Of Village Winery and Woolen Finery

This weekend, feeling a touch of cabin fever, I decided to explore the local countryside. I had read a small ad for a local winery I had not heard of before. What really caught my attention was the winery, Village Winery and Vineyards, was offering its own Elderberry Wine and estate-grown Elderberry Syrup. That was the push I needed to get my butt in gear on an overcast Loudoun winter day and head out to one of my favorite spots - the historic village of Waterford.

Now, I have tried to grow elderberries in the past and simply managed to kill off the nice bushes I got from Dave at Abernathy and Spencer nurseries in Lincoln. The raspberry and blackberry bushes I got from him last spring did really well and bore a decent first-year crop. Dave is a very committed and knowledgeable grower, his nursery offers a staggering variety of plants, herbs, shrubs, and trees grown in his on site greenhouses, and it's fun to see the free-roaming chickens and exotic birds on the premises.

But I got my elderberry late in the season and it just never thrived. One of the reasons I am so keen on elderberry is that I found a wonderful elderberry wine while touring Scotland, and was on the lookout for more. Also, for the last two winters, I have been taking elderberry extract to ward off colds and flu, and it really seems to work (when I remember to take it). It's an all-natural product called Sambucol and you can get it at Healthways Food in Purcellville. So I was already an elderberry convert when I headed out on Saturday to Village Wineries.

To reach the winery, I passed through the old Quaker village of Waterford. I got a lovely view of some of the vineyards as I proceeded up the drive to the tasting room. I was also happy to see, that on a dreary winter day, there was a good crowd in the parking lot, with license plates from all over the region.


The tasting room is a cozy, rustic nook attached to an old barn that the owners are lovingly restoring. I got to taste a variety of Village Winery offerings, including the elderberry wine, the elderberry syrup, some merlot, and their apple wine. The apple wine had been mulled and was warm and welcoming. I bought some elderberry wine and syrup and tasted some of the wines. It was a great way to spend a dready weekend afternoon.

An added nice surprise was that the winery turned out to be right next to a local fiber goat farm that I was familiar with but had never had a chance to visit. The pasture was right next to the winery's parking lot, with cars on one side of the fence and goats on the other. I always travel with goat treats in my car (you never know when they will come in handy). So I approached the fence with some and made friends with the fiber goats. They are quite grand-looking creatures. They were a bit aloof but after tasting the first few animal crackers, they came around.