The Great Virginia Winery NOT on the VA Wine Map

The Notebook visited Linden Vineyards for the first time in nearly 10 years last weekend. Admittedly, we were a bit "put out" by our visit there last time. This was one of the first Virginia wineries we visited in 2002 or so, back when places like Oasis, Smokehouse, Farfelu, Piedmont, and Deer Meadow Wineries were still on the Virginia winery map (actually a leaflet back then...), and Philip Carter Winery was called Stillhouse Winery. We were unable to enjoy the deck during our visit in 2007, unless we joined their Case Club. Apparently we were not the only winery hoppers who were disappointed (based on reviews on Yelp and other social media sites). With so many other options near Linden (Fox Meadow, Philip Carter, Naked Mountain), we boycotted Linden, until recently. After all those years, we felt it was immature to have sour grapes (pun intended).

A word about Linden's owner and winemaker. Jim Law is one of the founding fathers of Virginia wine. Bio from their website: Jim’s first vineyard job was in Indiana where he traded work for a place to live. He then got a real job in Ohio at Chalet Debonne where he learned the nuts and bolts of grape growing and cellar work. In 1981 Jim was hired to start a winery in the Shenandoah Valley where he fell in love with the area and viticultural possibilities. In the mid 1980’s, while establishing Linden Vineyards, he consulted for other wineries and taught winegrowing at local community colleges.

Linden is now a well-known establishment, and has opted not to appear on the Virginia Wine Map. And there are no longer signs off I-66 directing visitors to the winery. You have to know it's there. Not knowing what to expect, and wondering if we should even write about the winery on the Notebook (so they could maintain their "best kept secret" status), we entered the tasting room last Saturday, and were surprised at the number of visitors. And only a few case club members; many were there for the special library tasting. Since we knew Jim's wines were outstanding, we went for the regular ($8) tasting.

View from Linden tasting room:

On the tasting sheet that day were Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, both fine warm weather offerings, the Chardonnay especially wonderful with its soft pineapple notes, as well as rosé, Petit Verdot, and Claret, a Bordeaux-style blend similar to Meritage, and a perfect barbecue wine. No live bands, no bachelorette parties, no infants, no dogs - it was a nice change of pace. The weather was dreary but it made for some nice photo ops.

View from the deck at Linden:

Although we knew about the case club rule, we and other non club members were able to sit upstairs in a nicely appointed parlor room, with great views from both picture windows (vineyards on one side, mountains on the other).

All in all, the case club rule is a unique twist for Virginia wineries; if you're a member of another wine club, you may end up spending more over the course of a year than the one annual same-day purchase of a case at Linden. Doing so will give you access to the "club members only" deck. It was tempting to bring out the credit card and sign up. Maybe next time.

Because of the unusual (compared to most other Virginia wineries) nature of Linden, we'll paste the FAQ page from their website below. Cheers!

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Why all the restrictions?

About ten years ago increased visitation to Linden pushed us beyond our ability to maintain the intimacy, atmosphere and genius loci that we strive to protect. I was put in a situation to either significantly expand Linden’s facilities and scope of business or to put restrictions on what we do. I chose the latter. We love to educate and tell our story. Linden does not aspire to be a wine bar or café.
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Can we taste if we are not Case Club members?

Our regular tasting and cellar tastings are open to everyone. There are no restrictions on who can taste (except that you have to be at least 21 years old!).
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Should we make reservations?

Reservations are not needed for the tour or tasting. Once you arrive you can make a reservation for the weekend Cellar Tasting.
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Why not groups larger than four, can we split up our group when we arrive?

No. Linden is small and intimate. Groups overwhelm our space. We kindly ask that this limit be respected.
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Can we bring a picnic?

Linden does not allow any food brought in from home including picnics on our grounds.
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Are children allowed?

Children are allowed at Linden if accompanied by well-behaved adults. By law you have to be 21 years of age to taste wine. This is a pretty boring place for kids.
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Do you have Wi-fi?

Linden is in a dead zone. There is no Internet access and very spotty cell phone coverage. This can be incredibly therapeutic, however certain individuals may experience mild to severe anxiety attacks so precautions may need to be taken. (Note from bloggers: This is absolutely true.)
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Is Linden Dog friendly?

Dogs are not allowed in the winery or on the decks. Outside on a leash is fine.

The Road to Winchester: Part 3

Continuing with our examination of the three main highways leading to Patsy Cline's hometown, and apple capital of The Commonwealth, we land on Route 66. And not "that" route 66. Although after partaking at several of these wineries, you will get a kick of another kind.

Interstate 66, for those unlucky (or lucky) enough not to be familiar with this interstate, rolls about 80 miles from the Shenandoah Valley to Washington DC, via the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, after which the interstate abruptly ends around Virginia Avenue (where else?) in the District. The highway is mostly traffic clogged in Virginia from Arlington to Manassas (sometimes Haymarket), but once it opens up past Haymarket, it's a relaxing and scenic ride all the way to its western terminus, at I-81. The town of Winchester is some 10 miles north of the 66 and 81 interchange, however some folks use 66 as a faster way to the town. And of course that means a highway winery sign at nearly every exit, from the Haymarket area to Front Royal.

With so many wineries along this highway, there are many favorites. We will focus on three locations that are each about 10 minutes away from the interstate, so visitors will get a real feel of getting away from it all. While wineries right along the interstate may benefit from more foot traffic (Barrel Oak Winery, Three Fox Vineyards, Chateau O'Brien), getting away from the highway noise is sometimes essential (but for the record, the blogmasters adore the three aforementioned locations).

The first stop is at Exit 23 on I-66, which we dub the "winery exit." This is where you can peel off I-66 and drive along state highway 55, the former highway that connected the DC area with Front Royal and points west of that town. Route 55, the northern Virginia "wine highway," runs parallel with I-66, through the villages of Markham and Linden, and eventually puts you in downtown Front Royal. The winery we will focus on with this blog entry is Delaplane Cellars, named after the village of Delaplane you will pass by the railroad tracks on the way to this beautiful location.

Delaplane Cellars boasts a very large, airy, and bright (thanks to large picture windows) tasting room, with a second floor reserved for club members. There is ample outdoor seating for warmer weather (including freakishly warm January days): A wrap around deck with some tables, another patio near the entrance, and a few picnic tables up on a hill overlooking the tasting building. The views are incredible. The Blue Ridge Mountains can be seen immediately to the west. The winery is particularly picturesque under snow:

The wine offerings are different every time we visit, but there a few mainstays. Their Petit Verdot is a fine example of a grape that is becoming increasingly popular as a stand alone varietal in Virginia. We also enjoy their Mélange Rouge red blend.

Another winter view at Delaplane Cellars:

The parking here is rather cramped, being up against a mountain and all that. So get here early for the best spot (for you and your car).

The second and third stops are locations about half a mile apart from each other, each winery offering a different type of experience. Exit 18, the Markham exit, will drop you into another cluster of wineries, including the aforementioned Chateau O'Brien. Follow the signs (or "Siri") to Winding Road Cellars, a relatively new location compared to other wineries in this area. Winding Road Cellars is not far from the old Hume Vineyards, a defunct location which was the scene of a crazy summer mini-tornado several years ago (captured on film by the blogmasters). Winding Road is making some unusual wines ("because my husband is crazy" was the deadpan response we received from one of the owners when we inquired about this). Chardonnay, Viognier, Chambourcin, and Cab Franc are of course familiar names to anyone who knows anything about Virginia wine. But the wines here have a unique twist - we can't quite put our fingers on it. This is not a scientific analysis of the wines by any stretch; you will just have to visit and decide for yourself. Apparently Pinot Noir and Riesling are also on the owners' agenda in the future.

View of Winding Road Cellars tasting cabin, from the back:

There is a lot of room to move around outside at this winery. The pond behind the tasting cabin is a nice 5 minute walk from the tasting room, and the old boat house offers many photo opportunities:

Crowds apparently have not discovered this winery yet, at least the two times we have visited. One can spend an entire afternoon here and just drink in the atmosphere.

The vineyards at Winding Road:

The final stop on this Road to Winchester examination is right down the winding road from Winding Road Cellars. A Commonwealth favorite celebrating its 9th Anniversary this month, Philip Carter Winery. This beautiful location is almost always hopping, whether it's an acoustic performer, a family picnic, or a company outing. The tasting building is roomy and expansive, and the staff always sets up additional tasting counters whenever necessary. No one will be waiting here for a tasting.

Philip Carter Winery is also one of the few wineries in the area that has a real wood fireplace, and allows (and encourages) guests to tend to the fireplace themselves. Firepits are great for warmer weather, but winter (usually) does not allow for outdoor wine imbibing. The outdoor area has nicely arranged picnic tables and boards for a game that is becoming quite popular at Virginia wineries:

You can enjoy your bottles of wine close to the vineyards and even enjoy a cigar if the mood hits you.

The wines here are uniformly great and represent Virginia so well that the owners and winemaker have brought them to far away locations like China. The Sabine Hall Viognier is our favorite white here, a nice example of
"Virginia's white," with notes of honeysuckle, and all of the reds are good to great. Nomini Hall Cabernet Franc is a regal example of "Virginia's red," and is blended with Petit Verdot and Merlot for a smooth finish.

The number of wineries along I-66 can make it tough to decide where to go. Here's an extensive list of the wineries, from east to west, and their links, for easy access to other spots:

Winery at La Grange
Cobbler Mountain Cellars
Barrel Oak Winery
Blue Valley Winery
Miracle Valley Winery
Three Fox Vineyards
Delaplane Cellars
Arterra Wines
Naked Mountain Winery
Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn
Chateau O'Brien Winery
Philip Carter Winery
Winding Road Cellars
Linden Vineyards
Fox Meadow Winery
Chester Gap Cellars

'15 New Winery Spotlight #1: Winding Road Cellars

As we usher in another year of hopping through Virginia's finest, we embark on a series of blog entries focusing on (relatively) new wineries that have sprung up over the past 12 to 18 months. Some of these locations have been listed in the past two annual Virginia Winery maps; others were open "by appointment" only, and just recently established regular business hours.

As we await the publication of this year's Virginia winery map, which will most definitely list new wineries to explore in the coming year, we focus on some spots that have been open for some time now.

Winding Road Cellars

A few weeks before Christmas, we loaded up several Beatles CDs and decided to pay a visit to a few favorites around Front Royal, including some new spots. As we passed Philip Carter Winery on the left, traveling near the village of Hume, we inserted the Let it Be album and turned left into Winding Road Cellars. The road leading to the tasting building was not exactly long, but it was a bit winding, as the gravel driveway led us down the incline to a tasteful holiday-decorated building.

We were greeted by one of the owners, who seemed a bit reserved at first but friendly. She led us through a tasting including the requisite bites of chocolate to pair with the wines. Although they have promise, we don't think Winding Road is quite there yet, compared to other mainstays in the area like Philip Carter, Chateau O'Brien and Fox Meadow Winery (although the wines were all decent to good.) Sometimes it takes newer wineries a few years to find their way, to determine what grows best in the vineyards, as the soil in the Commonwealth is so varied from region to region. We felt the same way about two other wineries near Winding Road, which opened in 2011 and have since locked into varietals that they're confident in creating: Cobbler Mountain Cellars and Capitol Vineyards.

The tasting included two off-sweet styles that would work well with extremely spicy dishes like spiced crab dip or Thai food: Vidal Blanc and Semi-Sweet Chambourcin. Both styles are favorites of wine "newbies," so Winding Road will do well with the scores of young people who descend on the winery scene throughout the year (and not just in the spring, summer, and fall anymore...) The Vidal Blanc was a touch too sweet for us, with some honey notes, but would work well with the aforementioned foods.

The 2010 Chardonnay was quite good, offering notes of butterscotch. The big guns were their reds, all of which have potential: Chambourcin (regular, not semi-sweet), Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. We understand that the owners are going to grow styles quite unusual to this part of Virginia, namely Pinot Noir and Riesling, because "my husband is a little crazy" (exact quote from his wife, who led us through the tasting with dry wit).

The interior of the tasting building is mostly wood, which is perfect for sound absorption. Although there was not a live band when we visited (thankfully), we understand from their website that bands do perform here. At least the wood will buffer some of the sound, unless the band is acoustic (and acoustic bands get a pass from us; they actually work very well in a tasting room).

Outside, a deck overlooks the large pond (bordering lake in its size). We asked about the decrepit little boathouse on the pond's shore, and she told us the previous owners of the land kept canoes and kayaks (and even a small sailboat) in the boathouse. The boathouse looks like a true fixer-upper and we envision another seating area or tasting room in that location.

All in all, Winding Road Cellars is a solid addition to the region. We were sad to hear Hume Vineyards, which also opened in 2011, closed its doors last year, due to a myriad of issues. We visited Hume several years ago during a crazy mid summer storm and documented the event (click here).

Some pix to get you inspired for a long and winding afternoon at this winery:

The pond:

Additional photos - during this pre-Christmas jaunt, we visited a few other spots in the area. As it was a Friday before Christmas week, we had the normally very bustling Rappahannock Cellars almost to ourselves!

And on a less positive note, we pulled in to the infamous Oasis Vineyards, to look at their sad property. These vines will have to be completely pulled up and the soil turned over, before new vines can be planted. This would explain why the nearby wineries are not interested in this land. It's such a sad story - the original owner made such fine wine, but he turned the operation over to his son, who was more interested in entertaining celebrities, operating a limo business, and crashing White House galas: