Marterella Winery Tasting Room: Thanks for the Memories

The blogmasters were saddened to hear the news that Marterella Winery's tasting room, near Warrenton, was forced to close its doors several weeks ago, thanks to a decision (wholly unfair in our opinion) by Fauquier county that the tasting room was allegedly “violating the restrictive covenants." Another winery is less than 1/4 a mile down the road from Marterella, and the two wineries probably complemented each other with visitors (visitors who probably went to both wineries in the same afternoon). Now that only one exists (Mediterranean Cellars), it should be interesting if their patronage declines.

There are many wineries in the Warrenton area to choose from now, and when we launch into VAVINOLAND, we usually select an area where two or more wineries are at least five miles from each other.

We visited Marterella shortly after its opening in 2006, and were immediately taken into the Marterella family, who cooked up a batch of spaghetti in their tasting room (free) for lingering visitors to their tasting room. Kate and Jerry Marterella are consumate hosts and a joy to be around; the forced closing of their tasting room is a sore piece of Virginia Winery history.

According to their website, the wines are still available for purchase online. Marterella Winery has a loyal fanbase and other wineries in the area have offered venues for the couple to sell their wonderful and well-priced wines.

More wineries have opened in the Commonwealth over the past few years than closed, but there have been a few other casualties:

Kluge Estate Winery (closed in 2011): Declared bankruptcy. Rumor has it Donald Trump is interested in buying the land. That will not bode well for the state, in our humble opinions....

Oakencroft Winery (closed in 2010): Owner retired.

Smokehouse Winery (closed in 2010): The name was misleading - he made mead here. Evidently the owner is quite a character and hosted unusual festivals and concerts. We'll leave the rest to your imagination.

Oasis Winery (closed/open again/closed/will it open again??): This is the infamous "White House crashers" winery (the Salahis). Currently the vineyards are overgrown, vines are dead. But the tabloid life seems to be more suited to those people.

Christensen Ridge Winery (closed in 2007): After several admirable attempts, this winery and cabin rental spot near Madison just couldn't pull through.

Farfelu Vineyards (closed in 2007): Owners got tired of the VA winery scene and closed, with the vague hint that they would continue to grow and sell their grapes to other wineries (we were unable to confirm this).

Deer Meadow Vineyards (closed in 2006): This winery was west of Winchester and apparently the owners simply lost interest in growing crop.

Luckily, more Virginia wineries are on the way, but we thought it was time to pay respect for those who didn't make it as a tasting room, whether by choice or not.

Virginia Winery Score List: July 2011

Since the blog on the "Best in Show" wineries in The Commonwealth, the blogmasters have received several inquiries on how other VA wineries ranked.

As much as we would love to admit that we've been to every winery and vineyard in the state, our domestic lives (read: jobs and spouse, in the case of John) do not allow us to get lost in the wonderful world of VAVINO. But for the heckuvit, we'll post our cumulative spreadsheet ranking our favorite wineries, as of July 9, 2011.

"5" is the highest rank, so if there are scores above 5, that means the winery received added points for having a cat and/or a fireplace or firepits, that the winery managers actually use (you'd be surprised to find out how many Virginia wineries have such fireplaces, but never seem to use them).

We haven't been to a Virginia winery that wasn't an overall positive experience. The wineries and vineyards ranked low on the list are there simply because they received low scores for certain elements that the serious wine fan may not care about (tasting room set-up; customer service; outdoor and indoor sitting areas). The final scores were derived from several criteria: Wine quality; Indoor Set Up; Outdoor Set Up; Friendly Factor; Price; Busy Factor; View (and added points for cats and a fireplace that is used). A winery like Linden does make great wine, however they are lacking in some of the other categories. The other categories may not even be important, if it's "all about the wine"; however as a comprehensive blog, we try to evaluate all aspects of a winery.

And we hope to remedy the issue of not visiting the wineries on the eastern side of the state....very soon.

The Rundown, from "Best to OK, but not the best...." (Scores in parens):

First Colony 5.64
North Mountain 5.29
Pollak 5.21
West Wind 5.14
Fincastle 5.07
Fox Meadow 5.07
Twin Oaks Tavern Winery 5.07
Afton Mountain 5.00
Hiddencroft 5.00
Old House 5.00
Cobbler Mountain Cellars 5.00
DuCard Vineyards 4.93
Barren Ridge 4.93
White Rock 4.93
Casanel 4.86
Chateau O’Brien 4.86
Valhalla 4.86
DelFosse 4.79
Desert Rose Ranch 4.79
Dry Mill 4.79
North Gate Vineyard 4.71
Blenheim Vineyards 4.64
Sharp Rock 4.64
Hume 4.64
Narmada Winery 4.64
Philip Carter (old Stillhouse) 4.64
Willowcroft 4.64
Cooper 4.58
Fabbioli Cellars 4.57
Gadino Cellars 4.57
Burnley 4.50
Flying Fox 4.50
La Grange 4.50
Blue Ridge Vineyard 4.43
Cave Ridge 4.43
Hickory Hill 4.43
LeoGrande 4.43
Lexington Valley 4.43
Unicorn 4.43
White Hall 4.43
Veritas 4.36
Lost Creek 4.36
Capitol Vineyards 4.36
Greyhaven 4.36
Rogers Ford 4.36
Wolf Gap 4.36
Zephaniah Farm 4.36
Peaks of Otter 4.29
Stone Mountain 4.29
Wintergreen 4.29
Cardinal Point 4.29
Hillsborough 4.29
Glen Manor 4.21
King Family 4.21
Mountain Cove 4.21
Wisteria Vineyard 4.21
Hidden Brook 4.21
James River 4.21
Marterella Winery 4.21
Mediterranean 4.21
8 Chains North Vineyard 4.14
Rebec 4.14
Sweely Estate 4.14
Veramar 4.14
Naked Mountain 4.14
Chrysalis 4.07
Aspen Dale 4.00
Hill Top Berry Farm 4.00
Keswick 4.00
Lovingston 4.00
Notaviva 4.00
Oak Crest 4.00
Rappahannock Cellars 4.00
Sugarleaf 4.00
Village 4.00
Virginia Mountain 4.00
Delaplane Cellars 3.93
Shenandoah 3.93
Vintage Ridge 3.93
Hartwood 3.93
Belle Mount 3.86
Bluemont 3.86
Chester Gap 3.86
Lake Anna 3.86
Sunset Hills 3.86
Doukenie 3.86
Potomac Point 3.86
Miracle Valley 3.79
Breaux 3.79
Corcoran 3.71
Crushed Cellars 3.71
Bloxom 3.64
Ingleside 3.64
Barrel Oak 3.64
Loudoun Valley 3.57
Swedenburg 3.57
Jefferson 3.50
Paradise Springs 3.50
Three Fox 3.50
Cross Keys 3.50
Gray Ghost 3.36
Piedmont 3.29
Rockbridge 3.29
Prince Michel 3.21
Barboursville 3.14
Chateau Morrisette 3.14
Kluge Estate (closed) 3.14
Pearmund 3.07
Tarara 2.93
Horton 2.64
Williamsburg 2.50
Linden 2.36

Virginia Winery Snapshots: State Hwy 55

A virtual trip on the "wine highway" near Delaplane/Marshall, VA. Click on photo to start slide show.

Virginia Winery Snapshots: June 2011

Click on the first picture to view the photo album!

VA Wine Country "Budget" Trips

Right off the bat: No B&Bs will be featured. There are plenty of websites and travel guides devoted to B&Bs. B&Bs work fine for couples and families. But two straight guys who are really into Virginia wine, staying at a B&B? The implications...

So what's a male VAVINO head to do? Just visit the wineries in Northern and Central VA that can be experienced in one day? That means severely limiting your time at the wineries due to driving distances.

We've compiled a list of a few reasonable motels (not hotels) in various Virginia wine hot spots, to help fellow wine lovers with the challenge. (And there are plenty of couples and families who don't dig B&Bs as well, so they may be thankful for such a list).

These motels (some border the hotel classification, but that could be pushing it) have hosted the blogmasters more than once. And we've gotten to know their home towns quite well through the years.

Front Royal:
Front Royal is becoming the hub of the northwestern Virginia wine territory. Excellent wineries on all sides of the town, and Front Royal is close enough to DC to make the drive in 2 hours, but far enough from DC to feel like you're really getting away from it all.

Suggested Motels: Quality Inn Skyline Drive. This motel will take you back to the mid 70s. Rooms are small, all exterior entrances, walls are a bit thin, but the prices are right, even in the middle of peak seasons (summer and fall). And after a day of wineries, you'll be too buzzed to really care. Plus they have a nice pool and a large picnic area, with grills available to guests. Extra bonus: Walking distance to downtown Front Royal, and a host of interesting restaurants.

For a more modern experience, try the Holiday Inn right off I-66. This is a newer hotel, built after Holiday Inn reinvented itself to compete with the Hiltons, Hyatts and Westins of the world. Interior corridors, closer to modern shopping centers, quite upscale, and fairly expensive in all months except January.

Must-see wineries around Front Royal:
Glen Manor Vineyards
Chester Gap Cellars
Fox Meadow Winery
Rappahannock Vineyards
Desert Rose Ranch and Winery
Chateau O'Brien at Northpoint

Woodstock, VA:
Woodstock is located right off I-81, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, and is close to George Washington National Forest and several fine wineries. The town is quaint and pure Americana. We recommend the Comfort Inn. It's your typical Comfort Inn, clean and comfortable and affordable, with a Taco Bell in walking distance, which hits the spot after a day of partaking......

Great wineries near Woodstock:
North Mountain Vineyard
Wolf Gap Vineyard
Cave Ridge Vineyard
Shenandoah Vineyards
Wisteria Farm Winery

Waynesboro:
Located between Charlottesville and Staunton, Waynesboro is the perfect launching pad to wineries as well as both Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Quality Inn near downtown is the perfect place to hang your hat. A coffee kiosk exists in the parking lot next door for those mornings after a day of winery hopping.....and KFC is a 10 minute drive away. Fried chicken and wine? YES!

Winery escapes near Waynesboro:
Pollak Vineyards
Afton Mountain Vineyards
Barren Ridge Vineyards
Veritas Vineyard
King Family Vineyards
Flying Fox Vineyard

Natural Bridge area:
Further down I-81, there is a motel perched up on a mountainside that will take you back to when Three Dog Night, America and Jim Croce ruled the airwaves. The rooms haven't been upgraded much since then, but the spot is utterly charming. A family-owned and operated motel with a good restaurant right down the hill: The Wattstull Inn. The famous Natural Bridge and the historic town of Lexington is close by.

Wineries to visit near Natural Bridge:
Rockbridge Vineyard
Lexington Valley Vineyard
Blue Ridge Vineyard
Virginia Mountain Vineyards

These are some spots nestled in the mountains of Virginia that are worth a long weekend or two. More suggestions to come.......

Best in Show: VA Wine Style

The blogmasters have visited 144 Virginia wineries since beginning our VAVINO odyssey in 2002, and before creating this blog and our Facebook account, we kept track of each winery via EXCEL. A spreadsheet, which we still maintain, listing the wineries and scoring each one on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent) for several categories. We rarely give scores of 1, but there have been a few. Some wineries excel at wine, but fail at nearly everything else. And others excel at being venues for live acts, gift shops, highly slick places, but fail on the wine. So in other words, we rate more than the wine. In Virginia, it's all about the full experience.

The categories: Wine Quality; Indoor Set Up; Outdoor Set Up; Friendly Factor; Price; Busy Factor; View. The scores are then averaged to allow for rankings. And then additional points (half an extra point) are given if the winery has a cat or cats, and if the winery has a fireplace, or outdoor firepits, that they use (wood burning or gas for the fireplaces).

Over the past year, we've visited and re-visited many wineries, and took a hard look at our categories, and scored and re-scored. The rankings are now in. The Top Five (mean score in parenthesis). If the mean score is over 5, that means the winery received extra points for having cats and/or a fireplace/firepit:

1. First Colony Winery (5.64)

First Colony has long been our favorite, for a variety of reasons. First off, the wine is good to excellent: Every option. The staff are extremely friendly and follow the "you can stay after we lock up" rule (wineries that allow visitors to linger outside after they close for the day). It's amazing to us how many wineries kick their guests out, even if the winery has outdoor seating and doesn't require a visit inside after they lock up (this rule generally works better for men than women, of course.....) The view from the deck is lush forest, and there are many options for outdoor seating. Favorite wines: Merlot, Meritage and their Rosé.

2. North Mountain Vineyard (5.29)

At the top of the Shenandoah Valley, North Mountain Vineyards has a "Story Book Land" building housing its tasting room and guest rooms - it's irresistible in cold months, and even harder to leave in the warmer months. There is a lot of outdoor space here, including a large deck overlooking the vineyards. They have a large variety of wines, from dry to semi-dry to sweets to fruit wines (being so close to Winchester, they must have an apple wine - and it's delicious). Favorite wines: Chambourcin, Tom's Brook Red (table red), and that apple wine.

3. Pollak Vineyards (5.21)

Pollak Vineyards is only a few years old, but it's become one of our favorites because they're focused on creating quality wine (their wines are already major award winners), while keeping guests happy with friendly tastings, a bright and airy tasting room, a fireplace (they allow guests to maintain the fire in the winter and keep the logs close at hand), wonderful mountain views from a valley, and a charming pond. Favorite wines: Viognier, Chardonnay, and Cab Franc.

4. West Wind Farm Vineyard (5.14)

This great winery is located in Southwest Virginia, on the highway between the Wytheville area and Charlotte, NC. This is real southern hospitality, and the blogmasters were treated to extra tastings when we told them how far we had driven to visit them. The wines - incredibly good, crisp and refreshing. The rolling hills and quietness of the landscape instantly reduced high blood pressure. You never know how stressfull northern Virginia is until you visit these faraway destinations. Favorite wines: Riesling, Galena Creek Red (blend), Cabernet Sauvignon

5. Fincastle Vineyard (5.07)

A little closer to DC than West Wind Farm Vineyard, but still not feasible for just a day trip (drop anchor at a hotel or motel in nearby Roanoke), Fincastle Vineyard is what we call "the Waltons winery." The house that doubles as a B&B and tasting room is right out of the Waltons. And yes, they have a porch for sipping overlooking the fields and vineyards. The owners make you feel like part of the family. Another great Virginia wine getaway - and the wines are fine too. Favorite wines: Cab Franc, Chardonnay, and their Rosé.

"Coulda been a contenda": So many wineries in Virginia, so many contenders. Here are three that nearly made the Top Five: Fox Meadow Winery, Afton Mountain Vineyards, and Old House Vineyards .

These are the eight wineries that the blogmasters find themselves heading towards even during the dead of winter. But in regards to Virginia, remember what George Martin said when he tried to pick his favorite Beatles songs: "They're all pretty good." The same applies to Virginia wineries.

To Wine Festival, or Not To Wine Festival.....

The growth (and popularity) of vineyards and wineries in the Commonwealth has spurred a growth in festivals all over the state, in the big cities and small towns. The biggest ones, like Vintage Virginia (held in the Bull Run area off I-66 each spring and fall) have been around for decades, when Virginia only boasted about 15 wineries. Now the festival has grown into an amusement park for big kids, although that doesn't stop the grown ups from a) bringing their toddlers and b) acting like little kids.

Should you decide to visit a festival in the state this year, there are some pros and cons. In a nutshell, true wine buffs would be better off visiting the wineries themselves. The festivals, especially the large ones, seem to bring out the worst (in rudeness and narcissism) in people. The smaller ones, like the one at Mt. Vernon, are superior but have their own drawbacks (smaller festivals usually mean longer waits at the winery tents).

We've listed both the Pros and Cons, to allow you to make an educated decision.

Wine Festival Pros:

1. Winery Variety
Many Virginia wineries, even some smaller ones (like Democracy Vineyards, which doesn't have a public tasting room yet, and Gabriele Rausse Winery, which has some of the best wine in the state but is not open to the general public), show up at the festivals that dot the state throughout the year. You'll get to try wines that even the diehard VAVINO heads like the blogmasters haven't tried. If you do your research on the wineries attending a particular festival ahead of time, you can avoid the bigger, more commercial wineries (which usually have the big tents near the entrance and attract the "we're just here to get blitzed" crowd), and head straight for the smaller spots.

2. Great for Groups
Planning a big outing with a group of friends or family members? Festivals are a great idea. But we suggest having a designated driver, or hiring a limo.

Wine Festival Cons:

1. The Amateurs
You know these types. The people (males tend to be more obnoxious and "Alpha-like" than females) who are at a festival to get as drunk as they can, who don't care about a winery or their product, who will cut in line, and in general would be better off at a sports bar. And then there are the folks who are too impatient to wait in line for a tasting and shove you, while holding their glass over your head. And then you have the types who talk about nothing with the pourers, holding up the line, and try to get extra tastings....The wine festivals bring these folks out in droves.

2. The Weather
Rain or shine, wind or sticky humidity---wine festivals are planned years in advance, and unless the festival is very small, the show goes on, in any weather. The blogmasters have been to festivals in soaking rain, and contrary to the rumors, the rain does not keep others away. The lines may be shorter, but the grounds will still be crowded. Indoor, climate-controlled festivals are the way to go.

Keeping the books balanced, we offer two pros and two cons. If you must do a festival, we suggest finding a climate-controlled one (there is a good one in the Richmond Convention Center each winter that is our favorite in the state), and don't even think about attempting to buy quantity at these festivals. The wineries are set up to move wine at the festivals, but buying multiple bottles (one or two is okay) at a festival is a hassle.

In short, we suggest visiting a winery on a festival day.