The cosmic connection between red wine and pizza is well known, so we don’t need to sell you on the concept. Bloxom Vineyard brings it all together, with locally famous wood-fired pizza (really, they have a huge pizza stove on their deck) and a nice glass (or two) of Cabernet Franc.
They also offer homemade breads, cheeses, and cold cuts, if you aren’t into pizza.
You can enjoy your meal on Bloxom’s big shady deck or at a table inside.
Hours:
Pizza served May – August on Saturdays from 12-7pm, and also on Sundays from 12-5pm during June, July, and August.
Directions:
Bloxom Vineyard
26130 Mason Road
Bloxom, Virginia 23308
(757) 665-5670
From Rte. 13, right after the “Bloxom Winery” blue sign, turn onto Rte. 681 West (Mason Rd.) and go straight for 2 miles. Make a left at the “Bloxom Vineyard” sign and follow gravel road to the winery.
Sunset Hills Vineyard offers a large selection of snacks that can make for a nice lunch, including a large gourmet food basket ($24) with warm French bread, cheese, meats and tapenade. They also offer turkey panini, an Amish cheese plate, hot pretzels, and Amish fudge.
You can enjoy your lunch at the big wrap-around tasting bar, on the lawn, or a big sunny deck.
Wineries within 10 miles: 8 Chains North, Loudoun Valley Vineyard, Crushed Cellars, North Gate Winery
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 12-5pm, Friday – Sunday 12–6pm, with late Friday hours from March – November.
Directions:
Sunset Hills Vineyard
38295 Fremont Overlook Lane
Purcellville Virginia 20132
540-882-4560
Between Route 7 West and Route 9 in Loudoun County, between Purcellville and Lovettsville. From Tysons, take 7 West to the EXIT for Rt. 287. Turn RIGHT at the light at the bottom of the exit and proceed for about 2 miles. Turn RIGHT on Fremont Overlook Lane, and stay RIGHT at the “Y” in the road.
Don’t trust luck if you have your heart set on a meal at Barboursville Vineyards’ elegant Northern Italian-inspired restaurant, Palladio; call ahead for reservations. The crowd is a bit thinner at lunch, when you can choose a two-, three-, or four-course tasting menu. The four-course is $50, or $66 with wine pairing. The dinner menu is very similar to lunch, so lunch is a good option is you’d like the experience without the big(ger) bill at the end. Only the four-course menu is offered at dinner, priced at $75, or $100 with wine pairing.
The gourmet menu includes something for every taste. Appetizers might include oysters on the half shell with prosecco granita, or a house-made charcuterie platter. First courses feature seasonal soup, gnocchi, and risotto, plus a hearty meat dish such as braised wild boar raviolini, and house pasta. As a second course, you may choose between buckwheat honey glazed lamb loin, a duck preparation, or maybe almond-crusted fish. Desserts include such imaginative dishes as apple and cashew beignets, or opt for a selection of artisanal cheeses.
Guys: leave your t-shirts and Keds at home; a jacket is required for dinner.
Wineries within 10 miles: Barboursville Vineyards, Burnley Vineyards and Horton Vineyards
Hours:
Lunch – Wednesday through Sunday 12-2:30pm. Reservation Suggested.
Dinner - Friday & Saturday 6:30-9:00pm. Reservation Required.
Reservations:
(540) 832-7848 or http://www.barboursvillewine.net/winery/palladio-restaurant
Directions:
(For navigation only)
Palladio Restaurant
17655 Winery Road
Barboursville, VA 22923
From Washington DC and North: Follow I-66 West to Route 29 South, Exit East on Route 15 (“Orange”), into Orange. Turn right at the traffic signal for Route 20 South, “The Constitution Highway,” and follow Route 20 directly past James Madison’s Montpelier Plantation, 8 more miles to Route 33. Turn left (east) on Route 33 for 1/4 mile, right (south) on Route 20, and you are in Barboursville. From Route 20 South, take the first left (Rt 678), follow the signs to the driveway of Barboursville Vineyards, less than 1 mile.
From Richmond and East: Follow 1-64 West to Exit 136 (“Orange”), turning immediately north on Route 15 approximately 12 miles into Gordonsville, turning left (west) on Route 33 West to the “T” intersection with Route 20 South, then follow directions as from Washington.
From Charlottesville and South: Go East from Charlottesville on Route 250 (bypass), to Route 20 North, “The Constitution Highway,” proceeding 16 miles northeast. Barboursville Vineyards will be visible on your right, turn as directed by the signs into Route 678 to the estate.
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On the tiny main drag of Sperryville, Thornton River Grille has lots of character and good food, too. There’s a rustic feel to the dining room, with wood walls and tables, barn-red floors, and curtains in the windows. But modern-rustic. Recently-renovated and well-maintained rustic. Our kind of rustic.
A covered deck upstairs is a nice option for dinners in warm weather, Fridays-Sundays.
A well-rounded menu offers a little something for everyone. Thai-style preparations using lemongrass, lime and coconut milk show up with mussels and shrimp appetizers ($9); crab cakes ($28) come with fried lavosh and basmati rice; the beef tenderloin ($29) is topped with tarragon butter; grilled salmon ($18) is accompanied by a shaved fennel salad. Lunch specialties include the braised corned beef Reuben for $10 (brisket is braised in-house) and the $9 cheeseburger, with beef that’s ground fresh each day. We liked the Grille Salad ($13) with a generous portion of mixed greens and smoked turkey breast, served with pecans, goat cheese and cranberries.
Virginia wine is well represented on the menu, with nice choices from Linden, Barboursville, Glen Manor, Chester Gap, Gadino, Naked Mountain and Rappahannock.
Stop by the Sperryville Corner Store next door to pick up a bottle to take with you. Or visit the wineries themselves - Gray Ghost, Narmada, Unicorn, and Gadino are all within a few miles.
Tuesday through Saturday from 11 am – 3 pm for lunch and 5 – 9 pm for dinner. Sunday brunch between 10 am and 3 pm, and dinner from 5 – 9 pm. Reservations suggested for dinner and brunch.
3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville
(540) 987-8790
Too much? Don’t want to read 3,000 restaurant descriptions?
Good news – the Virginia Tourism Corporation has provided some nice database filters to help you search by cuisine and location. Barbecue in Botetourt? Steakhouse in Spotsylvania? They have it all.
West of Charlottesville between Veritas Winery and Pollak Vineyards lies just what you need: a brewery. With food. Good food.
You will appreciate Blue Mountain Brewery as you make your way along the Monticello Wine Trail. Everything appeals after a long day of wine tasting – the Nitro chili dog (made with the brewery’s Nitro Ale), the pulled pork barbecue, the beer-boiled local Bratwurst (all $9). Even the live music and the lively crowd are a welcome change of pace, with a happy throng of mid-20s to 30-somethings packing the tables in the simple but stylish restaurant.
Try a beer sampling – $5 for 6 samples. That’s the popular choice here. Not a lot of wine drinking going on, but if you decide to hang out and listen to the music, you’ll be happy to know all the wine is Virginia. So you can continue your tasting day without even leaving your chair.
9519 Critzers Shop Road • Afton, VA 22920 • 540-456-8020
128 East Davis Street, Culpeper, VA
All we remembered about Culpeper was that Prince Michel Winery was nearby. That was reason enough to pick Culpeper as our base of winery exploration operations this weekend, we figured.
A quick online investigation showed us the way to Thyme Inn – reasonable prices, right in the center of town, beautiful rooms, and positive reviews – except for one strange posting from a woman who said she and her husband had arrived (with a reservation) to find a note taped to the door from the owners. It said “Gone fishing,” told the guests where to find the key, and to have a great time. The guests found that, well, unacceptable. I kinda loved it – the idea that a hard-working couple finding themselves with a little window of opportunity would spontaneously hit the road. We were in.
Small but growing, the Inn offers three rooms ($125-$175/night). We chose the least expensive, the Sage room, which was small but packed with charming touches: an ornate gas fireplace with gilded mirror above, exposed brick peeking through artfully-painted plaster walls, a big mirrored armoir, fancy carved bed, warm wood floors, and vestigial balcony opening onto a narrow alley strung with white-lights – a cozy seating area for the Thyme Inn Market next door. We found fresh flowers by the bedside, plush robes and slippers, and a jacuzzi tub in the bath. All immaculate, as if the renovation had been completed just this week.
There are no common areas for lounging, and no porch for sitting – just a room one flight up from the street. But it’s a great room, and all we needed.
The Inn owners also run the Thyme Inn Market and It’s About Thyme Restaurant next door.
The restaurant was loud, packed, and hustling on Saturday night. Murals of an Italian villa and rolling green hills covered the walls, and painted ceramic tableware on the dark wood tables helped complete the Mediterranean picture. The owners’ daughter is the chef, and, simply put, she rocks. AND she doesn’t want you to go away hungry. I had the very generous goat cheese salad with arugula, pine nuts, and proscuitto, and tried the Pot Roast – loved it! Served with a few carrots and lots of sauce in a two-handled metal cassoulet pot, it wasn’t what I expected, and I love a surprise.
Rick had the Caesar salad and Prime Rib – thick, well-seasoned and perfectly cooked, with tasty au gratin potatoes on the side, a perfect man-meal. After a day of wine tasting, we were saturated…but those entrees really did cry out for a nice Cotes du Rhone. We didn’t ask the by-the-glass price, and were braced for $10 or more, then thrilled to see the bill for $7 a glass – a true bargain these days.
Be sure to ask the prices of the day’s specials, on the unpriced side of the menu. While the regular menu items don’t have any particular monetary surprises, the specials mostly came in at the mid-$30 range, and the 16 oz New York strip was a whopping $48. On the plus side, the food was plentiful and could easily become tomorrow’s lunch.
Closest wineries: Old House, Castle Gruen, Prince Michel, Rogers Ford
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