UPDATE on 1/29/11: Maybe seated tastings aren’t the way to go after all: both Kluge Winery and White Fences have now gone out of business. Sad. We loved them both.
A wee trend is developing among Virginia wineries struggling to welcome the explosion of weekend wine travelers, but still preserve the ambience of the tasting experience. It’s a wonderful, civilized thing, and it’s called a seated tasting.
Some offer it as a self-guided experience, like Kluge Estate Winery in Charlottesville, where for $10 you’re given an elegant plexi carrying tray with six generous pours and a page of tasting notes. Pick up a little plate of crab cakes from their Farm Shop and you’re set for the afternoon.
At White Fences on the Northern Neck, the seated tasting is both a warm welcome for visitors to the Neck, and a defensive move: they have the tiniest tasting room you’re likely to see, with a two-person bar and just enough room to turn around. Pourers stay busy carrying wines out to the summery screened porch, where boaters hang out on rattan couches, often with their nautical pooches in tow.
Hillsborough, in Hillsboro (BTW, one of the most exceptional overall winery experiences in Virginia) invites you into their sunny, 1840′s Country French dining room, where tables are set as if for a Sunday brunch. Knowledgeable staff attend you, pouring four flights of two wines each for $8. An extra $5 buys a tiny plate of bread and cheese, with little dots of chocolate. Weekdays you can still do your tastings at the bar.
At Vintage Ridge, out past The Plains in Fauquier County, a seated tasting is your only choice. Your tasting fee ($18 last time we checked) includes a substantial food paring of artisan cheeses and meats, and seasonal selections chosen to complement the boutique winery’s limited-production offerings.
This trend is a win-win, as wineries struggle (elegantly) to accomodate growing numbers (and also get a little upsell from the food pairings), and visitors grow weary of bridal party scrums. What’s next, we wonder? Maybe a barcalounger and a complimentary foot massage? We wouldn’t say no…
Know of a great seated tasting in Virginia? Leave a comment, or let us know at Nancy@VaWineInMyPocket.com! We’ll keep the list going…
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Hi Nancy,
Vintage Ridge is past the Plains, but it is in Fauquier County, not Loudon. Love your blog, please check out ours.
Nancy Reply:
September 30th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Thanks Kurt! I also placed Hillsborough in Berryville instead of…duh…Hillsboro. Yesterday was a geograpically challenging day. Thanks for the link in your blog! I added you guys to our blog roll as well. Loved the write-ups on Linden and Vintage Ridge – we’ll be there this weekend (maybe by boat, who knows?).
If you get the chance, Chester Gap wines are awesome. They are not all that far from Linden.
Nancy Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 6:17 am
Thanks for that tip, Kurt! We’re heading out that direction this weekend – now I’m really excited! Anything in particular you recommend?
I’ve been to both Vintage Ridge and Hillsboro. I’m a member at Vintage Ridge and I think they wine is oustanding. The food pairing only enhances the experience and is worth the $15. Hillsboro’s wines leaves a something to be desired. I find them vegetative, which signals immaturity in the grapes, and I could bare determine the difference between their reds. Their whites are ok. The sit-down experience IS nice though.
Nancy Reply:
October 1st, 2010 at 6:27 am
Hi Chris – thanks for weighing in. I really love the whole food pairing concept that Vintage Ridge has taken on. Rick loves the French reds, which I can’t choke down, until you put the steak on the table with them – then my taste buds start doing the happy dance. So sometimes it really is all about the food. I bet Vintage Ridge sells a lot ‘o wine that way
Vintage Ridge does pretty well. Bill (winery owner) is passionate about keeping his winery a boutique setting. He places all of his concentration on the wines he produces. He won’t enter his wine in competitions, nor does he have a table at even the biggest Virginia wine fests; and yet, they’re the ones we go to first, that we buy the most wine from, and that we’re club members of. One more thing then I’ll shut up… I love that Bill and his wife make it a point to come to the tables and chat about wine; very personable.
Okay, that does it. We’re doing there first this weekend! I can’t wait!