First up was Tarara Winery. Despite being rated the best in Loudoun County for the past few years, we all agreed that the wines were not that great. Additionally, it is the McDonalds of small wineries, with live music, fruit picking, 3-4 tasting counters, etc. It was just way too overblown. The line to checkout looked like it would take at least 30 minutes. We had a quick tasting and did not buy anything. On the upside, the staff seemed to be very knowledgeable and were very nice. The only wines we liked were the Rose and the Cab Franc, everything else was horrid. The cave where they age the wine was also a neat touch.
Our next stop was Lost Creek, about a 5 minute drive from Tarara. The staff seemed to know what they were talking about, but were a little rushed. However, the wine itself was very good; we bought a bottle of their Springtime, which is a blend of viognier, chardonnay, and others. Good blend of atmosphere and wine.
Our last stop was about a quarter mile from Lost Creek, Hidden Brook Winery. Basically a small log cabin with a porch, the atmosphere was the worst (though still not bad). However, the wine was pretty good. We ended up with a bottle of cab sauv, always a good choice.
