The Saturday Trifecta

An adventure on the Harley to a winery, a distillery and a brewery

 

The perfect group of three!

 

When you head to Fredericksburg in the summer and you want to stay off of 95 South you pop down windy back roads that lead you through woods and farms and eventually to Route 17. 

Well, there's a vineyard that hasn't even been open a year in Midland which just so happens to not be far off that back road route!

Ironic?

Perhaps not, when you have a planner, such as myself, involved in the Saturday adventure.

 

 

 

Grey Horse Vineyards and Winery is located on 35 acres in the beautiful rolling hills of Midland. It is also home to owners Kathy and Jay Fenske's horses. The Fenskes built the vineyard on their own and its name was inspired by their horses, Bethany Bay and her newborn foal, Amira, who is turning gray just like her mom.

 

As the GPS informed us that we reached our destination and all we saw was a long winding gravel road with vines on each side, we took a deep breath and thought, "Harley, don't fail us now."

 

 

 

I have the utmost faith in my favorite guy as a driver and had no sense of insecurity at all. It was quite hilarious to pass by the workers who were tending to the vines. I swear they referred to us as, "Crazy Americans" in a language I didn't understand as we slowly made it past them up the gravel path on a motorcycle. Oh, what we we'll do in the name of wine......

 

We finally made it to the parking lot and proceeded to make our hike to the winery.

This wine better be worth it!

 

 

 

All of a sudden, the beautiful winery appeared before us from a clearing in the trees!

Wow! We sure weren't expecting something of this magnitude!

 

 

The inside of the winery was just as impressive; especially the spacious tasting room.

 

 

Grey Horse also has a beautiful outside deck which forms an L around the building.
This place has "wedding" written all over it.

The owners of Grey Horse work with the Papadopolous family who own Molon Lave and Mediterranean Cellars in Warrenton. Right now, Grey Horse is getting its grapes from those vineyards and making its own wines at the Midland facility. We were told the Fenskes were not fond of overly sweet wines and I was pleased to hear that as that's exactly what I found at Mediterranean Cellars when I went about four years ago.... unfortunately.

We tasted the following wines produced at Grey Horse:

2013 Over Fences - a light white blend of Chardonnay and Vioginer with hints of citrus and flowers. Nothing exciting.

2012 Chardonnay - This Chardonnay "imposter" was not repulsive but if I had been blind tasting, I would never have guessed this was a Chardonnay. Very confusing to me. Not bad, just odd.

2012 Merlot - the surprise of the day - our favorite! Not many wineries in our area of Virginia make Merlot and with good reason - because if they do it's usually terrible. I am a Washington State Merlot fan and we surely do not have the climate conducive to growing luscious, smooth Washington Merlot. This was very enjoyable and we were definitely shocked.


2012 Equidae - This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was quite nice but didn't compare to the Merlot. Again, I'm not a fan of Virginia Cab Savs. They just aren't bold enough for me.


Along with the wine, we were given a plate of cheese bites and a piece of chocolate for pairing.
While it wasn't anything extravagant and the cheese wasn't anything extraordinary, it was definitely a nice touch.

 

Grey Horse also makes three different sangrias and we both were able to pick one to try.
So what do we do? We each pick a different one so we can try both of them.

We're so smart it scares me sometimes.

 

The peach sangria made with the Chardonnay, peaches, strawberries and blueberries and the raspberry pomegrante sangria made with the Merlot, raspberries, pomegranate and cranberries were both delicious. However, I chose the peach as my favorite simply because it was refreshing on a warm day. It would also be a delicious brunch drink instead of a mimosa. The Merlot-based sangria was good but that Merlot would make an even better mulled wine.

Grey Horse may not have the best wines but they are young and I see a ton of potential!
Once it starts using its own grapes, things could change.
I'll definitely want to make it back and see how its grown in a year or two.

But for now it's time to jump back on the Harley and attack the gravel as we move on to the next destination!

 

Recognize this bottle of bourbon?

I'm sure you have seen it and if you haven't, then you should grab a bottle and try it!

 

 

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the actual A. Smith Bowman Distillery because it's less than an hour south of where I live and about a half hour from Grey Horse!

 

Not only do you get a complimentary hour tour but the tour includes a tasting of three spirits
at the end! Don't expect fancy though.

It's a warehouse that is two levels and to my surprise, Bowman has taken over the entire area
 like a compound.
What an interesting operation!

 

 

 

A. Smith Bowman has been around Virginia farms since 1927! Mr. Bowman's Sunset Hills estate farm was so abundant that he needed a use for the excess grain from his fields so in 1935, after the repeal of prohibition in Virginia, he built and licensed a distillery.  Along with the granary, he also had a dairy farm and his sons continued on with the tradition by continuing to feed the grains from the distillery to the dairy cattle. Some pretty content cows, eh?

 

 

 

In 1988, due to rising real estate and property taxes in Northern Virginia, the distillery was moved to its current location in Spotsylvania County, 60 miles from the original location. 

Still a small and American family-owned company, A. Smith Bowman prides itself on balancing  tradition with innovation and creativity to produce hand-crafted spirits while honoring the groundbreaking legacy of Virginia pioneers.

We toured the facility and were in awe of its sheer size and the lovely aroma of bourbon that surrounded us.

Mmmmm... heavenly.

 

We were able to taste a straight bourbon whiskey, rum (which was way to molasses-y for me), gin (not my thing but no gin is) and a delicious liqueur.

 

Do you like Bailey's Irish Cream or any of the Ghiradelli liqueurs? Then this is for you. Add some to your coffee, pour it over pound cake or just sip on it for a sweet luscious treat.

 

 

 One of my favorite parts is when you get to climb to the top of a ladder and there is a landing with this view. That's a lot of delicious right there!

 Not far from Bowman is a brewery. Actually there are two.

We didn't stop at the closest one but we went a tad bit farther to check out a new brewery.

  

I have a love for firefighters. It comes naturally. You could say it's in my DNA.

 

My dad's father was a career firefighter. My mom's dad was a volunteer firefighter. My dad's cousin is a retired firefighter. All for the City of Alexandria. My mom grew up infatuated with fire engines and to this day, she still gets excited when she hears the sirens and will often "chase" them. She still hasn't been given a ride in one even though many have promised but never followed through (hint hint).

 

My first "real job" right out of college was with the City of Alexandria government in its Code Enforcement Bureau which was a division of the Fire Department. Throughout my 14-year career with various departments in the City, I grew an even fonder of firefighters and became part of their family. There is nothing like a man who will risk his own life to save another. It takes a very special person for that job and I am always in awe of them and their spirit. 

 

I often say that the only thing that truly made me proud to be an Alexandria City employee was the Alexandria Fire Department (and Alexandria Police Department, as well).

 

I couldn't pass up stopping by a brewery which is owned by two firefighters who brew beer in their spare time! In case you aren't aware of the Maltese Cross - here 'ya go!

 

 

 

 

 

While small, the brewery has an obvious cool firehouse theme.

 

 

 

As we feel is necessary, at every new-to-us brewery, we have to get a flight and share. It's the only way to truly gain a true understanding of what the brewery is all about.

 



 

Naturally, my favorite on the flight was the Fireman's Blonde which is a smooth, crisp, light Golden Ale. Again, the only blondes I typically like are dogs and beer.

 

 

The Vanilla Brown was a pretty delicious ale as well. They also had a Summer Saison and Smash which is a single malt single hop ale. Meh. Their IPA is a hoppy, citrusy bitter after taste beer - just a typical IPA to me.  Last was a Coffee Porter which his well, just that. They all pretty much taste the same to me and ruin your taste buds so make it the last one you try. I don't like coffee so making a coffee-flavored beer doesn't excite me. However, I will try them all, because believe it or not, I have found ones surprise me and I end up liking them. In fact, I've found an IPA I could tolerate and even one I enjoyed. But it just wasn't here.

 

Trust a firefighter with your life?

Then trust us with your beer!

 

We may not have been overjoyed by Maltese's beer but their brewery and their motto is pretty damn awesome!

 

I don't know what is much better than a Harley adventure that includes a winery, distillery and brewery all on one summer Saturday with my favorite guy!

 I highly recommend you grab your favorite guy (or girl) and do the same!

 

 

Drink is the feast of reason and the flow of soul.

- Alexander Pope