Culture Food & Drink

Winning wine

Shannon Horton had a dream: “I wanted to make a white wine that would go with a steak.” As a member of the family dynasty that runs Horton Vineyards in Gordonsville, she had a good shot at achieving that goal. And last fall, her wine—Suil (pronounced sue-ELL)—became the first sparkling viognier and only the second […]

Carol Diggs | February 2, 2022

News

Milling it over

Living here, in the shadow of Monticello, you’ve likely heard of Shadwell, the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson. There’s even an historic marker for it, along 250 East, south of Pantops. But next to the marker, all there is to see is rolling pasture and a herd of not-very-historic-looking Black Angus cattle. Two hundred and sixty […]

Carol Diggs | January 5, 2022

Abode Magazines

Falling in love with a house

Alana Woerpel began using her imagination to create beauty and comfort as a little girl, helping her mother sew, paint, and hang wallpaper in the houses her parents bought to renovate. These days, the UVA alum has her own business, Alana’s, Ltd., a prize-winning interior design firm.  Creating beautiful rooms has also become her avocation: […]

Carol Diggs | December 16, 2021

Abode Magazines

Making a more livable kitchen

There’s nothing like a pandemic shut-down and virtual school to show you that your kitchen just isn’t working.  For one family who moved into the Rugby Road area in late 2018, the “new normal” showed that their eat-in kitchen, while large, didn’t have a good working space for their grade-school daughter’s remote learning, and didn’t […]

Carol Diggs | December 16, 2021

Abode Magazines

The zen box

You would think a black box the size of a large living room, set amid the rolling hills of Albemarle County would stick out like…well, a huge black box. But Ivy Levien’s studio, perched on a rise with a view towards the Blue Ridge, rides on the land like it’s always been there. A year […]

Carol Diggs | December 16, 2021

News

Bug off

The spotted lanternfly is pretty and festive-looking, with its polka-dot outer wings, red-and-black hind wings, and yellow-and-black-striped abdomen. But appearances, as they say, can be deceptive. “This is the next bug we are all going to learn to hate,” says Rod Walker, founder and president of Blue Ridge PRISM, a nonprofit set up to help […]

Carol Diggs | November 24, 2021

Culture Food & Drink

A toast to the front line

Blenheim Vineyards is encouraging everyone to raise a glass to our first responders…literally. In a collaboration between the vineyard and renowned chef José Andrés’ international nonprofit World Central Kitchen, Blenheim’s On the Line wines are helping raise money to provide healthy meals for those still fighting the pandemic. Dave Matthews, musician, philanthropist, and owner of […]

Carol Diggs | November 24, 2021

News

Staying vigilant

“Right now, Virginia is seen as a haven state,” says national abortion rights advocate Amy Hagstrom Miller. But all that could change with one Supreme Court decision, as Hagstrom Miller knows all too well: She’s lead plaintiff in the challenge to Texas’ Senate Bill 8, which is aimed at undermining the right to choose established […]

Carol Diggs | October 20, 2021

Abode Magazines

Building the dream home

The house sits against the hillside like a person relaxed on a bench, arms laid out along the back, taking in the Blue Ridge views. This easy pose was hard-won, however—and anyone who has lived through building their own home can relate.  Owner and interior designer Tracy Reidenouer tells the story: She and her husband […]

Carol Diggs | August 12, 2021

Abode Magazines

It’s hot out there

Looking to buy a house in or around Charlottesville? Get ready: “This real estate market is a perfect storm,” says Sasha Tripp, owner of Story House Real Estate.   The local area has always been an attractive real estate market, even with relatively high prices and limited inventory. Now, with rock-bottom interest rates and pent-up […]

Carol Diggs | August 12, 2021