A Late Summer Visit To Gadino Cellars

While I have been on radio silence in the bloggisphere, I have still been hitting the VA wine trails here and there. Recently, we took a trip down to Gadino Cellars to enjoy one of the last summer days of the year and check on our geocache.

Dan decided to slip inside for a tasting, while I went right for a glass of Luminoso with our friends from Wine About Virginia. We all sat out on the patio with the sun streaming down through the vines that grow over Gadino’s pergola and listened to Triptych, one of our favorite local bands.

Triptych playing on the patio

About halfway through our bottles of Luminoso and Sunset, Bill, the winery maker and owner walked over with Quinn, a sweet lab that my son instantly began petting and talking to. Talking with Bill was easy and delightful, as he and I share a similar Italian heritage. We talked favorite foods and restaurants, family, and of course, wine!

Bill shared how this years’ crops were growing and which would be getting harvested soon. Dan eagerly asked about how Gadino Cellars was planning to use petit verdot grapes from Berryhill Vineyards, a local vineyard that we were sad to see sold recently. Happily, Bill plans to add it in with his own wonderful petit verdot, and we can’t wait to try the results. Wine About Virginia asked after his petit manseng and dessert wines, and he shared how he uses local whiskey in his port wines.

Bill and I

Throughout our visit, as we listened to live music and spoke with Bill, my little one was also enjoying the winery. We’ve worked hard to teach him winery etiquette, even at his tender age of 2, and while we still get some typical toddler breakdowns, he had a fantastic time running in the yard, jumping off rocks into Dan’s arms, and reading his favorite dinosaur book under the grape vines.

Playing with daddy

Jax reading under the vines

As the afternoon came to a close, we packed up and headed for the parking lot. We enjoyed our afternoon at Gadino Cellars, and we’d like to send a special thank you to the winery owner and staff, Triptych, and our friends at Wine About Virginia who made it so.

Arrivederci amici!

Gadino Cellars and My First Celebrity Spotting on the Wine Trail

After hiking Old Rag Mountain, Dan and I stopped at Gadino Cellars in Washington, Virginia for a tasting and some food. We weren’t the only hikers to stop too, because we recognized another couple whom we had seen on the mountain. :)

Gadino’s first vines were planted in 1989, and because they enjoy focusing on small, high-quality wine, the proprietors choose to keep production under 1500 cases a year. You can definitely sense the family atmosphere when step into the Gadino Cellars tasting room. The tasters are friendly and eager to share about what they love about the wine they serve.

During our tasting, Dan and I tried six different wines, ranging from refreshing whites and roses to nice rich reds. Among our favorites were the Sunset, Moonrise, and Petit Verdot. We’ve heard from fellow wine bloggers that the Pinot Grigio is also very good, but unfortunately, it is so good that they were sold out while we were there. LOL

After our tasting, we ordered two servings of yummy lasagna, which they have been offering on winter weekends. With our wine and pasta, we relaxed and watched the sun set behind the mountains.

Just as we were ordering our second glasses, some new patrons came into the tasting room. As we chatted with them, I learned that one of them was actually quite famous as a commercial actor and model! It was pretty cool to learn some of the things he had worked on, and Dan even let me get a picture with him! :)

Me and my new famous friend, Leroy
Heehee… What? Who’d you think I met? LOL

Leroy is famous though. He even has his own Facebook page and website! We had fun helping him celebrate his Birthday with his friends and their handlers.

Cheers!