SJ Locavore goes to D.C. Wine Country

I spent last weekend in D.C. Wine Country which is actually in Loudon County, Virginia. My friend  Susan and I took a weekend trip to do a little shopping, a little wine tasting, a little dining, and a little pampering. The weekend didn’t turn out exactly as planned. It snowed heavily on Saturday and we wound up sequestered in our hotel room with some food and wine we’d bought early in the day at the local Wegmans. We did get to a couple of good restaurants that support local food producers. We were also able to hit two wineries on Sunday as we made our way home.

I think that it’s important when you’re traveling to keep local in mind. At this point in my life, I’ll always chose an independently owned restaurant over a chain restaurant. There were chain restaurants close to our hotel but I did some research before hand so I could support local even while away.

The Wine Kitchen – Our hotel was in Leesburg, and this little gem was smack dab in the middle of historical Leesburg. A small menu with several local dishes offered (I had a delicious Coq au Vin made with local chicken) was accompanied by a wine list that included a flight of three Virginia wines. A really friendly staff rounded out this restaurant’s appeal.

Tuscarara Mill – We ate brunch at this local favorite. The brunch buffet had offerings for both breakfast and lunch, and I loved being able to eat an omlette accompanied by a big serving of mashed potatoes. The restaurant supports local farmers and has events centered around local breweries.

Fabbioli Cellars – What a great little winery. They grow their grapes sustainably. A few examples – they use natural pesticides, reuse leftovers from their harvest for compost, and have a solar deer fence. They source most of what their own lands don’t provide from as local as possible. I was particularly impressed with their 2008 Tre Sorelle, a full bodied red and their Aperitif Pear Wine which is something like a port. I brought home a bottle of the pear wine that I’m looking forward to serving with cheese – particularly stinky cheese. We were taken through a tasting of all their wines by Susanna who seemed genuinely happy to help us out and talk to us.

Tarara Winery – I can only imagine the property at this winery is beautiful when everything is in bloom and when the trees turn colors. There is a lot of land associated with this winery along with a pretty lake. We were told that the grapes are grown as naturally as possible. I walked away with a bottle of their Long-Bomb – a big bold red blend.

If you’re trying to pick a region for a weekend away, I’d highly recommend Loudon County with its great restaurants and wineries (so many of which we didn’t even get to go to). It’s about a 3 hours drive south from here – not too long for a weekend trip away. If I were to do it again, I’d try to find lodgings right in the heart of historic Leesburg instead of further out at a chain hotel. There were lots of interesting looking second hand and thrift type stores, coffee shops, and other stores that I would have loved to explore if I could have just walked out the door from my hotel and roamed the blocks.