Sabin Wine Journeys

September 26, 2024.    We worked long and hard to arrange a short trip to the Charlottesville area so as to avoid the crush of football weekends at the University.   But we did not reckon on a persistent pattern of dampness or outright deluge.   When we arrived at Afton Mountain Vineyards in Nelson County, low gray clouds glowered close along the hillsides of the Blue Ridge.   I’m sure twisty Mountain Road is a pretty drive in decent weather. Afton Mountain has been in operation as a winery since 1978 when it was called “Bacchanal Vineyards.”   It is one of the oldest wineries in a region now full of them.   After several changes in ownership, the latest taking place in May of 2024, Afton Mountain finds itself with Brad and Yelena Dickerson in charge.   Brad was the CFO of Under Armour and Blue Apron among other businesses.   We understand that the Dickerson’s are not planning too many changes from the solid operation Tony and Elizabeth S...

February 23, 2024.   Our first stop on this winter excursion to the Monticello AVA was a return trip to Flying Fox Vineyard and Winery in Afton.   You can’t miss the two-storey sign mounted beside a restored fiber mill.   Be prepared for a hard turn off of Route 250. Flying Fox was incorporated in 2000 but purchased in 2015 by three siblings, Chloe, Emily, and George Hodson.   Their parents had developed Veritas Vineyard nearby.   Sister Emily – now Emily Hodson Pelton – has been the winemaker at Veritas and Flying Fox and was awarded Winemaker of the Year in 2017.   Red wines come from the Flying Fox Vineyard five miles away but within the Monticello AVA.. White wines come from the Ridge Run Vineyard in the Shenandoah AVA.   Since our last visit, Flying Fox has moved to a new tasting room.   The new tasting room is large but unadorned and basic near the bar.   Even with lots of leather – sofas, even lampshades – the seating area has a l...

May 14, 2023.   It was time to get back on the road for our annual wine trip to Mr. Jefferson’s neighborhood.   We have traveled Route 29 South so many times over the years that we can tick-off the landmarks almost by memory:   the life-size statute of a white bull alone on a   hillside next to the American flag; Clark Brothers where men were celebrating Mother’s Day by emptying magazines of ammo into targets; Cowboy Church, Yowell’s Lake at Culpeper; the turn for Kelly’s Ford (site of a real- life Twilight Zone encounter); Bavarian Chef in Madison; Waffle House in Charlottesville, and on and on..   Our first destination on this year’s pilgrimage was Delfosse Vineyards and Winery in Faber, Nelson County, around a half-hour south of Charlottesville.   Rather than the mythical town in “Animal House;” Faber is a small community within the Monticello AVA.   And Delfosse Vineyards is the top winner of the 2023 Virginia Governor’s Cup.   Claude ...