Madison County Foothills: Part 1

Up next on the Virginia wine trail, is my personal favorite, Early Mountain Vineyards! Although I might be a little biased, this award winning winery is located in my hometown of Madison County, Virginia! This week I will be talking about a typical weekend in the tasting room, along with who and what makes their wine something special.

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Coming back to work after being at school for the past month or so, excited was just the first feeling of knowing I’d be with my co workers all weekend. Working at Early Mountain is one of those jobs that gives you the feeling of loving coming to work everyday. From the management, to the tasting room staff and service bar, each weekend is a new adventure that I know I can look forward to all week!

Saturday's always start off with our morning meetings and the occasional new release tastings. This weekend, we started off with Oyster Fest plans and ended on my favorite note… Vow 2016.

Vow is considered the second best wine that Early Mountain currently has, and was made back in 2016. However, the peak of when to pop open your bottle will be between 2022 and 2027. It is deep red blend made of 49% merlot, 31% petit verdot, 13% tenat, and 7% cab franc. With notes of dried rose petals, black cherry and plum, this wine will be a favorite by all of our red wine lovers!

(Fun fact: If you are a wine club member, keep an eye out for this specialty in your December shipment!)

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Since we are still making our way through Virginia Wine Month, this weekend was a little wild. One perk of working with best friends, old teammates, high school teachers and even new people that come along, we know how to make it fun. Once the doors opened, up until 5:30...we were slammed. Trips to the galley to drop off dirty glasses turned into any type of break we might have. From the band playing for hours to a packed tasting room, we were all going different directions to make sure everything ran smoothly.

Six hours later, as the day starts to wind down, the time for our post-shift glass can’t come any faster…Once the clock out time is approaching, all the silverware is rolled, glasses polished, and plans are without a doubt being made. Behind the scenes, the ability to have that relationship in and out of the tasting room is something that really makes the magic happen within a workplace. From planning concert trips, checking on each other’s tables, or even just hanging by the picnic tables after work... trying on Halloween costumes.. the relationship we all have shows in our performance every weekend.

Currently with 55 acres of land, including estate plantings as well as a Quaker Run plantation, high quality wine is something you won’t leave without in Madison County. If you take a look at the newest edition of The Scout Guide to Charlottesville, you can find the people behind the Early Mountain magic.

Early Mountain: "Producing elegant wines that are both accessible and exceptional. Virginia through and through."

Next week... I will be talking Early Mountain Part 2! From our michelin star winning chef, to everything the vineyard has to offer, this next blog will be sure to attract your taste buds and increase your curiosity of this small town gem.