Barrel Tasting at Linden Vineyards

At the invitation of our friend Nadja, Agnes and I and our friend (and my dance instructor) Ben drove out to the scenic Linden Vineyards in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains for their annual Barrel Tasting event. I wasn't sure at first that I would be interested in tasting barrels (mental picture of Bilbo sitting at a table, sucking on an old stave), but decided we might as well do it, since the alternative was yard work and house cleaning. Besides, why not spend the day with not one, but TWO beautiful ladies? I'm not so dumb.

Linden Vineyards sits atop a hill with a beautiful view of the surrounding wooded terrain. The day was cool, overcast, and misty, but the view was nevertheless spectacular.


On arrival, we each received a glass and a program describing the various wines to be sampled...


Thus equipped, we went down to the cellars to begin the four-barrel tasting event. There were enough barrels to go around...here are a few.

Each barrel to be sampled was attended by one of the staff members who described the vintage and how it was created as he (or she) dipped into the barrel with a glass siphon to give each sampler a small amount of wine. There was also plenty of sausage, cheese, and bread available for palate-clearing between samples.

The science of wine-making is fascinating, and we enjoyed the tasting, the commentary, and the opportunity to view the wine-making machinery. I think there's a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek humor that goes into the process...


After sampling the four barrel vintages (new wines) and a few newer vintages in the cellar, we moved upstairs to sample some other wines and enjoy a small wine-and-cheese lunch. Agnes and Nadja were clearly enjoying themselves...


After lunch and (of course) purchasing a few bottles to take home, we took the opportunity to take some pictures in the beautiful landscape. I considered PhotoShopping the gray out of my hair, but I guess it sort of makes me look distinguished...


Ben needed to get into some of the pictures, too...although he rather misjudged the drop-off behind the rocks...

All things considered, we had a great day. It was a bit chilly, but still beautiful and a great opportunity to enjoy an outing with good friends.

But now, sadly, it's time to go to work.

Sigh.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo