One of the best perks of living in Central Virginia is our proximity to dozens of small local vineyards. Aside from the enjoyment of driving the winding byways through some of the most of the most breathtaking scenery ever we have welcoming destinations offering a place to comfortably sit and enjoy the view as well sample some pretty decent wine. (Californians not withstanding.) So, at the invitation of our friends, Jay and Wendy Oliver, we joined them for a Saturday afternoon trip west to Afton Mountain Vineyards.
We left about 3:00 and I think it took about an hour to get their. I’m not really sure because we “girls” sat in the back seat and that always makes a trip seem longer. It wasn’t so bad while we were still on I64, but when we turned off onto the local roads, woof! The last time I remember taking those kinds of turns in the backseat of a car was when we drove up to Waimea Canyon on Kauwai’i; lots of twists and hairpin turns to keep your equilibrium off kilter.
Once we arrived at our destination, we found a table with a great view in the covered picnic pavilion. Wendy and I began to unload a few goodies and Dave and Jay headed off to pick up a few bottles of wine from the tasting room. The weather was perfect, the high just about 70 degrees, just a bit of a breeze, and just a few clouds on the horizon. [I took the new header photo from our table at sunset.) It the afternoon turned to evening, it was nice to pull on a light cardigan for the first time since summer began. The long, hot, muggy days of summer gone, we began to relax into autumn, and it was good.
Wendy packed an amazing meal, cold cuts, potato salad with kielbasa (I know it sounds odd, but trust me, it was wonderful!), caprese salad, a cheese plate and even chocolate-raspberry mouse with whipped cream and a raspberry on top! I filled in with odds and ends I grabbed from the fridge; a block of NY State white cheddar, apples, grapes, carrots and a salmon spread I threw together with left-over salmon, cream cheese, capers and red onion. I also had a small boule loaf that I sliced nice and thin. To complement our meal, the “boys” brought back bottles of Afton Mountain Merlot and Gewurztraminer. What more could we have asked for?
After we finished eating, Dave a Jay moved their chairs over to the perimeter wall, put their feet up and begin solving the problems of the world in general and the Presidential election in particular. Jay took the side of the Elephants; Dave of the Donkeys. At times their discussion got a bit heated, requiring Wendy and I to provide a swift but gentle kick to our partners’ leg, to get them to back off. In the end they agreed to respectfully disagree, which is really anyone can ask for. After all, friends are much more important than politics!
After the sunset, we packed up our coolers and headed back onto the road. We’d been teasing Wendy (who is from Scotland) with many an “aye”, “wee” and “augk”. Jay came to her defense in the car by playing her favorite CD by a Celtic Rock band called Runrig. She responded in kind by waving her fist in beat with the music. Aughk, aye, t’was a bonney time!
So there you have it. Our trip to Afton Mountain Vineyards wasn’t exciting in that we spotted a celebrity or were attacked by killer beas, but it was a time of growing a friendship and a memory that will stay with me for a long time.