Scenes from an autumn weekend in Louden County, VA

As a joint birthday gift, Jason's parents gave us a gift certificate to The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm, in beautiful Louden County, Virginia.  We decided to make a weekend of it by exploring the surrounding area in all its autumn glory.  

Louden County is home to some of Virginia's best wineries, so our first stop was the highly recommended Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville.

(I didn't get a great shot of the vineyard, so the photo above is from the Sunset Hills website.)

We enjoyed a little wine tasting, and picked up a few bottles to give away as holiday gifts.

The winery was housed in a 130-year-old restored barn.  

(You can see some of the barn's interior in this shot of Jason.)

After some vino and a delicious lunch at Magnolia's at the Mill, we hit up The Old Lucketts Store, a sprawling antiques emporium in Leesburg.  I'd heard great things about this place, and I was not disappointed.

Their selection of antique and vintage wares was incredible.  Each room was so artfully arranged...it felt like a museum!

(Image above via the store's website.)

I loved these Parisian-themed tea towels.  Aren't they perfect?

We also stumbled upon a really beautiful rustic-style sunburst mirror.

I snapped a few photos of the grounds surrounding the store, including this one of a wilting rose (I think it's a rose...someone correct me if I'm wrong.)  

There was something about the way the flower was beginning to decay but hanging onto its original beauty that took my breath away.

After checking into our bed and breakfast (more on that in a minute), we enjoyed an incredible meal at The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm in Lovettsville, a restaurant that uses fresh (and obviously local) ingredients from the organic farm on which its located.

The restaurant was happy to accommodate my request for a vegetarian tasting menu.  The meal began with a sampling of autumn radishes, and progressed to an ethereal butternut squash "cappucino", a vegetable medley composed of Matsutake mushrooms, parsnip mash, handmade butternut squash tortellini, and swiss chard gelée, and finally, for dessert, a "jelly donut" - a handmade cinnamon donut filled with fresh blackberry preserves and accompanied by dulce de leche ice cream and chestnut sauce. 

(I didn't take photos of the food because I tend to feel a little awkward whipping out my big camera in restaurants, especially nice ones.)

Everything was incredible, made even more so by the freshness of the ingredients and the knowledge that it came from the very land on which we were dining!  It was truly farm-to-table cuisine at its best.

Back to the bed and breakfast....

After reading reviews online, we decided to stay at the Stone Manor Bed and Breakfast, a beautifully restored Civil War-era manor home in Lovetsville.  Upon our arrival, the owners Beth and Spencer greeted us with warm smiles and glasses of wine.  It was just the most wonderful, hospitable experience.  (I prefer staying in bed and breakfasts because they just feels so much more personal than hotels.)

Here's a little video of the charming Blue Delft Suite, where we stayed.

(Video via Stone Manor's website.)

The best part of the bed and breakfast?  The breakfast, of course!  On Sunday morning, we dined on German apple pancakes, white chocolate cherry scones, turnovers featuring veggies from the garden, and the most amazing pineapple-cheddar grits.

Obviously it was a rather decadent weekend, food-wise, but I didn't mind indulging a bit, knowing the dishes were made of high-quality organic and local ingredients.  

Should you ever have the opportunity, beautiful Louden County is definitely worth a visit! 

Wine-tasting tour

On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to take part in a wine-tasting tour to celebrate the birthdays of two friends.

We visited four wineries along the Frederick Wine Trail.

The day was filled with laughter, beautiful scenery, and lots of wine-tasting. It was quite a lovely time!

Nikki and birthday girls Lindsay and Maggie

Me and Nikki. (Nikki is Jason's sister and one of my bridesmaids. She's pretty rad.)

We had fun learning about the different kinds of wine. My favorite winery was Linganore Winecellars, set on 70 acres of lush estate vineyards. It was so gorgeous, and the wines were amazing. If you are ever in the area, definitely check it out!

I snapped some shots of the surrounding area.

The countryside around Linganore Winecellars was absolutely breathtaking.

Bubbly and balloons in the limo.

The season's last grapes at Elk Run Vineyards.

Beautiful flowers at Elk Run Vineyards.

(Did I mention we are thinking of making this an annual tradition? 'Cause we are.)

Bottle Shock

Have you seen the film Bottle Shock? Jason and I saw it at the local indie movie theater a few months ago, and I was reminded of it today as I began to think about what to pack for my upcoming trip to Napa (more details on that later!).

Anyway, it's a really cute little film. You might call it a Chardonnay-flavored romantic comedy, with some educational wine history and breathtaking footage of Napa Valley thrown in for good measure. I swooned over the fabulous scenery. And don't you just love the whimsical poster?

Here is the description from Sundance's website (it was featured at the film fest in '08):

"It's 1976, and Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) is struggling to create the perfect chardonnay at Chateau Montelena, his vineyard in the not-yet-famous Napa Valley, where he has jeopardized everything for a dream. His son, Bo (Chris Pine), at first glance doesn't seem to have inherited his father’s love for the family business, and the two of them are often found duking it out in the backyard boxing ring, each hoping to knock some sense into the other. Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) is a British expatriate living in Paris who owns the Academie du Vin; out of necessity, he develops an idea to educate Parisians, not on French wine, but on the new wines coming out of California. A twist of fate along a dusty road brings the floundering vintner and the struggling shop owner together, changing both their lives—and the wine industry—forever.

Director Randall Miller delicately composes Bottle Shock as a cinematic love letter to California’s wine country, where he shot the film in its sun-soaked entirety. Based on a true story, the film reveals America’s initiation into and contribution to vinification, along with the brave and enterprising artisans who love nothing more than to bottle it."

Image of film poster via AllPosters.

Image from film via IndieWire.