We traveled down Route 17 with our friends Alyson and Larry. Our first stop was Hartwood Winery, which is about 15 minutes from Fredericksburg. At first glance, I was less than enthusiastic…the winery’s main building looks like a converted old 70s ranch-style house. We still gave it a go and entered the winery. Soon after, we were approached by a gentleman who encouraged us to take a seat at one of their tables to start a tasting. Now I’m one for cleanliness so I have to admit it did bother me that it looked like he literally spent all morning outside in the heat rolling around his fields and didn’t bother to change his stained shirt or scrub his callused hands. I guess that’s what I should expect with a farm winery though? Anyway, we obliged and began the tasting. We soon found out that he was none other than owner and winemaker, Jim Livingston, a former librarian from Kentucky who was quite the talker and very personable. With each wine, we got a story including how his Deweese White is more affectionately known as the “Baby Maker” as he’s been told it’s had luck in that department for some of his customers. The tasting cost $5 and is heavily white wines so if you are a big red wine drinker, this may not be the place for you. If you’re in the neighborhood of Fredericksburg and want to try a farm winery experience, give it a shot. The wines range in price from $15 to $21.
Next, we headed North on 17 towards Warrenton to Rogers Ford Winery, located in Sumerduck, one of Fauquier County’s Southernmost towns. Ryan and I have tried Rogers Ford Wines many times as we know owners Carlotta and John Puck from Warrenton Green Drinks. They are a dear couple and a delight to be around so we were really looking forward to finally visiting their shop. It’s a bit off the beaten path so when we arrived, we were only with one other group, a delight and change from most other wineries that are often overcrowded with winos. John was solo today so we waited patiently as the other group finished up. We started the tasting, which was $5 and included 9 wines. I enjoyed their Virginia White and Virginia Red Select, a great steak wine. Their wines range from $16 to $29, including a sparkling wine if that strikes your fancy. Afterwards, John let us check out their property including access to the Rappahannock River. Quite beautiful!
Tip #2: Had a bad experience at a winery? Give it a second chance. There are a number of things that can negatively affect your wine tasting experience including the weather, your pourer, the annoying couple next to you, etc. It’s always worth trying again. You just never know!
