Afton Mountain Vineyards

Virginia is home to more than 100 wineries. In my life so far, I've been to ... ummm ... 6?

There is much tasting to do.

Last weekend, a friend and I zipped down I-64 to Afton Mountain Vineyards. Fall was waning here; the leaves were nearly gone. But the weather was still gorgeous.



Afton is less than an hour from Charlottesville. We just glanced at a map, closed our eyes, and pointed. I had been to Horton (informal and fun; enormous tasting selection) and Veritas (lovely lodge-like wine-tasting room; expansive lawn perfect for picnicking) most recently. Afton promised somewhere new.


The tasting room, shown above, is down a few miles of windy country roads. Inside, the bar is near the usual row of souvenirs (T-shirts with sayings like, "I love a good corkscrew"; picnic wine totes; cheese; etc.) and a handful of tables. It's nice and cozy. Windows at one end overlook the wine processing equipment in the next room.

For a $5 tasting fee (each), we could try:

• Tête de Cuvée Brut Sparkling Wine 2005
• Unwooded Chardonnay 2008
• Barrel Select Charonnay 2007
• Gewurztraminer 2008
• Sangiovese 2008
• Cabernet Franc 2008
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
• Petit Verdot
• Mountain Red (this is all verbatim from the tasting sheet)
• Riesling
• Mountain White
• Mountain Rose
  

Yes, that's a killer long list, but not out of character for Virginia. When I visited California and Oregon wineries this summer, I think the sampling was less than half that length.

The wine itself ... well, no sip had me doing cartwheels. The barrel Chardonnay was incredibly buttery. My friend Carol appreciated the Riesling.I liked the Gewurztraminer best. It had a dry, slightly spicy tang I dug. And when I found out our tastings were free with a purchase ($19 bottle becomes $9 — in my mind), I bought one to take home.

Where to next? Any suggestions?