Horton and Barboursville Vineyards

During a recent wine tour we slipped off our planned track to visit Horton Vineyards and Barboursville Vineyards. It was very easy to stop at both places, because they were literally right down the street from each other.

Horton Vineyards

Since we were traveling west, we stopped at Horton first. The tasting room was a really unique brick, castle-like building that was guarded by long rows of vines.

Horton Vineyards offers TONS of different wines. Reds, whites, roses, fruit wines, dessert wines – if you can name it, Horton more than likely has some. :) Dan and I were also really happy to see how reasonably price the majority of them were too. Among our favorites were: Eclipse Red, Freedom, Route 33 Red, Tannat, Acai fruit wine, Peach fruit wine, and Raspberry fruit wine.

Another fun thing about Horton is that for our tasting, we got to try ten different wines of our choosing. This is especially nice if you are visiting with someone else, because you can each try different wines and get a better idea of what they have to offer. :)

Barboursville Vineyards

Just down the road, we made a quick turn and arrived at Barboursville. Even though it was still early, this place was already flowing with customers.

The tasting is very different at Barboursville. Instead of having one person serve you, you move down the bar, trying different wines at each section of the bar.

We had a great time chatting with the servers there and found them to be friendly and happy to chat about their wines.

Among our favorites were their Nebbiolo Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, and Cabernet Blanc.

Stonefire Kitchen

After two wine tastings, Dan and I were ready for some lunch. The servers at both Horton and Barboursville suggested a small café called Stonefire Kitchen, and they were right in suggesting it. The food was fresh and delicious, and it is defiantly a good food stop if you are in the area.

Cardamon Family Vineyards

As much as I love some of the larger Virginia vineyards, small, family-owned vineyards will always have a special place in my heart. They are usually younger vineyards, but many still have delightful wines. They tend to have friendly, intimate settings, and there is something extra special about talking to the person who actually makes the wine.

I recently visited one such family-owned vineyard called Cardamon Family Vineyards. Located off of Harper’s Ferry Rd in Purcellville, VA, Cardamon has all the factors that make small wineries such charming places to stop. Chuck and Ana Cardamon opened their doors only a few weeks ago and are in the process of building a tasting room off of their house. Until the construction is finished, they are offering tastings in their wine barn.


Winemaker Chuck Cardamon has had a life-long love of wine. During his Navy career, he was stationed near Napa Valley, and after retiring, he got to experience wineries in Livermore Valley while attending culinary school. The Cardamons moved to Virginia in 2008 and planted vines of their own.


Cardamon is currently serving three different white wines: Vino di Mele, Cuvee Blanc, and RKATZ. The Vino di Mele is created from 100% apple juice, and unlike most apple wines, it is dry, not sweet. Their Cuvee Blanc is fermented in Minnesota Oak barrels and is a mix of Chardonnay, Semillon, Pinot Gris, and Sauvignon Blanc. It has an appealing wood scent and a soft citrus flavor. Last but not least, the RKATZ is made from 100% Rkatzitelli grapes grown in Horton Vineyards. It is stainless steel fermented, giving it a nice, clean citrus flavor.


As many smaller vineyards do, Chuck Cardamon has found a way to offer something unique at his vineyard. Instead of the usual cheese or oyster crackers to accompany a wine tasting, he enjoys pairing his wines with homemade salsas that he has created himself – and boy are they good! He has even compiled his recipes into a small book that visitors can purchase during their visit. :)

After our tasting, Dan and I sat on a picnic table with some family friends and shared a delicious picnic, enjoying a bottle of Vino di Mele with our meal.

A picture Chuck took for us :)
We really enjoyed our visit to Cardamon Family Vineyards. The friendly atmosphere, the chance to talk with Chuck and Ana about their love of wine, and the delicious wines paired with creative salsas made for a wonderful visit. Dan and I left with three extra bottles to hold us over until we can visit again.

When you stop at Cardamon for a visit, be sure to tell them that Erin and Dan from At The Lamppost say “Hi!”!

Memorial Day Weekend 2013

Long weekends are wonderful. They always pass a little too quickly, but they are a great way to get a break from work without using up lots of vacation days. The best long weekends are the ones that also have a federal holiday at the beginning or end. :)

For Memorial Day weekend, Dan and I started off with a date night at the new Alamo Drafthouse theater in One Loudoun. If you’ve never been to an Alamo theater, I highly recommend you check it out. They are a combination of a movie theater and a restaurant. You purchase tickets for specific seats (so you don’t have to show up really early for the good ones), and you can order all your food and drinks (including alcohol) directly from your seats, even during the movie!

Dan and I have been to the theater three times since it opened at the beginning of May. We love the food, the funny previews before the movie, and the friendly staff. This past Friday, we saw the newest Star Trek movie, and we had yet another great visit at the Alamo. Here’s a picture we got at the theater before the show:


On Saturday, we stopped at two different parties. The first was a very yummy crab feast at a friends’ house. The crabs were delicious, and Dan had fun scaring people with the crabs before throwing them into the cooking pot.

After the crab feast, we headed west to have dinner with my family in Martinsburg. It’s always fun getting together with my cousins. Only your cousins truly understand the kind of crazy family that you come from. LOL We seem to be getting crazier as we get older too. Heehee…

Sunday brought a beautiful sunny day, and Dan and I got to clean house and watch some episodes of Castle before heading out to a VA Wine Mafia meet up. The “godfather” of our group, Kurt, had most generously opened up his pantry and basement to share some wines before they got too old to drink. The other mafia members also brought wines and snacks to share with everyone. Dan and I brought a bottle of Fox Meadow Freezeland White to share. Mmm…




There were many favorites being passed around. Some of my favorites were a Breaux rose, Crushed Cellars Merlot and Meritage, and Berry Hill’s 2010 Petit Verdot. Kurt even broke out a few special bottles – Keswick’s 2009 Cab Sav, Clarksburg’s 2010 dessert red (from Cali), and Corcoran’s special white port.



VA Mafia meet ups are always a blast, and we enjoyed every minute spent with this fantastic group!


No weekend would be complete without spending time gardening, so Monday was spent working on our veggie garden at my dad’s house and the potted garden at our house. We started with a trip to Home Depot for mulch, insect repellant, and a couple flowers.

Our veggie garden was growing, but slowly, and the zuccinni, squash, and cucumbers were getting seriously attached by some nasty yellow striped bugs. At Bluemont nursery, a worker said he had seen the same kind of bugs that we had and gave us some repellant called Eight. It is a product that has been used for years, and part of the mix comes from the extract of crushed mums.

After weeding, applying the insect repellant, and putting down some garden mulch, our garden looked much better.



The last hours of sunlight were spent cleaning up our own backyard. We moved my little maple tree into a big half-barrel pot, put down a bunch of mulch, and did a general clean up. We even gave the puppies a bath, much to their disappointment.





Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed our Memorial Day weekend. It was a great mix of relaxing, fun, and outdoor activity. Cheers to wonderful long weekends!

The Garden is in!

With the weather starting to stay on the warmer side, Dan, my dad, and I decided to plant our garden. Taking into consideration how things grew last year, we decided to plant the following veggies:

• Sweet 100s cherry tomatoes
• Beef steak tomatoes
• Bell peppers
• Chili peppers
• Thai Dragon peppers
• Jalapeno peppers
• Sweet Banana peppers
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Green beans
• Basil
• Rosemary
• Chives

It’s going to be a BIG garden this year, and we are dying to see how everything grows!



To prevent our squash, zucchini, and cucumber from growing into the other plants, I suggested making some wooden fixtures for them to grow over. After looking around, I found a great idea on Pinterest that made a fixture out of old wood pallets. The pallet fixtures turned out great, and we are looking forward to seeing how the plants take to them.


We did have one last frost scare earlier this week, but we protected our plants by covering them with all our old tupperware and lego containers. :)

Lamb Chili and 2012 Whites

As many of you know, I enjoy visiting Bluemont Vineyards every few months or so. This month, my visit came about because I heard that Jennifer, a local farmer, had once again made her delicious lamb chili!

On weekends, Bluemont serves a small meal, as well as the customary meats, cheeses, and bread. I have had many a yummy meal there, but my favorite one is the lamb chili. My first taste of the chili was two years ago, and I have gone back every year when they serve it in January and February. I even bring an extra container so I can bring some home for lunch the next day. LOL

Since it had been a few months since our last visit, Dan and I decided to do a tasting before digging into our chili. I am very glad we did so, because I got to meet Jen (the assistant wine maker, not the local farmer). When Jen and I started talking about wine and wine blogging, she said she had to take us over to the barrel room to try some of the new 2012 whites that were almost ready to bottle. So, after our tasting, Dan, myself, and my friend Katie (who was with us that day) walked over to the barrel room with Jen.

Jen showing off the barrel room
Our first 2012 wine was their Viognier. It was so crisp and refreshing. I can still taste it today. Mmm… Next, we tried the 2012 Petit Manseng which was a little more subtle and lingering than the Viognier. Finally, we got to try a Rose made from Cab Franc grapes, which will be another great spring/summer picnic wine. All three of the 2012 wines were very good, and I am already counting down the days until their release this spring!

For anyone who would like to try the lamb chili, be sure to follow Bluemont on Facebook or Twitter, because they’ll announce when it is available again in February. They will also announce the release of their 2012 wines there, and I definitely recommend trying them. :)

Narmada Winery

Having explored many of the Loudoun and Fauquier County wineries, Dan and I have decided to start expanding our explorations toward Rappahannock County. Our decision came at a great time, because others in the VA Wine Mafia group were planning a trip that coincided perfectly with our open weekend.

During our wine excursion into Rappahannock County, we stopped at Narmada Winery in Amissville. Narmada was very easy to find, with its flag waving right on the edge of route 211. Stretches of Virginia rolling hills and a fantastic view of the nearby mountains made the grounds of the winery truly breath-taking.

As we made our way into the tasting room, our wine tour guide, Kurt (who’s also part of the wine mafia group), introduced us to MaryAnn, the general manager. She was very gracious and told us about the three different tasting options that they had available. Yes, you did not read that wrong, they have THREE different wine tastings!

MaryAnn explained that they offer 16 different wines at Narmada! In order to make sure visitors are overwhelmed by such a large tasting, they have broken the wines into three different flights: Fruity-Fresh-Fun, Proprietors’ Reserves and Classics, and Decadent and Delicious. Dan decided to try the Proprietors’ Reserves and Classics flight, and I decided to try the Decadent and Delicious flight.

The flights were both unique and delicious, and our pourer did a wonderful job in describing each wine. Dan’s favorites were the Chardonnay Reserve and the 2009 Yash-Vir. From the Decadent and Delicious flight, I really enjoyed the 2010 Mom, the 2010 Dream, and the 2010 Primita.

Looking at the grounds
Now, in addition to great wine and beautiful landscapes, Narmada offers something that I have not found at any other winery – authentic Indian cuisine. Mmmm… My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. While sipping on our glasses of wine, we got to enjoy samosas, buttered chicken, and pita with hummus. It was divine!

Dan and I knew we had to add this winery to the VA Wine geocaching trail, so as we were checking out, we explained what geocaching was to MaryAnn. She thought it was a great idea and gave us permission to hide the cache that day. :) So, without further to do, here is the latest geocache in the VA wine geocaching trail: VA Wine Trail – Pairing India and Virginia!

Have fun finding the geocache and tasting the wine!

View from the Tasting Room

Flint Hill Public House

This weekend Dan and I went on a wine tour with friends from our VA Wine Mafia group. Since we were running a little late, we caught up with them for lunch at the Flint Hill Public House. If you are ever out in the Flint Hill/Washington/Sperryville area, this is a great place to have lunch!

Before we could even get up to the entrance, Dan and I were snapping pictures of us out on the grounds.

The restaurant had a nice clean, classic décor. I especially liked the chairs and booths, which were very comfortable and covered in a white, soft leather-like material.

Since we were on a wine tour, Dan and I started with the wine list, which contained dozens of local Virginia wines. Dan chose a Fox Meadow red, and I chose a Gadino Cellars rose. The food menu was equally enticing with a mixture of salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Because so many items sounded delicious, most of our party decided to try lunch combinations. The food did not disappoint, and we were quite full by the time our plates were emptied.

When the waitress came with the dessert menus, we changed our statements of “I’m too full” to “That looks too good not to try”. :) Dan and I shared the pumpkin crème brulee, which was delightfully creamy and delicious. Mmm…

We were a happy, full group as we left the Flint Hill Public House. I can say for a surety that Dan and I will be returning to the restaurant on our next journey to the area.

Coffee Beer and Hard Cider Cupcakes!

I began experimenting with cupcakes earlier this year, and I have been getting very enthusiastic responses from friends and family who have tried them. Because of this, I have decided to share my little secret with everyone! Some people might keep their secrets to themselves. However, I would rather share it with the world, so everyone can enjoy something delicious. :)

My secret ingredient is not a special homemade cake/cupcake mix. Seriously, I usually pick out a Pillsbury mix. It is not from-scratch frosting – though I have considered experimenting with this as well. My secret ingredient is alcohol!

Really, it is. Instead of putting the required amount of water into the cake mix, I substitute the water for some kind of beer or hard cider.

Now, an important thing to note about doing this is that not just any kind of beer or hard cider will work. Sometimes you have to experiment with a couple different kinds until you find one that turns that regular old cake mix into something extraordinary.

Winning Matches of Cake Mix/Beer:
Coffee-flavored beers (not just stouts. They HAVE to have a strong coffee flavor) work very well in Pillsbury Devil’s Food cake mix. With this mixture, I usually pair it with a white buttercream frosting.

Hard Cider works very well with Pillsbury Classic White cake mix. The flavor is very slight, so I have learned that adding about a tablespoon or so of cinnamon to the mixture enhances the flavor of the cupcake.

One of the hard ciders I have used
Why Beer or Hard Cider Make Such a Difference:
As much as I love nerdy things, I am not a scientist, so I cannot specifically say what causes the beer or hard cider to make the cupcake mix so much better. From an everyday person’s perspective, however, I have observed the following:

• That the carbonation makes the cupcakes much lighter, while still retaining moisture
• That the flavor (if it is a good match) hides the over-sweetness that many cake mixes have
• That the not-so-sweet flavor pairs nicely with the frosting, creating a treat that is not as sickly sweet.

So, there you have it – the secret to my success with cupcake making.

The only other thing that might help you make the cupcakes even better is getting a little creative with the decoration of the cupcake. For instance, look at the liners you are using for the cupcakes. Are they boring and drab, or are they bright and fun?

Also, don’t just slap the frosting on top! Smooth it on. Decorate it with sprinkles at least. If you are a little more creative, try making animal faces on them. Owl and Cat faces are soooo easy to make, and they look awesome!

Most importantly, have fun! If you mess up, don’t stress. Pillsbury cake mix is cheap, so you won’t break the bank by trying again or experimenting with new beers or ciders.

Happy Cupcake Baking!!

A Month of Silence

Don’t worry, I’m still alive! October has been an insane month for me, and previous commitments have kept me from having time to post on my blog. The good news is that things are finally returning to a state of normalcy, and I can begin to post again!

Here are some posts you can expect to see soon!

• Exciting things that happened in October
• Delicious food discoveries
• Winery visits
• Wedding planning craziness

Thanks for continuing to follow my blog! I’m looking forward to sharing all the excitement of the upcoming holidays with you!

~ Erin

Parallel Wine Bistro

Last Monday was Dan’s official birthday, so I decided to take him out to Parallel Wine Bistro, a restaurant I had heard about from multiple friends. Located in Ashburn, Virginia, Parallel Wine Bistro provides a fun atmosphere, a unique wine experience, and delicious food. It is a little more expensive than some restaurants. However, you can easily avoid a high bill by sharing plates or by looking for their coupons on Specialicious.

For those who were in the area last Monday, you remember how absolutely beautiful the weather was – temperatures in the low 70s to high 60s and mostly clear skies. It was the perfect evening to sit out on a patio, and that is exactly what we did when we arrived at the bistro.

After saying hi to a friend who works there, we settled into our seats and started scanning through the menu. We started with orders of puff pastry wrapped brie and tomato bruchetta, which were fantastic. The brie came with apple butter (yum!) and walnut and raisin compote, and the bruschetta had the most delicious vinaigrette drizzled on top.

With our appetizers ordered, we turned our attention to the wine lists. What’s fun about Parallel Wine is that the food menu takes up two pages and the wine and specialty drinks menu takes up four! (there are many specialty and local beers for those who do not like wine) Because there were so many wines that we wanted to try, Dan and I decided to choose wines from their “Flight” list. The Flight list gives you 2oz glasses of three different wines on the menu. (2oz is about a 1/3 glass of wine) For my choices, I went with Lucky Star and Pennywise from California and Fingerprints from Argentina. Dan chose Maximo from Spain, Cigar box from Argentina, and Wine Men of Gotham from Australia.

Dan showing off our first flight round
While we were enjoying everything, we ended up joining in on a trivia contest that the bistro holds every Monday. Dan has participated in these many times before, but it was my first time playing. The questions were very diverse, and for a while, Dan and I were in fourth place!

Since it was a special occasion, we had fun sharing some extra food and wine. For dinner, we split the lamb shank plate that came with a bunch of veggies and wonderful risotto; and for dessert, we enjoyed a chocolate raspberry torte and some caramelized bananas with ice cream. In my second round of flight glasses, I had Sivas Sonoma from California, Domaine Guicharde from France, and Cigar Box from Argentina. Dan tried a few other wines that were not really his style and switched to a full glass of Maximo which had been his favorite.

My delicious raspberry torte
For people who love supporting Virginia wines (Woot for VA Wine!), you will see options from Fabbioli, Breaux, Veritas, and Tarara on the menu. However, I do recommend trying some of the global wine, because it is always a good idea to expand your taste and knowledge of other winery locations. :)

One unique feature of Parallel Wine Bistro that Dan and I did not have time to try was their wine machines (see image at the top). These machines contain 32 different bottles of wine from which you can either get a tasting, a half glass, or a full glass. To use the machines, you need to obtain a wine card that you can swipe to select and pay for the wine you want to have. I thought this was a really cool concept, and we are looking forward to using it on our next visit.

The Whiskey Cow and the VA Wine Mafia

Even though Labor Day weekend was a while ago, I had to write about a few of the things Dan and I got to do over that weekend.

Bottling Gin
About 15 minutes outside of Leesburg lays Catoctin Creek Distillery. Catoctin Creek Distillery is a three-year old distillery in western Loudoun that makes organic whiskeys, gin, brandy, and a few other liquors. One thing that sets them apart is that they offer locals a chance to help with the bottling process! How cool is that?! I had heard about the bottling events from a co-worker, and he invited Dan and I and another co-worker to join him over the weekend.

The bottling event turned out to be even more interesting than I had expected. Not only did we get to participate in each step of the bottling process, we got to have the owner walk us through the entire procedure of creating liquor. It was quite fascinating, and I loved learning how they were a 0% waist facility!

The distiller
For those who are interested, the bottling process contained about 11 different positions. Here is a short breakdown of them: (Please note that some of these names are not the exact position names. I couldn’t remember them all. Lol)

• Liquor can manager – hooks the whiskey cow up to a full can of liquor
• Empty bottle runner – would give the person working the whiskey cow new boxes of empty bottles
• Whiskey cow worker – Place bottles onto an automatic pourer (the whiskey cow) that fills the bottles perfectly. When the bottle is filled, they take them off and place them next to the corker.







Dan and I working the Whiskey Cow

• Corker – places corks in the filled bottles
• Capper – places a metallic cap on the bottle
• Sealer – uses a HOT blowdryer-looking device to shrink the cap onto the bottle (sealing the bottle shut)




The table where the Corker, Capper, and Sealer work

• Bottle runner – runs the filled and sealed bottles to the labelers
• Labeler – places labels on the front and back of the bottle.




Me with my Bazinga! label

• Bottle runner – runs the labeled bottles to the packer
• Packer – checks for “floaters” in the bottles and packs the bottles into shipping boxes
• Bottle runner – runs any bottles with “floaters” in it back to the Liquor can manager.

The coolest part of the bottling process is the whiskey cow, and the hardest part was corking the bottles (you have to have a lot of arm strength). Everyone has a lot of fun with the labeling part, because you get to write short phrases on the labels before they go onto the bottle. This makes each bottle a little unique. For example, I wrote “Bazinga” on one of the bottles, so hopefully, a Big Bang Theory fan will find it in the store and enjoy it. :) Dan and I wrote a label for just us, and we had the bottle set aside for to purchase later. :)

The work is done. Time to celebrate!
The whole event was really fun, and they saved the best part for last – the taste test. LOL Dan really liked the gin, and we both were fans of the rye whiskey. Naturally, we got a bottle of each to take home with us.

Catoctin Creek Distillery liquors
Wine and Lobster
In addition to bottling gin, Dan and I got to visit a few vineyards over the weekend. We stopped at North Gate Vineyard, because Dan had never tried their wine before. We enjoyed a glass of Cab Franc and split a cheese platter and picked up bottles of the Cab Franc and Apple wine to bring home with us.

Our next vineyard stop of the weekend was Loudoun Valley Vineyard. I have been able to enjoy some of Loudoun Valley’s wines at local restaurants like Fireworks, but this was my first visit to their property. Apart for wanting to see their grounds, we were also drawn to the lobster fest that was being held. :) Two sides and a big lobster for $20 – you can’t beat that! (I was very glad to learn about the lobster fest through Twitter and Facebook. It is a great way to keep up on local events now!) With our bellies full of delicious food, we picked up a bottle of Route 9 and the house white to share later.

Meeting the Wine Mafia
As I mentioned above, I have been involved more on Twitter and Facebook lately. I started using Twitter to help bring traffic to my blog and ended up following a lot of local people involved in events and wine. It was through these wine folks that I got introduced to the Virginia Wine Mafia bloggers group on Facebook, and I was very excited when they invited me to become a part of their group.

Over Labor Day weekend, Dan and I were invited to a small gathering of local wine bloggers from the Wine Mafia group. It was a fantastic evening! Everyone was very friendly and inviting, and Dan and I got to learn about and try a bunch of new VA wines. We even met someone who had been our pourer at Barrel Oak Winery. :)

Some of the wines we were sharing
One favorite point of the evening was the discussion that arose around Bob’s wines. The name of the actual winery is Crushed Cellars, but everyone from the party will remember it as Bob’s (the owner of the vineyard) from now on. We all split a bottle of Bob’s Vidal Blanc, which was quite delicious, and Dan and I added another winery to our “To Visit” list. LOL

You can read more about the wine gathering from Wine About Virginia – our hosts for the evening.