Destination Bliss Volume 6 | Page 71

VIRGINIA Wine Country

DESTINATION BLISS
The state ’ s slogan says it all — Virginia Is for Lovers . Embrace the romantic challenge to take your photo with the 200 + LOVEworks signs scattered across the state .
For couples who live in mid-Atlantic cities like Washington , D . C . or Baltimore , Virginia wine country makes for an easy , rejuvenating minimoon that ’ s a little closer to home than Napa Valley . You ’ ll find more than 300 wineries and several wine trails , all surrounded by stunning scenery and plenty of historic small towns to visit along the way .
The largest concentration of wineries in Virginia is on the Monticello Wine Trail , with the charming city of Charlottesville at its center and the home of Thomas Jefferson nearby . Must-visits include Barboursville , a stately winery run by the Zonin family from Veneto , Italy and Blenheim Vineyards , owned by rocker Dave Matthews .
On the Shenandoah Valley Wine Country Trail , you ’ ll roll past orchards , horse farms , historic sites and breathtaking mountains on your winery-hopping route . History buffs may want to stop at the numerous Civil War battlefields along the way .
69