This past Sunday, my dad and I had the opportunity to visit an amazing gem of a vineyard near Barbourville, called Chestnut Oak. I have to take a moment and comment on the fact that the drive from Richmond to Chestnut Oak, was absolutely gorgeous. We went through Route 20, and honestly it was hard to focus on the road, with all the amazing scenery!   Is this not the cutest flight? They made it in-house! Love seeing all the vineyards be so creative with their flight presentations. Once you get to the vineyard the views also do not disappoint. If Virginia wasn’t under a heat advi ..read more

My fiancé’s family is from Roanoke, so every time we drive back home to Richmond from there, I like to make a pitstop at a winery along the way because…wine not?? This past Sunday was also Father’s Day, and since my dad was with us, it seemed like the perfect time to check out Merrie Mill Farm and Vineyard, especially since I had been in touch with one of the owners, Elizabeth. They just opened at the end of May, and have already become a must see destination in Keswick! I absolutely love Keswick, it’s such a beautiful area, and from the moment you drive up the gravel road towards the Merrie M ..read more

A couple weeks ago I had the chance to get connected with a team member from Rosé Water, which is an awesome brand with a great product that I’m current obsessed with! It only has two ingredients: rosé and sparkling water…and it’s SO good! I also had my dad and fiancé try it and they both loved it, so it’s not another girly drink, it’s just a good drink! Also, how genius to mix wine and sparking water together, those are literally 2 of my favorite go to refreshments. I sent the team some questions to share more about the brand with you guys, and honestly for my own benefit because I am alw ..read more

When you can’t name your daughter after a movie reference, name your wine shop! Celladora is the newest wine shop to open in the heart of the fan, by Lombardy St and Floyd Ave (can you guess the movie that inspired the name?). The 15-person capacity space, tastefully maximized by an ex-resident of Brooklyn, houses a mighty selection of natural wines and small batch producers that will transport you all around the world. Megan, the owner of Celladora, has taken upon herself to open her dream natural wines shop despite the restrictive alcohol laws in Virginia surrounding imports of smaller produ ..read more

When a wino plans a Nashville bachelorette, you know she’s going to put in a wine and cheese tasting! And I’m so glad I did! This past weekend was my friend’s Bachelorette weekend, and we had a wonderful time at Grinder’s Switch Winery. Its Nashville location is in Marathon Village which is an awesome warehouse are full of cool shops (and next door to the Jack Daniels general store). The vineyard is actually located near Centreville, TN and it’s family owned and operated. If I’m ever back in the area I definitely want to visit! Our tasting was at 5pm which was perfect because it was super priv ..read more

I discovered the joys of the Northern Neck for the first time this summer, on a trip with my in-laws to the Kilmarnock area. I’ve been to VA beach and Eastern Shore a bunch, but had never really stopped to explore the Northern Neck area until this year. How fortunate for me, because Ingleside Vineyards and Winery has just given me another reason to fall in love with that region’s laid back and historic vibes. The property is HUGE, yet the winery space and tasting room courtyard manage to be cozy, homey, and feel like a tucked away European/Mediterranean garden. The Flemer family have owned and ..read more

I’ve been working on trying to eat healthier lately (#weddingbod), and this coming September I’m embarking on a nutritional cleanse, where it’s highly recommended to not have any alcohol for 30 days. I’ve done dry January before, so not having wine wasn’t a problem, but it did get me wondering if sometime during those 30 days I craved a glass a wine for whatever reason (celebration, bad day at work, tv binge, etc), what would be a healthier alternative than normal for me to feel better about breaking the cleanse’s rules? Well, enter organic wine. I really have never knowingly had organic wine ..read more

Anyone who is an entrepreneur knows HOW HARD it is to come up with a new idea that is truly new, and be first to market. Boy, did Dani Landi do just that. A charcuterie board food truck seems like it should’ve existed a long time ago, especially in VA, but I’m so excited that she has fixed the void we never realized existed with her new venture, the Kaas and Cure Board Co. cheese and charcuterie trailer! I had the chance to meet Dani in person at Afton Mountain Vineyards this past weekend, and we became fast friends. Not only are we both marketing geeks, but we also really bonded over our entr ..read more

Here is my growing list of favorite Virginia wines! Hopefully this will help y’all get a sense of my palate, so you can start seeing how it matches up with yours, and give you a quick/organized reference of some of the Virginia wines that really stole my heart. Chardonnay: Byrd Cellar’s Creekside Chardonnay, Jefferson Vineyards Reserve Chardonnay, Blenheim Vineyards, Gabriele Rausse 2018 Chardonnay , Prince Michel Chardonnay, Williamsburg Winery Chardonnay Merlot: Morais Vineyards, Lake Anna, Castle Glenn Meritage: Jefferson Vineyards, New Kent Winery, Wisdom Oak Norton: Byrd Cellar’s Norton ..read more

Now that I now I officially passed my exam (yay for merit), I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on my experience with WSET 1 and 2 for anybody out there who may be interested in pursuing their wine education! I took these courses through the Virginia Wine + Spirits Academy, and they were taught by their wonderful owner Tracy Waldron. I’m still in awe of all her knowledge and poise, she is absolutely #winegoals. WSET Level 1: An Introduction to the World of Wine I had no idea what to expect of these wine certification classes, but I’m really glad I did the WSET Level 1. I’m not a newbie ..read more