Ditch the cammies, ditch the rifle, and fill in the fighting holes, a casual Friday for a United States Marine, right?….but, you wonder, what’s next? Weapons cleaning, shoe polishing, iron nail chewing, or D, all of the above? Of course, normally, all of the above would be the correct answer, seeing as I am one of the leanest, meanest, hardest, fewest and proudest devil-dogs, leathernecks, jarheads, Marines in our nation’s Corps…but, even the fiercest of warriors needs a break sometimes…
On one such Friday afternoon, after spending a week in the field and after, of course, completing my obligatory weapons cleaning, gear cleaning, and, luckily for my girlfriend, a quick shower to rinse…douse…and peel a weeks worth of grime off of my body, Julie met me outside of the barracks, and in conceiting to her fate, succumbed to my still foul smell and we hopped in the car for a weekend of history, wine, and relaxation! As Julie aforementioned, we headed to Manassas, VA, home of The Battle of Bull Run Battlefield. Although it may appear that we get straight to the drinking every weekend, we do at least attempt to infuse our time with not only significant wine drinking but historical significance as well. I have been to a large portion of hallowed Civil War battlefields in Virginia, and I must admit that the battlefields in Manassas are some of the best kept and informational of any I have seen. The modern sites of yesterday’s battlefields can’t seem to resist the tainted irony that unwillingly encompasses them. Amidst the peaceful tall grass, the rolling hills, and a child’s laughter, it is still hard not to smell the gunpowder and hear the chaotic sounds of a battle fought long ago. Upon completing our mile-loop tour of the grounds and gorging on donuts from the local grocery store, it was finally time for the good stuff!
We first went to Pearmund Winery which Julie has already spoken. Upon completing our tasting there, we quickly realized that if we stay for a glass of wine we would not be able to drive to our next destination! Wisely, we packed up and headed to our next objective, The Winery at La Grange. When you first pull up, as so often in Virginia, you are brought back in history to a still shot in time. The winery makes its home in a 200 year old manor that makes simply the tour and the view worth the trip. This winery provides many places for their visitors to simply sit in lawn chairs in the front yard of a home built in 1790 and relax and soak in the amazing view of the vineyards and the surrounding hills. Beyond the amazing setting, the staff was very friendly and informative. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable and taken care of, including offering us free glasses of wine to get a better taste, after the initial tasting! Our favorite wine here was the Fletcher’s Chardonnay 2007. This wine is aged in French Oak, giving it a very smooth finish. To reinforce Julie and I’s novice opinion, this Chardonnay is by far their most award-winning and successful wine. If you can picture yourself relaxing on a 200 year old front lawn, soaking in not only the alcohol, but also the view, then this is definitely a winery we would highly recommend!
http://www.nps.gov/mana/
http://www.wineryatlagrange.com/
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