Wineries of Southern Virginia

Virginian wine is having a moment right now and so we decided to spend the long weekend exploring more wineries of the Blue Ride and Southern Virginia Mountains.  Basing out of Charlottesville, we visited more wineries along the Gold Medal Wine Trail.  The wines from this region embody this unique position in the world. They are lush but structured; aromatic, expressive and beautifully balanced—blending the subtlety of the Old World with the boldness of the new. Read my recap below:

Causa

Causa is a Peruvian tasting experience by Chef Carlos Delgado that tours through Peruvian Coastal, Andes, and Amazonian cuisine. The tasting experience begins with a six-course menu that brings you on a trip through all of the magnificent natural regions of Peru. This menu is designed for guests to add daily selections of whole fish or seafood, from their Fish Market. We enhanced our experience with a wine pairing.  Located in Blagden Alley, the closest Metro is Mt. Vernon Square- Convention Center.

Merkin Osteria

Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room and Osteria features wines produced By MJ & Jennifer Keenan, Tim White and team using fruit from 110 Acres of Estate Vineyards in both the Verde Valley and Willcox, AZ.  We stopped here for lunch after visiting their other wine store in Jerome, AZ called Caduceus Cellars.

Irregardless

Irregardless is a new wine bistro located along H St NE corridor that features a six-course seasonal tasting menu from Chef Ben Browning and a bar program run by Christine Cabatuan in collaboration with owners, Ian and Mika Carlin. Two tasting menus ($85), one omnivore and one vegetarian, are offered alongside two optional beverage pairings ($65), one of which will exclusively focus on Virginia wine and spirits. The Modern American tasting menus draw inspiration from the bounty of the Mid-Atlantic region, with a strong focus on local and sustainable ingredients. Closest Metro is Union Station.

L'Auberge Provencale

We did a romantic getaway to a quaint bed & breakfast, L'Auberge Provencale, located in Boyce, Virginia in Shenandoah Valley. While there, we dined at La Table - the restaurant located within the Inn that highlights Provencale cuisine. Just as they do in Provence, they employ a farm to table philosophy that leads their menus and experiences.

RdV Vineyards

RdV Vineyards located in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia offers an American Grand Cru that compares to classic Napa Valley and Bordeaux big hitters.  The owner, Rutger De Vink, is a former Marine so it was fitting that we visited on this Veteran's Day. His passion for great wine is evident: “From the minute I began my search for a place to build our vineyard, my driving force was to find a spot that would produce a world class wine. After traveling for more than three years visiting sites on the West and East Coasts, I settled on this little hillside near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia—an unlikely spot on its face—but the more I thought about the history of the region and the more we tested the terroir, the more we believed in this Lost Mountain.” 

Marco Polo

Marco Polo is a small family restaurant within the old city walls of Dubrovnik where in summer you can dine in a beautiful courtyard on typical Dalmatian dishes presented in a modern way. 

Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a friendly and interactive environment to sample some top Croatian wines along with a passionate menu to complete the entire experience. We stopped here for lunch on our first full day in Split, Croatia.

Cinghiale

Cinghiale is Baltimore's best Italian restaurant & wine bar in the Inner Harbor featuring an award-winning wine list, handmade pasta, seafood, and local ingredients. We opted for the Prezzo Fisso menu - a multi-course menu including antipasti, small primi, secondi & dolci for $66 per person. We added the wine pairing for an additional $30 each.

Alinea

Alinea, located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, is one of only 14 restaurants in the U.S. to earn the coveted Michelin 3-Star rating that offers a unique, multi-course tasting menu experience. Alinea has been universally praised for its innovative approach to modernist cuisine. It has been named the Best Restaurant in the World by Elite Traveler, the Best Restaurant in North America by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, and the Best Restaurant in the U.S. by Gourmet and Business Insider.

Oyster Oyster

Oyster Oyster is a plant forward restaurant that offers seasonal menus that highlight the bounty of the Mid-Atlantic with farms who share an ethos for stewardship, environmentally beneficial oysters from the Chesapeake, and locally foraged mushrooms. The beverage program is equally focused on and curated with responsible producers.  Closest Metro is Shaw. 

Travels to Sonoma Valley, California

 Sonoma Valley is a major wine-producing region north of San Francisco. Hundreds of vineyards, ranging from small, family-run estates to international wineries, are set amid its rolling hills and valleys.  We had been to Napa Valley back in 2014, so after our visit to Willamette Valley, we flew to California to check out this wine region which is more expansive, spread out, and laid-back than Napa. 

La Salette

La Salette located in Sonoma's historic plaza offers New Portuguese cuisine celebrates the varied and complex flavors of Chef Manuel Azevedo's native Portuguese homeland while adapting them to the immense offerings of top-quality ingredients from his current home in California.

Santé

Santé at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn is best described as “California fusion with a Sonoma passion.” With a reverence to fresh, simple preparation and the use of local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible, the culinary team presents an approachable menu that includes flavors, techniques and recipes from several cultures. Seasonal ingredients from regional producers (which include wineries, breweries, ranches, fisheries and farmers) are always center stage. After a full day of visiting wineries, we decided to dine out at our hotel this evening.

The Girl & The Fig

The Girl & The Fig features a wonderful antique bar with French aperitifs, unique and traditional cocktails, an award-winning Rhône-Alone wine list, a seasonal menu, cheese & charcuterie platters, and outdoor garden patio seating.  Located in the "downtown" area of Sonoma, we dined here for our first night out.

Travels to Willamette Valley, Oregon

Willamette Valley is a 150-mile long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley, and it is surrounded by mountains on three sides – the Cascade Range to the east, the Oregon Coast Range to the west, and the Calapooya Mountains to the south. The climate of the Willamette Valley is a mix of Mediterranean and oceanic influences, with a cool, moist climate, and is recognized worldwide for its Pinot Noir. We drove about an hour south of Portland to visit this wine area.

Joel Palmer House

Joel Palmer House is run by the fourth generation of the Czarnecki family, whose cooking now revolves around wild mushrooms and truffles which they gather themselves. For our final dinner in Willamette Valley, we made reservations for the Mushroom Madness Tasting Menu.  Five courses including dessert for $85 per person, with each one highlighting mushroom in some way.

Trellis

Trellis located in Dundee, Oregon offers a fresh menu rotating with the seasonality of what is available.  For our first dinner during our visit to Willamette Valley, we walked to this restaurant from our hotel because a couple people at the wineries we visited earlier highly recommended it.

La Collina

La Collina is an Italian-ish restaurant in Capitol Hill currently open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM for patio dining only. Closest Metro is Eastern Market.

Jônt

Jônt is a newly two-Michelin starred restaurant from Chef-Owner Ryan Ratino of Bresca located downstairs. The team of young and inspired chefs are taking down the walls between kitchen and guests to immerse the diners in a progressive multi-course tasting menu in the pursuit of dynamic flavor profiles. The meal will challenge the seasons, navigate beyond the limits of time and break with tradition— getting playful with process and tricky with techniques at the intersection of place and possibility. Closest Metro is U Street.