A few summers ago, I was very impressed with a wine tasting during a trip to—of all places—Washington, DC! Not a premier wine destination today, but several of the early U.S. presidents from the area were big fans of European wine; Washington and Jefferson, in particular. Fact is, the signing of the Declaration of Independence was toasted with Medeira which is a sweet wine made off the coast of Portugal along the route to the New World.
We had traveled from Washington to Virginia to see the National Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport (home to the Enola Gay, an Air France Concorde and the Space Shuttle Discovery). Parched by the heat we decided to visit one of the more interesting vineyards I researched called the Winery at Bull Run. Yes, this is located adjacent to Manassas where the historic battle took place. The winery leads a tasting featuring some of their special wines while touring the battlefield sites.
An interesting wine to try is their famous Norton wine. Norton is one of the few grape varietals still produced that is Vitus Labrusca, an indigenous North American grape. Following a sample of this fruit forward, deeply colored, acidic varietal my host quickly moved me to their Reconciliation Blend which is better example of how the Virginia wines are excelling. This Bordeaux blend’s label depicts two Civil War soldiers shaking hands. The winery takes pride not only in its historic location, but also in its land’s terroir that produces quality Bordeaux-style wine.
If you are lucky, you may even be able to take in a re-enactment of a Civil War battle in the summer months. I will always remember this visit as the last wonderful vacation I shared with my father-in-law, Bob, who passed away recently. He had a great passion for both history and aeronautics and he never minded joining his son-in-law in tasting a new red.
