Heard It Through the Grapevine
April 2, 2009 • By Rachel Chemerynski, The Breeze
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In the small, country town of Edinburg, about 30 minutes from JMU, lies the oldest winery in the Shenandoah Valley.
With a scenic drive up 81 North, the peaceful, winding roads ultimately approach the destination: the beautiful 26-acre Shenandoah Vineyard, featuring rolling hills covered in grape vines.
Owners Jim and Emma Randel opened this business in 1976.
And while the vineyard started off as a small-scale operation, there are now 11 types of grapes grown there, such as Riesling, Vidal and Villard Blanc.
Free daily tours are offered at the vineyard at the start of the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and demonstrate the process of how wine gets from the grape to the glass.
After the tour, visitors are welcomed inside the barn to sample a variety of wines. With furnished counters and classy tables set up for wine and cheese pairings, it hardly resembles a typical barn used for housing farm animals.
Once guests settle inside, they are given a sheet of paper with 13 wines, from strong reds and whites to sweet blush and dessert wines. Each person is then prompted to take notes on their favorite wines in order to purchase bottles at the end of the tasting if they so choose.
Staff member Karen Andrews gracefully poured the wine into the glasses, and informed the participants to take two sips.
“The first sip is to shock your palate, and the second is to really taste it,” Andrews said.
In order to make the taste stand out even more, Andrews distributes a handful of chocolate chips with the last wine on the list: the Raspberry Serenade. The tart, fruity taste suddenly changed, mimicking the taste of a sweet dessert.
“It tasted almost like something out of a Russel Stover box of chocolates,” said senior Marybeth Petescia, who visited the winery for her first time.
Andrews, who works at the vineyard and conducts wine sampling, said that she enjoys all of the wines equally.
“They are like my children,” Andrews said. “I can’t pick favorites.”
But if she had to pick just one, the Pinot Noir would be her top choice, because Andrews said it pairs nicely with a variety of foods.
All in all, Andrews loves working at a vineyard. “I really like the people here,” Andrews said. “And of course, I love the wine!”
Contact Rachel Chemerynski at chemerrl@jmu.edu
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