Handcrafted by At The Lamppost

While researching wedding decorations, I have come across TONS of great ideas using wine bottles and corks. Everything from candle holders to chandeliers can be made from wine bottles, and wine corks can be used for wreaths, place card holders, and more. One of my favorite ideas so far is cork keychains. What better way to remember your favorite bottle of wine than to have a keychain that you can carry around with you!

On a recent VA wine tour, Dan and I stopped at Aspen Dale Winery, one of my favorite wineries. It did not take us long to start up a conversation with the proprietors, Larry and Kelly, who were eager to help us add Aspen Dale to the VA Wine geocache trail. After we hid the new geocache, Kelly and I started talking about weddings, and I mentioned some of the ideas I had for incorporating wine bottles and corks into our wedding.

When I mentioned cork keychains, Kelly got really excited, saying that things like that would sell very well at the winery. I completely agreed, and next thing I knew, we were talking logistics on how Dan and I could make cork keychains to sell at Aspen Dale. :)

The display board and cork keychains for Aspen Dale
Over the course of the next couple weeks, Kelly and I figured out what the keychains would look like, what kind of tag they should have, and how we could best display them to customers. It was a blast!! Here are some of the things we though made cork keychains a great purchase:

• They make excellent stocking stuffers for Christmas!
• It’s a great way to remember your visit to Aspen Dale
• Pick a cork from your favorite bottle of wine
• Cork keychains are great for boat keys because they float
• And they just look downright cool! ;)

Last Sunday, Dan and I made our first delivery of cork keychains to Aspen Dale. It was so exciting to see the display board that Dan made hanging in the tasting room! The cork keychains looked fantastic, and everyone was happy with the entire presentation.

So, when you stop by Aspen Dale Winery for some wine and geocaching, be sure to check out the cork keychains (made by yours truly) hanging by the checkout counter!

Two More Geocaches for the VA Wine Trail

Hi everyone! I trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Some of you have already discovered this, but there are two new geocaches on the VA Wine Trail! These went live just before Thanksgiving, and they have already had three separate finds. I guess my fellow geocachers love these vineyards as much as Dan and I do. :)

VA Wine Trail – The Equestrian Oenophile
This geocache is hidden at Aspen Dale Winery at the Barn, one of the first Virginia wineries I ever visited.

On our most recent visit, we were able to talk to Kelly and Larry who manage the winery. To our delight, they were both fellow geocachers and have found caches all over the world! They walked us around the property and helped us pick out the perfect location for the cache. You can find the coordinates and hint on the geocache page.

btw... if you are wondering what Oenophile means, it means: a lover or connoisseur of wines.

In addition to a geocache, there are many characteristics that make Aspen Dale a wonderful winery to visit. Their food and wine pairing is delicious and gives you a great glimpse into the endless possibilities that wine and food can offer.

The setting of the winery is also breath-taking, whether you are sitting inside or outside. The tasting room barn is spacious and comfortably snug at the same time, and if it is free, I recommend a spot next to their fireplace.

VA Wine Trail – One for the Dogs
The next geocache is located just ten minutes from The Equestrian Oenophile, so you can easily grab both in a day. This cache is hidden at Barrel Oak Winery, or BOW for short.

I have written about BOW on multiple occasions and count it among my favorite wineries. Some of the many characteristics of this location are: its dedication to dogs and animals, the family-friendly atmosphere, and amazing view – and that is not including all the wine, which is delicious. :)

To organize this cache, Dan and I had some help from our friend and fellow VA Wine Mafia member Kathy (@Virginia_Made on Twitter), who works in the tasting room. While we tasted some of the latest wines, Kathy got permission from the manager for us to hide the cache. It was pretty easy to find a location, and you can find the coordinates on the geocache page. It’s hidden in a picture perfect spot of the tasting room and surrounding mountains!

We hope everyone has fun finding the latest geocaches in the VA Wine Trail!!