x
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
D.C. Wine Country
Wine trails abound outside our nation’s capital.
Wed, Feb 17 2010 at 11:10 PM
 3
This is my final post about my weekend trip to D.C. Wine Country. I’ve already told you that while my friend Susan and I were snowed in for one day of the trip we discovered Santa Julia Organic Malbec. We also had a great dinner at The Wine Kitchen, a restaurant that is very supportive of local producers.
 
Despite getting snowed in, we did manage to visit two of the many small, local wineries that D.C. Wine Country, which is actually located in Loudon County, Virginia, has to offer. The region is broken up into several wine trails, and we had hoped to hit two of them. In the end, we only got to two wineries. Susan and I really enjoyed the two we hit, and if they are any indication of the quality of the rest of the wineries, I’m looking forward to going back some time to discover more.
 
These are the two we got to visit.
 
Fabbioli Cellars: What a great little winery. They use sustainable practices in their grape growing by using natural pesticides and reusing leftovers from their harvest for compost. They also have a solar deer fence. They source most of what their own land doesn’t provide as locally as possible.
 
I was particularly impressed with their 2008 Tre Sorelle, a full-bodied red, and their Aperitif Pear Wine, which is something like a port. The wine originated when an Asian pear tree was discovered on the property. I brought home a bottle of the pear wine that I’m looking forward to serving with cheese — particularly stinky cheese.
 
Tarara Winery: I can only imagine how beautiful the property at this winery is when everything is in bloom or the trees turn colors. There is a lot of land associated with this winery along with a pretty lake. We were told that the grapes are grown as naturally as possible. I walked away with a bottle of their Long-Bomb — a big bold red blend.
 
I found it interesting that at both wineries, I didn’t bring up the subject of organic certification, but someone from each of the wineries did bring up that they weren’t certified — almost in an apologetic way. I did ask about their sustainability practices because I was curious. Organic certification is good, but many of our country’s great small wineries can’t afford to do everything required for the certification even when they are doing so many things right.
 
I hate to think that people go into the tasting rooms of these wineries with an organicer-than-thou attitude. Sure, most wineries charge a small fee for their tastings, but when I’m in the tasting room of one of them, I feel like a guest and that I should behave like one.
 
Okay, off my soapbox.
 
If you’re within in a few-hours drive of Loudon County in Virginia, and you’re looking for somewhere to spend a weekend getaway, I’d recommend D.C. Wine Country for its wineries.
 
Related on MNN: 

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 3
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
anonymous
Reston Limousine Mar 09 2010 at 9:03 PM

Robin, glad you enjoyed your visit, despite "Snowmaggedon"! The next time you or your friends visit, we invite you to experience DC's Wine Country without dealing with the distractions of DC traffic on our public wine tours. We offer visits to two wineries every Saturday and Sunday; if you're staying in DC, we pick up and drop off guests at the West Falls Metro station.

Cheers!

|
anonymous
Jordan Harris Feb 18 2010 at 8:46 AM
Thanks so much for your great words about our wine region, For what it is worth I am sorry if you got the impression of an apology regarding not being organic certified. Would we love to be certified organic, sure if it happens to also co-incide with making great wine, but organic does not equal sustainable. Sustainable wine growing means you are comtemplating everything you practice to ensure it's least impact to the environment while maintaining the integrity of your product and financial stability.
.... More
To go out and spray a fungicide to keep the fruit clean in a wet year well before the required pre-harvest intervals has little effect on the environment. To use a three stroke tractor puffing black smoke pulling a plow to remove undergrowth instead of the use of an herbicide is no more friendly. It depletes fossil fuels and pushes ridiculous amounts of carbon omissions, but it is organic. Sorry for the rant, I am so happy you enjoyed us and our wine and look forward to your next visit. Jordan Harris Winemaker/General Manager - Tarara Winery
|
rshreeves's picture
Robin Shreeves Feb 18 2010 at 9:21 AM
Jordan, Glad you found the post. I really enjoyed your winery, and the two people who served us during the wine tasting were informative and entertaining. The mention of not being organic came after I had asked about sustainability, almost as if the question was being headed off. I left wondering if it was a frequently asked question by people who then went on to lecture about why you should be organic. I understand that organic does not equal sustainable, and I find that many small wineries would
.... More
need to give up some of what makes them so great in order to be able to afford that little seal. Keep doing what you're doing. By the way, the Long Bomb went really great with our Valentine's Day local, grass fed (but not organic) steaks I prepared for dinner.
|

EDITORS' PICKS

tease snake

line

tease book destinations

line

tease rebound cities

Advertisement
From our sponsor

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered
Advertisement