I didn't used to be such a wine-o. My mom always has moscato or some other sweet wine in the house and I would have a glass with her, but I credit my two good friends Laura and Rachelle with my obsession. Both are avid wine drinkers and I've learned a lot from each!
My first visit to a winery was outside of Charlottesville, VA, at Barboursville Vineyards on a girls' weekend to the area. Wine tastings are a great way to learn what you like and aren't expensive. Most are also grouped near several others so it's easy to make a day of it if you'd like. It's just good, relaxing fun.
This weekend I met up with my friend Jenn where she lives in Emmitsburg, MD, and we went to downtown Frederick, MD, to do a little shopping for her new house! Of course, lunch was a must and there is a wine bar called Vini Culture that had been on my radar. It didn't take much arm pulling to convince Jenn to go there for lunch, and we were very glad we did.
Vini Culture introduced me to the concept of an automated wine dispenser. You purchase a reloadable card when you walk in and then insert it into the dispenser and choose between a taste, a half glass, or a full glass. This place had both a red/rose and white dispenser and there's no limit to what you can choose as long as you have money on your card. Most of the wines you can choose from are not cheap, so it's a good way to try some fancier wine. I chose a crisp Riesling and Jenn went with a Cabernet.
We opted to sit at the bar since the place was fairly empty, but there's all kinds of different seating, like lounge chairs and high tables. The menu isn't very large but it doesn't need to be. I also liked that it was lighter fare. I chose a flatbread with caramelized onions and a balsamic glaze. Jenn had a turkey sandwich with Brie and cranberries. Both dishes were served with greens dressed in a lemon vinaigrette. Neither of us had anything bad to say about the food, it was all wonderful. I can't wait to go back!
After lunch we wandered around all the cute shops that Frederick has to offer. In one store I found this hilarious wine glass, pictured below. Eventually I'd like to collect the others, a bee that says buzzed, fruit that says juiced, and a lightbulb that says lit. Also pictured is the card for the wine dispenser.
On Saturday I traveled to Clifton, VA, for an afternoon at Paradise Springs Winery to celebrate Laura's 25th birthday. What I didn't realize was that this place is the first winery outside of DC, so naturally it was very busy with a large 20something crowd. The tasting room is housed in a barn, and there's also a historic cabin on the property. The surrounding grounds are large and dog-friendly; Laura brought their large Presa Canario mastiff Max with us.
We didn't do a full tasting because we had the dog with us and couldn't bring him inside but we did purchase already opened bottles of Viognier and Chardonnay and some cheddar cheese and prosciutto to snack on. All of it was heavenly and it was a beautiful day!
Tonight I'm venturing to another wine bar with some girlfriends called Pure Wine Cafe in old Ellicott City, MD. Stay tuned for a review!
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