Deltaville Diversions – the wineries

5/11/22

Enough with the history…our engine part is still on order. The winds have reached a high of 48 mph, have not dropped below 25 for the past week, we are tied to a dock but the howling wind and waves have made sleeping difficult…time to start day drinking!

Fortunately, this part of Virginia has some very nice wineries and we visited 2 (on separate days so as not to overdo). The first was Good Luck Cellars in Kilmarnock. A small winery about a half hour away with a friendly barkeep who shared the history of this winery, including a terrible storm that took out most of the building but luckily ( winery name Good Luck Cellars) bypassed the vineyards. Sitting and sipping by the fireplace was just the diversion we needed so we decided to repeat the experience at a different winery the following day.

Good Luck Cellars has a unique locally-supported business model. In the fall, the wine maker tests the grapes daily for sugar content. When the grapes have matured to his satisfaction, he has to get them harvested within 36 hours so he sends out a notice to his loyal local wine enthusiasts, who show up to do the picking. He runs 2 shifts of 8 hours per day and pays each volunteer 2 bottles for each shift worked. A few years ago, this vineyard was targeted by a tornado and these same volunteers showed up to clear the debris and start rebuilding the structures. The winery was open for business 4 days later.

On the way home, we decided to go for a walk before dinner in Irvington, VA and stopped to admire Hope and Glory Inn; this is a former schoolhouse with beautiful building and grounds. A chat with the owner….Rhode Island?? I’m a descendant of Roger Williams (the founder of RI)! Nice guy…nice place.

Next up was New Kent Winery in Talleysville Virginia. This was a larger and fancier (pricier) venue with capacity for hosting events. However, it also had numerous nooks where small groups could gather and look out over the vineyard. We enjoyed a flight of different wines including the house specialty – a white Merlot. Different and tasty, we are bringing a couple of bottles home (although they may be gone before we get there).