Chatham Vineyards & Winery on the Eastern Shore (Photo courtesy Chatham Vineyards & Winery)
Harvest season is the perfect time to enjoy Virginia wine country, and since October is Virginia Wine Month, there are a plethora of festive events to enjoy at wineries around the state, from raucous grape stomping to Halloween dance parties and multicourse dinners.
Stay Central
Central Virginia’s bustling wine scene is complemented by places to stay and dine around the Charlottesville area.
Early Mountain, near Madison, has a spacious tasting room where guests can choose from a rotating menu of wine flights or book a more in-depth tasting or tour. Celebrate the season with local eats at their Harvest Wine Dinner on Oct. 6 or, later in the month, get some hands-on cooking instruction at the Spooky Pasta edition of their Edible Insight series on Oct. 27 — costumes are encouraged. There’s a luxurious on-site cottage available for rent, but be warned: It books out far in advance.
Veritas’ Supper Series Harvest Dinner on Oct. 18 is the last in a season of chef-driven dinners at the Afton winery, where a rotating cast of cooks gets to pick everything from the flowers to the music in addition to the menu. You can also stay at the Farmhouse at Veritas bed-and-breakfast on-site.
For some Halloween-focused fun, Flying Fox — Veritas’ sister winery down the road — hosts a party on Oct. 25 for guests to dance late into the night. There is no kitchen at Flying Fox, but visitors are free to bring a picnic or food from a neighboring restaurant.
Venture to the Valley
Head farther west to explore the Shenandoah Valley region’s 40-some wineries and vineyards. Lightwell Survey’s wines are exclusively blends and are co-fermented, allowing winemaker Ben Jordan to work intuitively to showcase grapes sourced from the Shenandoah Valley’s wine-growing region. If you’ve tried their wines or even just seen their expressive, almost gothic labels, it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of their biggest celebrations is their Hellawine party on Oct. 26, held at their downtown Waynesboro winery.
Common Wealth Crush Co., an urban winery and incubator for small wine brands in downtown Waynesboro, also has a tasting room where you can sample other wines from the area. Among their many events in October is a release party for The Parallax Project, a collaboration between wine aficionados Reggie Leonard of CWC and Lance Lemon, owner of Richmond’s Penny’s Wine Shop, happening Oct. 19.
Hit the Shore
Coastal Virginia is just as attractive in the fall as it is in the summer and, despite the fact that the Eastern Shore American Viticultural Area (AVA for short) only has one wine region, the southern end of the Delmarva peninsula is well worth checking out.
Chatham Vineyards on Church Creek hosts their annual dinner on Oct. 26. Twelve regional chefs will create dishes using historic recipes or traditional foods from the area.
If you’re looking for more time on the water, the vineyard also hosts kayak tours dubbed “Paddle Your Glass Off.” Held daily through October, the tours take guests around the property with a break in the middle for a tasting. Find charming lodgings bayside in Cape Charles or in smaller hamlets along the shore.
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RdV Vineyards in Delaplane (Photo courtesy RdV Vineyards)
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Linden Vineyards in Northern Virginia (Photo courtesy Linden Vineyards)
Head North
If a tasting among rolling green hills sounds appealing (and you’re willing to brave I-95), Northern Virginia’s RdV Vineyards is the perfect place to sip, swirl and contemplate their full-bodied, luxurious reds. Just be sure to make reservations for a tasting at the Fauquier County estate in advance. If you’re going for more than a day trip, B&Bs are the predominant lodging in the wine regions of Fauquier and Loudoun counties.
Nearby Delaplane Cellars is a bit more casual and hosts live music every Saturday and Sunday, while Walsh Family Wine near Purcelville is kid and dog friendly and open seven days a week. For a taste of some benchmark Virginia wines, visit Linden Vineyards closer to Front Royal — reservations are required for their educational tastings. Through Oct. 6, the winery offers weekend harvest and crush tours, also by reservation. Depending on where the winery is in their process, you can observe, taste grapes or inhale the heady aromas of fermentation.
Fly South
For a more traditional harvest festival atmosphere, Rosemont Vineyards bordering Lake Gaston is worth a trek to Southern Virginia for their 15th annual End of Harvest Celebration. Show up anytime between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 19 for live music, food trucks and, of course, grape stomping. There are a few other wineries nearby that make up the Southern Virginia wine-growing region, as well as a few local hotels in South Hill about 15 minutes from the winery.
A Word to the Wine-wise
To get the most out of your time in wine country, try spitting during tastings (usually there is a bucket for this) like professionals do. It can feel a bit awkward at first, but you’ll find that you learn more about the wines you’re tasting, have fewer worries about driving safely and will be able to fully enjoy your dinner reservations in the evening.
Also, keep in mind that while harvest season is great fun for wine consumers, it’s the most stressful time of year for the folks actually making wine. A little extra patience and appreciation will not go unnoticed by tasting room staff and any winemakers you’re lucky enough to meet.
