Walla Walla Valley, Washington. Anderson Valley, California. Between Hermann and New Haven, Missouri. Charlottesville, Virginia*.
Virginia’s premier wine country, dotted with working farms and over 1,000 acres of grape vines, spreads out around the city of Charlottesville in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The free tour at 20-acre Jefferson Vineyards both explores the winery and recounts the history of Virginia wine making (jeffersonvineyards.com, tasting $5). The viognier, with aromas of honeysuckle and apricot, is an ideal refresher, and from the deck at the tasting room, visitors have a view of Carters Mountain and Jefferson’s home, Monticello, a mile and a half north, where a recently opened visitors center introduces guests to the founding father’s life and ideas (monticello.org, from $15).
Read the whole story – they found Crozet and Crozet Pizza too.
* "Charlottesville" meaning Charlottesville and Albemarle County.