A Dash of Wine

When Phillip and I took our anniversary trip to Florence, Arizona, we saw a handmade sign in front of a house that just said “winery” with an arrow.

Obviously, we had to investigate.

It turns out the winery in question was not, as the sign seemed to suggest, in someone’s backyard, but a totally legit operation down the street. The Windmill Winery was quiet except for a few donkeys, and it turns out the tasting room is closed on Mondays. We moved on with no wine and only a little whine.

The scene was very different when we were back months later. Even though it was early Sunday morning, people were already bustling around and a DJ was spinning. The winery was hosting the Dionysus Dash, a 5k run for a charity that Phillip’s work supports.

The scene before the #dionysusdash at @windmillwinery – tutus, togas, and a wine tasting afterwards!

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Apr 3, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT

After the runners were done running and we were done running the raffle booth, we got to visit the barn for a special tasting set up for the event, then say hi to the donkeys and chickens and check out the lake and the outside of the actual tasting room.

Maybe one of these days we’ll actually visit during regular hours and go inside.

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March 31, 2016March 31, 2016

Introducing the Omni Charlottesville Hotel

Have you ever stayed at an Omni?

Omni-Directional

My introduction to the chain, which has 60 hotels and resorts throughout North America, was our stay at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel during our trip to Virginia. We were greeted with a bottle of local merlot in our room. Nice to meet you, indeed.

Each Omni location has its own style, informed by the area’s “local color.” The Charlottesville hotel has contemporary Southern decor and an atrium with tropical plants. Browsing around other destinations’ photo galleries, you can see that the one in Scottsdale has a Mediterranean theme. L.A.’s feels a bit Hollywood. Nashville’s has kind of an urban cowboy look.

The brand’s intention is to make its hotels “the focal points of their cities.” In the case of Charlottesville, it’s a community hub, located right off the Downtown Mall, serving as First Night Virginia volunteer check-in site and headquarters for the Virginia Festival of the Book.

Omni-Presents

Besides celebrating the uniqueness of each location, Omni also recognizes the individuality of their guests with a loyalty program that focuses on personalized amenities.

If you stay just two nights, for example, you’re eligible for complimentary morning beverages. Check off what you want the night before, and it shows up at your door in the morning. This is especially great if you’re not a morning person, or if you’ve ever watched Downton Abbey and thought “why doesn’t my day start with someone at my door with a tea tray?!”

Omni-Competent

There was really good service throughout our stay. When our safe wasn’t working, someone came the same day to fix it and even left a little note.

Many of the other guests of the wedding we were attending stayed there, too, since it also had shuttle service to area wineries and the wedding brunch was held right in the hotel’s restaurant, The Pointe. There are several meeting rooms on site, as well.

On New Year’s Eve, the Omni provided complimentary valet parking, extra security on site, and a reminder about quiet hours after 10pm. It’s definitely a good-night’s-rest place and not a party place (although Mr. Cheeseface managed to get a little crazy).

It didn’t really affect us, since we spent the evening at the wedding. But I think we might’ve got shushed for laughing too loudly on the way back to our room that night.

On New Year’s Day, our morning beverage tray also included a couple of apples and a note wishing that our resolutions would come to fruition.

It made me smile and was a nice touch to start the new year.

—

We received media rates for our stay at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016

Exploring 3 Sides of Charlottesville, Virginia

Even though it was our first time in central Virginia, something felt familiar about the wooded hills we were driving through.

“Why does this landscape remind me of a painting in an American history book?”

Oh. Right. Because it’s exactly the kind of landscape that would have been a backdrop to the colonial-period events we learn about in school. The same kind of tree-lined ridges probably rolled right through the Jamestown Settlement, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, and other landmarks memorialized in art, legend, and the bold print in history texts.

Our destination was Charlottesville, a charming small town near the Blue Ridge mountains in the heart of Virginia’s wine country and just a couple hours south of Washington DC.

Here are some sights to check out while you’re there, as well as places to refuel.

1. Outside of Town: Presidents and Pinot

Three U.S. presidents made their homes in the region, and all three properties are open to the public with daily house tours.

Monticello – the impressive, innovative, and, in some ways, quirky house Thomas Jefferson designed for himself. We were able to visit and will be telling you more about it in a separate post.
Ash Lawn-Highland – James Monroe’s home, also in Charlottesville near Monticello.
Montpelier – James Madison’s home, which is about 25 minutes away in the town of Orange.

Eat + Drink

While there is a cafe at Monticello, we opted instead for lunch at the nearby Michie Tavern, a historic site itself with a museum, shops, servers in 18th century garb, and a killer buffet. (Seriously. You’ll be hearing more about that, as well.)

Intertwined with these sites is wine country. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in bringing wine grape cultivation to the U.S., so the historic roots of the area’s vineyards run deep. You’ll probably pass several en route to visit the presidential residences.

My cousin’s wedding was at Trump Winery – yes, it’s owned by that Trump family. But considered on its own, it’s a gorgeous venue with good food and good wine. If you feel the product trumps politics, you can stop in for an afternoon tasting.

We enjoyed a bottle of wine from Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, which is located in Leon, north of James Madison’s Montpelier. They have a barrel cave with a wine shop above it and offer events like Sunday brunch and paint nights.

The Jefferson Vineyards are located on the grounds where Thomas Jefferson had wanted to establish a commercial vineyard.

2. Pedestrian Perfect Downtown

The historic downtown street has been replaced by a brick walkway with trees, benches, restaurant seating, and sometimes vendor booths and buskers. On either side are lots of places to shop, eat and drink, an ice skating rink, a movie theater, and an outdoor concert venue.

The wide walkways allow plenty of room for community events, like First Night Virginia, a performing-arts-centered celebration on New Year’s Eve.

You can see a short film on Vimeo about the history of downtown Charlottesville and the pedestrian mall.

https://vimeo.com/42652821

Eat + Drink

We spent most of our time in the downtown area.

The Omni Charlottesville Hotel, where we stayed, basically opens right up to the downtown mall. It has a restaurant and a sporadically-open coffee shop in the lobby.

Mudhouse, on the other hand, seemed like it was open (and busy) every time we passed by (actual hours are 7a-10p most days). They have really good coffee. In fact, they were on USA Today’s Top 10 coffee shop list and a Roast Magazine micro roaster finalist.

Timberlakes – drug store/soda fountain/sandwich shop opened in 1890. I tried the staff’s highly-recommended pimento cheese sandwich, which turned out to be basically a cold cheese log and spread on toast. All that to say, I’d recommend going there for the drinks. The front of the store also has any drug store essentials you might need.

South Street Brewery – while they do have seriously good burgers, their offerings go beyond typical pub fare to include a really nice variety of salads and delicious desserts. The beer drinkers at the table seemed happy with that too.

3. University of Virginia

The UVA is just over a mile from downtown, so a little of that college town vibe still seeps over.

There’s a free trolley that runs between the Downtown Mall and UVA with stops at the Amtrak and Greyhound Bus Stations.

Thomas Jefferson himself founded the university and (probably) designed its famed rotunda, a UNESCO world heritage site – along with the rest of the Academical Village and Monticello. The rotunda is currently undergoing renovations and is due to reopen this summer.

Eat + Drink

Next to the campus is a series of craftsman-style former student resident buildings that have been converted into the Oakhurst Inn and cafe, where we got breakfast on the way out of town. We called about 10 minutes ahead, and they had my insanely good breakfast sandwich and coffee ready for us to pick up when we got there.

Monticello Artisan Trail

The Monticello Artisan Trail winds through this entire area. Formerly known as the Monticello Wine Trail, it includes wineries, breweries, farms, artisan studios, and galleries.

I’d love to go back and spend more time in the area.

—

Revolutionary War painting by Henry Alexander Ogden (c. 1897). Public domain.

Thank you to Visit Charlottesville for assisting us with this trip. We were guests of Monticello and Michie Tavern when visiting each site. We received media rates for our stay at the Omni Hotel Charlottesville and a complimentary bottle of Prince Michel wine.

January 8, 2016May 23, 2023

The Living Room in Chandler

I finally made it in to The Living Room, a cozy wine bar in Chandler, one summer day when my friend Katie was in town. A monsoon storm had just blown through, cooling the temperature down from unbearable to pleasant, and they opened up the patio for us.

The bruschetta was awesome. One kind had ripe cherry tomatoes. The other had prosciutto that reminded me of Spain.

My sangria was ok. Turns out I’m very picky about sangria. After that, I ordered the same red as Katie, and that was really good. That’s probably what I should’ve done in the first place. Katie has great taste and is kind of a Living Room expert from her Chandler days.

The servers came around just often enough, not so much they kept us from catching up, but enough to get our orders and bring us more bread, so we could finish off our delicous artichoke dip.

February 12, 2014January 4, 2018

6 Sweet + Simple DIY Valentine’s Day Ideas

Maybe all you need is love. But adding a few special ingredients – like a nice meal and a thoughtful surprise or two – never hurt. Here are a few simple DIY ideas for celebrating whoever warms your heart this Valentine’s Day.

1. Chocolate: This easy 2-ingredient recipe for homemade Kit Kat Bars comes from the brilliant minds at A Beautiful Mess.

2. Wine: Have you tried making my Super Sangria yet?

3. Flowers: Make paper roses with this tutorial from Dozi.

4. Love notes: Fold up a mini envelope (like I did for the Craft Hack flyer) and tuck a tiny card, a few conversation hearts, or some small sentimental mementos.

5. Ambience: You can make a fun heart backdrop, like this one on designlovefest, from some 1 x 2s, chicken wire, and paper napkins! (Seriously!)

6. Dinner for two: To avoid crowded restaurants, pack a picnic! Maybe head out to a scenic spot outside of your normal stomping grounds. Wherever you go, this washi tape and paper bag utensil holder from Making Home Base is a super cute way to keep forks and spoons in place. (You know I love brown paper bags, but red ones would be fun too!)

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!