Hey y’all! I’m back with another wine day adventure! This day was quite special since it marked my 100th Virginia Winery visit. Zach and I started visiting wineries when we moved to Virginia 8 years ago. Today we visited our 100th! It has turned into a job at a local winery and now this blog! Our weekends turned into a lot of adventures and I’m so grateful for all of the wonderful opportunities!
Our first stop of the day was at the new Hark Vineyards. Hark just opened in October of 2019 and they know what they are doing. First off, I’m obsessed with their logo and branding. Since we did visit during Phase 2, we did not get to go inside to see their tasting room/facility. All orders were placed outside and you could enjoy your flights/bottle outside. They had plenty of seating all around overlooking their gorgeous vines and mountain views. They offered two tasting flights, the house for $10 and the reserve tasting for $15. Zach and I decided to do one of each since we have never visited.
Their winemaker is Jake Busching and all the Hark wines are estate grown. They also taste and sell Jake Busching Wines (JBW). JBW is a private label of their winemaker and are made with locally sources grapes. We loved their Pinot Gris, Rosé, 18 Cabernet Franc, 17&18 Spark, and 17 Petit Verdot. The Spark is their Bordeaux blend of Cab Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot.
Sips and Trips Tip * If you are making the trip to Hark Vineyards, I highly suggest stopping at Glass House Winery and Moss Vineyards as they are nearby! You can make a mini wine trail!
Our second stop of the day was at Montifalco Vineyard. This place is such a HIDDEN GEM! Montifalco produces some fantastic wines! Justin Falco, the owner and winemaker focuses on an old world, food friendly approach to his wine making. Justin travels to Europe each year in search of new wines to offer in his tasting room alongside his Montifalco Wines.
Montifalco was established in 2016. With only 4.5 acres, they do source fruit from their partner wineries. Onsite they grow Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Rkatsiteli to name a few. They are very small batch, producing 600-800 cases a year. Their tasting room is currently closed due to COVID but they have plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy a flight, glass, or bottle! They are currently offering a winemaker selected flight for $25.
They are reservation only and you can set up a reservation easily through their website! I highly suggest a visit! We were big fans of their Estate White Meritage, and their 2018 Resilient. Their 2018 Resilient is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It was named after the challenging 18 vintage… who knew 2020 would be even harder. After our flight, we enjoyed a bottle of Wolfberger Cremant d’ Alsace Brut.
We did have the pleasure of tasting some of their 2019 vintage that was in the barrel. All I have to say is… WOW! The Bordeaux blend and Tannat are going to be delish! Look forward to some exciting things to come out of this place soon!
Another wonderful day in wine country comes to an end. Our favorite part is learning and meeting new wine loving people. We love the relationships we have built in the last 8 years and we are so happy to be sharing our trips with Y O U.
Cheers, Paige
Sips and Trips with Paige 