I decided to talk about Little Washington Winery first, because they have their Oysterfest coming up on January 25th. Oysterfest is a great event if you want to try oyster and wine pairings from VA and the East coast. I happen to be a vegetarian, so I’ll be skipping this event, but it does sound like a lot of fun.

Little Washington Winery’s Dirt Road Wine Tasting is one of the most unique tasting experiences. Their sommelier, Andrew, travels all over the world to find the best artisan wines. Then, during the tasting, they put their estate wines up against the wines that Andrew finds. When I visited, I was asked if I could tell the difference between a steel barreled and a French oak barreled chardonnay in a blind taste test. (P.S. I failed.)

For one of the wines, Donna, one of the owners, whipped out an encyclopedia to show us the color of the pinot grigio grape. The grape, also known as the pinot gris grape, is often used to create a medium-bodied white wine but the fruit is actually greyish-blue in color. My mom and I really appreciated that she took the time to show us something like that, because we wouldn’t have known otherwise.

Visiting Little Washington Winery is an educational experience. Carl, the winemaker, hosts a Wine Immersion Bootcamp where you can get certified as a wine snob. He make you fluent in ‘Vinolingo’ and help you to achieve aeration perfection. If that isn’t enough, they also offer a Master Gourmet Seminar Series. The next Wine Immersion Bootcamp is March 30th. You can find more info on that and other wine events on my calendar. (I haven’t actually gone to the bootcamp; I’ve only heard about it.)

The outside of Little Washington Winery’s tasting room is a little rough around the edges, but the inside is absolutely gorgeous. My mom and I sat on the deck and shared a bottle of George and cheese from their store, but you’re more than welcome to bring your own picnic to pair with their wine.

The winery is tucked away just off Route 211, which makes it secluded yet easy to find. If you’re coming from NOVA, you’ll also pass the Narmada, Unicorn, and Grey Ghost Wineries, which makes it super easy to visit more than one. The absolute best part about Little Washington Winery is that their Dirt Road Wine Tasting list changes every day.

Have you been to Little Washington Winery? If you have, I’d love to hear about your Dirt Road Wine Tasting experience below!