It's National Tourism Week: Wine Dogs Recommend Visiting a Virginia Winery or Festival

Where better to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week (the first full week in May) this weekend than at a great Virginia winery?

Need help deciding which of Virginia's more than 140 wineries to visit? Check out the Wine Dog reviews, or try a festival. The Mount Vernon Spring Wine Festival brings together 16 wineries along with sunset tours of the mansion and jazz on the lawn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings (Munchkin's Mom will be pouring for Philip Carter on Friday). Saturday is the Wine and Craft Festival along Main Street in Front Royal, with 16 participating wineries, along with an impressive collection of local Virginia crafts.

Virginia Wine Dogs'

Fun Wine Tourism Facts

1. Travel and Leisure Magazine recently named Virginia one of the top five up and coming wine regions in the world.

2. More than one million visitors each year include a trip to a winery as part of their Virginia vacation.

3. In 2009, Virginia's wineries sold almost 400,000 cases of wine, totaling approximately $80 million in retail sales.

4. Virginia's wine industry contributed $347 million to the state's economy in 2005, including job creation, taxes, and tourism dollars, according to a 2007 study.

5. With more than 160 wineries, Virginia ranks fifth (behind only CA, NY, OR, and WA) based on the number of wineries in each state -- quite impressive considering Virginia had just six wineries as recently as 1979.

6. Virginia has 12 wine trails and 15 wine regions. To view them, visit www.virginiawine.org/regions.

7. Norton is Virginia's native grape and is the oldest grape in North America. Several wineries produce wine from the Norton grape (for an excellent example, check out Veramar's Norton).

8. Virginia ranks seventh nationally in grape production, harvesting 7,000 tons of wine grapes with a total crop value of $10.4 million.

9. Virginia wines are impressing critics across the country and around the world. Barboursville wines were served to the Queen of England when she visited Virginia in 2007 for the 400th Anniversary of the settling of Jamestown.

10. Virginia's first vineyard was planted in 1608 in Jamestown, where settlers were required to grow and tend to 10 grape vines to make wine.

Late Frost Damages Wine Crop, Year's Income

Devastating news from Loudoun County. Leesburg Today reports that Monday morning's May frost wiped out 90 percent of Doug Fabbioli's crop; other vintners also damaged. A reminder of just how fragile our industry is.

Leesburg Today - The Journal of Loudoun County - Late Frost Damages Wine Crop, Year's Income

Cheers to you, Mom!

Hey you pups out there. Lots of Virginia wineries are putting on the dog for Mother's Day.

NARMADA... has perhaps the most on-point -- release of their MOM wine. Music on both weekend days; on Saturday, Horse Drawn Carriage Rides for Mom(by the Shenandoah Carriage Company),BBQ by Sonny's Best BBQ, and music by Tim Walls and on Sunday, Indian food and music by MagicKat

PEARMUND... Preview of 2009 Petit Manseng and Complimentary Classic tastings and a fresh flower for all Mothers on Sunday!! Special Winemaker's dinner on Saturday starting at 6:30.

PRINCE MICHEL... Mother's Day Champagne Brunch on Sunday.

PHILIP CARTER WINERY... Mother’s Day includes a Glass of Wine of her choice and accompanying assortment of international cheeses.

WINERY AT LA GRANGE... 3-course Champagne Brunch in the manor house on Sunday followed by Deborah Fabian fashion jewelry show.

BARREL OAK WINERY... will have the chocolate fountain running and a 10% discount for all Moms. Paws for a Cause (Susan G Koman Race for the Cure) on Saturday night. Poor Ellen Smith plays Sunday.

GREY GHOST... has winery tours, free wine tastings for Mom and her guests, and the delightful music of Valerie Von Fange, food baskets for picnicking in the garden as well as release of the 2009 Gewurztraminer.

THREE FOX... 10% discount for Moms. Gourmet bruschetta pairings on Saturday; on Sunday, Mother's Day picknicking contest (bring your perfect picnic to spread out on the grounds; judging at 2 PM).

RAPPAHANNOCK CELLARS... Mother's Day wine, music, and BBQ (Folk Harp on Sat'y; Chatham St. on Sunday) plus release of the 2009 Viognier and Solera.

DELAPLANE CELLARS... Bring your Mom to Delaplane Cellars and she will enjoy a free reserve tasting and with the purchase of a bottle of wine, a souvenir Delaplane Cellars crystal wine glass. Verify it's your Mom with a Wallet photo of you -- if Mom forgets the photo, her favorite story of you will do! Blushing allowed.

And where will you be?

Wine Dogs offer Cherry Cheer

Munchkin and Pomeroy welcomed spring with a champagne toast following a sunrise romp thru the cherry blossoms.