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My friend and I left work early on Friday to visit this week’s winery, Veramar Vineyard in Clark County’s Berryville, Virginia.  Somehow, working from home has ended up being even more exhausting than before COVID 19.  Fortunately this place was a perfect respite.

Almost immediately after crossing the Shenandoah River, we made the turn off the highway and were transported into the tranquil countryside of western Virginia.  We passed a couple of pastures filled with grazing cows and then pulled into a tree lined gravel driveway.  The trees soon gave way to open, blue skies, and wide open spaces with the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains as the backdrop.  Fun Fact:  The song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is about this part of Virginia, not the state West Virginia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were pleased to discover a new place to explore.  Veramar does not require reservations, welcomes children as well as pets and does not require the deposit that most wineries are requiring due to the reduced capacities the government has put in place.

As you leave the roomy parking area and enter the winery, your first site is a patio containing about 10 tables with four chairs each.  There is also a section of the patio for members.  You place your order inside with the extremely welcoming staff and then proceed to your chosen area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we had four children with us, we chose to go into the tree line away from the main lawn area.  The trees offer a nice shady option and allowed the children to move about freely.  We set up our own own chairs and spread out our blankets.  If there is any downside to this place (I certainly wouldn’t count it as such) the limited number of chairs would be it.  I very much recommend that you bring your own chairs and/or blanket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived at 2:45 PM on a Friday and  there was still a fair sized crowd, but do to the vast lawn areas it was not even remotely crowded and the patrons were all very relaxed and enjoying themselves.  To be honest, sometimes I forgot that anyone else was there.  The children (and to be honest. the adults as well) enjoyed the resident dog, Aruba that came to check in on us.  The children also enjoyed exploring the pond that is part of the property.  Oh yeah, and the wine is very good.  I particular liked the Rosé and Malbec.

I feel like we found a true gem.  What a wonderful treat after a long week of work.  The views of the mountains are wonderful and I can’t wait to see what this place looks like in a few months as the leaves change.  We’ve had a wet spring and that usually means some spectacular fall colors.  TripsWithKevin will be back.

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