On Monday, my dear friend (and soon to be roommate!) Caitlin and I decided to spend memorial day enjoying the beautiful weather at some Virginia wineries. There is nothing more relaxing than warm weather, good wine, and good friends. Winery hopping is the perfect mini-vacation to relax and get away from it all (even though most wineries are only about an hour from NOVA!)
We started at Barrel Oak Winery, a dog and child-friendly winery in Delaplane, VA. We loved this winery for a couple reasons -
A+ for Wine Selection - Barrel Oak has a ton of different options for wine tastings. You can choose all red, all white, 2 different tasting options for a mixed flight, or the full flight. The wines were tasty and there was plenty of room to taste. $6 for a half flight and $11 for the full flight. We both ended up getting a bottle and enjoying it outside.
A+ for Atmosphere - Barrel Oak has a huge seating area including picnic tables and covered seating. There were a lot of people there, but there were still plenty of places to sit and enjoy our picnic (which is allowed!). When we were there, they had live music which added to the ambiance.
B for Wine Selection - Their tastings are mostly red, which I'm not a huge fan of, but we got to try 7 or so wines, which was nice. Plus, our kind host was very generous with the pours, so we really can't complain :) I think this tasting was about $7
B+ for Atmosphere - We didn't sit outside, although I'm sure it was probably nice. It was a more intimate atmosphere, and it was nice that you sat at an individual high top table to do the tasting (as opposed to standing at a bar).
Looking forward to Herndon Festival this weekend! It starts today and goes through Sunday. Free entry, live entertainment, food, beer, and within walking distance from my town house. I had a blast last year, so if you're in nova - check it out.