In August 2022, Chris and I bought our first RV, an 80th year edition (2011) Airstream 3500 Interstate with 93,000 miles on it. We were thrilled to own an RV. It is kind of like the romance and dream of your first RV is far greater than your common sense. Since the “Beachmobile” was almost a decade old, there were a lot of little foxes nipping at the wallet. And our learning curb was pretty steep. But it wasn’t long before we were ready to venture out. In early September, Chris found a vineyard on Harvest Hosts where we could do the overnight boondocking adventure—that’s a lot for rookie RVers, but we were game and excited.
Nestled in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley down a winding country road not far from I-81 is a rare gem, the Shenandoah Vineyards. Turning onto the gravel driveway just past the sign, there is a sense of traveling into French wine country. The rolling hills planted in vines glimmer in the sunlight against the picturesque Edinburg Gap. There is a feeling that this is a special place. In fact, it is the oldest winery in the Shenandoah Valley, founded in 1976. Buildings on the 28 acres date back to the Civil War. Daughter of the owner Sydney Alexander greeted us in the wine tasting room. She talked a bit about the family and how her dad had property in France and couldn’t go there during COVID. Chris and I shared a flight of wine out on the back porch of the tasting room.
To me, this was a hint about the French-seeded vineyards. Just have to say that the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon, half aged in one-year old French Oak and half in Neutral French Oak was among the best Virginia/Maryland red wines I have ever tasted. Similar high praise to their Blanc, A mix of Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Chardonnay, Vidal, and Cayuga aged in stainless steel for 11 months. I’m not a real fan of whites, but this was excellent. This is in keeping with the huge display on the two-story wall of the tasting room bearing dozens of awards, including the 2022 Governor’s Cup Wines. We bought a couple of bottles and walked back to our RV and sat down under the awning. While Chris made some cheese snacks to have along with our wine, Service Dog Charlie was sniffing around on food patrol. So he and I took a power walk through the vineyard. It was a really enjoyable evening looking out over the vineyards against the background of the Shenandoah Mountain range. We started the generator and watched a movie before going to bed. Very peaceful.
In the morning, the fog was rising up just above the vineyards as the sun came up. It was a great picture. We had some coffee and toast, broke camp and headed for Woodstock, where we had breakfast at the Woodstock Café. A couple noticed Charlie and wanted to pet him. Everyone is quite friendly and they were getting ready for a Tacofest. We took a walk around Woodstock and headed home. And that was our first camping adventure in an RV together. No big problems, thankfully. Later on we found out the hard way that the RV leaked, lost its brakes, and the check engine light wouldn’t go away. We upgraded shortly after. Old wineries are great. Old RVs, maybe not so much.
