July 12, 2014:  Saturday Wanderings!

Becky and Shannon Farthing and I took off this morning ...destination.... Elk Island!  Got there only to find it was closed today. They are opened on the first and third weekends only.   So, we went next door to Byrd Cellars.  Both of these are located on Rt. 6 in Goochland County.  Had a great time at Byrd.  The owners son was training Eilene to do wine tastings and they were so much fun.  Their wines seemed to have matured since I was last there and they were very good!  Ended up buying 3 bottles and joining their wine club!  Highly recommend this place to you.  It is off the beaten path, so it isn't overly crowded like some of the other bigger wineries.  Give it a try.    http://www.byrdcellars.com/

Upon leaving Byrd we looked at the wine map and decided to try a little place called Thistle Gate Vineyards.  What a nice little gem we discovered!  They opened in 2007, served their first, young wines in 2010 and today we tasted their 2012 wines.  We were pleasantly surprised by all we tasted.  Their sweet wines were not overly sweet and their reds were very enjoyable.  I bought 2 Cab Francs.  We enjoyed a lovely picnic inside since it was hot as blue blazes outside, but they have a very nice porch to enjoy in cooler weather and have a couple of cornhole games set up.  A fun place to visit!!