Boutique wineries open up hospitality that "Big Box" vineyards lack

You can get on board with large or small wineries that offer great wine experiences.

By Dathan  | December 20, 2016 
Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

I recently asked myself which one of these do I prefer more – the massive winery where the parking lot looks like you’re at an amusement park? Where tour buses line the entrance and once inside it’s a mad house of people seeking a tour or lining up for that overpriced tasting. Or, do I prefer the boutique winery? But those come with surprises as well. Some of the wineries we've been to in the past look like something straight out of the movie "Deliverance."

I ask this question because earlier this year we did a day trip to hit up four wineries in an afternoon. Our first destination was one of the state’s largest wineries. Home to good wine. Wine that both of us like. But wine that you can buy at your local Total Wine. As soon as we opened the front door, we wanted to leave. The lobby was filled with people everywhere. The tasting/gift room was cluttered with people wandering in every direction. We walked over to the tasting bar to do a tasting, but were asked to go to the register first to purchase our tickets. Like I said … an amusement park.

The $15 price tag for a small pour of 8 wines at this large winery was rather steep in our opinion. And during the tasting, we felt rushed by the host who was just pouring wine after wine into our glass, not even giving us time to rightfully enjoy each pour. All so she can get in the group of four in after our tasting was over.

At some of the larger wineries in the state you might feel rushed, but the wine you 

taste can be worth it.              

That’s where I have mixed feelings with these large, commercialized wineries. While they produce great products and typically the price is more affordable – I’m not a fan of this “big box” mentality. We were actually at a winery in Michigan a couple years ago, and you had to stand in a line, snaking around a red velvet rope, reminiscent of the old days of waiting in line at your local bank, just to work your way to the tasting bar. No thanks!

And while these wineries do well to hire locally to help man the stations, the employees don’t know much about the wine they pour other than what is on the tastings notes on the counter.

On the other hand, there are the boutique wineries. These are those smaller wineries with minimal staff on hand to answer any question you might have – and most of the time are the owners or winemakers themselves.

These small wineries offer a break from the large crowds as well as more obscure and unique wines. But, because they are smaller and produce at a smaller quantity, the price per bottle are considerably more expensive. That same wine that would run you $15 at a large winery, could set you back somewhere in the $28 range at a boutique winery.

So, you might pay a little extra out of your pocket but the experience can be well worth it. We’ve been given a private tour of a new winery. Been downstairs to try a wine 6-months before it has been bottled. Shared conversations with winemakers who took the time to sign a bottle we purchased. We have even been invited to stay at one of the local cabins on premises. You won’t get that kind of hospitality at a “big box” winery. You’ll be lucky to even catch a glimpse of the winemaker or owner!

Inside some of the smaller wineries you can learn more about the wine you are tasting.

But then again, you might drink your wine like Jack from the movie Sideways. You don't want to take the time to sip, swirl and savor. You don't want to know how long the grapes resided on the vine before they were harvested. You don't care about the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon used in that red blend. You just want to drink! Which is fine, too. And maybe you would enjoy the "big box" wineries better. Pour. Drink. Pour. Drink. Repeat 5 times. Move on to the next stop.

Earlier this year we joined some friends who are wine club members of another one of our state's largest wineries. Inside we snaked along some railing before opening to a giant room filled only with tasting bars. Line up, pick the wine you want to try. Try as many wines as you want to try. Move on, please. Then inside the store itself we sat down to do the reserve tasting (also free due to the club membership). There we picked out four reserve wines which came to our table. No description by the host of any of the wines other than the name of what we ordered.

To Jack ... this is your type of place. To me, even though there were some amazing wines sampled that day – this was not my type of winery.

My suggestion is if you are going to do several tastings in one day, line them up accordingly. You don't want to miss that "big box" winery because they do offer up some good wine at reasonable prices. But you also don't want to miss that little hole-in-the-wall winery as well. Even though the wine can be a hit or miss – you learn more about the viticultural world – and quite frankly, doesn't that make you a better wine drinker?

Bottle releases from Big Boss and Crank Arm breweries fill up weekend adventures

By Dathan Kazsuk  | December 13, 2016

Twitter: @TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town | Instagram: @trianglearoundtown

It seems like every year we tell each other we need to have a peaceful Holiday season. And every year that seems to be thrown wayside as both of our calendars have less and less white space on them and get filled up with a variety of ink colored appointments.

Since the beginning of November we’ve had many things spring up. We joined two more wine clubs here in the state. I paid a visit to Hickory, North Carolina, for a beer run. We participated in a 5K run and a 1-mile fun run (where we came in second and third respectively). It saw both of us working overtime at our day jobs to finish reports and booklets. 

We spent time in Virginia drinking fine wine, craft beers and sampling some mead. {See our Williamsburg Tasting Trail blog here}. We met Carolina Hurricane’s goalie Cam Ward at a local wine tasting, and listened to iconic ‘80s musician Howard Jones in Carrboro.

So this past weekend, when we were able to stay in our hometown, the City of Oaks, and take a load off our feet and credit cards – it was much needed.

But even while relaxing at home we still find ourselves making the rounds through Raleigh for a handful of weekend events. The first of which took us to Raleigh’s Big Boss Brewing Company for the release of its 10th Anniversary bottle release and event party.

As soon as we made our way inside we immediately saw a guy with a strand of blue tickets wrapped around his arm and neck.  The man tore off two tickets, handed them to me and informed me of the cost ($15 each) and where to go to stand in line.  

We made our way to the line, which wasn’t long for a beer that was limited to only 120 bottles. I know Big Boss doesn’t have the notoriety of a place like Richmond’s Hardywood Park or Foothills out of Winston-Salem, but thought the line would have been a little longer. All the better for us, as only 8 people stood in line before us.

After we purchased our beer we made our way to the taproom to order a few beers before our next stop. Big Boss was selling 10-ounce pours of the Anniversary Ale, which I tried, while Jen went with the Daedalus Toasted Coconut Stout. 

From Big Boss we made our way downtown for the bottle release of Crank Arm's Oat Wheel Cookie. This was Crank Arm's third release in the "Oaked Spokes Series." Previously they have released the Barrel-Aged Motivator and Barrel-Aged Teeter Totter.

This beer is described as an oatmeal milk brown ale aged in rum barrels with raisins and cinnamon. Yes, it does sound delicious, but we unfortunately didn't buy a bottle to open at the taproom – so we'll have to try it sometime later – maybe with some homemade oatmeal cookies.

While at the brewery we took a seat and drank a beer before heading to our next stop for the afternoon. Jen enjoyed the Holy Spokes smoked porter with habanero peppers while I had the Crankaway, a Belgian Saison with cranberries.

For our next stop, we decided to check out the sneak peek of one of the newest bottle shops coming to Raleigh, Pourworks. This shop will be inside the Manor at Six Forks off the corner of Six Forks and Atlantic Avenue. Inside the shop, it was quick to see that there was still a lot of work to be done – as it was just the exterior walls, plastic coating the entire floor and a structure where the bar will be situated. 

But it was nice to see the place now, and I'm sure we'll be back in for the grand opening to see the final results. We wish we could have talked to Pourworks co-owner David Hartman to get some info on an actual opening date, but he was a busy man, talking shop with guest after guest. We did enjoy a glass of wine while perusing over the blueprints before we made our way to the final stop of the afternoon.

 

Our final destination of the day took us across town to BottleMixx - another bottle shop. The shop was featuring a tasting they titled "California Wine Trails: Part 1." This $5 tasting, which was done by our friend and wine "guru" Jack Hicks, featured a slew of nice California wines. Jen's favorite was the Broc Cellars Vine Starr Zinfandel 2015, which concluded the tasting. I decided to stick with beer and got a pint of Durty Bull's Brett IPA.

Drinking Around Williamsburg – Beer, Wine, Mead & Spirits

By Dathan Kazsuk  

Twitter: TriangleAT | Facebook: Triangle Around Town Instagram: trianglearoundtown

Note: This is an update from our Dec. 7, 2016 blog – since there has been a few updates.

Can you imagine an easy tasting trail where in the course of a weekend you can try some award-winning wines, enjoy several flights of local craft beer, sample some Medieval-themed meads and cleanse your palate with some distilled spirits?

Well, all that is achievable when you visit Williamsburg, Virginia and take part in the Williamsburg Tasting Trail. The only question is who is going to be your designated driver - and where to begin first!

Well, let us help you out there. We've pretty much been to everything the trail has to offer – and we're always impressed.

1. Alewerks Brewing Company | 189 Ewell Road | Williamsburg
Since 2006 the folks at Alewerks have been crafting some serious craft beer – and that's one reason we usually visit each time we're in town. With reserve beers such as the Grand Illumination Barleywine, Bourbon Barrel Porter, Café Royale Stout and Bitter Valentine DIPA, Alewerks is a place to unwind after the long ride into Virginia. The taproom has anywhere between 10-16 beers on tap and you almost can certainly find something rare to sample on draft, cask or nitro.

They recently added a satellite taproom down the road at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets right next to the Columbia Sportswear – a nice place for the guys to hang out while the women shop! 




















2. Brass Cannon Brewing | 5476 Mooretown Road | Williamsburg
It's a quick hop, skip and jump to Brass Cannon Brewing – located just half-a-mile from Alewerks parking lot. The taproom isn't hard to miss, just look for the bright green building with bright yellow trim. Inside the tasting room you can grab yourself a pint or purchase a flight of four beers. 

Brass Cannon offers up five year-round beers which include the Barrage Brown, Angry Scot Wee Heavy, Muzzle Flash Amber Ale, Broadside IPA and the Smoothbore Stout. They also offer seasonal selections and special release beers such as its brown ale aged with rum-infused oak, the Rum Ration.

3. Silver Hand Meadery | 224 Monticello Avenue, Suite C | Williamsburg
After a couple beers, we thought it's time to mix it up a little and visit Williamsburg's first meadery. Once you enter the tasting room of Silver Hand you can choose from several different tastings.

Silver Hand has 9 meads available when we last visited, ranging from a simple-style mead titled Virginia Moon to a seasonal semi-sweet cyser named Dream by the Fire, which contains cinnamon, cloves and allspice. And it's not just mead that is available for sale – the store features a handful of exotic honey flavors as well as a gift shop.

4. Copper Fox Distillery | 901 Capitol Landing | Williamsburg
We now think it is time to indulge in some delicious distilled spirits. And Copper Fox Distillery is a perfect place to kick it off. Making spirits since 2005 in its original location of Sperryville, Virginia, Copper Fox moved into its new Williamsburg facility in 2016. Driving up to the distillery you might think you're in the wrong location, as master distiller Rick Wasmund selected an old motel to set up shop and mass production facilities. 

Samples for a small fee let you try a single malt Whisky, a rye Whisky and an amazing single malt Gin that will knock your socks off. You can stick around for awhile and order up a mixed drink as well.

Now, depending on how much time you spend at each place or your capacity to hold your liquor, you might want to call it a day after these first four locations and start fresh the next afternoon. Two of the next three locations you can actually spend a couple hours there taking in the libations and surroundings. We're warning you now.

5. Virginia Beer Company | 401 Second Street | Williamsburg
If you heed my advice above and decide to hit up the Virginia Beer Company on day two – it's a perfect start to the new day. VBC has ample seating both inside and out, and offers up to 8 beers on draft for your drinking pleasure. For $8 you can sample all four of the "year round" beers which include Saving Daylight (Citrus Wheat), Free Verse (IPA), Elbow Patches (Oatmeal Stout) and the Wrenish Rye (Dry-Hopped Amber). Or for $15 you can try all 8 beers available on draft that day.

When we paid them a visit the other beers included the Citra Pale Ale, Evil Santa Spiced Holiday Milk Stout, Peachwood Smoke (using malt from Copper Fox Distillery) and a Biére de Garde. The nice thing with VBC is they fill both growlers and crowlers of all 8 beers on draft.

With good beer, nice facility, games and food trucks, VBC is a place you can hang out for a couple hours and enjoy drinks and laughs with your friends.

6. 8 Shires Distillery | 7218 Merrimac Trail | Williamsburg
(Note: When we visited the distillery back in 2016, they were called the Williamsburg Distillery, but a cease and desist from the winery down the road made them change their name). 

The second distillery on the tasting trail is a lot smaller than the Copper Fox Distillery, but still serves up some good spirits. Stop in and sample the Jamestown Gin or the Yorktown Silver Rum to warm up your insides. Mixed drinks were available when we visited, and visitors could mix and match any combination of four mixed drinks using Gin or Rum. 

7. Amber Ox Public House | 521 Prince George St. | Williamsburg
This new micro-brewery and public house opened to the public on December 1, 2017. We happened to be in town for the grand opening, but were unable to visit. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner the Amber Ox's menu is full of plates such as fried chicken, burgers and braised shortribs. This would seem like the perfect place for food and some more beer or cocktails on day two of your visit.

8. Billsburg Brewery | 2054 Jamestown Rd. | Williamsburg
It's Williamsburg newest brewery located near the Jamestown Settlement and just like the Amber Ox Public House, we weren't able to get out there this time around. But looking at some Facebook reviews, it is a place we'll have to check out next time we're in town.

9. Williamsburg Winery | 5800 Wessex Hundred | Williamsburg
This winery is the perfect place to end a weekend – or start it. You can stay at the top-notch Wedmore Place where one can dine at the elegant Cafe Provencal. Or for a more casual lunch or dinner option head to the Gabriel Archer Tavern. Once inside the gift shop/tasting room you can partake in a couple different tasting and tour options. For $9 per person you can select the Fine Wine Tasting, where you can select up to 7 wines. They also offer a Reserve Wine Tasting – in which you try some of the wineries top shelf reserve wines, which might include the award-winning Adagio (which runs around $70-plus a bottle).

The winery sits on over 300 acres with 40 acres devoted to the vineyards, which house grapes such as Merlot, Vidal Blanc, Traminette, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Petit Verdot. Depending on when you arrive at the winery, you might find special events happenings like concerts, holiday festivities, special wine releases or wine club appreciation celebrations.

So there you have it. A total of nine different stops that run the liquor gambit. We've enjoyed our time at each and every place on the list above that we visited, and we hope you do as well. And if you're still feeling adventurous, there is also the Colonial Wine Trail, which starts at the Williamsburg Winery and follows the 64 corridor to another three wineries: Saude Creek Vineyards in Lanexa; New Kent Winery in New Kent and James River Cellars in Richmond. 

Cheers! Be sure to follows us on Facebook for links to our blogs, photos from travels and upcoming events by clicking here!