In the heart of Virginia

I’ve travelled to different wineries across the US and Europe (although not California – yet), and I have to say one of the ones I enjoyed the most was Barboursville, in the wine region of Virginia. For those of you who don’t know it yet, Virginia has developed a reputation for good wines, and it’s deserved, at least in part. To be honest, there are some pretty mediocre wines from Virginia (no, I’m not going to link to any), but there are some very good ones as well. Barboursville is one of the good ones.
Not far from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, the winery is set on a rural road on the former estate of James Barbour, one of the early governors of Virginia. The ruins of the governor’s erstwhile mansion are still on the property, and it’s a great place to relax with a bottle of newly purchased wine and some good cheese. My preference is the red wines, not surprising given that a major investor is a winery out of Italy, but they also make a very nice dessert wine.
The town of Barboursville is little more than a couple of houses and a church, but a trip to Barboursville can be combined nicely with a trip to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s self-designed home and plantation. If you haven’t had enough of politicos you can also see Montpelier, James Madison’s nearby plantation. If you prefer to stay in a town setting, both Staunton and Charlottesville are charming towns. Either way, there’s history, culture, wine, and the natural beauty of rural Virginia. Surely that’s enough for a long weekend.