{"id":6027,"date":"2012-01-28T21:18:21","date_gmt":"2012-01-29T01:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=6027"},"modified":"2012-03-24T11:26:58","modified_gmt":"2012-03-24T15:26:58","slug":"little-washington-winery-in-it-for-the-long-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/little-washington-winery-in-it-for-the-long-view\/","title":{"rendered":"Little Washington Winery: In It for the Long View"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guests Come for the Wine But Are taken By the Beauty<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The wine is called Mesmerized. It\u2019s a blend of Viognier and Vidal Blanc and earned its name from the behavior of arriving guests. As soon as they enter the tasting room they head for the deck. They\u2019re mesmerized.<\/p>\n

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And well they should be. Sweeping views of rolling pastoral farmland unfold before the eye until resting on the distant peak of Old Rag Mountain; one of the most popular hiking spots in the Mid-Atlantic region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe looked at a bazillion properties before falling in love with this place,\u201d says Donna Henrickson, co-owner of Little Washington Winery. \u201cWe\u2019ve been here over a year and Carl and I still sit on the deck in the evenings in awe of this place. We can\u2019t believe we found such an idyllic spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the land is not all views. Its twenty-five acres of southeast facing slopes and rocky soil crest at over 850 feet elevation providing an ideal location for growing wine grapes. Yet the Henricksons have taken their love of wine to even greater heights.<\/p>\n

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Donna & Carl Henrickson<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cAs a teenager my parents would save a few sips from their evening bottle of Bordeaux and have me taste it while teaching me to read the wine label. It was a memory that gave birth to my love of wine,\u201d Carl fondly recalls.<\/p>\n

Carl spent his career in business and community management. He sat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1984 and served in positions from sales manager to president of local software companies. Donna’s career was public relations and marketing in the hospitality trade and at the State Department.<\/p>\n

By 2003, Carl\u2019s home winemaking hobby had become an obsession and the couple focused on their retirement dream of owning a winery. What ensued were endless trips statewide looking at land and wineries.<\/p>\n

In preparation to opening their own tasting room, they enrolled in Jim Law\u2019s vineyard management and winemaking classes. They also gained invaluable experience producing major marketing events for Virginia wineries and publishing the popular Virginia Winery Hopping Guide; a vest pocket annual atlas listing wineries and directional maps to tasting rooms statewide.<\/p>\n

In 2008, they finally happened upon a property with a winding dirt road entrance and located in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains. \u201cWe looked at each other and said, this is it,\u201d says Donna. After their extensive search, they elected to start from scratch and build a boutique wine destination near the historic village of Little Washington.<\/p>\n

Today, the dream is being realized but retirement is still years away. The couple is having too much fun for now. \u201cIt\u2019s hard work starting a winery from scratch. But it is gratifying to see people enjoying our wines and this peaceful setting,\u201d says Donna.<\/p>\n

The couple planted two acres of Viognier on the property in 2011. An additional four acres of red Bordeaux varietals will be trellised this year. Their goal is to keep the winery small. \u201cWe don\u2019t want a huge operation. We\u2019re focused on producing a few world-class wines and keeping this incredible 25 acres in farm use. This is a destination where folks can come, sit in awe, and get hooked on preserving farmland,\u201d explains Carl.<\/p>\n

In keeping with their unique business careers, the tasting notes at the winery reflect a business strategy seldom seen in Virginia. Each week, three Little Washington wines are featured alongside three wines from farm wineries in Virginia and points worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cFarm wineries are cool no matter where they\u2019re located. Small lot wines are being hand-crafted globally and we want to share the best of them with our guests. We feel a connection to these winemakers and are pleased to open additional markets to them. We call the selections our \u2018Dirt Road Tour\u2019 in honor of the back roads where many of the producers are located.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dirt Road wines are selected by Andrew Stover, a professional sommelier and winemaker. \u201cAndrew has a broad knowledge of small wineries producing worthy wines. We\u2019re fortunate to have his involvement in the selection process,\u201d says Donna.<\/p>\n

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"Dirt Road" Wine Rack<\/p><\/div>\n

Customers can choose from both Little Washington wines and selections from the \u201cDirt Road Rack\u201d located in the back of the tasting room. All of the wines are periodically rotated through the tasting bar so visitors are provided a different tasting experience every time they visit the winery.<\/p>\n

Little Washington Winery is a unique and welcome addition to the Virginia wine scene. Its owners are unpretentious and view wine as an everyday beverage and consummate food companion. \u201cSome folks get a little carried away with intimidating winespeak. That\u2019s not us. Our passion is about sharing the serenity of this place and making good wine,\u201d says Carl.<\/p>\n

Little Washington Winery is located at 72 Christmas Lane, Washington, VA.\u00a0 The tasting room is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm. 540.987.8265. Visit them at http:\/\/www.littlewashingtonwinery.com\/ \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n
Published in the Spring 2012 edition of the Virginia Wine Gazette.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guests Come for the Wine But Are taken By the Beauty\u00a0 The wine is called Mesmerized. It\u2019s a blend of Viognier and Vidal Blanc and earned its name from the behavior of arriving guests. As soon as they enter the tasting room they head for the deck. They\u2019re mesmerized. And well they should be. Sweeping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[441,439,440,442,16,438],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n