Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/510262
DREAMSCAPES SPRING/SUMMER 2015 56 Visitors walk through the peaceful rolling hills that were once a raging battle- field, stopping at the statue of Confederate general "Stonewall" Jackson and the recon- structed farmhouse belonging to Judith Henry, an elderly woman who was the battle's first civilian casualty. CLINKING GLASSES Contemporary entrepreneurs are clinking their glasses in the northwest corner of Virginia. In small-town Purcellville, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, chem- ical engineer Becky Harris took a career detour and together with husband Scott established the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company. Building a distillery from the ground up takes a dose of moxie and the go- getter vision of how art and science intersect. For starters, a female distiller is unusual in this line of work. The micro-distillery also makes an unconventional style of Prohibi- tion-era style whisky, created from 100 per cent organic rye. Visitors can tour the old car dealership turned distillery, then slide onto a stool in the tasting room to sip the unique rye, gin and peach, pear or apple brandy. Nearby, Niagara-schooled Canadian winemaker Jordan Harris celebrates his love of the state's Viognier grape at Tarara Winery, one of the county's leading vine- yards. Twenty hectares at Tarara are planted with Viognier, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Loudon County (40 kilometres from Washington, D.C.) leads the state in the number of wineries (there are 43) and grape production. For travellers, a day spent touring through "D.C.'s Wine Country" includes wineries' tasting rooms, exploring historic small towns, scenic vistas of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the cap- ital's Washington Monument, and a string of restaurants where menus focus squarely on the farm-to-table experience. T R A V E L P L A N N E R Porter Airlines (flyporter.com) flies three times daily from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport. For more information on Virginia's cultural region, visit Virginia.org/VirginiasCulturalRegion. For accommodation, consider the Lansdowne Resort (LansdowneResort.com) in Leesburg. For dining, try: Magnolias at the Mill: purcellvillerestaurant.com Malones of Manassas: malonesofmanassas.com härth in the Hilton McLean: harthrestaurant.com DS RIGHT: At the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, visitors can tour the old car dealership turned distillery. BELOW TOP: In the tasting room at the Catoctin Creek Distilling Company, visitors can sample unique blends of rye, gin and brandy. BELOW CENTRE & BOTTOM: A trip to "D.C.'s Wine Country" includes a string of restaurants where menus focus squarely on the farm-to-table experience. Josephine Matyas