Anniversary at Hillsborough Winery
On Sunday my wife and I went to Hillsboro, VA to the Hillsborough Vineyard to celebrate our one year anniversary. This winery will always be a special place to us because we got married in their beautiful, rustic tasting room.
When we got engaged, our first big decision was to find a place to get married. We both love autumn because of the colors and the celebration of the harvest, so it was only fitting that we have an outdoors wedding in the rolling mountains of Virginia at the height of the fall color change. We found the Hillsborough Winery and fell in love with the view of the valley and the vaulted ceilings of the tasting room. We secured the site for the ceremony, and then planned the wedding reception, also on site of the winery, which included a buffet of harvest items such as breads, apples, cheeses and a thick irish beef stew.
The only downside of the wedding was that it rained on the wedding day, just as it had for much of October 2005. The leaves on the trees never really achieved much color, either. But it didnt spoil the wedding at all. Instead of being married outdoors, we were married on the steps of the tasting room, in an intimate setting surrounded by our family and friends.
And boy, did we enjoy the wine!
So this year we went back to share wine together and sit on the patio and watch the color on the leaves deepen to hues that we wished for last year. We shared a picnic lunch of cheese, crackers and summer sausage. We ate slices from the top layer of our wedding cake that took up too much room in our freezer over the past year. The cake was delicious. And we toasted to a wonderful first year together.
. . .
All of Hillsborough’s wines are named for gemstones. The very best are the two wines that we served at the reception. For a white wine, the “Opal” is among the finest in the Loudon Valley region. It is a blend of Chardonnay and Viognier, and it has a smooth, slightly fruity flavor.
For the reds, Hillsborough has two that really stand out. First is the table wine, the “Garnet,” also served at out reception, is a blend of many different grapes. It has Merlot, Cab Sav, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. It has a mild flavor of plums and cherries and has a smooth finish. It is perfect with cheddar cheese, chocolate or grilled beef.
New this year is a wine called “BloodStone.” It is a full bodied red with a smoky flavor and a long finish. It is comparable to a good Cab Franc, and it would be excellent with grilled steak. I got a bottle of the BloodStone for my next Barbecue.
