AWAY: Virginia’s Top Food and Wine Spots

Virginia is more than just outstanding outdoor adventures and picturesque scenery. Did you know Virginia’s cuisine is among the most awarded in the country? We’ve collected the Old Dominion’s top food and wine experiences that are all waiting for you. Now’s the time to book your long-awaited trip to Virginia and take a culinary tour, so what are you waiting for!? 

Chatham Vineyards

9232 Chatham Road, Machipongo, VA

Enjoy a relaxing 45-minute paddle on kayak from the local wharf of Bayford to Chatham Vineyards. Guides will identify local wildlife and aquaculture along the way, then provide a tour around the historic property once ashore. After a complementary wine tasting there’s always time to sit outside in the vineyards and enjoy a glass of wine along with a cheese tray before paddling back. Chatham Farm has been a working farm for four centuries. Since 1999, more than 20 acres of high-density (1,740 vines per acre) French vinifera varietals have been planted – Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The vineyards are cane pruned during the winter months to balance the vines and limit yields to less than 4 tons per acre, thereby concentrating wine flavors. chathamvineyards.com

The Cavalier Hotel

4200 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA

The historic Cavalier Hotel offers a wide array of dining options with garden-to-table at Becca, rustic fare at Hunt Room, hand-crafted cocktails and bites in the Raleigh Room, and beachside favorites at the Cavalier Beach Bar. Located adjacent to the Hunt Room, Tarnished Truth uses old and new distilling techniques to create a superb portfolio of award-winning locally crafted bourbon, rye whiskey, vodka, gin and other specialty spirits. marriott.com

Fish Hawk Oyster Bar at Tides Inn

480 King Carter Drive, Irvington, VA

Experience Irvington’s newest coastal eatery, Fish Hawk Oyster Bar, located at the Tides Inn. This casual dining concept features fresh coastal cuisine, beachside oyster roasting, indoor raw bar, signature cocktails, seafood classics, live oyster shucking, build your own burger bar and more. Enjoy live music on the terrace overlooking picturesque Carter’s Creek throughout the season. Seeking something more formal, check out Chesapeake Restaurant & Terrace, where New England seafood meets southern comfort. tidesinn.com

Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards

5022 Plank Road, North Garden, VA

Pippin Hill Farm is a unique culinary vineyard among the growing number of fine wineries along Virginia’s Monticello Wine Trail, distinguished by a sustainable viticulture program, purpose-designed event venues, and landscaped gardens and courtyards overlooking a pristine valley. With an open vaulted central area adjoining a porch bar with views across the valley and a field stone fireplace with a wood-burning cooking oven, a sophisticated wine tasting experience awaits. pippinhillfarm.com

La Table Provençale at L ’Auberge Provençale

13630 Lord Fairfax Highway, Boyce, VA

This award-winning Northern Virginia restaurant features ingredients from many local farms and its own backyard. Throughout your stay, enjoy unique cocktails and craft beers while savoring small trendy dishes and local fare in the ambiance of a chic Parisian brasserie. Dine evenings in a romantic restaurant while their talented team of chefs prepares a true farm-to-table gourmet experience that showcases the finest flavors of Provence. The menu changes seasonally. laubergeprovencale.com

Patty O’s Café and Bakery and The Inn at Little Washington

389 Main Street, Washington, VA

Michelin-starred chef Patrick O’Connell is now able to fulfill a lifelong dream of offering the simple, classic American dishes of his childhood, reimagined. Patty O’s Café is a former gas station on the village square that has been transformed into a charming sidewalk cafe, an inviting bar, and a cozy dining room. A bakery and European-style pastry shop are located on the side of the building. Menu highlights include a crock of Pimento cheese, champagne brined ham sandwich and Patty O’s half roast chicken with Ratatouille and pureed potatoes. The cafe offers an additional dining option for visitors and guests of the 3 Michelin-starred Inn at Little Washington, located directly across the street. Dining at The Inn has been likened to a performance with the guest always playing the star role. The Inn’s dining rooms are pure fantasy – a wondrous cocoon of luxury. Rose-colored, silk lampshades float above each table creating a private, romantic world below. The Chef’s creations arrive at one of the 30 intimate tables as if served by invisible hands, course after course more dazzling than the last. From the award winning 14,000 bottle wine cellar, which includes the finest offerings from Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Virginia, the Sommelier plays matchmaker between you, your dinner and the wine. pattyoscafe.com and theinnatlittlewashington.com

The Jefferson Hotel

101 West Franklin Street, Richmond, VA

For ambiance and historic value alone, dining at The Jefferson Hotel is well worth the visit. Lemaire is the hotel’s posh but not pretentious New American modern restaurant. But it’s the Sunday Brunch that is the showstopper, with seating locations throughout the rotunda and at the base of the hotel’s grand staircase. Arguably the best Sunday brunch on the East coast, guests get unlimited champagne to go along with savory buffet options (salad, seafood, carving stations, breakfast, lunch) that make it difficult to save space for the sweet options. jeffersonhotel.com

Barboursville Vineyards

17655 Winery Road, Barboursville, VA

Spread across 1,000 acres, Barbourville Vineyards cultivates 150 acres of vines on the historic property of Governor James Barbour. In 1976, Gianni Zonin, the head of one of Italy’s oldest wine families, acquired the land and over the past 45 years has come to define the vinicultural region envisioned by Thomas Jefferson nearly two centuries ago, as he was convinced the region surrounding his Monticello home was well suited for European wine production. The entire estate is open for tasting wines in a stroll or in a picnic, and tastings take place in Library 1821 and the Discovery Tasting Room. bbvwine.com

The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm

42461 Lovettsville Road, Lovettsville, VA

Hidden in the woods of Lovettsville, nourish your soul and excite your palate while you savor earth-to-table, local, organic, seasonal cuisine in a setting only Mother Nature could create. Eat produce that was picked at their peak that morning or afternoon. Food is prepared according to the number of reservations, allowing the restaurant the ability to pick “just enough” fresh produce making sure to honor sustainability practices. patowmackfarm.com

Greenhill Vineyards

23595 Winery Lane, Middleburg, VA 20117

Nestled in the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Greenhill is the foremost boutique winery in Loudoun County, Virginia, delivering quality wine, with friendly and professional staff in a breathtaking farm winery setting. They celebrate the terroir with 100 percent Virginia wines and offer Charolais beef and honey from their apiaries at the Farm Store. An adults-only winery (21 and over), reservations are required for groups of 10 or more and can be made online. experiencegreenhill.com