Aunt Crazy: Charlottesville Winery tour with the SAP boys

Look at me - BLOGGING like crazy! Two posts in two days - can you believe it?? Of course, they're from July, but anyway ....

On Saturday, July 11th, I met Matt and Geoff in Charlottesville to tour a few wineries that Matt had researched. He now lives in Myrtle Beach, SC, so Virginia Wine must be earning quite a good reputation to justify this investment of time and energy.

Oh, all right ... it was probably mostly for fun. And yes, we drank half of our "finds" that day anyway!! I might have a FEW bottles left...

First stop: Barboursville. Beautiful location, delicious wine, great wine tasting "system"!

Grounds of Barboursville .... windmills and all!

Bottles anxious to be filled...

Herb garden, presumably to supply the famous local Italian restaurant also located here.

Onions

More vines...

Lavender, I think?

Bee.

The old Governor's mansion.

Next stop: Horton - there was a pig roast going on here that day which looked like fun.

Horton: cool castle, crap wine.

Next stop: Lunch at Smokin' Eddie's BBQ ... Matt and Geoff walking in ...

Matt really needs to not zoom in that close with my camera just because he can.

OK, there's a REASON I'm usually the one TAKING the pictures!!

I think that's enough!!

Condiments at Fast Eddies.

Turnabout is fair play, Matthew!!

Geoff looks good, of course. It's a shame. It would be fun to blackmail him.

Deep fried mushrooms ... just because. (They actually weren't as good as they looked!)

Last stop: Veritas ... DEFINITELY our favorite!!

The Veritas Tasting room.

More of the Veritas Tasting Room ... they actually bring the wine to YOU!

Matt, Aunt Crazy, and Geoff .... with empty glasses!!

Buying our loot. We all regretted not buying more of the Veritas Claret - that was so yummy.

More views of the Veritas Tasting Room...

Matt and Geoff laughing at me because I left the windows and the sunroof down at Barboursville while Matt toured us around. Meanwhile, there was apparently a DELUGE - but ONLY over Barboursville! We never saw rain! It took days to dry out the car.

Geoff in what we HOPE will eventually be his Facebook picture, if he ever bothers to get an account!

Matt's Facebook picture. :)

Geoff teasing me ... we actually SAW the woman who drives this car, and she looks remarkably normal. It's still a mystery to me.

Before heading home, we got a cheeseplate, opened a newly-purchased bottle, and walked over to the ruins of the Barboursville Governor's mansion.

The columns at the front entrance.

A view of an interior fireplace through a window.

The back columns from the outside.

Geoff, me and Matt, taken by a nice mother and daughter who also chose to trespass on the grounds after hours. Safety in numbers!

View from the back of the mansion toward the ... backyard, I guess? Some nice backyard!

This is the front of the mansion with the famous Octagon room. Thomas Jefferson designed this home, and I guess octagon rooms were his thing! Personally, I think it would be hard to furnish.