After driving around Williamsburg for a while, my husband and I spotted a sign for Williamsburg Winery and decided to check it out. We followed the signs pointing this way and that till we turned onto a gravel driveway that was surrounded by the winery’s vineyards on either side. Upon arriving at the vineyard we parked our jeep in the dusty parking lot, and were escorted to the main building by bumblebees humming lazily in the warm afternoon sunlight.
Upon stepping into the winery and waiting for our eyes to adjust, we were immediately aware of the delightful aroma of scrumptious wines that permeated the air. We began wandering through the store where the collection of wines for sale were kept as well as other odds and ends such as wine glass charms and wine bottle openers. Upon noticing an advertisement regarding winery tours and tastings I immediately inquired about when the next scheduled tour would be and was informed we were just in time! We paid our $7.00 per person, which included not only the tour and tasting but also a wineglass with the Williamsburg Winery initials.
Your guide starts the tour of the winery with a movie that explains the history of the region, the types of grapes that have grown in the area throughout the years and the history of the Winery. After the movie your guide escorts you into a humid cellar that is lit with small lights hung from the ceiling that almost resembled old-fashioned lanterns. The temperature drops at least 20 degrees as you descend down the narrow staircase so you may want to bring a sweater, even on a hot day.
This is one of the really interesting parts of the tour as your guide tells you a bit more of the history of the area as well as the process used to make the wine and sparkling wines. You are shown oak barrels where many of the wines for future consumption are kept and steel barrels where the sweeter white wines are. We even got to meet one of the employees who are responsible for getting each bottle of wine to taste just right.
The tour ends with a wine tasting in a large room that looks a lot like a colonial ballroom that we found out later is used for banquets and other receptions. The wines were very good however I found the red wines to be the best at this winery. The Gabriel Archer Reserve, which is a hearty red wine with a lingering flavor of berries at the finish, was my personal favorite and would be delicious with a good steak. Try the Raspberry Merlot by Dominion Winery if you can as this is one of the most delicious desert wines I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Every sip of this luscious wine reminded me of dark chocolate and raspberries.
For more information see www.williamsburgwinery.com