Chrysalis Vineyards

I'm in favor of wineries all year round, but now that the nice weather is upon us I definitely recommend Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg for a day of wine-induced joy. We brought our fabulous visitors there on a perfect, 75-degree day. We picked up a picnic lunch and grabbed a blanket and travel Scrabble before hopping on the highway. Even with some (random) traffic, it took less than an hour to get us from bustling urban village to this:





The grounds are huge--on the right day, you have your choice of shade or sun, hill or flat, tent or no-tent. You can use their outdoor grills to cook up a party (we seriously thought about it, and then backed off because it just seemed like too much work on a nice day).

Either do a $5 tasting of their estate wines, or for $10 try all twelve estate and reserve wines. No matter what, you get to keep your glass. Sarah's Patio Red is a regular classic in our household, and we also love their Viognier and 2003 Norton Reserve. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and keeps everything light and full of laughter. AKA: no wine snobbery allowed.

Yum.



Go! Have a picnic! Learn about Norton, the real, native, honest-to-goodness American grape.

Chrysalis Vineyards
23876 Champe Ford Road
Middleburg, Virginia 20117
Getting there: Just a hint--when you see the sign that says Chrysalis Vineyards, 1.3 (or 1.7, whatever it says) [left arrow], they mean make the next left and go down the 1+ miles, not make a left IN 1+ miles. Just FYI.