Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail meeting. This group of award-winning wineries and vineyard run along the Northern Neck of Virginia. Starting in King George and running down to New Kent, Virginia, these location are in and around some of the most beautiful areas of Virginia.

During this meeting, I met with most of the wineries. The meeting took place at General’s Ridge Vineyards. As I pulled in to the vineyard, I have to say I was very overwhelmed with the beauty of the vineyards and the Manor House standing at the back.

As I drove up the drive, I could see that they were busy harvesting the grapes. I don’t know if you know this, but they pick them all by hand! No machines! Talk about lots of work!

I got to the back of the vineyard and got a good look at the Manor House on the hill. It is a beautiful old plantation home that stands watch over the fields.

When I parked to go into the meeting, I was right beside the fields. Look at how heavy these vines are with “ready to pick” grapes! It was so hard not to reach over and take some!

After the meeting, I got to see some of the grapes that had been harvested.

First them place them into small boxes.

Then they move them to larger boxes.

When I was standing there, a couple of the owners from other wineries reach in and took a few.

So did I! Yum!

The Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail has 10 Wineries and Vineyards,

Hours: Apr 1-Dec 23, Wed-Sun 10am-5pm, or by appointment. Closed Easter & Thanksgiving.

540-663-2813
OakCrestWinery.com

Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun Noon-5pm, summer daily-6pm

804-224-8687
InglesideVineyards.com

Hours: Mar -Dec 15, Wed-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun Noon-5pm
or by appointment

804-333-4700
BelleMount.com

1618 Weldons Dr.
Hague, VA 22469
Lat: 38.03011
Long: -76.66772

Hours: Thurs 12-5pm, Fri 12-7pm, Sat 12-6pm, Sun 12-5pm.

804-472-3172 or
703-203-7216 for Winery Accommodations
GeneralsRidgeVineyard.com

2953 Kings Mill Rd.
P.O. Box 128
Routes 601 & 602
Kinsale, VA 22488
Lat: 38.0159
Long: -76.6238

Hours: Feb 13 -Dec, Thur-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun, Noon-5pm, or by appointment.
Summer open until 6pm
Jan-Feb 13, Fri, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm
Closed Jan 12 & 13

804-472-4430
VaultFieldVineyards.com

3138 Jessie Dupont Memorial Hwy
Heathsville, VA 22473
Lat: 37.8457
Long: -76.370

Hours: Jan-April, Fri-Sun Noon-5pm,
May-Dec, Wed-Sun Noon-6pm

804-580-4944  or 804-580-7327
AthenaVineyards.com

619 Train Lane
Wicomico Church, VA 22579
Lat: 37.803100
Long: -76.33690

Hours: Apr-Dec, Wed-Sat 11am-5pm
Sunday 11am-3pm

804-580-4053

1025 Good Luck Road
Kilmarnock, 22482
Lat: 37.739448
Long: -76.380622

Hours: Thursday and Saturday from 11am to 6pm, on Friday from 11am to 8pm and Sunday from Noon to 5pm.
Closed Thanksgiving & Christmas

804-435-1416

170 White Fences Drive
P.O. Box 677
Irvington, VA  22480
Lat: 37.6673
Long: -76.4147

Hours: Thur-Mon, 11am-6pm

804-438-WINE (9463)
Hopeandglory.com

8400 Old Church Road
New Kent, Virginia 23124
Lat: 37.5258
Long: -77.0751

Hours: Tues-Sun 10am-6pm

804-932-8240
NewKentWinery.com

So come and enjoy a glass of wine and taste the harvest this year on the Northern Neck!

Start your “Trail Run” at Belle Grove Plantation!

http://www.stratfordhall.org/event/stratford-hall-wine-and-oyster-festival/

Most of these Wineries and Vineyards will be at the Stratford Hall Wine and Oyster Festival Saturday, September 21st and Sunday, September 22nd. This festival is a great opportunity to taste the regional wines and enjoy a wonderful weekend at the plantation!

Thank you to all the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail Owners for the invitation and to Terri of General’s Ridge for making sure

We hope to see you soon at the plantation!

To see what is going on at the plantation

https://www.bellegroveplantation.com/

Please visit our Official Website and Click on our Newsletter!

Please “like” and “share” us on Facebook!

Thank you!

Did you know that Virginia has 206 wineries and vineyards and 24 Wine Trail Tours?  Did you also know that Virginia is the 5^th largest wine producing state in the United States?  Wine Enthusiast Magazine named Virginia one of the top ten wine travel destinations for 2012. October is considered Virginia’s Prime Wine Month because of the fall foliage, free or low-cost wine festivals, barrel tastings and harvest parties.

One of these wonderful wineries and vineyards is located very close to our plantation. It is called Ingleside Plantation Winery. It is located on a beautiful plantation that was built in 1834 and started as a boys’ school known as Washington Academy. It has also served as a garrison and courthouse during the Civil War. The current family has held this 3000 or more acres since 1890. With this family, the plantation started as a dairy farm. In 1940, the plantation was turned into a nursery and the vineyard was added in 1980.

According to Ingleside Vineyards website

www.inglesidevineyards.com

“Ingleside Vineyards is one of Virginia’s oldest and largest wineries and produces over 18 varieties of wine from estate-grown grapes. For thirty years our hand-crafted wines have won numerous awards and top honors in state, national and international wine competitions, such as the Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition, San Diego International Wine Competition, as well as the London International Wine Spirits Competition.”

“At the time of Ingleside’s incorporation, Ingleside was one of the initial six wineries in the state of Virginia.”

Their philosophy is as follows:

“We are serious about our vineyards and our wines. That being said, we encourage a relaxed environment for our customers to taste our wines and sit a spell in our beautiful European styled courtyard.”

The vineyard has four primary vineyards, The Roxbury Vineyards, The Walnut Hill Vineyards, The Chesapeake Vineyards and The Founder’s Vineyard.

The Roxbury Vineyard

“The Roxbury Vineyards, consisting of 12 acres, is planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Viognier.  This section takes its name from the 1860”s Victorian mansion built by Dabney Carr Wirt, the youngest son of the former U.S. Attorney General William Wirt. It is now the home of Ingleside proprietor Doug Flemer. Roxbury Vineyards are oriented such that they are well-drained towards the Potomac River.  The grapes from the medium textured soils produce wines that are serious yet approachable.”

The Walnut Hill Vineyards

“The Walnut Hill Vineyards consists of 20 acres of Chardonnay clone 96, Merlot, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Malbec.  Walnut Hill is part of the original land purchased by the Flemer Family in the 1880’s.  It is a magnificent site for growing grapes as it is part of the highest ridge in the entire Northern Neck.  With a commanding view towards the Potomac River, these vineyards are well exposed to breezes off the rivers.  The back portion of the property also drains towards the Rappahannock River.  The heavier soils on Walnut Hill produce wines of intensity, elegance, complexity and finesse.”

The Chesapeake Vineyards

“The Chesapeake Vineyards consist of 18 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Charbono, Graciano, Albarino, Nebiollo, Temprillo and Pinot Meunier plus some additional experimental varieties and a selection of rootstocks used for grafting.  Our Chesapeake Vineyards are located behind the winery in medium textured soils that are fertile ground for experimentation.  It is here that we have and are continuing to discover the best varieties and clones suited to the climate on the Northern Neck, Chesapeake Bay Region.”

The Founder’s Vineyards

The Founder’s Vineyard consists of 8 acres of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Albarino, Seyval Blanc and Norton.  Some of these vines are the oldest in the state of Virginia having been planted in the 1970’s by Carl Flemer, Jr. founder of Ingleside Winery.

The following are some of the awards stated on their website that this great Virginia winery has received:

OVERALL WINERY AWARDS:

– Voted “Best Winery in Eastern Virginia” in 2011 and 2012 by the readers of Virginia Wine Lover Magazine.

– Voted “Favorite Virginia Winery in the Chesapeake Bay Region” in 2011 by the readers of Virginia Wine Lover eNewsletter.

WINE AWARDS for 2012 (BY VARIETY):

Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012

Petit Verdot 2007
Silver – San Diego International Wine Competition 2012 
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012 

Petit Verdot Reserve 2007
Gold – San Diego International Wine Competition 2012 
Silver – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012 

Sangiovese 2008 
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012

Sangiovese 2009
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012

Virginia Gold 2007
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2011
Bronze – Virginia Governor’s Cup Competition 2012

 Some of their upcoming events are:

September 8 – Jazz in the Courtyard

October 20 – 33^rd Harvest Celebration

November 10 – Fall Barrel Tasting

December 8 & 9 and 15 & 16 – Holiday Open House

New Hint!

Hint One:

Captain John Smith sailed up the river that runs by this plantation in 1608 and noted the Indian settlements along the river banks.

Hint Two:

George Washington was a frequent visitor to this plantation.

Hint Three:

It’s not Williamsburg or the area around Williamsburg.

Hint Four:

Two famous Virginians were born on this plantation. Both were very good with words.

Hint Five: 

The town located across the river from this plantation once was under consideration for Nation’s Capital.

Hint Six:

An assassin passed through this plantation on the way to his death.

Advice – Read other’s comments. If someone guesses correctly, I do tell them. The first hint has been answered correctly.