A Taste of Bedford

As patrons soak up the sun, delicious aromas of grilled foods and tasty Virginia wines at this year’s Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival, they will be only a short distance from five local wineries that comprise the Bedford Wine Trail. Each winery on the trail has unique attributes that make it worth a visit.
    At White Rock Vineyards & Winery, patrons can sit on a spacious, comfortable veranda overlooking neat rows of grapevines while they sip wine and nibble on cheese. The veranda is located on the back of the winery, which resembles a comfortable country home. The wine-making equipment can be found in the cool basement. White Rock, owned by the Sylvester family, offers a crisp, citrusy Chardonnay, a smoky, earthy Cabernet Franc and a barrel-aged Merlot.
    One of the most distinctive wineries in the state is Peaks of Otter Winery near Thaxton. Owner Danny Johnson is a descendent of several generations of farmers who originally purchased property near the Peaks of Otter in 1766. The family had grown apples and other fruit for years, but Johnson, seeking more creative uses for his crops, started making wine in 1996.
    Today, the winery produces more than 30 varieties of “fruit of the farm” wine, including his most popular, Chili Dawg, which is flavored with hot peppers. Chili Dawg has won a Scovie award, named after the Scoville rating system used to quantify the heat in chilies. However, Johnson said the wine was not hot enough for some, so he developed a hotter version known as “Kiss the Devil.”
    Roger and Judy Furrow, owners of Hickory Hill Vineyards & Winery in Moneta, planted their first grapes near Smith Mountain Lake in 1980 on property that belonged to Roger’s mother. In 1991, the family purchased an adjacent property and expanded their grape production. Initially, the Furrows just grew grapes and sold most of their crop to Stonewall Vineyards and Winery near Appomattox. In 2000, Hickory Hill became a winery and released the first wine they had made in 2001.
    Judy Furrow said they had a few rows of Cabernet Sauvignon that had produced excellent grapes. Their 2007 vintage won a silver medal at the 2010 Governors Cup Virginia wine competition and won a silver medal in the 2010 International Eastern Wine Competition. The wine displays a dense, dark red color and aromas of cedar, cassis and ripe blackberries. The wine has a firm backbone and would nicely complement a steak. (Who says Virginia can’t compete with Napa Valley?)
    Savoy-Lee and LeoGrande, wineries in beautiful settings that are definitely worth a visit, won’t be attending the SML Wine Festival due to space limitations, according to Jim Shauberger, events manager for the SML Regional Chamber, which organizes the event.

Banding Together
    Started in 2006, the Bedford Wine Trail was designed to boost tourism and help Bedford County’s wineries increase business by joining forces.
    Casual observers may think that owning a winery equates to the sweet life – relaxing days in a bucolic setting among emerald rows of grapevines, sipping wine and snacking on delicious cheeses. The reality is that running a winery requires hard work as well as keen business skills.
    “To have a nice lifestyle, you have to have a passion for it,” said Judy Furrow. “We started on a shoestring and did a little at a time, so we did not go into debt big-time.”
    The Bedford Wine Trail was the brainchild of the late Nancy Drake, a former Bedford Director of Tourism who realized that the area offers curious travelers many destinations of interest – Smith Mountain Lake, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and the National D-Day Memorial to name a few. Drake knew the wineries were located in stunning settings and offered wine and history that travelers would find interesting. With the help of Johnson and the Furrows, she was able to persuade the three other wineries – White Rock, LeoGrande and Savoy-Lee – to join forces.
    “It’s easier to promote the wine trail because there are more of us out there to promote it,” Johnson said. “It’s easier for the county to work with us and the tourism department to promote us because they’re promoting the whole county.”
    All of the wineries on the Bedford Wine Trail are close to SML, so load up the car and head out for a taste of history, food and delicious local wine that would make Thomas Jefferson proud.

Gordon Kendall has more than 20 years of experience in the wine business and is currently the wine, beer and spirits columnist for The Roanoke Times. He teaches wine classes and enjoys educating people on all things related to the industry. If you have a question or an idea for a future Spirits column, please e-mail editor@smithmountainlaker.com.


Take the Trail

Pick up a Bedford Wine Trail map at the Bedford Area Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Virginia 460 and 122, or download it at bedfordwinetrail.com. Have your map stamped at each winery then return to the welcome center to receive a commemorative wine glass.

Hickory Hill Vineyards & Winery
1722 Hickory Cove Lane, Moneta
540-296-1393 • hickoryhillvineyards.com

LeoGrande Vineyards and Winery
1343 Wingfield Drive, Goode
540-586-4066 • leograndewinery.com

Peaks of Otter Winery
2122 Sheep Creek Road, Bedford
540-586-3707 • peaksofotterwinery.com

Savoy-Lee Vineyard & Winery
5800 Johnson Mountain Road, Huddleston
540-297-9275 • savoy-lee.com

White Rock Vineyards & Winery
2117 Bruno Drive, Goodview
540-890-3359 • whiterockwines.com

 
2010 SML WINE FESTIVAL

What: Fundraiser for the SML Regional Chamber of Commerce featuring 27 Virginia wineries, 85 craft and food vendors and three bands performing live music (Barefoot West and Burning Bridges on Saturday; Barefoot West and The Worx on Sunday).

When: Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and  Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Rain or shine.

Where: LakeWatch Plantation (Virginia 122 south of Hales Ford Bridge)

Tickets: Tasters are $18 in advance and $22 at the gate. Non-tasters are $12 in advance and $15 at the gate. Purchase tickets online or find local sales outlets at visitsmithmountainlake.com. 540.721.1203, 800.676.8203