Our next stop on the Wine and Dine trail was Chateau Morisette, located just outside of Floyd, VA right off of the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. We have dubbed the 2012 Wine and Dine Series “The Year of the Dogs” as it seems all of the wineries as well as Wilderness Adventure are dog friendly places! Not only is Chateau Morisette so dog friendly that you can even bring your own dog to a tasting, but you can get items with dogs on them in their shop, and their website is www.thedogs.com! Currently, there are two dogs owned by the Morisettes, both black labs who are featured on their site & on many of their wine bottles.  Some of their Wine Blends such as the Liberty and Independence provide 8% of all proceeds going to a service dog organization dogs4acause.org.

The tasting room & special events building (shown above) is true to its name with a classic European style the Chateau is detailed with magnificent stone fireplaces and a French countryside exterior. The large wooden beams that tower overhead throughout the building were made of salvaged timbers from the St. Marie River, to make this elegant structure one of the largest salvaged timber framed buildings in North America.

Upon entering the large double doors, you immediately appreciate the beauty of your surroundings. The room opens up to a second story with a wrap around walkway and fireplace in the distance. The tasting room and gift shop are on the first floor, while the special event and meeting space are on the second. The day of our visit was a Holiday Open House and there were easily over 100 people in attendance for the special reserve wine tasting and pairing on the second floor.

For the Wine and Dine, we met with Doss Cummings, the National Sales Manager, who was one of the most hospitable people we have ever met! Doss gave us quite the tour and history of the winery and introduced us to almost everyone that was working there. We felt so welcomed into the Chateau Morisette Family and we can’t wait to return the favor at our event in January.

Doss explained that the first vines were planted in 1978 and Chateau Morisette first produced wines commercially in 1982. Apparently, Virginia wines were just getting off the ground then and there were five vineyards in the whole state! There are only two of those original five remaining today, with Chateau Morisette being one of them. Today, they are one of the biggest and well known wineries in the state, growing grapes on their property in Floyd County as well as several different sites throughout Virginia. They produce almost two dozen different wines and are a great addition to this year’s Wine and Dine!

After tasting the expansive list of wines and getting some pairing ideas from the chefs of Chateau Morisette, we have decided upon Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Sweet Mountain Laurel, Cabernet Franc, and Chambourcin for the January Wine and Dine. We have some surprises up our sleeves for pairings as well!

Interested in joining us for this special event? Call today to make a reservation 540-864-6792

Price: $100 per person or $175 per couple includes tastings and pairings (5 wines with 5 course dinner), lodging, and breakfast the next morning. Add on additional activities to make it a fun filled weekend: $20 per person per ride for the 900′ zipline, $15 per person for our 50′ climbing wall, $40 per person for an amazing tour of the underground world on a caving trip, or just $10 per person takes you on a guided hike to our Bluff Overlook for a view of the beautiful mountains and a great workout.

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