Get Wine-Smart: Stop Thinking & Start Drinking

Hello friends!

I enrolled in a Skillshare online wine class taught by John Boyer (aka the Plaid Avenger), a beloved Virginia Tech professor. The online course, entitled Get Wine-Smart: Stop Thinking & Start Drinking starts on Monday April 22. Boyer will cover wine basics, how to talk about wine, and how to buy/store wine – all within a democratic, open, and fun environment!

Boyer teaches a "Geography of Wine" class at Virginia Tech, which partially focuses on Virginia Wine Trails. Unfortunately, this was such a highly-regarded class while I was at VT that I was never able to join. However, my then boyfriend/now husband took the course his senior year, after I had graduated. So as a result, I was able to live vicariously through him and discover all the good things that wine has to offer!

Needless to say, I am very excited that Boyer is sharing his precious time with all who want to learn more about this "nectar of the gods."

Take this Skillshare class with me: "Get Wine-Smart: Stop Thinking & Start Drinking." If you enroll with the link below, you'll also save $10 on your first class!

http://skl.sh/XRaq4K

Cheers!

It's that time of year again: Montpelier Wine Festival

What better way is there to celebrate Spring than to taste wine? Each Spring, Montpelier opens its gates for their wine festival, hosting numerous Virginia wineries. The festival also provides cooking classes, a cornucopia of food offerings, and a variety of live musical entertainment.

The Montpelier Wine Festival is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to a selection of Virginia wines without having to travel all over the state. Because I am unable to attend the Blackburg Fork & Cork Festival (a really fun Festival that I am sad to miss) this year, I am planning to attend the Montpelier Wine Festival as a way to kick off Spring!

The festival will feature 24 wineries this year including: Barboursville Vineyards, Burnley Vineyards and Daniel Cellars, Cooper Vineyards, DelFosse Vineyard & Winery, Democracy Vineyards, Foggy Ridge Cider, Gabriele Rausse Winery, Glass House Winery, Horton Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyard, Lake Anna Winery, Lazy Days, Mattaponi Winery, Narmada Winery, New Kent Winery, Old House Vineyards, Peaks of Otter Winery, Prince Michel Vineyards, Reynard Florence Vineyard, Rockbridge Vineyard, Stone Mountain Vineyards, Trump Winery, Villa Appalaccia Winery, and Well Hung Vineyards.

For more information on the event, visit: montpelierwinefestival.com

This is Either the Worst or the Best Idea Ever

So, after polishing off a bottle of Virginia wine the other night, my husband and I decided that we want to visit every Virginia winery at least once. We even pulled out our 2013 Virginia Winery Guide and decided we would use it to check each visit off of our list.

This is either a very good idea, or a very bad one.

Have you SEEN the Virginia Winery Guide? There are TONS of wineries. Which is the very reason that we decided this adventure probably wouldn't be completed within only one year. This goal is more of a lifetime achievement sort of thing.

So, I have started this blog to document this journey, the winery visits, and the tasting notes from each winery visit. Because I am SUCH an avid photographer, I am hoping to bring my camera along to each visit as well. So I will have a lovely little online catalog of our journey.

Despite the daunting endeavor that lies before us, I am very excited. This is a perfect excuse to explore every nook and cranny of our beautiful state. And because my husband and I love hiking & camping, we can conclude some of our weekend trips with a wine tasting!

Even if we never make it to every single winery on the Virginia map, I will be happier for each one that we do visit. Wish me luck, friends!

Cheers!