Madison County Foothills: Part 2

What’s a good glass of wine without an amazing dish to go along with it? Early Mountain has a recent new menu that is drawing people from all over. This week… I am going to be covering what it is that has everyone talking about Early Mountain Vineyards. From the food to the events,why exactly Madison County is the place to be.

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This weekend at the vineyard, was to me when things really started to feel like Fall. From the mountain and the vine leaves changing, to the Sunday night fireside chats on the patio, Madison was radiating nothing but the change of season. Perfect for a glass of red wine and maybe a poached pear or two!

Starting this past summer, after seven years in the kitchen of The Inn at Little Washington, professional chef Tim Moore gave Early Mountain a whole new meaning and attraction. Going for more of a modern menu, he added dishes such as Foie Gras, pork belly and local poached pears to entice people from all culinary backgrounds.

Two things I loved about this professional chef collaboration was the 5 start insight on anything in the kitchen, along with the new stories and networking aspects of the job. Customers started heading to the tasting room just because of what they knew would be on the menu. Seeing that side of things really showed me the respect people have for the people creating these elaborate dishes. He not only oversees the entire tasting room dining, but also the catering,festival and event creations.

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Not going to lie to you guys… getting to try all of these different dishes just to pair wine that we would suggest might have been my favorite part of the whole experience. As I’m sitting here writing this post, sipping on some 2017 Foothills, all I can think is how perfect this Monday night would be if Farmville somehow had the arctic char and charcuterie boards on standby.

Locally bought and paired with the best view in town, half the people who come in and see the menu end up spending the day. One thing I don’t think I’ll ever hear enough of, is how beautiful the venue is and how people can only imagine the events in such a space. Filled with white ostrich couches, along with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, EMV is where anyone would die to host their wedding or gathering.

With the team consisting of three event professionals, weddings, festivals and just about any kind of event you can think of will be nothing less than spectacular...One actually being a Longwood alum! So far this year, Early Mountain has hosted the annual Oyster Fest, a Mountain & Sea wine dinner, Summer solstice fest, brunch-wine releases and too many weddings to count. Coming up in the last few months of 2019, exclusive tasting events and the Deck the Halls holiday fair will be the ones to look out for. All of my co-workers and I are most excited about the Thanksgiving potluck and the annual Christmas party to say the least.

With the most recent event being the Oyster Fest, our chefs put new specials on the menu like lobster rolls, fried oysters, crab cakes and without a doubt, oysters on the half-shell. I don’t know about you guys but… fresh oysters with a little butter and hot sauce is one of my favorites at any event.

Onto Weddings...

One thing that makes this winery so special when talking about weddings, is the experience that the bride and groom receive on their special day. With the tasting room for cocktail hour, the event hall for up to 200 friends and family members and the guest cottage for your post wedding retreat, having a wedding here would leave everyone in the room speechless. I know if I were to be planning a wedding at the moment, this time of year would be my time to thrive. Described as “show stopping fall foliage”, there is nothing less of perfect views for wedding photos at the winery.

Early Mountain: “Couples adore the unmatched versatility of our venue with an array of picturesque locales for your ceremony no matter the weather or season. The Early Mountain winery includes so many added touches and options to create the effortless wedding of your dreams!”

From picture perfect food and event planning, along with the award winning wine, there would be nowhere else I would want to be behind the scenes of while finishing my up my undergrad. As the weekend had to come to an end, after Friday and Saturday evenings both being filled with weddings, starting up the fire and having an after work hangout was the perfect way to finish off the week. Talking about prizes at the Christmas party, plans for next weekend and just enjoying each other’s company made it feel like a typical southern Sunday evening.

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Next week… I will be talking Prince Michel Winery at the Montpelier Horse Races! The event of the year that all of Orange and surrounding counties have been waiting for… fingers crossed it stays rain free. Stay tuned...Cheers!