Taste of Culpeper

By Catherine Amos

Published: October 9, 2008

From airplanes to apples, this weekend is packed with fall festivals in the area.

Take a walk downtown Sunday for CRI’s fourth annual Taste of Culpeper festival outside the Depot from noon to 5 p.m., which will showcase the area’s finest in food and beverage.

The street fair will feature 15 Virginia wineries with tastings and displays, the very best eats from local restaurants and caterers available for purchase, as well as local artists and children’s activities and live music from Eli Cook (noon to 1:30 p.m.) and N2N (1:30 to 3 p.m.; 3:30 to 5 p.m.).

There will also be horse-drawn wagon rides from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Children’s activities include pumpkin decorating, crafts, games and prizes, sidewalk art, face painting and coloring.

“(Taste of Culpeper) allows one to sample all of the various cuisines from local restaurants and caterers in one venue,” said Missy Vesuna of CRI. “What a wonderful way to savor the wines of Virginia.”

Tickets are $15 at the gate, $5 for designated drivers and free for children 12 and younger. Visit culpeperdowntown.com.

Featured wineries:
Davis Valley Winery
Delfosse Vineyards & Winery
DuCard Vineyards
Fincastle Vineyard & Winery
Horton Vineyards
Lake Anna Winery
Old House Vineyards
Peaks of Otter Winery
Prince Michel Vineyards & Winery
Rogers Ford Farm Winery
Sans Soucy Vineyard & Winery
Spring Creek Wine Cellar
Vino Curioso
Virignia Mountain Vineyards
White Fences Vineyard

Artists and displays
Kandles by Karen
Culpeper Cards
Virginia Wine of the Month Club
Brother John’s Woodworking
SuShar Beads
1000 Oaks Barrel Company
Piedmont Environmental Council
Windmore Foundation for the Arts
Deja View, Rising Sun Studio

ALSO THIS WEEKEND:

Who says you can’t go home?
Kicking off a perfect October weekend are two home games for Culpeper’s high schools. Culpeper County celebrates its homecoming as the Blue Devils battle the Osbourn Park Yellow Jackets tonight at 7:30. Across town, the Eastern View Cyclones will take on the undefeated Madison Mountaineers, also at 7:30 p.m. , a highly anticipated matchup.

Apples to apples
Graves Mountain celebrates its 39th-annual Apple Harvest Festival this weekend and next at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria. The festival is free and open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19.

Enjoy good food and live bluegrass music, with cloggers dancing daily, arts and crafts, hayrides and horseback rides, plus visit the farm, animals, and orchards. Apple varieties include Red, Golden Delicious, Stayman, York, Winesap, Mutsu Fuji, Grannysmith and Empire.

At the packing shed there are pre-picked apples, pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn and cider, as well as preserves and condiments. Lunch is served in the festival area from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes Brunswick stew, cornbread, apple butter, applesauce and apple cider, plus hamburgers, hotdogs and fries. Call (540) 923-4231.

Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you
Stop by Chateau du Reaux tonight from 5 to 8 for your last chance bid adieu to owners Monroe and Pat Baisden while tasting a few wines and treats, plus meet new owner Kim Kelly. Kelly has been in the wine business about eight years, most recently as a sales representative for The Robins Cellars in Richmond. The Baisdens have sold the shop and are leaving Culpeper to retire in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Call 829-WINE.