Lest you think we here at The Flashpacker live in a bubble, we have indeed noticed that this isn’t the most awesome year to take that dream adventure vacation. The dollar was weak to begin with, making Europe barely a possibility. With the economy now in a downturn and few airfare bargains to be found, an international trip anywhere may be out of reach for a lot of frequent flashpackers. Where to now?
I made a fantastic discovery this weekend of just how affordable Virginia wine country is and I have a few ideas about how to make it a little more enticing….
This weekend we visited Barboursville Vineyards (picture left), not too far from Charlottesville. I was amazed to discover that Virgina has eight wine “trails”, with many vineyards on each trail. The region we were visiting, for example, was the Monticello Wine Trail, which includes over 20 vineyards. I had a hard time finding a complete listing of the different trails on one website, so here they are:
The Blue Ridge Wine Way - See the Blue Ridge skyline drive as you vineyard-hop! (10 wineries and vineyards)
Loudoun’s Wine Trail - In Northern VA, still close to the mountains but not far from DC, 14 participating wineries
The Monticello Wine Trail - 21 wineries in the vicinity of Charlottesville and near historically important presidential sites, etc.
The Bedford Wine Trail, Wine Trail of Botetourt County, Heart of Virginia Wine Trail and the Shenandoah Valley Wine trail also have several wineries and vineyards each
What struck me as fantastic about about the wineries was that the tastings were cheap ($4 for 16-20 wines on our visit!) and tours are often free. While you’re not going to see the scale of operations you’d come across in better established regions (or, perhaps, the most polished presentation for tastings), you can really afford to hone your pallet and get to know this region intimately (something you’d pay a pretty penny for elsewhere).
So, all this is nice, but does it really take the place of my shelved Bhutan trekking trip? Well, it might not rank high on the exotic to-see list, but you can turn it into just the kind of relaxing, chic, and affordable vacation you need right now. Here are my tips to make it extra special.
1) Learn something — Whether your new to wine or think you know a thing or two, there’s always more to learn and someone to teach you (and haven’t you been meaning to learn how to pronounce Gewurtztraminer anyway?). A book is great, but why not download some podcasts for the drive as well? There’s Winecast for true podcast style and Wine for Newbies for a podcast format intro to wine course with over 70 lessons for free! Pick and choose for the wines you’ll be tasting along the way.
2) Eat well — Many of the wineries and local towns have some truly amazing restaurants with wine pairings (of course). Another element Virginia can truly boast about is the farms selling directly to restaurants as well. Even with the fancy eats, you’ll save money because meals are considerably less than what you’d be paying in a big cities and probably less than eating at a McD’s in Europe. Do take time to plan where to eat (some of these restaurants take weeks to get a reservation). I didn’t get a chance to eat at a vineyard, but the prix fixe menu at Oxo in Charlottesville was a good deal with fantastically inventive cuisine (spicy shrimp risotto with cheddar, seaweed, and a sweet nori syrup was insanely tasty!).
3) Splurge on just one night of luxury accommodations — The downside to VA wine country? A lot of frumpy B&B’s. There are some gorgeous and intimate inn’s, but they are pricier. We stayed at the Clifton Inn for one evening of indulgence and opted for a Best Western the other nights. Since we were out late eating and driving and sightseeing during the day, it worked great to go budget most days and save a little luxury and relaxation for the end.
4) Ride in style — I got this idea from my friend’s wedding: rent a sporty roadster instead of a regular rental! Weekend rates for this cutey is just $180, only a little more than you’d pay for a regular rental! Just make sure to take your Grace Kelly head scarf…
