1.24.2012

Rosemont Vineyards & Winery

Happy Tuesday readers!

I'm glad to see some fresh faces over here at Sundresses and Smiles--I'll do my best to stop by and say hi soon!

How were your weekends?

Mine was nice and relaxing.  Friday evening Bryce returned from a business trip to Massachusetts just in time for dinner.  We were going to cook, but since his flight had been delayed, we ended up splitting a pizza at a nearby Italian restaurant--it was just what the doctor ordered!

Saturday, we got up and headed to Lake Gaston.  My godparents retired on the lake and we planned the trip so that Bryce could meet them.  Their home is in Bracey, Virginia which is the middle of nowhere--especially in the cold winter months, but I really enjoy escaping for a weekend during the lake's off season.  It's very calming and kind of nice to be unplugged for a weekend (there is virtually no cell reception).

We spent lots of time eating delicious food, sitting by the fire, and also took a trip to a local vineyard:  Rosemont of Virginia Vineyards and Winery.

Rosemont opened in 2008 and it has been neat to see it evolve and grow over the last few years.  Being that Bryce has taken his own stab at wine making (see his guest post here), I knew he would enjoy this outing.

Owned by the Rose Family, the vineyard used to be a soybean and tobacco farm.  Now you can see the rows and rows of grapes growing!

I just love the plantation-style look of the vineyard!

We started our time at Rosemont with a tasting.  We were able to try 14 wines and Gray, who led our tasting, was not only knowledgeable about the wines but also a lot of fun!

The white marble tiles are built into the bar so that tasters can examine the color of the wines.

I thought the bar was just lovely!

After the tasting we each chose a glass to enjoy as we explored the building.  Bryce chose the Kilravock (pronounced "Kill Rock"), which is named after the family's castle in Scotland, and is a Boredaux style red wine.  I chose a mixture Gray let us try-- 2/3 Lake Country Sunset (sweet white whine) + 1/3 Blackridge Red (sweet red wine) to make a delicious Zinfandel style wine.

Ready to drink and explore!

Rosemont's Pantry offered a variety of meats and cheese to "Make Your Own Picnic!" and enjoy with your wine.

This large room off the bar boasted lots of seating and a balcony.

I loved this chair by the fireplace!

There were many tables set up with different wine gifts and accessories.


The vineyard has paired with local artists to design some of the bottle labels and they were offering signed bottles at a discount with the purchase of artist William Moseley's book An Affair with Art.

I've always loved these whimsical wine bottle holders.

Bryce and I ended up settling upstairs where they had more rooms, seating, and balconies as well as an art gallery.

We both loved this painting.

Bryce has an old barrel in his shed and is considering making one of these barrel tables.

I loved the corks featured beneath the glass top.

We checked out the balcony, but didn't stay long because it was a cold, dreary day!

I wore this new horn bangle Bryce bought me while he was in Massachusetts!

I love this picture of my handsome boyfriend!


View from an upstairs window!

After we finished our glasses, we ended our time with a tour of the winery led by Gray!

there were cases and cases of wine!

Entrance to the cellar--they eventually plan to add stucco to these walls and stained glass inside to allow for special tastings in the cellar!

There were barrels everywhere!

each barrel was labeled with a code that showed which wine was inside and its vintage


Bryce smelling the wine inside!

A barrel made of Virginia oak!

After our tour we may have decided to take home a few bottles...

In fact, we got a WHOLE CASE!

2 Bottles Each of:  Traminette, Syrah, Kilravock, Lake Country Sunset, Blackridge Red, and Milis Or

Have you ever been to a vineyard?  What are your favorite wines?

Have a great day!