So this month I traveled to Miami and throughout Virginia in search of a good time and even better wine. I have to go ahead and give yall a spoiler alert and let you know that I didn’t find time to make it to winery in Miami. And if you’ve ever been to Miami you understand why. Having lived there for a little over three years, my time as a graduate student in Miami was filled with lots of studying, traffic, beach nights, and excitement. This go round I got to experience Miami as a full GROWN and boy did it look different in the daylight.

While in Miami I didn’t get a chance to visit one of S. Florida’s most infamous vineyards, Schnebly Winery, but I heard great things about it so if you’re in the area you should check it out!

Aside from enjoying the reunion with all of my friends, coming back and seeing the city in the daylight made me realize that as beautiful and exciting and wonderful as Miami is, it’s not the city for me. Re- experiencing Miami reminded me that my “ choice” to move to the DMV area was more perfect than I could have ever imagined.

You’re probably wondering why “choice” is in quotes, that’s because I didn’t actually move to the DMV on my own. I initially created this full life plan, that included me moving to Atlanta, starting my own little family, and living out my days happily ever after. As you can see, life had very different plans for me. After moving to Atlanta and not being able to find a job for months, I finally landed a full-time position in the DMV and the rest was history……

One of the things I love most about living in the DMV area is how close you are to so many cool things, particularly vineyards. I find that every time I visit vineyards in the DMV area it’s almost like being transported into another world that’s much more quiet, peaceful, and relaxing that my daily hustle through Chinatown. To make a long story short, vineyards in the DMV have become a place of solace for me.

And being that it’s VA Wine Month, I decided to explore two Virginia vineyards in the Shenandoah Valley, Muse Vineyard and North Mountain Vineyard.

One of my favorite parts about wine and vineyards are the stories behind the wine. Before I go visit a place, the first step for me is to find out as much as I can about the winemaker and their family.

For example take the Muse Vineyard, owned by husband and wife, Robert Muse and Sally Cowal. Robert is an international lawyer who (as an Arizonan) trained as a barrister in England. Sally is a former United States ambassador who is now Senior Vice President of Global Cancer Control at the American Cancer Society. Together they own and produce wines with traditional French and Italian styles. One of my favorites from this vineyard was the Thalia.

This delicious white wine is a Rhone blend of different grapes aged in French Oak. It’s reasonably priced at about 25 dollars a bottle and is a great wine. This wine isn’t on the sweet side, but also isn’t going to leave your mouth feeling dry. Instead, it has a smooth buttery vanilla flavor with a bit of tang at the end. If you’re looking for a new white wine, I would definitely add this one to the list.

Aside from the delicious wine, the actual vineyard is beautiful!

Next, I visited the North Mountain Vineyard and Winery.

North Mountain Vineyard and Winery was established in 1982. All the grapes are estate grown and wines are estate produced. This vineyard had some delicious seasonal variety wines like a spiced red and white wine, apple wine, and so much more.

They have a ton of seasonal varietals like the Oktoberfest, spiced holiday, and mountain midnight. My absolute favorite wine was the Spiced Holiday. The Spiced Holiday taste like Christmas in a glass with lots of spices like cinnamon and it can also be warmed up. North Mountain also has a great table wine called the Tom’s Brook Red.

Unfortunately, these wines cannot be purchased online, but if you are ever in the Northern Virginia area this is a must see stop.

“Go with the flow ”

— Lola

Overall, this month’s travel taught me to re-imagine life, never say never, and sometimes solace is in your own backyard. Going back to Miami, a place I once was so excited to live in, but now can realize how much it just does not fit me anymore was refreshing. It was even more refreshing because I once thought that I would call Atlanta home and would never move anywhere else again, but after leaving Miami and going to the DMV, I’m incredibly grateful. Grateful that whenever I create a plan for my life and am so sure that I know what the future will look like, I get thrown a curveball.