We spent Saturday afternoon at Stribling Orchard in Virginia for what I thought would be an adventure filled afternoon spent picking beautiful, red and golden apples. I wanted to be taken back to those childhood memories of picking apples with my sister and grandpa. The sweet crisp taste filled my mouth as we pulled up to the orchard.

 

Since learning Catoctin Creek Distilling Company offered a bottling workshop, Keith and I were convinced this would be something we needed to check out.  Yes, Keith ventured out there two Saturdays in a row. And trust me when I say I don't think he minded at all.

The workshop started with signing labels with any personal message. So if you see any of their Watershed Gin referencing the Mavs or asking if you "Got tonic," then you're quite lucky to have acquired a bottle we labeled.


There were several stations that allowed you to actually bottle, insert the cork, or seal up the bottles before they were handed off for labeling and then packing. I'd estimate that at least half the group simply stayed put with the labeling like Keith and me. The work was followed up by a tasting and pizza as a thank you for helping them bottle about 2,000 bottles of their gin.


Rather than stick around for the pizza, we slipped out and ventured over to Leesburg for lunch. We both love French food and with Saturday being Bastille Day it was a given we were going to properly celebrate. I've learned to let Keith's sense of adventure be our guide because lunch was simple but phenomenal at the little Eiffel Tower Cafe.


Keith enjoyed plump moules and I had an unexpectedly light shrimp salad free of any mayonnaise Deviating a bit from the usual drink selections we shared a bottle of rose' wine and,  of course, had to finish off with desert. Desert was also delicious. I'm still craving that light lemon sponge cake with fresh berries.

It's not often that venture outside of the Beltway, or even the District for that matter, that we had to make the most of the trip. I have wanted to explore the Virginia wineries and Keith was open to the idea. We visited two that were near our closet location. One was a solid winery and one was a bit off to say the least. I'd highly recommend checking out the North Gate Vineyard. I found several of their wines to be quite enjoyable and was disappointed to learn they haven't made their way into the Whole Foods in DC yet. There was something romantic about their vineyard...the haze from the earlier rain, the vines, and just being out with my handsome husband.