North Mountain Vineyard - a Sunday outing

On Sunday, for a treat, we decided to head over to North Mountain Vineyard in Mauertown. I guess that would be a 30 mile drive from Stanley; we decided to cut through the GW National Forest to Edinburgh, and then follow US 11 north to the town. It had been a few years since we’d been here, and we knew that the ownership had changed in the meantime.

Here is an example of the reviews I found on-line about North Mountain…
“Follow romantic and historic country roads into the Northern Shenandoah Valley to discover an enchanting winery nestled in a beautiful vineyard! North Mountain vineyard and winery welcomes the visitor to the heartwarming experience of award winning Virginia wines: Chardonnay, Chambourcin, Riesling, Vidal Blanc, Claret, Mountain Sunset, and Sweet Caroline's Blush.”



My recollection was of a wonderful setting, with an approach through farms and orchards into the vineyard itself. Another fond thought was of bringing Gracie, the border collie, here when she was only a year old. After our tasting, she got to play ball out by the picnic grounds, shown in one of the pictures here.

During our Sunday visit, we enjoyed making our way through the day’s wine list, and I decided to go for a tasting of one of the reserve wines, a cabernet franc. We liked the vidal and the cabernet franc, and I would be inclined to agree with the reviewer above about the Chardonay – even though I am not a fan of that variety – and say that North Mountain's is a good wine.


After we had a vineyard snack of brie and jam, we bought a mixed case that included some specialties, including an Octoberfest vintage and a blush wine, which I plan to serve with some grilled pork very soon. At the vineyard, they have a variety of locally made cheeses to offer, which were very tempting. On another day we’ll try them.

Another memory from a past visit was an apple wine called Pippin that the previous owner made. It was an eclectic choice, but we used it during the Fall (warmed with a cinnamon stick) for Thanksgiving, and then in the winter for mulling. The new owner continued the tradition of using the apple wine, only with an innovation, blending it with grape wine. So it is still a treat – and for him, I hope it is more commercially viable than apple wine alone.



Speaking of the wine maker, John, we had some time to chat with him, as we were late visitors. We told him of past visits and he told us about some of the changes the place has gone through as it has grown over the years. Everything has come along very well, Mary and I agreed, and North Mountain is everything you might expect from a vineyard visit – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a visit.

And there is one last treat to mention – an annual Oktoberfest Wein Festival that is coming up on October 4! Here is the blurb from the NorthMountainVineyard.com site:

“Annual Oktober Wein Fest and German Heritage Day!
Featuring the grand German Band The Continentals of Washington, D.C., for your listening and dancing pleasure!
Sample authentic German food, potato salad according to Oma's recipe, sausages, and red cabbage! Sit in the wine tent and sing along with the German band, dance, and enjoy! Our German heritage interpretor is ready to explore with you the German heritage of the Shenandoah Valley. Local artisans display unique crafts and foods. Festival admission fee includes souvenir wine glass, wine tasting, and entertainment. Rain or shine, 11am - 5pm.”