Exploring the Wine Country, of Virginia
Yes, you read that correctly--Virginia does have a wine country. While Virginia is certainly not as well known as Napa or Sonoma, the state puts out delicious wines, is incredibly scenic, and chances are it's much more accessible to a larger number of people than California's destinations. Time for a clarification already: the entire state of Virginia supports grapes and features wineries, so when I talk about "wine country" I'm talking generally about the wineries in the Monticello American Viticultural Area (MAVA) of central Virginia between Charlottesville and Staunton. This is the area in which Thomas Jefferson initiated the phenomenon of American wine, arguably making the MAVA the grandfather of California's wine country. Within the MAVA are at least 33 wineries that meet the requirements for inclusion on the Monticello Wine Trail list. And in case you want some variety, there are also numerous breweries, some distilleries, and a handful of cid...