We took some time off mid-week in late October and drove a few hours north to Charlottesville, Virgina, which is in the heart of Virginia wine country. Vineyards and wineries dot the area around the city, with a little higher density to the south and west. We had received advice to focus our attention to the east, from someone in the North Carolina wine industry, so that is what we did. One inn and four wineries later we had some good memories, and a couple that should have been better. We’ll get to that.
This region surrounding Charlottesville has been designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). Officially it is the Monticello AVA, giving a nod to Thomas Jefferson’s estate located here. There are over 40 wineries in this AVA, and it will take many trips to get to most of them. We didn’t try, as there is so much history as well to exeprience. So we alternated wine and history, throwing in a little food as well, in what was an enjoyable four days. There is no shortage of things to do, and we have friends and neighbors who regularly visit the region.
From our home in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina it is an easy 3 1/2 hour ride. If you are coming south from Washington DC you can do that in under 2 hours. Richmond is the closest major airport, and is only about an hour away by car. If you happen to be making the trip in the fall, as we were, the foliage can be spectaular.
Our first day inlcuded a morning deparure and a lunch and tasting reservation at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard (https://www.pippinhillfarm.com/). Sporting an amazing location with valley views, Pippin Hill has a large tasting
room and restaurant, including both covered and uncovered outdoor seating. It is a working farm, growing vegetables and herbs for use in the restaurant. They also have a retail shop worth browsing. If so inclined you can take a cooking class here as well. There is a lot to do, but we needed food, and really were here for the wine. Lunch was about to blow our minds.
The restaurant features more of a tapas style menu, with shareable plates. We ordered the roasted brussels sprouts, butternut squash toast, sweet potato fries and beef sliders. When it came we thought we had ordered too much. Everything was amazingy tasty. I do not like
Butternut squash toast – yum!
butternut squash but would have devoured a platefull of the toast, which was covered in a thick layer of seasoned, chopped squash. We could go on and on, but let’s leave it by saying the food is worth the trip alone. The wines were also surprisingly good across the board, but we’ll get into more details on them in a follow on article. Pippin Hill is worth your time.
It was time to head to the inn to relax before dinner. We had chosen The Clifton after looking at many properties online. It is an old place, at least from the perspective of the structures on the property. The five building were erected betwen the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Rooms are located in several buildings, but we chose a room in the main inn, where the restaurant and bar are also located. This was probably a mistake, as sound carries through the walls very efficiently. We could hear just about everything going on downstairs from our second floor room.
The main inn is beautiful, and looks very inviting. Common rooms are well appointed and there is a gorgeous dining
room to the left which is part of the 1799 Restaurant. A very charming bar is tucked in between. Large spaces in the back of the inn, both inside and outside, have plenty of seating. This is also where breakfast is served. We had dinner reservations at the inn our first two nights, so we settled into our room and then went down for a drink. All in all things started quite well.
Dinner was good the first night, except for the dust. There is a wainscoting around the dining room which hadn’t been dusted, maybe since the 18th century. The tops of the panels were only about a foot or two from our heads, so it was less than appealing. Still, we soldiered on
A beautiful dining room
and enjoyed our dinner. The next night went south pretty quickly. There was a large dinner party in the lower function room, so the kitchen apparently was unable to keep up. Our server was also working the party, and was clearly overworked and not happy about it. Our appetizers took a long time to arrive. Before that, the red wine we had ordered was poured into the small white wine glasses on the table. Those should have been swapped out. Then we waited, and waited. Forty five minutes later the bartender, who also helped in the restaurant, stopped by and asked if were waiting for our dessert. We informed him that we were actually waiting on our entrees. Eventually the food showed up, lukewarm and not exactly wonderful. Supposedly the inn has a Michelin starred chef, but we didn’t see that
But the dust!
expected level of quality. We ended the evening with a glass of complimentary sparking something slammed on the table by our server, who walked away without telling us what it was. This was a a bad experience all around. Needless to say we did not dine here again.
The inn’s grounds are expansive, and there are paths down to a river and a lake. We started down one but the mosquitos turned us back. On the way back we got a look at some of the back areas of the inn, and it clearly needs a little TLC. You could see that by looking at the exterior window sills and trim in our room, with the paint massively peeling and just plain missing on some surfaces. We mentioned the deep dust on the dining room wainscoting, but that problem was evident throughout the common areas. Someone in housekeeping is not doing their job, and management is not catching it. It was actually a little shocking.
In general, The Clifton is a beautiful property, but issues with cleanliness, service and upkeep turn what could be (and should be) a five star inn into a three star inn in our opinion. Actually we would not stay there again regardless of cost. The last thing we’ll mention is the gray dust that forms the driveway and parking areas. It gets everywhere when it is dry, coating our cars and our shoes. If it gets wet it is a mess. We have no idea why they put this type of material down. There are many better choices. Fortunately there are also many other choices for lodging in the area.
Let’s switch now talk a little about the history of this region, which is immense. We spent a great day at Monticello, learning about Thomas Jefferson’s life and times. The interior of the house is really interesting, and unlike most historical homes we’ve visited. Of particular note were the staircases, and we won’t spoil the surprise for you if you visit. Across the expansive grounds you can take other tour experiences, which we did. The family cemetery is also here, and you can walk down a path to see it. A cafe, museum and expansive shop at the entrance complex are also part of the visit. Plan to spend a few hour here at least. Also plan to arrive early if you have a scheduled tour, as you will need to take a van from the visitor’s center to the house.
We also made our way to Montpelier, the home of James Madison. Equally steeped in history from the same period, a visit gives you some insight into the culture and society of the times, including how slavery dominated many of the aspects of their lives. It is ceratinly thought provoking.
Back to the wine. We stopped at Barboursville Vineyards (https://www.bbvwine.com/) on our way back from
Octagon barrels at Barboursville
Montpelier. Barboursville has one of the best reputations of any Virginia winery. I remember
Barboursville Tasting
trying one of their Nebbiolos years ago at a restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. It was very good, and finally some 10 years later we managed to visit. The winery is large, and has a library tasting room where you can sample back vintages of their signature wine, Octagon. You can order some food there, or plan to eat at their restaurant. This is another place you can spend significant time. The wines were very good, and we’ll talk about those in a separate review.
Dinner our last night was in Charlottesville, at Hamilton’s at First and Main (https://www.hamiltonsrestaurant.com/). Located on a large pedestrian mall in the
Dining room at Hamiltons
downtown area, you can stroll the shops and enjoy the street performers before heading over to dinner. There is a nice outside dining area, however it was quite chilly the evening we were there, so we dined inside. Inside is where you find a very comofrtable, inviting atmosphere. There was a musician playing that evening, and the place was full, so definitely
make reservations. This was a great dining experience, making up for the previous evening at The Clifton. Service was exceptional, the food was all delicious, and overall it was simply excellent. We highly recommend Hamiltons and will be returning the next time we visit the Charlottsville area.
We have two more wineries to mention before we wrap this up. One is Keswick Vineyards. The grounds are beautiful, with a large outdoor seating area under the trees. If you’re looking for a very casual wine experience, including maybe a round of mini golf, slushies and mediocre wine (at best), then this is worth a stop. This is not our type of winery though.
The last stop on our trip was Veritas Vineyards and Winery (https://veritaswines.com/). This also had a wonderful, large outdoor area where you could sit under the trees or stroll the grounds. An equally impressive indoor tasting area and restaurant was inviting. We were
having lunch, so stayed inside, seated at a wonderful table by large windows looking out over the spectacular valley views. The food was quite good here, as was the wine. It was a great way to end the trip. More on this in another future article.
We’ll go back to Charlottesville, probably fairly regulary. There is a lot to do, and for a wine lover the number of wineries in the immediate area is pretty amazing. This place is definitely worth a visit.
A votre santé!
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