The Winery at La Grange

This is our nearest local winery. It is just three and half miles from our home in Haymarket, Virginia so Sunday afternoon after brunch we took Gene and Sandra over for a tasting while Linda and Larry visited an old friend of theirs who now lives in Dominion Valley in Haymarket. I packed a picnic bag with cheese, fruit, crackers and bread to enjoy with a bottle of wine from La Grange after our wine tasting.

Sandra, Gene and Jack walking back towards the historic La Grange home after viewing the red barn where the wine is made. There is a funny story about the former owners of this home. The wife was much bigger than her little and short husband. One day in front of houseguests the minute husband did something that really ticked off his big and buxom wife. So she grabbed him and turned him over on her knee and gave him a spanking! If I owned this winery, I would have to name a certain type of wine The La Grange Spanking Wine.

Here is a row of boxwoods that line the pathway to the barn. Weddings are sometimes held here in the vineyard so this is where the bride makes her grand entrance. Notice the little sparkling lights on the boxwoods.

Here are some barrels of wine that folks have bought for big bucks. They have a brass plate with their name and inscription.. I noticed one barrel that a man had given to his wife in honor of their 20'th wedding anniversary.
Here is a view of some newly planted grape vines in the vineyard. Notice how each vine is wrapped to keep rabbits and other animals from eating the delectable young leaves. Look carefully and you will see the blue ridge mountains in the distance in this photo.
Here on the patio on the front side of the historic manor house there are nice tables and chairs for enjoying a wine picnic. At the table are Sandra, Gene and Jack doing just that.
This is the La Grange wine person explaining the types of wine we were tasting in the tasting room. The wine vintner is Chris Pearmund who left the wine business in California to come to the blue ridge area of Virginia to open two wineries: Pearmunds and La Grange. At the world renowned Inn of Little Washington the local Virginia wines featured on the wine menu are from Pearmunds and La Grange.
Bread, wine, fruit, cheese and good old friends----what more can you ask for on a beautiful autumn day in Virginia. Here we are enjoying a glass of Viognier that had been aged in Hungarian Oak. La Grange produces a nice lightweight red wine from the Norton grape which is native to Virginia and which is aged in American Oak. Here's a quick recipe for hot mulled wine which is nice for cool fall evening:

Hot Mulled Wine

1 bottle of La Grange Norton wine

1/2 cup of simple sugar syrup which consists of equal parts sugar and water that is brought to a boil then cooled

1/2 cinnamon stick

5 cloves of clove spice

Heat gently on stove.
Stir then serve in mugs.