By Jennifer Conrad Seidel
A quick guide to Wintergreen for locavores and “locapours.”
’Tis the season for snow sports, and if you’re not able to make it to Vail or Park City, you may be trying out Wintergreen, a tad east of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Nelson County, Virginia.
If you’re looking to grab groceries to cook at your rental, stop at Greenwood Gourmet, just off Interstate 64 at exit 107, A.M. Fog (short for Afton Mountain Farm Market Orchard and Greenhouse) the intersection of Route 250 and Route 151, or Wintergreen Grocers, just before the turn onto Route 664. These stores stock local and organic produce as well as local dairy and meat products. Greenwood Gourmet has an extensive selection of Virginia wine; A.M. Fog has online ordering, so your groceries are bagged and ready when you arrive; and Wintergreen Grocers carries Trager Brothers locally roasted coffee.
At the base of the mountain, you’ll find Wild Wolf Brewing Company, a brewery and home-brew supply store, and the Devils Backbone Brewing Company, which has a full restaurant and live music. These are some of the baker’s dozen of wineries and breweries in Nelson County that have been dubbed “the Red, White and Brew Trail.” Although Veritas Vineyard & Winery is open seven days a week, other wineries may have limited winter hours, so check their websites when you’re planning your trip.
When you’re on the mountain, take a look at the farm-to-table menu at the Devil’s Grill. New executive chef Josh Tomson is sourcing from local farms and artisans, including Shenandoah Growers, Dickie Brothers, Virginia VinegarWorks, Hungry Hill Farm, and Mountain View Farm. The restaurant may also have wine- and beer- pairing dinners during your visit.
If you plan to do some more exploring in the area, visit www.nelsonscenicloop.com to learn about the Nelson Scenic Loop and download the relevant Buy Fresh, Buy Local directories at buylocalvirginia.org.
We at Flavor hope that you will consider eating local and supporting independent businesses when when you’re traveling to hit the slopes this year with some of the tips and recommendations mapped out in this article. Enjoy your trip!
________________________________________________________
A.M. Fog
9264 Critzer’s Shop Rd., Afton, VA
(540) 456.7100
www.amfog.net
Devil’s Grill
Wintergreen Resort
(434) 325-8100
www.wintergreenresort.com
Devils Backbone Brewing Company
200 Mosbys Run, Roseland, VA
(434) 361-1001
dbbrewingcompany.com
Greenwood Gourmet
6701 Rockfish Gap Tpke., Crozet, VA
(540) 456-6431
www.greenwoodgourmet.com
Veritas Vineyard & Winery
151 Veritas Ln., Afton, VA
(540) 456-8000
www.veritaswines.com
Wild Wolf Brewing Company
2773 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Nellysford, VA
(434) 361-0088
www.wildwolfbeer.com
Wintergreen Grocers
2184 Rockfish Valley Hwy., Nellysford, VA
(434) 361-2077
What a shame your reporter spent a day in Western Nelson and missed Blue Mountain Brewery, the first and finest local brewery in Nelson County! This brewery not only crafts its own beer, it grows its own hops!
From their website:
Blue Mountain Brewery sits in the shadow of Appalachia’s Blue Ridge Mountains in Afton, Virginia. We are a farm brewery, growing our own hops, and proudly craft real American beer inspired by thousands of years of tradition but not limited by convention.
In addition to great beer, the food is also delicious! They are even making heart-shaped pizzas for Valentines Day.
The brewery is open Monday – Saturday 11:30am – 10:00pm and Sunday 11:30am – 9:00pm
It would be a shame to be in this part of the world and miss out on Blue Mountain!
We certainly haven’t forgotten about Blue Mountain. We did a big feature on them back in Winter 2009. They do make a mean brew! Agreed!
Agreed – Blue Mountain Brewery is awesome. You all should also do features on Basic Necessities http://www.basicnecessities.us/Site/Blank.html and Blue Ridge Pig or just The Pig as it is known in our family:) Both are GREAT local places to eat. And the Batesville General Store Restaurant is another one to look at too. We have our foodie routines every time we we spend the weekend in that neck of the woods:)
http://copperpotofreston.blogspot.com/2010/08/copper-pot-takes-show-on-road.html