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!!

Barrel Oak Winery

Right off of Route 66 in Virginia is Barrel Oak Winery, or BOW for short. This fantastic winery has top ratings in multiple categories, including the most family-friendly. I love BOW for multiple reasons and have decided to dedicate a whole post to this fantastic location. :)

As with all wineries, the wine needs to be delicious, and Dan and I both enjoy the wines at BOW. They have a mix of both whites and reds, and I have favorites in each category. On our visit this weekend, Dan and I enjoyed glasses of their Norton and Seyval Blanc. We also picked up bottles of their Steel Chardonnay and Peanut’s Petite Cuvee (which is Dan’s new favorite summer red).


BOW’s tastings are done in a beautiful wooden building that also has lots of indoor seating for cold and/or rainy days. While I still visit wineries on cold or rainy days, the best days to visit a winery are sunny ones. To accommodate the sunny day crowds, BOW has dozens of patio tables and picnic tables scattered across its hillside. When we visited this weekend, there were cars parked everywhere along the hillside, but we had absolutely no trouble finding an open picnic table to sit down at. They even have umbrellas for those who do not want to sit in the direct sunlight.

Another wonderful feature of having the tables on the hillside is that everyone has an unhindered view of the grape-vine covered hills stretching into the distance. The scenery really was breathtaking yesterday!


As you drive up the hill to the tasting house, the first and most noticeable thing about BOW is that it is very family-friendly. Anyone and everyone can come to this winery had enjoy themselves. They have provided games of corn hole, and they even have a sand pile that kids can play in.

Of all the wonderful qualities of BOW, my favorite is its love for dogs. You can even bring your four-legged family members into the tasting room with you! BOW places bowls of water and containers treats to share with your dog(s). The owners of the winery have also adopted several sweet, friendly strays who wander the property greeting all the visitors. There are many great Virginia wineries that love and support animals, but there is something about BOW that goes above and beyond the standard expression– maybe it is the paw prints on the top of each and every bottle of their wine. :)

This is puppy found a cork and was carrying it around like a pacifier. Priceless!
Vander sitting on the picnic table and watching all the activity around us.
By now, it should be pretty obvious that BOW should be on your places-to-visit list. :) Be sure to bring your friends and family with you, especially your four-legged ones!