Winery Wednesday- Hazy Mountain Vineyard and Brewery

 It was late September when Hazy Mountain Vineyard and Brewery came up on the Random Winery Generator for our Wednesday outing. 

Twas a rainy autumn day, so the views were, as promised, HAZY. 

We drove up to the vineyard tasting room, a steep grade that promised great views. The parking lot was enormous. More parking than chain restaurant, less than state fair. All that asphalt is a bit disconcerting on a mountain top, and the buildings on top were large and a bit, well, event-centerish. Maybe like an event center where the Sopranos would hold a wedding. It is very new, and I am sure, was very expensive. But the vibe falls short of being "old world" and feels like an imitation. The winery is very new. The grapes at the producing vineyard were planted in Swoope, Va. in 2016, and the vines at the tasting room property were planted in 2019.

Yet. There are The Views. Which are spectacular. 

We were seated on a covered patio with what on a clear day may be a stunning vista, but on a rainy day seemed like a lovely, cozy near mountain vista. 

We ordered a wine flight, which was a mixed red and white flight of four, and a beer flight as well. 

The beer here fared better, with 3-4****s awarded by my Huz. The wines had some bright spots as well. I like the 2019 Riesling, calling it clean and transparent, lightly acidic and sweet with 3 ***. Huz liked the 2018 BDX Red Wine Blend, giving it ***. Of the beers, he liked the Brown Ale the best, with lots of exclamations of enjoyment. 

They have a menu of food available too, not much for the extremely limited author, but plenty for my Huz, who ordered a Bavarian Pretzel with Beer Cheese. He is still talking about it a month later. So, I have to say, it was very good. It came with cornichons and mustard as well as the cheese, and there was nothing left on the plate. They offer a very enticing array of Ice Cream Sandwiches- that sound like Cookiewiches, but with interesting cookie/ice cream pairings. 

If you have a large gathering, this may be your spot. We did not, but everyone was friendly and we met some other patrons who gave us excellent recommendations for other places to visit. It was still lovely on a rainy day. 

Overall for Hazy Mountain Vineyard and Brewery:

Wines:***

Beer: ***

Atmosphere/Location: *** (4* views bring this up)

Food : ****- that pretzel and beer cheese...

First photo- how cute is this beret I pulled out for a rainy day? It was a gift from a boyfriend's mom, with great taste, about 30 years ago. Keep the classics!

When we arrived, I shot a photo of our view. 

Five minutes later, it delivered the real haze!

Here is the flight of wine in the foreground and the flight of the beer behind. 

And, one happy dude, with a Bavarian Pretzel with beer cheese. 

They had my favored shape of wine glass, but no glasses with the logo, thus not for sale. I made my own interpretation. 

Did I mention, there is some room here?

The weather cleared up enough for a selfie.

Or two!

Two photos from the entrance, front of the tasting room and event center. 

I mean, it is really nice, and somehow, not quite right. Is it the balance? The proportion? The statuary? The SDL Palladian style windows? The facing stone instead of stone wall? The abundance of gravel, with dearth of greenery? The door side lights that are too small? The attempt at quoins? The stamped concrete? An amalgamation of all? 

Sigh. It's probably just me.