Virginia Mountains - Vistas, History, & Wineries

[giradman]

Veritas & Afton Wines - Tasting Comments!

Just comments on a few of the 12 wines we brought back from our Virginia trip - the Veritas 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (a favorite grape of mine for decades) (SB) is just excellent - well balanced w/ great acidity and the typical 'grassy' features of some of the better California & New Zealand examples - probably the best 'local' (i.e. Virginia & North Carolina) SB that I have tasted (and I've tried a LOT over several decades).

Afton 2014 Chardonnay - some of the older chardonnay vineyards in the state - cannot recall how much oak and the percentages (i.e. type and age percentages) but quite tasty - now this grape is so adaptable (stainless steel vs. oak or a mixture; age; etc.) that the spectrum of smells & tastes is so broad - but a nice wine.

For the wine enthusiasts here who may be coming to Virginia in the future and want to taste the wines - there are plenty of great options - buy the book previously shown. Dave

 

[scifan57]

Veritas & Afton Wines - Tasting Comments!

Just comments on a few of the 12 wines we brought back from our Virginia trip - the Veritas 2014 Sauvignon Blanc (a favorite grape of mine for decades) (SB) is just excellent - well balanced w/ great acidity and the typical 'grassy' features of some of the better California & New Zealand examples - probably the best 'local' (i.e. Virginia & North Carolina) SB that I have tasted (and I've tried a LOT over several decades).

Afton 2014 Chardonnay - some of the older chardonnay vineyards in the state - cannot recall how much oak and the percentages (i.e. type and age percentages) but quite tasty - now this grape is so adaptable (stainless steel vs. oak or a mixture; age; etc.) that the spectrum of smells & tastes is so broad - but a nice wine.

For the wine enthusiasts here who may be coming to Virginia in the future and want to taste the wines - there are plenty of great options - buy the book previously shown. Dave


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You must have quite a good wine cellar by now with all these winery tours.

 

[The OB]

Enjoyable and informative writing with great photos and maps Dave, thanks
Interesting how many American presidents came from Virginia and surrounds.
Andrew


Sent from my iPad Air2 using Tapatalk

 

[giradman]

You must have quite a good wine cellar by now with all these winery tours.

Well, I use to have a 'fine' wine cellar - back in the '80s and '90s - nearly 800 bottles w/ many aging Bordeaux reds (bought on 'futures' w/ several friends) and Vintage Ports (some of which I aged for 30 years); BUT, all of those are gone - now, I have just about a 100 bottles mostly for current consumption rather than long term aging - nearly all reds mainly from California, Oregon, & Washington State; and some from Australia & South American (Chile & Argentina) - no longer collect and rarely drink European wines (largely because the ones I use to enjoy decades ago are too highly priced, as are many of the reds I use to collect from California). The wines that I buy locally from NC & VA recently are meant for current enjoyment - believe my oldest wine in the basement is just 5 years of age. Dave

 

[giradman]

Enjoyable and informative writing with great photos and maps Dave, thanks
Interesting how many American presidents came from Virginia and surrounds.

Hi Andrew - thanks for your comments and glad that you are enjoying the travelogue.

Virginia and Ohio claim the most United States Presidents (as quoted below - Source). The first four of five Presidents were from Virginia and were also 'Founding Fathers', i.e. were involved in the American Revolution and were old friends; typically, for the early Virginians, the President's Secretary of State often became the next President (see chart below) - of course, the VA-Massachusetts dominance ended w/ the election of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President. Dave

P.S. next series of posts will cover our 3rd full day and include a discussion of Madison's home, Montpelier.

Depending on how you calculate things, several different states can lay claim to producing the most commanders in chief. Going by birthplace, Virginia is the winner, with eight of its native sons holding the country’s highest office (including four of the first five presidents): George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson. However, Ohio also claims eight presidents with deep roots in the Buckeye State: William Henry Harrison, Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Taft and Warren Harding. All of these men are Ohio natives except for William Henry Harrison, who was born in Berkeley Plantation, Virginia, in 1773. As an adult, Harrison moved to Ohio, where he served as a U.S. representative and U.S. senator from his adopted home state; he was living there when he won the presidency in 1840. (Harrison has the dubious distinction of being the first president to pass away in office; he succumbed to complications from pneumonia a month after his 1841 inauguration. Coincidentally, three other Ohio natives, Garfield, McKinley and Harding, also died in office.)

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[giradman]

Montpelier & More Wineries - Part 1

Our third full day included a visit to the ongoing restoration of James & Dolley Madison's Montpelier - the house was sold by Dolley after her husband's death, mainly to pay off debts (in her last years, she was broke and lived off the kindness of others). Dolley Madison was born in North Carolina near what is now Greensboro, about 40 minutes east of us (there is a major exhibit in the Greensboro Historical Museum worth seeing) - a little more information on her in the quotes below.

James Madison (1751-1836) was the 4th President of the United States and is considered the Father of the Constitution - in the winter of 1786-1787 (just before the Constitution Convention meet in Philadelphia - in the same room where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed in early July 1776), he sat in his study (library below in the restored house) studying all forms of governments and came up w/ the Virginia Plan which formed the template for the American Constitution.

Montpelier went through a number of owners after the Madisons and was finally purchased by the famous and wealthy duPont family - the house was added to and updated w/ modern conveniences (and appeared as in the first image below) - Marion duPont Scott (she was married to the actor, Randolph Scott) gave the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (I'm a member of the organization which provided a 'free' admission for the both of us!) in 1983 - a major ongoing restoration is still underway w/ MUCH progress having been made since our last visit - at the moment, slave quarters are being reconstructed.

For our tour, we had an outstanding guide who brought the Madisons and their times in the house to life - James & Dolley loved company and also 'showing off' their possessions - this aspect of their personalities comes to life while walking through the house. The pics show the 'duPont House' and the restored Madison mansion; also several inside rooms (dinning room & library), the Temple (Madison & Jefferson enjoyed drinking and smoking there for hours while looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains), Madison's (and Dolley's) graves, and Susan reading w/ the couple on a bench (this is supposedly a life size portrayal of James & Dolley - James Madison was the shortest President at 5'4" although other's claim 5'6" as did our guide - if the latter height is true, then Dolley was as tall and maybe a little taller than her husband). Dave

P.S. like Adams, Jefferson, & Monroe who all died on July 4th, Madison was hoping for the same but came up short by only a week!

Montpelier, located near Orange, Virginia was the plantation estate of the prominent Madison family of Virginia, including James Madison, fourth President of the United States. The manor house of Montpelier is four miles (6 km) south of Orange, Virginia, and the estate currently covers nearly 2,700 acres (1,100 ha).[4]

Montpelier was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It was included in the Madison-Barbour Rural Historic District in 1991. In 1983, the last private owner of Montpelier, Marion duPont Scott, bequeathed the estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has owned and operated the estate since 1984, and from 2003-2008 carried out a major restoration, in part to return the mansion to its original size of 22 rooms during the years when it was occupied by James and Dolley Madison. Extensive interior and exterior work was done during the restoration. Visitors to the estate can follow the multifaceted restoration in the "Restoration Room." In the 21st century, archeological investigations in four quarters have revealed new information about African-American life at the plantation (Source).

After a brief courtship spanning the spring and summer, 26-year-old widow Dolley Payne Todd married 43-year-old Congressman James Madison on September 15, 1794. As Madison continued to rise in the political ranks, first as Thomas Jefferson's secretary of state and then as two-term president of the United States, Dolley served as a dynamic political partner, national hostess, and first lady. The couple retired to Montpelier in 1817 where the couple managed a large plantation, entertained hundreds of visitors, and jointly edited Madison's significant political papers, including his notes on the Constitutional Convention. Madison predeceased Dolley by thirteen years, after which she traveled back and forth between Montpelier and Washington, D.C. before permanently settling in the nation's capital in 1844 Source).

Dolley Payne Todd Madison (May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, President of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for her social gifts, which boosted her husband’s popularity as President. In this way, she did much to define the role of the President’s spouse, known only much later by the title First Lady—a function she had sometimes performed earlier for the widowed Jefferson.[1]

Dolley Madison also helped to furnish the newly constructed White House. When the British set fire to it in 1814, she was credited with saving the classic portrait of George Washington. In widowhood, she often lived in poverty, partially relieved by the sale of her late husband’s papers (Source).

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[scifan57]

Montpelier & More Wineries - Part 1

Our third full day included a visit to the ongoing restoration of James & Dolley Madison's Montpelier - the house was sold by Dolley after her husband's death, mainly to pay off debts (in her last years, she was broke and lived off the kindness of others). Dolley Madison was born in North Carolina near what is now Greensboro, about 40 minutes east of us (there is a major exhibit in the Greensboro Historical Museum worth seeing) - a little more information on her in the quotes below.

James Madison (1751-1836) was the 4th President of the United States and is considered the Father of the Constitution - in the winter of 1786-1787 (just before the Constitution Convention meet in Philadelphia - in the same room where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed in early July 1776), he sat in his study (library below in the restored house) studying all forms of governments and came up w/ the Virginia Plan which formed the template for the American Constitution.

Montpelier went through a number of owners after the Madisons and was finally purchased by the famous and wealthy duPont family - the house was added to and updated w/ modern conveniences (and appeared as in the first image below) - Marion duPont Scott (she was married to the actor, Randolph Scott) gave the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (I'm a member of the organization which provided a 'free' admission for the both of us!) in 1983 - a major ongoing restoration is still underway w/ MUCH progress having been made since our last visit - at the moment, slave quarters are being reconstructed.

For our tour, we had an outstanding guide who brought the Madisons and their times in the house to life - James & Dolley loved company and also 'showing off' their possessions - this aspect of their personalities comes to life while walking through the house. The pics show the 'duPont House' and the restored Madison mansion; also several inside rooms (dinning room & library), the Temple (Madison & Jefferson enjoyed drinking and smoking there for hours while looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains), Madison's (and Dolley's) graves, and Susan reading w/ the couple on a bench (this is supposedly a life size portrayal of James & Dolley - James Madison was the shortest President at 5'4" although other's claim 5'6" as did our guide - if the latter height is true, then Dolley was as tall and maybe a little taller than her husband). Dave

P.S. like Adams, Jefferson, & Monroe who all died on July 4th, Madison was hoping for the same but came up short by only a week!






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A most excellent article. It's enough to whet people's appetites for more of the same. Since I've always been interested in old and famous houses, this was very interesting. Thanks for posting.

 

[suenc]

Susan and I just returned from a 4-night trip to Charlottesville, Virginia (VA) - we've visited the area a half dozen times over the decades but has been 4-5 years since our last trip - I mainly wanted to return to see the progress on several historic houses of a number of the early Presidents of the United States. So, I'll start by describing our short journey there w/ a day to day account of our activities; then subsequent posts will describe some of our previous trips - as usual, I'll use some of my photos and borrow many images from the web.

Charlottesville is surrounded by mountains and is near the Shenandoah Valley - map below shows our route from Winston-Salem; we went via HW 29 through Lynchburg (to see one of Thomas Jefferson's homes - will be part of the next post) - there are a number of driving options including I-77 to I-81 which runs through the beautiful valley w/ a number of historic towns to visit. Charlottesville is the home of the University of Virginia, one of the best schools in the Southeast part of the USA - check the link, if interested; Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence & the third United States President) designed the Rotunda and adjacent wings (a couple of pics below after the map).

There are plenty of motels, hotels, and other housing option, but we have usually stayed @ the Boar's Head Inn, which is the official 'inn' of the University w/ an outstanding fitness center and restaurant; however, this time we splurged a little (kind of a second 45th anniversary celebration for us) and stayed at Keswick Hall, a historic property converted into a 48-room hotel w/ several restaurants, spa, and a gorgeous golf course designed by Pete Dye - below are my pics of the hotel from the front & back w/ some panoramic views - the grounds are landscaped beautifully - we really enjoyed our stay there.

Upcoming posts will describe our daily activities which varied from mountain scenery, visiting President's houses in the area, and also finding a number of the excellent wineries. Dave
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[suenc]

Aboriginal Art, James Monroe's Ash Lawn, and Wineries

As to our first full day in the Charlottesville area, the morning included a spa date for Susan and the fitness room for myself, followed by a light shared Caesar salad & a ham/veggie wrap lunch at the Keswick Club Grill restaurant (couple first pics below) - then off for just a half day's touring in the area.

First stop was the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection on the University of Virginia campus - the museum is small and located in an old historic house - below the building plus just one example of an art work. Many larger American Universities have one or more 'museums', so always worth some research while visiting these campuses.

Then off to Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe (1758-1831), the 5th President of the United States (1817-1825) (also the fourth Virginian to hold the office - a dynasty!) - quoted below the beginning from the Wiki link given - the house is modest compared to the others in the area and comprised just the portion painted in white from the pics below (the yellow addition came later); also on the property are reconstructed outbuildings and slave quarters. The dining room shows a cabinet that has some of his china from the White House during his presidency - he was the first to have his own china made which of course started a tradition; also, noticed that he died on July 4, our Independence Day - both Thomas Jefferson & John Adams died on July 4th in 1826!

The remainder of the afternoon included visits to two nearby wineries; first Burnley Vineyards and then Jefferson Vineyards near Monticello - much more on the Virginia Wine industry in the next post and other vinous visits - we brought back 12 bottles (2 each from 6 different wineries). Dave

Keswick Hall: My new favorite hotel. Elegant, antique-y, a hotel where "everybody knows your name." After we were upgraded to the Master Suite, I felt like a princess in my own private palace. Our lowly Toyota looked out of place amongst all the RR's and Mercedes.

 

[suenc]

Poplar Forest - Tom Jefferson's Getaway House

First day of our recent trip - on the way to Charlottesville, we visited Poplar Forest near Lynchburg, VA - he inherited the plantation from his father-in-law in 1773 and began construction of an octagonal house during his presidency (quotes below from the start of a Wiki article & the link given). We first visited the property about 4-5 years ago - the house has been reconstructed (much destroyed by fire) and is in the process of restoration - the changes since our last tour are amazing - historic (Jefferson wrote a LOT of letters and used a polygraph that made duplicate copies - so much of his writing is left for study) and archeologic investigation. Restoration of the brick work & wood details are done by standards of the time, e.g. wooden woodworking planes of various types are used (John Hemings, a Jefferson slave was one of Tom's favorite woodworkers - see last quote below, also a Wiki reference).

Pics below - first a floor plan of the eight-sided house; the central dining room extends to the roof w/ a sky light - the frieze is only partially restored (SO, we'll have to return again in a few years!); the next two images show the front and back of the structure - a number of huge poplar trees remain, likely 200 or so years old. Jefferson designed one wing (for storage, kitchen, smoke house, and other purposes) - the following pics show that wing and also the top roof which was like a walking evening porch for him and his family. The remaining images show some interior scenes, including his bedroom which is now much more restored; kitchen w/ heating sites; and a portion of the museum which occupies much of the lower floor.

Jefferson's main house in the Charlottesville area is known as Monticello (an upcoming post) - Poplar Forest was his 'escape' retreat - he went alone or w/ close family members, such as his grandchildren - after his presidency and because of his fame, many people would just show up at his 'big' house often unannounced and staring into the windows to see him eating his meals - SO, easy to understand his joy to return to his secret home near Lynchburg - now less that an hours drive by car, but then a 2-day trip on horse or a 3-day trip by carriage. Dave

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I am not a big history buff, but I must say that visiting all these Presidents' houses makes me see them as real people instead of mere portraits

 

[suenc]

Montpelier & More Wineries - Part 1

Our third full day included a visit to the ongoing restoration of James & Dolley Madison's Montpelier - the house was sold by Dolley after her husband's death, mainly to pay off debts (in her last years, she was broke and lived off the kindness of others). Dolley Madison was born in North Carolina near what is now Greensboro, about 40 minutes east of us (there is a major exhibit in the Greensboro Historical Museum worth seeing) - a little more information on her in the quotes below.

James Madison (1751-1836) was the 4th President of the United States and is considered the Father of the Constitution - in the winter of 1786-1787 (just before the Constitution Convention meet in Philadelphia - in the same room where the Declaration of Independence was debated and signed in early July 1776), he sat in his study (library below in the restored house) studying all forms of governments and came up w/ the Virginia Plan which formed the template for the American Constitution.

Montpelier went through a number of owners after the Madisons and was finally purchased by the famous and wealthy duPont family - the house was added to and updated w/ modern conveniences (and appeared as in the first image below) - Marion duPont Scott (she was married to the actor, Randolph Scott) gave the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation (I'm a member of the organization which provided a 'free' admission for the both of us!) in 1983 - a major ongoing restoration is still underway w/ MUCH progress having been made since our last visit - at the moment, slave quarters are being reconstructed.

For our tour, we had an outstanding guide who brought the Madisons and their times in the house to life - James & Dolley loved company and also 'showing off' their possessions - this aspect of their personalities comes to life while walking through the house. The pics show the 'duPont House' and the restored Madison mansion; also several inside rooms (dinning room & library), the Temple (Madison & Jefferson enjoyed drinking and smoking there for hours while looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains), Madison's (and Dolley's) graves, and Susan reading w/ the couple on a bench (this is supposedly a life size portrayal of James & Dolley - James Madison was the shortest President at 5'4" although other's claim 5'6" as did our guide - if the latter height is true, then Dolley was as tall and maybe a little taller than her husband). Dave

P.S. like Adams, Jefferson, & Monroe who all died on July 4th, Madison was hoping for the same but came up short by only a week!

I enjoyed making the acquaintance of "Jim" and Dolley. Gracious hosts, though not very talkative.

 

[giradman]

A most excellent article. It's enough to whet people's appetites for more of the same. Since I've always been interested in old and famous houses, this was very interesting. Thanks for posting.

Hi Scifan.. - thanks for the comments - this is indeed a wonderful restoration, and the duPonts seemed to have looked upon this as a stewardship w/ the property being given to the National Historic Trust - in the Visitor's Center, there is a nice area dedicated to the duPont legacy - the first image below a composite description w/ pics of their contribution - the portrait is of Annie duPont, the mother of Marion (2nd pic) who handed over the property in her will to the American people which led to the restoration (see quote below) - Marion was married to the actor Randolph Scott briefly in the 1930s - he was actually born near Montpelier and schooled in the area, and was long term friends w/ the duPonts - Marion's interest in the estate and in horses and his in Hollywood likely contributed to their divorce.

The final image is a Keynote composite that I put together - on top Montpelier in the time of the duPonts w/ all of the additions, below my recent photograph from a few days ago showing how the mansion presumably looked when the Madisons were in residence - which one do you prefer? Dave

Montpelier was under the stewardship of the du Pont family for eight decades. William and Annie du Pont expanded and decorated the mansion in the style of an early twentieth-century country house. Their daughter Marion made a name for Montpelier in the world of championship horse racing. The du Ponts appreciated Montpelier’s heritage as the home of James Madison, ultimately making it possible for Montpelier to be restored and opened to the public (Source).

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[scifan57]

Hi Scifan.. - thanks for the comments - this is indeed a wonderful restoration, and the duPonts seemed to have looked upon this as a stewardship w/ the property being given to the National Historic Trust - in the Visitor's Center, there is a nice area dedicated to the duPont legacy - the first image below a composite description w/ pics of their contribution - the portrait is of Annie duPont, the mother of Marion (2nd pic) who handed over the property in her will to the American people which led to the restoration (see quote below) - Marion was married to the actor Randolph Scott briefly in the 1930s - he was actually born near Montpelier and schooled in the area, and was long term friends w/ the duPonts - Marion's interest in the estate and in horses and his in Hollywood likely contributed to their divorce.

The final image is a Keynote composite that I put together - on top Montpelier in the time of the duPonts w/ all of the additions, below my recent photograph from a few days ago showing how the mansion presumably looked when the Madisons were in residence - which one do you prefer? Dave


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If you're after an historically accurate representation, the second view is better. The additions, though, were part of the history of the house as it changed over time. Demolishing them is destroying part of the history of the house.

 

[giradman]

If you're after an historically accurate representation, the second view is better. The additions, though, were part of the history of the house as it changed over time. Demolishing them is destroying part of the history of the house.

Well, as stated previously there is a duPont Gallery (described below - Source) - the family always felt that their 'ownership' of Monpelier was a 'stewardship' w/ the intention of returning the property to the country w/ a Madison restoration in mind. If Montpelier remained in 'private hands' the present restored historic site would not exist and allow the thousands of visitors to tour the house and grounds, and spend some time in the visitor's center. For American history buffs, just to stand in the room where Madison contemplated a new government for the country was thrilling. Dave

The William duPont Gallery in the Montpelier Visitor Center pays tribute to the legacy of members of another significant Montpelier family—William and Annie duPont, who owned the property for much of the twentieth century. Their daughter, Marion duPont Scott, inherited the estate, which her heirs transferred to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in accordance with her will after her death in 1983. The Gallery displays objects and images related to the duPont’s tenure, during which the site’s equestrian heritage was established. The “Red Room,” a fully reinstalled exhibit of art deco furnishings and decor, showcases the only significant modification Mrs. Scott made to her parents’ home, which was substantially enlarged in the first decade of the twentieth century.

 

[giradman]

Montpelier & More Wineries - Part 2

Well, our third day also included visits to 3 wineries - one done before the drive to Montpelier - the first was Barboursville Vineyards - we did a tasting followed by lunch at their Italian-influenced restaurant, Palladio - then off to the Madison house - this was followed by visits and tastings at Horton Vineyards and Keswick Vineyards (no relationship to where we stayed, i.e. Keswick Hall - the name pertains to the small town in the vicinity).

Barboursville Vineyards is a complex of a winery, restaurant, and also small inn - the tasting room is large w/ multiple stations that start w/ lighter whites & a few sparklers (made in Italy from their vineyards there), progress through more substantial whites & reds, and ending w/ some dessert wines. The name of the winery is from the local town which is derived from a former governor of Virginia; the ruins of his house are on the property (see sign & several pics below of the ruins). The tasting was quite enjoyable and I limited my purchases to a Vermentio (an Italian grape widely planted in Sardinia - does quite well in Virginia & North Carolina) and a Sauvignon Blanc (not quite as good as the one from Veritas, but nice acidity and flavors).

The Palladio restaurant is located right adjacent to the tasting room (entrance shown below) - the inside is small & cozy w/ an Italian trattoria theme - staff were attentive. We both started w/ a wonderful watermelon salad (menu also below) followed by a calamari pasta dish for Susan; I had the fish of the day which was halibut, cooked perfectly and accompanied by a glass of Barboursville reserve Chardonnay, which I had nightly back at Keswick Hall. Susan wanted a dessert and chose the tiramisu (a delightful looking and tasting treat, as is evident from the image).

After lunch, we were off to Horton Vineyards - the tasting room was packed! Susan was looking forward to this place because of a WIDE assortment of 'fruit wines' - she must have tried a dozen or so - I concentrated on their drier whites & reds - purchased a couple of bottles, one for her (Freedom - a proprietary white) and for me, their Albariño (a white grape mainly from the northwest area of Portugal & Spain - again a warmer region and suitable to our region).

Our last winery of the day was Keswick Vineyards - beautiful grounds w/ both inside & outside tasting areas - we went inside to a cozy and busy tasting experience. I purchased two white wines, a Pinot Gris w/ a special label (dedicated to the owner's sister) - the grapes were actually from Washington State and the wine delicious; the other was a Viognier (a French Rhone varietal), which does well in Virginia and also in North Carolina - as quoted below, this grape is now the official 'Signature Grape' of the state. Dave

On Wednesday, May 4, 2011 the Virginia Wine Board met in Charlottesville, Virginia. The primary purpose of the meeting was a working session to review industry comments on the Strategic Plan and to approve the document. As part of the discussion, a decision was made to pursue a marketing plan that will include the designation of Viognier as Virginia’s signature grape for national branding purposes (Source).

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