Spring, summer and fall are perfect times to load the dogs in the jeep and head out to Virginia’s wine country for a day of sips, walks, shopping and lunch on a dog-friendly patio. But the cold wet winter months are a bit more challenging.
Undeterred by the freezing forecast -- my husband, friend
Alyson (visiting from California), Boomer, Kacey and I took the 50 mile drive
from Alexandria to Delaplane, Virginia.
Our first stop was Barrel Oak Winery (www.barreloak.com
). Upon arrival, there is little doubt that
Barrel Oak is dog-friendly. We are immediately
met by dogs leaving the tasting room, or just taking a potty break. To say that Barrel Oak loves dogs would be an
understatement. The tasting room is filled
with owners and their dogs. The gift
shop has great dog-inspired items, and their wines pay homage to canines, such
as their Chocolate Lab Dessert Wine. A
quick look at their events calendar and I see two dog-focused fundraisers in
the month of February.
It’s hard NOT to have fun at Barrel Oak. There is a buzzy welcoming vibe – everyone is
happy! Friends and families are picnicking on the fire pit heated patio. Kids and dogs are getting lots of
attention. We slide up for a tasting and
quickly realize that we are standing next to a couple and their dog Tucker from
our neighborhood! Wine and dogs are
great conversation starters!
We purchased a couple of bottles from our server
Nate, and then headed to our next stop – Aspen Dale Winery (www.aspendalewinery.com
).
While Barrel Oak has the buzzy festive atmosphere,
Aspen Dale is closer to a cool coffee shop (but with wine and in an old
barn). Dogs are also welcome in the
tasting room which is warm, hip, and relaxed.
A soloist on guitar plays “coffee shop” music. There is a fire in the fireplace. Dogs relax on the floor and owners sit on
comfy couches, at café tables, or stand at the tasting bar.
Aspen Dale provides a small plate of “pairings” to
go with the wines – a piece of apricot, a bite of sausage, a bit of chocolate –
all perfectly paired with each wine. We
loved it! We loved it so much we purchased
a bottle of their Parris Country Red Blend (yum), some pheasant sausage and
sage cheese for a little snack. Aspen
Dale is one of those special places where you could easily spend the entire afternoon.
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| Pairings at Aspen Dale |
From Aspen Dale, we wandered a bit, but thanks to iPhones and GPS, we eventually found Cobbler Mountain Cellars (www.cobblermountain.com ). Located on a hill off of a couple twisty gravel roads is their lovely tasting room. Like Barrel Oak and Aspen Dale, it’s also in Delaplane, but it's the youngest of the three wineries.
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| The Cobbler Mountain Paw Wall |
Cobbler Mountain is very friendly. We immediately felt welcomed and the dogs
were appropriately gushed over! Given
its location – far off of a main road, dogs can actually go off leash in their
yard. An entire wall in their tasting
room is covered with paw prints and the names of their dogs and dog
clients.
Cobbler Mountain Cellars often
hosts groups of dogs and their owners for special events – there was a recent
gathering of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and in the summer and early fall, Cobbler
Mountain holds weekend camping and hiking trips for owners and their dogs.
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| New friends at Cobbler Mountain |
We left Cobbler Mountain with a bottle of Vidal
Blanc and a promise to return.
Our winter outing to Delaplane, Virginia wineries
was great fun. Boomer and Kacey got
plenty of attention in three very different and welcoming wineries. We got to taste and purchase great wines in a
variety of settings – winter was the perfect time to visit Barrel Oak, Aspen Dale
and Cobbler Mountain – but we’ll go again in the spring!
There are currently 253 wineries in Virginia and
MANY are dog friendly. Only California, New York, Oregon and Washington have more
wineries than Virginia.
www.virginiawine.org, lists all wineries
and their regions. You can also filter
by varietals and if the winery is pet friendly.
