hat  do Innkeepers do during the slow season?  Visit the great local wineries of course.  Living in the heart of Virginia Wine country we face the difficult task of keeping up to date on the local wineries.  With over 12 wineries with in a 30 to 40 minute drive and many more just a few hours away.  We are working through the list, it is just another one of the difficult jobs of the Innkeeper. , Even with all of the choices, we always come back to our favorite.  Keswick Vineyard just 17 miles from the Inn on Poplar Hill.  Marty and I think they are the friendliest winery in the State. We love to sit on the porch with one of our dogs.  Sunday afternoons is Yappy hours,  sometime they have a local shelter their adopting really cute puppies.  Watch out after a few glasses/bottles the puppies start to seem like a good idea.  <p> As members of the wine club we are always impressed with the quality of the wines.  Our favorite afternoon getaway is to pack a picnic, pick a dog, and head down the road 17 miles to Visit the winemaker, Steven and the tasting room staff.  Stephen always take time to make us feel welcome.  We attended the 2010 wine makers dinner, WOW! what a great time, fabulous, inventive menu paired with generous pours on Keswick Award winning wines.  To ensure our guests can really enjoy the wine with the dinner, we now offer a designated driver  package.   The next dinner is scheduled for March 2, 2012.  Reservation  for the dinner are limited to Keswick Wine club members* (definitely a great deal), a two night stay is required.  Call today to reserve your space in the van and  your favorite  room.   And thanks Marty for volunteering to skip the wine portion of the dinner.  I think this earns him an extra batch of cookies as a bonus!

About the Keswick Owners: Originally from Michigan, Al & Cindy Schornberg chose the historic site that is Edgewood Estate for their dream vineyard after searching the country recognizing its potential of producing world class wines. A minimalist approach is taken in making the wine focusing instead on the vineyards to produce the best possible fruit to work with. Most of their wines are fermented using natural or native yeast and all of their current red wines are bottled un-fined and un-filtered. While approachable when young, most of the wines produced at Keswick Vineyards will see 5-10 years quite easily in the bottle, reflecting the personal tastes of the owners and winemaker.