Horton Vineyards

Our first stop for the day was Horton Vineyards.

You drive up to what looks like a Swiss Chalet past part of their vineyard.

They have 47 wines available for tasting and you can choose up to 12 of them. That's a LOT of wine to try! But it does give you a wide variety of different things to try.

I had to get a shot of the view from the door. Seeing as how it's the first of November, most of the leaves are brown. Not the prettiest of photos, but I felt that it was a nice view. Much prettier in early fall or during the summer, I'm sure.

The first wine I tried was the 2010 Rkatsiteli. This is a dry Georgian/Russian variety. The tasting notes say there are zesty orange peel aromas, citrus flavors and a long finish. I really didn't get that though. I just thought it was slightly sweet. And I really didn't smell anything on it. Sad.

2008 Rkatsiteli Reserve. I was surprised that they have a vintage this old still. I did enjoy this one. It was nice and dry. Very refreshing. A nice summer wine. There weren't really any tasting notes on this one. It was merely listed as a 20th Anniversary wine, which could explain the age of this wine. Definitely something I would walk away with. And I did!

2008 Petit Manseng. The notes say a pina colado nose. Says it's rich with creamy flavors followed by a clean and firm acidic backbone. I could get the pina colado nose. There was a slight sweetness to it and it did feel creamy.

Route 33 Red. They call this a one of a kind blend of Mourvedre and Tannat, saying it is floral and rich with berry flavors and finishes long and smooth. This had a slight sweetness to it. I wasn't all that impressed. And I really didn't have any impression on the nose.

2008 Stone Castle Red. I really didn't get any of what the notes say. It was slightly drier than the wine before it, but not really that impressive. The notes say deep garnet color, roasted nuts, herb, spice and backed berry aromas. A round supple entry leading to a dryish medium body with dark berry flavors. Who writes this? I got none of it.

2008 Cotes d Orange. The New World offering of a traditional Rhone Style blend using Mourvedre, Tannat and Pinotage. The most information I think I've gotten on a wine and it's all from the notes. It was nice and dry. Nice, but not one that I took home.

2010 Malbec. What can I say? These are hard to find so a bottle was definitely going home with us. I'm not even adding the tasting notes, because they seem (sorry) just plain silly to me. Dry and a nice finish. I was happy with it, even though I don't have info on it.

2003 Syrah. More information! Hooray! This 12% Tannat, 6% Petit Verdot, and 5% Pinotage which adds complexity and smokiness. It had a nice red color, but I didn't get any red fruit or black cranberries. It was nice and dry, but left something funny on the back of my throat. Sadly I didn't care for this one. And I like Syrah. Another older wine, which surprised me. Or maybe not considering that odd feeling/taste it left on the back of my throat.

2008 Pinotage. This is a dry South African Red. This is one I've never had before so I don't know exactly what this is in comparison. They say this combines the finesse of Pinot Noir and the intensity of Cinsault. I'll just take their word for it. I found it to be dry and a bit oaky, but that's okay.

2002 Tannat. This is a dry Madiran red loaded with intense raspberry and blackberry aromas. It has a huge mouth feel caused by a complex tannin structure and a long dry finish. I really have to agree with this. It was dry and had heavy tannins. VERY nice.

DIO 1999. This is a dry Portuguese red. The notes say dried dark cherries, damson plums and mocha aromas underlie the smokey, roasted flavors in the marriage of Touriga and oak. I did get the mocha aroma, but that was it. It was dry, but I got a tang to it that I found unpleasant.

2005 Vinatge Port. Touted as the only port made in Virginia. It is 57% Norton, 15% Touriga Nacional and 28%. It's sweet and smooth.

Courage. This is another one of the 20th Anniversary wines. A nice port. I thought it was even smoother than the first port, this could be due to age as well.

All the information I got was from the tasting notes. While the staff was friendly, they didn't seem knowledgeable about the wines. I go to interact with the staff and learn, this didn't really happen here which is sad.

Jim put it well this morning. They've become more of a wine manufacturer than wine grower.

Day of Wineries

So we were able to spend the day going to wineries with our friends Ruth and Jeff.

Instead of one big blog I'm breaking into wineries.

It was a fun, but long day and we managed to cover six wineries in one day. Whew! It made for a long day!

A Weekend Discovery

I know I've been lax on the blog. There's no excuse other than I've been lazy. So prepare for random posts!

So during October, I believe it was the weekend of the seventh, Jim and I were taking a Sunday drive when we came across the Military Aviation Museum out near Pungo. We decided that it was time to go and check it out. We're crazy like that sometimes.

All of these photos were taken with my iPhone. Seriously, I must start bringing my camera with me! Had to get a photo of the 'Fighter Factory'. Many planes are in here.

As luck would have it there was an event going on that very day. So we decided to check it out. They were having the WWI Bi-Planes and Tri-Planes Airshow. Planes, as you can see, were not the only thing there. They had re-en actors there and cars. And of course numerous planes.

I HAD to get a shot of this sexy little Jag. So pretty!!

This is inside the Fighter Factory. My phone could not do it justice. It's much wider.

All the planes in here are flyable. I think that's probably one of the coolest things about it. That they are all functional. Doesn't matter if they're replicas or not.

Jim laughingly called it the hangar of sex. Guess you have to really be into planes to get that one. LOL

The rest of these are photos of just a few of the planes that were there. I'm not the one who knows about this stuff. That's Jim's department, but he's been really busy as of late.

This is an amphibious car. First vehicle we actually came across during our time there.

And yes it does as the name implies. It goes in the water!

I had to get a picture of this remote control plane. October is breast cancer awareness month. Save the ta-tas!!!

And what better way to end this blog than with a picture of my sweetie with his favorite plane, the Corsair. Man I'm jealous of that plane.

If you're ever in the area, I definitely recommend checking it out. You can learn a lot.

General's Ridge

So on the 5th of this month we went to the Northern Neck in Virginia and tried out some wineries.

Our destination of choice was General's Ridge Vineyard. Originally General's Ridge started out as a B & B with a fabulous view of the vineyards. The grapes were sold to other wineries up until recently.

After driving up through the vineyard you come to the lovely tasting room.

It's warm and inviting. A lovely place to sit while sipping a glass of one of their wines while catching up with friends. They also have a lovely menu of appetizer type snacks. My only regret is that we arrived so late that we didn't get to try the tempting treats listed on the menu.

The staff is helpful and ever so knowledgeable.

Shout out to Gary for the awesome tasting!

We tried eight different wines!

Which really tickled me. Since they just opened this year!

The GRV White, which has a touch of sweetness to it. But I could so see it as a summer wine for many people.

The Chardonnay, which was nice since it was 50% steel and 50% neutral French Oak. Which pleased me because I don't care for oaky Chardonnays, because I always feel like a hamster chewing on a wood chip.

The GRV Viognier, which we both enjoyed. Which is really saying something because we don't really care for Viogniers. We ended up taking 2 bottles of this home. I know you're shocked right?

The GRV Rose, which I felt was a bit too sweet for my taste. But still I can see this as a really nice summer sipping wine.

The GRV Red that was quite nice. It's a beautiful blend of Chambourcin and Merlot. We had to have 2 bottles of this as well.

The Westmoreland Red, which has Cabernet Franc in it. I'm not a big fan of Cabernet Franc, but that's okay as I'm sure other's can truly appreciate it.

The Merlot was truly nice. And I'm not really a Merlot person. And no it's not because of the stupid movie Sideways. Merlot tends to give me a headache for some reason. That didn't stop us from taking home 2 bottles though!

And last but not least was the Pinot Noir. It's quite young, so I'm not sure I can make too much of a judgement about it.

All in all we were very pleased with our experience. And I had to take a close up of the bar. I love how it's made of old doors and wine barrels.

I would DEFINITELY recommend wines from here. And if you're ever in the area, do make sure to stop by and do a tasting. I think you'll be pleased.

Vault Field Vineyards

So on Friday we decided to head to the Northern Neck to hit some of our favorite wineries.

Our first stop was Vault Field Vineyards (as the title implies). At the moment they only have 3 wines to try, but they were all good. It saddens me when there's not more on the tasting list, but it's also a good thing. It means that the wines are selling. So that is good.

They are gearing up for bottling very soon, so I had to get a shot of all the barrels and prep work that was going on.

We were lucky, because while we were there we got to try the Conundrum before it was bottled. I believe we were told that it was going to be filtered one more time before bottling. Both of us agreed that it is quite good and can't wait for it's release.


Of course we got to see our favorite artist, Phil McKenney, because he was pouring the wine. All in all it was a GREAT experience.

New Family Member!

Hi! My name is Darby. And let me tell you that I think this is the GREATEST day of my life.

As of today I found my forever family. And I really think I can get the hang of this. I'm enjoying all the room I have now and you should see my big back yard! I love the bed and the couch is awesome! When my new parents noticed me shivering, they found me a perfect sized blanket. Now I can doze while we watch True Grit.

I really don't want to sleep though, because I'm afraid this is just one amazing dream. But they keep saying it's okay and they will be there when I wake up. Maybe I'll just rest my eyes a bit.

We were able to bring Darby home today! They say she's a chihuahua short hair mix. I don't know that I see it, but it's in her record. She's a darling one year old. A bit timid, but I'm sure with time she will get over that. She has a few minor issues that we will be clearing up soon, but other than that she's perfectly fine.

She loves cuddles and hugs. She's gobbling up the attention. I know she enjoys laying on the couch and the bed is intriguing. There are tons of sniffs for to investigate. The cats are unimpressed and she has no true interest in them other than the occasional sniff.

You can tell that she's just so happy to be here. And that makes me love her all the more.

In Memory of Kaiser

On June 1st our 14 year old dog, Kaiser, passed away. It's the hardest decision that a pet owner can make, but we promised ourselves that if his quality of life was not what it should be then we would do what we had to. An excruciating decision.

A few days later we got a sympathy card from our vet's office with a poem enclosed. It was very true and really struck home for me. So as a tribute to my companion, friend, protector and furry child I will share some photos and the poem. You may want to get a hanky handy. I'm just warning you.

If you never met Kaiser, then you truly missed out. Although he was leery of men, he was an extremely lovable boy. He smiled often and loved to hug. Oh and he was truly a ladies man.

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this — the last bat tle — can’t be won.

You will be sad I under stand,
But don’t let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn’t want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they’ll tend,

Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kind ness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffer ing I have been saved.
Don’t grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We’ve been so close — we two — these years,
Don’t let your heart hold any tears.
– Author unknown

And we did.

Goodbye most beloved boy!