Chester Gap Cellars
October 21, 2022. Our last stop on this first blog trip into the Shenandoah AVA was Chester Gap Cellars, whose address is Front Royal, Rappahannock County. Actually, by my reckoning, Chester Gap Cellars lies just outside of the Shenandoah AVA, like by a couple hundred feet. But that is a very small point. Come for the wine and please stay for the view. Even though you will be at only 1,000 feet elevation, it will feel like a mountaintop excursion. Views from the winery go for thirty-five miles on a clear day. The tasting room feels as if it is clutching the side of a mountain to keep from sliding down the hill. Parking can be an issue. Lots of interesting features: like the Adirondack chairs on the tasting room balcony were designed and built by the Rappahannock High School woodworking shop to be raised so the balcony railing does not block your killer view; like the availability of a hiking trail that includes the headwaters of the Rappahannock River, which flows