by Richard Leahy | Jul 5, 2022 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
Feeling in a merry mood over the July Fourth holiday weekend, I visited the Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard, opened just two years ago on Rt. 22 east of Keswick. Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard, Keswick In 2017, Guy and Elizabeth Perry, British citizens, attended a...
by Richard Leahy | Aug 5, 2021 | Conferences & Meetings, Regions & Terroir, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
The Monticello Wine Trail Media Event, co-organized by Virginia wine writers Frank Morgan and Nancy Bauer, brought a versatile, curated group of 15 writers to Charlottesville on August 1-2 for an immersion in the wines, winemakers and winery owners of the Monticello...
by Richard Leahy | Jul 25, 2021 | Tastings/Evaluations, Winery Visits
Hazy Mountain Vineyards & Brewery, perched on a mountaintop with a million-dollar view at the western extreme of Albemarle County, is the newest vineyard and winery in the Monticello AVA (the grand opening was June 17th). Everything is impressive, from the 360...
by Richard Leahy | May 16, 2021 | Regions & Terroir, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
May 15th was an ideal day to do most anything outdoors. Near Charlottesville, it was an ideal day to avoid the crowds near the University and visit wineries, especially since the CDC had OK’d not wearing masks when in groups outdoors. Wineries were serving...
by Richard Leahy | May 3, 2021 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
There’s no winery event like one where a new label is introduced, and the world is coming out of pandemic restrictions. Last weekend in early May I drove to Ankida Ridge Vineyards in western Amherst County, to enjoy the lovely mountain views and top-notch...
by Richard Leahy | Dec 31, 2020 | Tastings/Evaluations, Virginia Wine, Winery Visits
If you’re reading this, you’re probably as relieved as I am that we’re in a new year. What a great year 2020 was (to focus on fine food and wine, music, or anything else than covid and politics), although there is hope now on those two fronts for the...
