Shenandoah Valley wine and jazz

Wine was the star of the day at Saturday's Shenandoah Wine & Jazz Festival at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton. Sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Wine Trail, it featured tastings from local wineries, vendors offering food items and an array of other offerings, and live jazz. Held under the trees at the stage tucked away behind the Irish farm, it offered a cool setting with picnic tables and benches for those who had not brought lawn chairs.

Vineyards represented were Barren Ridge, Bluestone, Cave Ridge, Cross Keys, Lexington Valley, North Mountain, Ox-Eye, Rockbridge, Valerie Hill, Wisteria, Wolf Gap and Valerie Hill.

The Ox-Eye Vineyard tent was busy as festival goers waited for tastings of a variety of wine choices.

"Shenandoah at War" Battlefields Foundation was represented by Rob Aitcheson who had a variety of items on display with proceeds benefiting the foundation. I had an interesting conversation with him about the war and Confederate mapmaker Jedediah Hotchkiss who had close ties to the Staunton-Augusta County area. Cave Ridge Vineyards bottles the "Shenandoah at War"-label wine with a percentage of the proceeds going to the foundation.

Vendors were selling a variety of items including this creative shirt from Cave Ridge Vineyards.

Staunton's Betsy Bell or Mary Gray Mountain (not sure which one) can be seen behind vendors that included Dragonfly Arts and Pottery, Bath Fitter, Art Tiles by James, Vibe Bryant, Cabin Creek Roasters, Hot Wired Art, SVBF, Burton Galleries, Scentsy, D-Vine Creations, Passage Creek Farm, Woven Wood Farm, Nuts R Us, The Green Shed, and Thirty-One Gifts.

Upcoming event from Crosskeys Vineyards.

Loved the name ... Wisteria Farm & Vineyard out of Stanley, just south of Luray. As I took pictures of her selection of wines, we chatted and she said they have wisteria growing all around the farm.

Tastings ...

Barren Ridge's owner John Higgs was enjoying the crowds and had lines at his booth.

More tastings.

This young couple was sitting by the pond as the activities went on behind them. It was a peaceful setting and I couldn't resist taking a picture....

Non-alcoholic beverages were available as well as a variety of food from AVA Restaurant and Wine Bar, Derby Dogs, and Daniel Bones BBQ.

The Irish farm was alive with the sound of jazz from the adjoining field.

The covered patio area at the museum adjacent to the gift shop. Some were picnicking at the tables before returning to the stage area.

The parking area adjacent to the dairy barn was full ...

... as was the main parking area ...

... and overflow parking. Great event, great vendors, and a sweet Virginia day.

 The souvenir glass handed out to tasters at the festival. Be sure to mark your calendar for next year's event to enjoy a day relaxing in the Shenandoah Valley.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
Shenandoah Wine & Jazz Festival
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
June 29, 2013

SWAC: Chamber's Murder Mystery at Barren Ridge Vineyards - Updated

Update: See Ben Carter's photos of the event.

"Willie" aka Chamber President Ben Carter expresses delight at the news that his younger has been found murdered.

















Saturday night's mission was clear: Pop a bottle of wine, click your glass in celebration, and kick back for some merriment and laughter at the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce's "Murder Mystery" night at Barren Ridge Vineyards.

Set in the beautiful renovated barn of this former apple orchard, a packed house of movers-and-shakers from the Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro areas gathered to share in good eats and great wine and the fun of "solving" the murder of Ben Carter, the Chamber's president, by poisoning.

As the evening progressed and guests sat munching on a wide assortment of appetizers, a sudden blood-curdling scream broke through the air ... and a hush came over the crowd as startled partiers turned first toward the screamer ... and then in the direction her finger was pointing ... just in time to see Ben Carter stumble across the room, fall against the wall, stumble into the hallway, and drop dead at the top of the stairs.

As investigators moved in to cover him in a white sheet (Ben later told me it got hot under that sheet!), the crowd began receiving their instructions to help find the murderer. Five suspects from the community were named ... the objective was to discover a motive by searching for evidence.

A twist in the murder showed up in the guise of "Willie," Ben Carter's older brother who expressed glee that his younger brother had been found poisoned.

It was entertaining to watch the investigation unfold ... I strolled throughout the building and took photos of the crowd and the winery as my sister donned her Agatha Christie hat and searched for clues. Two hours later, the murder was finally solved ... much to the delight of all involved.

We sat with Barren Ridge Vineyards owners John and Shelby Higgs, quickly finding common ground when we learned they had lived for years in Richmond but had moved back to this place that was in John's family.

Complimentary tours and tastings are available and Shelby invited us to come back and join them for a tour. The tasting room is a comfortable gathering area in front of a massive stone fireplace under wooden beams ... the outdoor patio showed promise of being a great spot to sit and sip wine in warmer weather while looking out over the vineyards and mountains beyond ... the barrel-aging room was the location of the dessert bar. The location is perfect for weddings, private parties, and corporate dinners.

Kudos to the Chamber staff for a great event.

SWAC: Chamber's Murder Mystery at Barren Ridge Vineyards

"Willie" aka Chamber President Ben Carter expresses delight at the news that his younger has been found murdered.

















Saturday night's mission was clear: Pop a bottle of wine, click your glass in celebration, and kick back for some merriment and laughter at the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce's "Murder Mystery" night at Barren Ridge Vineyards.

Set in the beautiful renovated barn of this former apple orchard, a packed house of movers-and-shakers from the Augusta County, Staunton, and Waynesboro areas gathered to share in good eats and great wine and the fun of "solving" the murder of Ben Carter, the Chamber's president, by poisoning.

As the evening progressed and guests sat munching on a wide assortment of appetizers, a sudden blood-curdling scream broke through the air ... and a hush came over the crowd as startled partiers turned first toward the screamer ... and then in the direction her finger was pointing ... just in time to see Ben Carter stumble across the room, fall against the wall, stumble into the hallway, and drop dead at the top of the stairs.

As investigators moved in to cover him in a white sheet (Ben later told me it got hot under that sheet!), the crowd began receiving their instructions to help find the murderer. Five suspects from the community were named ... the objective was to discover a motive by searching for evidence.

A twist in the murder showed up in the guise of "Willie," Ben Carter's older brother who expressed glee that his younger brother had been found poisoned.

It was entertaining to watch the investigation unfold ... I strolled throughout the building and took photos of the crowd and the winery as my sister donned her Agatha Christie hat and searched for clues. Two hours later, the murder was finally solved ... much to the delight of all involved.

We sat with Barren Ridge Vineyards owners John and Shelby Higgs, quickly finding common ground when we learned they had lived for years in Richmond but had moved back to this place that was in John's family.

Complimentary tours and tastings are available and Shelby invited us to come back and join them for a tour. The tasting room is a comfortable gathering area in front of a massive stone fireplace under wooden beams ... the outdoor patio showed promise of being a great spot to sit and sip wine in warmer weather while looking out over the vineyards and mountains beyond ... the barrel-aging room was the location of the dessert bar. The location is perfect for weddings, private parties, and corporate dinners.

Kudos to the Chamber staff for a great event.