For winegrowers, it is all about the harvest. They spend the entire season working their way up to that very moment. Hail or heat can ruin the season, especially close to harvest. It's tradition! Grapes are usually harvested by hand, It is a lot more work, but, the vineyard giving each person their own set of shears and a basket to put their grapes. They fill them up, then dump them into larger bins in the truck or tractor. Attention on deck! Let's rock and roll! The grapes are calling you by name.
Today is #MarketFriday initiated by @dswigle (Denise, that's me!!) Join me as we share our markets across the globe. I always look forward to seeing what you send me! It is amazing to see the different markets and cultures of our friends here on Hive. Show me what you have this week!
Welcome to the Winery at Bull Run once again. This is part two of the Winery at Bull Run. If you want to glance through part one you can click here
The Hillwood Mansion Ruins
The property has had a number of different owners, extending all the way back to 1649, when it was granted by King Charles II of England as part of the Northern Neck Proprietary. The land on which Hillwood was built was once part of the Middle Bull Run Tract; one of six vast land holdings of Robert “King” Carter. It is passed from generation to generation within the Carter family.
During the Civil War, Hillwood found itself directly between the two armies. The property was used as Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s battle post as Union Troops shelled Confederate lines in an attempt to harass the enemy into a response during the first battle of the Civil War. Many of the relics recovered from the property indicate that at some point during the war (during the First or Second Battle of Manassas), the Hillwood property was used as a field hospital. Items include syringes, bleeders, and bullets with teeth marks on them that suggest these were used during surgeries.
Passing through several owners, Frank Entwisle wound up with the property in 1946. The property boasted a significant garden, complete with strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and of course, a number of grape vines. After the death of his wife Emma in 1971, Frank moved away and the house was sold to a nephew who rented it out. In 1990, a severe fire threatened to destroy the home, and the property remained abandoned for nearly 2 decades. See above.
Most of the remaining acreage of the property was subsequently sold to the National Park Service. Jon Hickox, the owner of The Winery at Bull Run, purchased the property in 2008 in order to establish a family farm-oriented winery honoring his ancestors who emigrated from England in 1635. His family lineage has included a history of farming, stock-raising, lumbering, hunting, trapping, and fishing, so the farm-oriented winery is an important part of The Winery at Bull Run.
Jon pulled down the remaining walls of Hillwood, leaving the old foundation as a memorial to the past as he laid the foundation for the winery next to it, a testament to the future. The wooden mantle above the fireplace is the only piece of hand-hewn lumber salvaged after Hillwood burned.source
Because of its close proximity to the Bull Run Battlefield from the Civil War, this place is wildly popular. Weddings have a long waiting list, Fridays are crowded as is Saturday and Sunday is Mimosa Sunday so there is always a crowd. It was quieter when I first found it, until it wasn't. Popularity is a funny thing. You wish for it until you have it.
Touring the vineyards was interesting, and I had no idea just how much care is put into these vines. Besides tasting different varieties of wine, the tour will go back inside where we will see the production area of the winery.
These are the infamous roses. Roses are planted here and in many vineyards because they make an excellent alarm system. They are an early warning system, so to speak. If something like aphids or fungus is present, it will get on the roses first and in time, the grapes. It is like a canary in a coal mine.
The outdoor crush pad! If you are at all familiar with vineyards, this is a term you are familiar with. It is where the grapes meet their fate. Harvested or picked grapes are put in to be processed. Winemakers of days gone by did crush the grapes. They still use this dated term, perhaps more as a tribute to this time in the history of winemaking. Crushing time was this week at the Winery!
As an aside, there are still vineyards that do stomping. Seriously. They actually crush the grapes by stomping on them. Would you like to try that? I'm in!
These are called industrial stainless steel vats. The wine vats were just cleaned out. need to be cleaned out. There is a certain way they do it that makes it much easier to do.
Please leave the link to your post here so it can easily be found by others. It helps you and me to have them in one place. Where else can you take such a quick trip around the globe? Thank you so much for joining us!! ❤
A tasting room is a designated area in which customers can try samples of your wine held in large, 252 gallons vats, although other sizes are used. These rooms are normally located on the premises to make direct sales to the customer.
The gentleman with the shorts on (above) is the winemaker. Winemakers oversee the entire production of wine. It starts with the growing of the grapes and harvesting them, the art of winemaking, and some even sanitization and data logging that helps move the winemaking process forward.
Winemakers are also known as vintners and enologists,
Barrel Cleaning and Storage
Completely drain the wine from the barrel.
Rinse the barrel with clear water. ...
Add 3-5 gallons of a hot water solution of either B-Brite (sodium percarbonate) or soda ash. ...
Rinse with clear water, as before.
Add 3-5 gallons of cold water containing 1-2 Tbsp citric acid.
Why do they burn the inside of wine barrels?
Toasting wood on the inside of a wine barrel essentially releases a variety of different aromas and flavors that will be extracted from the wine or whiskey. Barrel toasting essentially caramelizes the wood's natural sugars when exposed to the flame. source
After they are smoked, they put blue tape on them and date them. This prevents them from thinking they weren't done yet. The barrels are reused up to three times before the barrel no longer imparts the oak flavor.
I love the look of a barrel room, all those little barrels, neatly stacked. When stored in the oak barrel, The wine reacts to a number of different processes. The barrel literally imparts hundreds of different substances and chemicals.
This is wine in its barrel aging stage. It is the step between fermentation and when it goes in the bottle, so we are in the home stretch here! This is where the wine matures and gives it its distinct flavors. You have heard them speak of oak overtones or the like.
The Winery at Bull Run makes a variety of wines. If you are interested in seeing the selection offered by the vineyard, click here
And just like that, this post is done. I hope you had a good time and learned a little something new. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit, and just remember, #MarketFriday loves you! Thank you for supporting the challenge! Have a most fabulous day! Cheers!!
As always, there must be flowers to color my world. #alwaysaflower A few flowers and a little wine makes everything all right. Take a peek at the Crush for the 2022 Season.
I truly enjoyed my time there and found it to be very interesting and the people there were informative. Anther thing I noticed is that everyone there seemed to be having a good time. They loved their job and it showed. Thank you, Bull Run! You made my day!
Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:
Rules of the Road to Join #MarketFriday!
- Go to the market, or anywhere that you pay money for a service.
Take pictures! Be creative!
- Tell us a little bit about the market or the event. What brought you there? What did you buy? How much did it cost? Was it expensive? Did it go up or down? I need something other than 50 pictures of the market.
- Post the pictures. Of course, you should tell a little bit about the ones you post, it is too difficult to guess on some
- Use the MarketFriday Community Platform to post (#hive-196308) This is not required but appreciated.
PLEASE Drop the link into the MarketFriday comment section so I can find it!!
- Following me and reblogging the post would be appreciated, but not a rule, more vision for more views on the #MarketFriday posts!
7. You must put #MarketFriday by @dswigle somewhere on your post.
As always, please remember! #MarketFriday loves you!
#TeamUSA is a growing community of quality-content people from the United States or those living here. Check us out on Discord!
