Last weekend, we headed to central Virginia, Charlottesville to be exact, to spend some time in the heart of Virginia wine country. We have been to “suburbs” of Charlottesville before, but never made it to Charlottesville proper until this trip. Richard and I love to visit wineries in Northern Virginia closer to our home, but we were anxious to try more of central Virginia’s wineries. We packed up the car and headed south for President’s Day weekend to explore a new area of our state, with Ella in tow, for a warm but overcast and rainy weekend in Virginia wine country.

Rainy Wine Weekend

Heading into the weekend, the forecast was all over the place. Thursday was guaranteed to be beautiful, but the weather was suppose to deteriorate as the weekend went on. Needless to say, I planned my Friday and Saturday outfits around my red (last seen here) and pink Hunter rain boots! Don’t worry, Ella had her pink raincoat, too 😉 Since Friday was still on the warm side, I was happy to wear this v-neck sweater I picked up a few weeks ago. The high-low hem and the cuffed bell sleeves were two of the details I loved most about the sweater when I spotted it. Also available in coral and yellow, I decided to stick with navy since it’s one of my favorite neutral colors for spring. Best part: it’s under $70! The bright pink Hunter boots were the perfect accessory to brighten up a rainy weekend. And they matched Ella’s harness perfectly!

Weekend in Virginia Wine Country

Over the past few years, Virginia has really made a name for itself when it comes to wine. We have been to Napa and Sonoma several times, and although Virginia isn’t quite at that level yet, it’s definitely on it’s way. And a little more convenient for us living on the east coast. Here are a few details about the wineries we visited on our trip and where we stayed. Since Ella came (she pretty much goes everywhere with us!) we stuck to dog friendly wineries and accommodations.

Trump Winery

Politics aside, Trump Winery is a must for us when visiting Charlottesville. Not only do we love the wine, but the setting is gorgeous. Many Virginia wineries have outdoor space that can accommodate dogs, but at Trump Winery there is an enclosed tent making it perfect for the rainy weekend. There is a lot to love about this winery but what I love most is their food menu! Most wineries offer cheese, crackers and baguettes (if you’re lucky). But Trump Winery offers a full menu complete with sandwiches, salads and crab cakes just to name a few. My go-to lunch item is the BLT and C sandwich. I’m not even a huge fan of bacon and I crave this sandwich! You can read more about the Tasting Room here and see the delicious food menu here.

Blenheim Vineyards

Just up the road from Trump Winery is the winery owned by Dave Matthews, Blenheim Vineyards. A rustic venue with even more gorgeous views, this was our second time visiting this tasting room. Dogs are not allowed inside the tasting room, but are allowed outside at Blenheim. The staff was nice enough to do a tasting outside for us since Miss Ella was with us. The cost for a tasting is $8 and you can keep your glass. And if you bring your glass back for another visit, your tasting is free! There are no food options at Blenheim, but the first time we visited the winery on a Saturday back in November, there was a food truck there. A super laid back atmosphere, it’s worth a stop to just take in the views.

King Family Vineyards

On Friday, we headed further west of Charlottesville to Crozet to check out a few of the wineries there. First on the agenda was King Family Vineyards. A beautiful setting at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the vineyard even features a polo field where matches are played on Sundays from May until October. The views were gorgeous but we weren’t huge fans of the wine. Personally, I love big, Napa-style Cabernets, which is difficult to find in Virginia. Although, many of the wineries we have found in Virginia have something relatively similar to the Napa wines, this was not the case for King Family Vineyards. In all fairness, we did not do a tasting here because tastings were only offered inside the winery and Ella was only allowed outside. However, the two wines we tried were not to our particular taste. Regardless, the view was gorgeous and totally different from the other two wineries (Trump and Blenheim) that we saw the day before. I would definitely go back for a polo match!

Veritas Vineyard & Winery

Since we were in the area, we stopped at Veritas that was close to King Family Vineyards. Overall, the wine was alright. The winery seemed relatively deserted when we first arrived. We were the only people on the patio! Again, the grounds were gorgeous and the inside tasting room was complete with comfortable furniture and a fireplace. We tried only two of the wines at Veritas and decided to skip the tasting since we had more wineries on the agenda. Of all the wineries we visited, this one did not really stick out too much: we didn’t love it, but we didn’t hate it.

Pollak Vineyards

The last winery we visited was Pollak Vineyards. I would definitely rank this winery as most surprising, it was probably our favorite of the weekend! All of the wine is estate grown (meaning it is all grown on site). Many Virginia wineries source grapes from other parts of Virginia, or even California, to make their wine. The fact that Pollak only uses their grapes was extremely refreshing to hear. We loved every wine we tried in the tasting, but our favorite was the Cabernet Sauvignon. And bonus points: they have food! If you are in the Charlottesville area, I would highly recommend a stop at Pollak Vineyards.

Accommodations: Boar’s Head Resort

Although there were a few options for dog friendly hotels in Charlottesville, we decided to stay at Boar’s Head Resort. Not only had we heard great things about the resort, but Richard always loves to stay at historic hotels. We got a pretty good rate and we were so excited that Ella was allowed! Unfortunately, we didn’t have the best experience. Since Ella was traveling with us, we had to request a “dog room” which seemed fine at the time. The room itself was spacious and was conveniently located on the ground level complete with a patio which made taking Ella outside super easy. However, there was a TON of black dog hair all over the room floor, bathroom floor and on the bed! I am a little bit of a clean freak when it comes to hotels and this was a little much for me. Also, there were a ton of lady bugs everywhere in the room. From the bathroom to on the walls to under the sheets, we kept finding more. Overall, the accommodations weren’t ideal. Maybe it’s different if you are in a non-dog room, but I still feel as though the room should be clean, dog room or not.

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Overall, we had a fun weekend in Virginia wine country with Miss Ella! Have you ever tried Virginia wine? I would love to hear if you have tried it and your thoughts! Thanks so much for reading and see you back here on Monday. Have a great rest of the week and weekend, friends!

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