Good old George Washington is well known to have loved his wine.  And so it becomes mildly appropriate to have scores of people descend on Mt. Vernon for the annual Wine Festival and Sunset Tours.  Let me first declare this a lovely event. I’m sure members of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association are secretly decrying the misuse of the Washington Estate, however, there is something very, er, historical, having hundreds of drunk people listening to music on the back porch of Mt. Vernon.  It’s almost as if the house comes to life, as it must have been during the parties and banquests of the 18th century.

Here are two secrets I learned.  1) Get in line to be let in by 6 p.m. – when the doors open.  You’ll be able to get the best seats.  2) People stop hoarding the wine tasting area at about 8:00 – cause they’re either drunk or have decided to purchase a bottle of wine and drink on the lawn.  Also, I would definitely go with a group of people.  You are allowed to tour a candle lit Mt. Vernon, but this requires having someone to watch you picnic area, full of purchased bottles of wine and uncorked delights a plenty.  If you’re planning on attending in the future, act fast as the event sells out for all three days.

There are only 16 wineries represented at this event.  I’ve been to many of them before so I’ll only touch on some stand outs.  I’ve written about them previously, but Narmada has a fantastic red “Midnight” worth a quick freeze and a slow sip on the veranda.  It was our bottle of choice when the lines and excess crowding became too much.  (I’ve never seen people at a winery come up to a table and ask to specifically try one unique wine and then walk away.)

The wines of Gabriele Rausse were gross.  A malbec from Virginia?  Let the Argentines do what they do best, besides tango.  We purchased a bottle of “Symphony” from Miracle Valley Vineyards.  I love the idea of dessert wines although I never drink them – hence my collection of about 10 sitting in the wine fridge.  But this one tasted of concord grapes and is a mix of 6 wine varietals.  Pleasant.  And I swear I’ll break it out at some point!

All in all, this was a great event.  The views are sweet, sheep are eating in the fields, the house looks historical, and the wines, along with the music, are entertaining.  The only thing missing from the experience was the smell of burning wood – a Williamsburg staple.  Perhaps, next year, we will be treated to a lovely mulled wine!

-AEK