THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 16, 1994 TAG: 9410140071
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 181 lines
OUT AMONG the hills of Nelson County, where the glories of fall are washing over Blue Ridge Mountains in shades of red, umber and orange, we found Virginia's Garlic Queen.
She was a splendid sight. Her regalia were a crown of cloves resting neatly in her brown hair, cloves glued to her royal belt, handsome garlic earrings to match a unique garlic choker and tasteful little cloves fixed just so onto the tops of her regal shoes.
She was the very embodiment of a garlic queen. Poised. Refined. Sophisticated. Smelly.
``I have a lifelong love affair with garlic,'' the queen announced, and a group of admirers standing nearby cheered.
``Long live the queen!'' someone shouted.
Her highness smiled broadly.
Why a 38-year-old schoolteacher from Charlottesville named Lanaux L. Hailey took the oddball title of Garlic Queen and marched proudly through the Rebec Vineyards of Amherst, Va., gets a little ahead of our story.
It began with an assignment to visit Virginia's wine country, check into a cozy bed and breakfast, and write about whatever seemed interesting.
My wife, Denise, and I pulled this trip off in two days and managed to see a good arts festival, visit two award-winning vineyards, eat at two wonderful out-of-the way restaurants and soak up some lovely scenery - all for about $200.
We bring you this travelogue because the fall foliage is upon us and few pleasures are as rewarding as taking in a fall afternoon along the Blue Ridge. Unfortunately, many hotels and B&Bs are booked for coming weekends, but many weeknight rooms are still available. If your only free time comes on the weekend, then a pleasant day trip still pays off handsomely.
Our first stop was the Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival, which the locals say is one of the top such festivals along the East Coast. The $7 entry fee seemed an odd request. We consider ourselves festival experts because we live in Virginia Beach, where festivals are required by local decree. We had never heard of an entrance fee just for the opportunity to look over arts and crafts, but we paid it anyhow.
Try as we might, we didn't see one T-shirt for sale, not one seashell ashtray or painting of a lighthouse. It appeared as if the artists had never heard of dolphins, but some vendor did manage to set up a funnel cake machine.
What we found were dozens of stalls filled with the work of true craftsmen, fine-tooled leather purses, for instance, or pottery that was a cut above the customary festival artwork. Some of the hand-made, cherry furniture was hard to pass up.
After a quick search, I found something I could not ignore: a Halloween witch silhouette, cut from a sheet of steel by a computer-guided laser beam. Now, this was the work of an artisan.
``My sister will love this,'' I said.
``What would she possibly do with that?'' Denise asked.
``Oh, she could put it on a window ledge. Or maybe she could decorate the mantel with it,'' I said, gladly forking over my $7. ``Isn't this cool?''
``Yes, dear.''
Happily marching off with my witch in a bag, Denise no doubt harbored secret thoughts about the man she married. But I was already thinking about our tour of the Afton Mountain Vineyards.
Owned by Tom and Shinko Corpra, this award-winning vineyard has a pleasant tour that ends - as they all do - with a tasting. Their 25-acre farm, which includes a 6-acre vineyard, is considered by some to be Virginia's most beautiful farm winery.
The Corpras' wines have won much praise, and we tasted them all. The barrel select Chardonnay, aged in oak casks, and a refreshing Gewurtzraminer seemed the best to us.
Tours of vineyards are common in this part of Virginia where many of the state's 42 wineries are set up. The tasting of each variety comes after the tour and the amounts offered amount to little less than a full glass in total, so there's no need to worry about drinking too much. It's a good thing, too, since the mountain roads require a sharp mind and quick reflexes.
Next stop was the Acorn Inn. Owned by Martin and Kathy Plunket-Versluys, the Acorn Inn is near Nellysford on Virginia Route 634 and nestled atop a small hill. At $49 a night, the accommodations are a true bargain. Each morning, there is a filling Continental breakfast of homemade bread, fresh apple cider or orange juice and hot coffee or tea.
Before settling in for the night, we tested our luck and headed for the Rodes Farm Inn, a restaurant in an old farmhouse a few miles from the Acorn that has seen every manner of political leader darken the doorway, Ronald Reagan and George Allen among them.
Reservations are usually required, but we didn't have them. Our luck held fast when we got a table. What's distinctive about this place are the high-quality, simple food and the unusual way you receive it.
There is no menu. You simply sit down, and they bring the food. You can take it or leave it. It's exactly like eating at your parents' home. Fortunately, the country ham, roast beef and boiled potatoes with parsley were perfect. The stewed tomatoes were fabulous and appeared to be mixed with a little onion and bread to thicken and sweeten the stock.
Cherry and pineapple cobbler with homemade coconut ice cream made a nice dessert. There's a vegetarian meal if you're so inclined. Total cost for two: $40.
We took a walk afterward along a country road and admired the black hills set against a deep slate-gray sky. The stars were out. A cool breeze hinted at fall. Upon a dark hill before us we saw the black outline of a horse grazing silently. A crescent moon shone over our shoulders.
This perfect ending to our meal only got better when we settled back at the Acorn Inn. The stable still looks very much like the building it was designed to be with a long main hallway and rooms on either side. The wide doors, built on frames to accommodate large animals, were still in use. At bedtime all we heard were the songs of crickets and tree frogs. The stillness was enchanting.
Up early the next morning, we ate and cheated with Martin and Kathy for a while before heading down to the trailer park compound of Master Charles, head honcho of the Synchronicity Foundation.
Master Charles, an ordained Vedic monk, apparently has invented a technique to expand and heighten your awareness and calm your jangled nerves. You can find out how to do this by listening to a series of cassette tapes he'll gladly sell for a small fee. Or you can sign up for a six-day, transcendental journey for a modest $750, plus tax.
We wanted to meet this entrepreneurial spiritualist, but an aide said he was too busy. She gave us a free tape and we plugged it into the cassette player. There was quite a bit of humming and the sound of a gurgling stream, and then Master Charles himself, speaking in a mellow, low voice, made the pitch.
Our next stop was the Blue Ridge Pig. This is a favorite haunt of locals and visitors alike because the food that Strawberry and Mary Goodwin make is wonderful, but it's doubtful that Master Charles would like it.
Their Carolina-style BBQ is about as good as the dish gets. We ordered baked beans - they were seasoned with lots of green pepper, onion and a touch of mustard - and German potato salad that was fat with onions and seasoned with a dill, garlic and olive oil sauce.
Their little store looks like an afterthought to the BP gas station, hardware store, bakery and car wash that make up the roadside strip. The place consists of five tables and chairs for about 15 people, and flagstone floors covered by braided rugs. The menu's on a chalkboard.
The new cooker is out back and Strawberry, as pleasant a stranger as you'll meet, is happy to show off his ``office.'' Two others have burned down. Lunch for two was less than $20.
Fat with BBQ, we set out for our second winery, the Wintergreen Mountain Vineyards on Virginia 664 in Nellysford. Owned by S. Michael and Kathleen G. Riddick, Wintergreen is a new arrival on the winemaking scene and it has taken Virginia by storm.
Their list of eight award-winning varieties is impressive. A 1993 Chardonnay won three medals, including a gold medal at the Governor's Cup and a Silver at the Monticello Cup competitions. Their Cabernet Sauvignon won a medal at the 1994 Governor's Cup. The 1993 Black Rock Chardonnay has taken seven medals, including a bronze from the San Francisco International fair. Altogether, the new winemakers have won 22 medals and awards.
Michael Riddick, a native of Suffolk, is not your typical vintner. He studied civil engineering at the University of Virginia before moving to the Outer Banks, where he settled as a contractor. He was planning to retire, and bought the 400-acre farm. But he grew bored with the retired life and began to grow grapes.
The Riddicks went to trade shows, sought help from other vintners, read, and did everything they could to learn the art and business of winemaking. Riddick particularly praised Anthony K. Wolf and Bruce W. Zoecklin of Virginia Tech's agricultural extension service for their guidance.
``We would not be this far along making wines, by any stretch of the imagination, if it weren't for those two people,'' Riddick said.
The farm itself is a real Virginia relic, complete with a magnificent 17th century home, the remains of an old grist mill, now a home, and a trout pond. Slave quarters still stand as a sobering reminder of the past.
We bade farewell and headed out for the Garlic Festival.
When last we mentioned our queen, Lanaux Hailey, she was greeting her admirers along the hills of the Rebec Vineyards, among Virginia's smallest. As reigning monarch, Hailey smiled through it all, tongue firmly in cheek.
A special-education teacher, Hailey normally passes up the chance to hobnob with the state's garlic growers, but duty called.
``I want to be queen for two reasons. Number one, I love garlic. And number two, it's the only way I can become royalty.''
With that, she waved her hand and smiled at the milling masses, just a little drunk on Virginia wine. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
TOM HOLDEN
Virginia's garlic queen, Lanaux L. Hailey, greets a loyal subject.
Greg Sovich and Michael Riddick at Wintergreen Vineyards. Right:
Afton Mountain Vineyards.
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