling as though you just ate a chocolate covered cherry.
After going through the tastings we decided to enjoy some wine and a picnic in their garden area overlooking their farm. Adam loved running around and even fed one of the miniature horses some grass.
A lovely afternoon picnic on a gorgeous fall afternoon.
As we drove away from the beach early yesterday morning we watched the sunrise over the ocean and knew it was the perfect ending to a great week at the beach. However, we didn't quite feel our vacation was over so we decided we'd change routes and head to Wintergreen for a night (or two!)
Seeing as we drive right past Williamsburg, we couldn't resist stopping by to pick up sandwiches from our favorite place there, The Cheese Shop. We arrived with about 30 minutes to spare but were delighted to see that a farmer's market was taking place with live entertainment in the form of a local high school jazz band. It was the perfect 30 minute distraction and before we knew it I was paying for our Cheese Shop picnic lunch.
We loaded back up into the car and headed west for the mountains stopping at one of our favorite wineries, King Family, which was the perfect spot for our picnic. Their kid sized picnic tables and open fields make for a very kid and dog friendly atmosphere and Adam burned off all that pent up energy from the car ride.
The weather was cool and cloudy making it the perfect reprieve after a week spent in the sun and sand. What better transition from the beach to fall than a weekend in the mountains!
After many, many, many months of renovations and repairs to our family's Wintergreen house we were finally able to head back up the mountain to enjoy the long weekend in the woods.
We started our weekend the only way we know how, a picnic at Wintergreen Winery. We very much looked forward to getting back to our favoirte vineyard and were greeted by the same smiling faces that recongized our longer than normal abscence. They had new wines for us to taste and after settling on a chilled bottle of their famous Thomas Nelson White, we headed outside for a picninc lunch.
Adam and Liddy had fun, as always, chasing each other around their big open fields. The creek was running as well which adds the perfect backdrop to a great start to a holiday weekend.
Apparently it's not just the wine that will make you want to take a nap...all that chasing around seems to have had the same affect! ;)
