Shop my look – Details
Vintage Trench: Burberry – Brown and Williams Clothiers (for other vintage coats); Plaid French Cuff Shirt: Robert Graham; V-Neck Sweater: Gucci; Slim fit denim jeans: J Brand, Tan boots: Cole Haan (similar)
October is Virginia Wine Tasting month so naturally in the spirit of the season I went to taste some Virginia wines. First up was Early Mountain Vineyards. This winery in Charlottesville, Virginia is owned by AOL CEO Steve Case and his wife, Jean. Purchasing the Sweely Estate Winery in 1982, the couple has done an amazing job of transforming the winery into a beautiful event space with some tasty wines.
Early Mountain has some great events and this excursion was no exception. The winery was hosting its Fall Oyster Festival. The festival featured live music by Charles Owens, and fresh seafood from the Rappahannock Oyster Co. After tasting the full range of Early Mountain Wines. I decided a nice barrel aged Chardonnay would be perfect with my menu of raw and steamed oysters, crab cake and Stuffin’ Muffin, a delicious oyster stuffing creation.
Our next stop was Prince Michel Winery in Leon, Virginia, one of the biggest wineries in Virginia. Here we got a chance to meet with Eric Barden, the Marketing Director of the winery who had us sample some of the winery’s best wines. I do like a good Chardonnay so I couldn’t come home without a bottle of their Barrel Select. Not slighting the reds, I also came home with a Syrah which was just as nice.
Since we are now hitting the fall, the weather can be a bit tricky. A simple solution in picking out your attire is to dress in layers. For my trip out to the country, I selected a nice plaid shirt from Robert Graham. I like his shirts because the cuffs and inside collar typically have interesting contrasting patterns from the rest of the shirt. Over the shirt, I sported a deep V-neck in burgundy that helped to bring out the burgundy stripes in my plaid shirt.
Don’t be afraid to mix the old with the new. Since the beginning of the day was a bit cool, I wanted to wear a lightweight jacket. My trench is a vintage 60’s Burberry trench in light gray, which helped to compliment the gray stripe in my plaid shirt pulling the shirt, sweater and jacket combination together. Finishing the look were slim straight leg jeans and tan boots.
There are approximately 270 wineries in Virginia however visiting two was a perfect Sunday outing. While most like to venture out in the fall to see the changing colors of the leaves, a good wine tour is easily a fantastic alternative! For more information of Virginia wineries, visit www.VirginiaWine.org.
