You can book a Reston Limousine Private Wine Tour to be the first to explore the new route that takes you through 10 wineries from Bluemont to Linden!

“These are all family wineries with high quality, handcrafted wines,” Jim Bogaty, owner and CEO of Veramar Vineyard and president of The General’s Wine & History Trail. He notes that while other wine trails are confined within county lines, the wineries along the new are located in seven different counties.

He also offered suggestions for visitors in approaching a complete circuit of the trail:

Part 1: Veramar Vineyard, Bluemont Vineyard, Sunset Hills Vineyard and Lost Creek Vineyard & Winery
Part 2: Three Fox Vineyards, Swedenburg Estate Vineyard and Winery at La Grange
Part 3: Philip Carter Winery, Fox Meadow Winery and Gadino Cellars.

“We have the beauty of Virginia scenery, great wines, and all of our 10 wineries have a unique history,” Mr. Bogaty says. Those Civil History notes are included in a distinctive wine trail passport (they call it the Campaign Journal) that you can pick up at any of the wineries or download at www.thegeneralswinetrail.com.

Visitors earn stars at each winery they visit and can return the journal at the end of the year. Winners will be randomly drawn for a grand prize of a night’s stay at the celebrated L’Auberge Provencale in Boyce, as well as a second prize of a $75 gift certificate from The General’s Wine & History Trail.

Ready to book your Reston Limousine chauffeured tour of The General’s Wine & History? Please call 1-800-LIMO-141 (1-800-546-6141) or book with us online.

The tour begins at Chrysalis Vineyards, where the dedication to Virginia’s native grape, the Norton, is evident in what is believed to be the largest planting of Norton grapes in the world. That dedication apparently has paid off, with recent accolades including two gold medals at the first National Norton Wine competition in St. Louis in August 2007.

The estate winery also has been recognized recently for its hospitality efforts, as Chrysalis won a Loudoun tourism event of the year award in 2008 for its Annual Hottest Cool Jazz Festival at Chrysalis Vineyards (this year’s takes place May 16-17).

You’ll begin your own Chrysalis experience outdoors, where you’ll be taken through different stations for an hour-long educational experience of your choice: a reserve tasting, includes 12 wines, including most of their reds, or an estate tasting, which includes seven wines.

Among the new wines on the Chrysalis portfolio are the 2008 Mariposa, a dry rosé, and the 2008 Chardonnay, which debuts the weekend of the tour.

Next on the tour is Swedenburg Estate Vineyard, located on Historic Valley View Farm, where the Swedenburg family continues a more than 240-year-old agricultural tradition by raising pure-bred Angus cattle and premium Vinifera grapes.

During the tasting at Swedenburg, guests will be educated on the uniqueness of the estate-grown wines and the variations of flavors across the varieties grown at Swedenburg. New this spring is the 2008 Chantilly, a dry, crisp wine perfect for enjoying on the patio or deck with friends.

And just in time for Mother’s Day, the winery is sponsoring a special artisan jewelry show on April 25th, the day of the tour!

Cost: $35 per person (does not include tasting fees or gratuity)
Lunch option: A catered box lunch from Atlanta Bread Co. is available for purchase for $15.
Tasting Fees:

Swedenburg: Six wines on the tasting menu for $5 per person
Chrysalis: $10 for reserve tastings, $5 for estate tastings

Schedule:

10 a.m. pickup West Falls Church Metro Kiss & Ride
10:30 a.m. pickup Dulles Town Center
10:45 a.m. pickup Lansdowne Resort
~ 11:15-11:30 a.m. Arrive at Loudoun Valley Vineyards
~ 1:30 p.m. Arrive at Veramar Vineyards
~ 3-3:15 p.m. Depart Veramar Vineyards

To book this tour or to request more information, please call Reston Limousine at 703-478-0500 Option 1.