10/27/2026
So, friends, we still aren't done telling the tales of our recent trip to Virginia, and this one is worth settling in to a great glass of w**e while you read this story.
Unbeknownst to us, before our arrival in Charlottesville at Blenheim Vineyards, a longtime friend of our company pulled some strings that we weren't aware of before we actually arrived on-site. He knew we were going to be visiting Blenheim, but we had no idea what he would arrange for our arrival.
When we arrived at Blenheim (Dave Matthews owned w**ery) we were greeted with a private table set for us for our own private tasting. As one of the employees began pouring our w**e, another employee made a phone call, the details of which we could not hear. Suddenly, Kirsty Harmon, the head w**emaker for the vineyard, appeared and took over the tasting. From that point on the real "special" part of our visit began.
We aren't sure how much time Kirsty spent with us, but it sure didn't feel long enough by the time we came to the end of our time together. We connected right away on the processes of "creation", both w**e and coffee, and the similarities in our desires to make something that tastes special in each industry. Kirsty is respected around the world for her lifetime of work in w**e, and everything we've ever tasted from Blenheim has been stellar!
From there, so many stories were told that would make this time together time Jennica and I will never forget. Our time together completely solidified our knowing that Dave Matthews is the incredible human we think he is. We won't share those stories here, for they are deeply personal and meant to be kept private. We will share, however, that the label you see on the 2024 Painted Red (which was fantastic, BTW) was an image Dave's Mom drew a very long time ago symbolizing her children. She got to see that image used for this w**e before she passed away in 2025. We finished that bottle and brought the empty bottle home with us.
After parting, we headed outside to see Dave's old Ford truck and departed. Kirsty had gone right back to what she was doing when we got there, and we saw her back in the vineyard riding on the tractor.
❤
