Fauquier County’s village of Hume is home to an exquisite winery– featured in the Summer 2008 issue of The Piedmont Virginian. Nestled on 27 acres of rolling hills in the heart of Virginia wine country, Philip Carter Winery produces premium wines in honor of Charles Carter’s dream for winemaking in Virginia. Indeed it was Carter’s Cleve Plantation (pictured at right) that produced the first recognized fine wine in America. Back in the day, Charles Carter spoke with agriculture specialists in London about economic diversification in the colonies through commercial wine-making:

In 1762 Carter, who by then had 1,800 vines growing at Cleve, sent to the London society a dozen bottles of his wine, made from the American winter grape (“a grape so nauseous till frost that the fowls of the air will not touch it”) and from a vineyard of “white Portugal summer grapes.” These samples were so pleasing a taste– “they were both approved as good wines,” the society’s secretary wrote– that the society awarded Carter a gold medal as the first person to make a “spirited attempt towards the accomplishment of their views, respecting wine in America.”

Today lucky visitors can unwind in the tasting room from Thursday- Monday (11 am- 6 pm) and sip some fabulous Cabernet Franc. This winter season means lots of holiday merry-making, to boot. Stop by on November 28th to be treated to a Holiday Cornucopia and mulled wine. On December 20th, enjoy “Deck Cleve Hall Open House” (mulled wine, Christmas music, Santa’s buffet, and even a holiday ornament contest!)