Winemaker Matthieu Finot siphons wine from oak barrels to give a reporter a preview of the 2009 vintages from King Family Vineyards. Outside the barrel room, scores of tourists and wine enthusiasts buzz through the tasting room—swirling, talking, snacking and purchasing wine. It’s Saturday afternoon, and it’s business as usual at a popular Crozet winery […]
Winemaker Matthieu Finot siphons wine from oak barrels to give a reporter a preview of the 2009 vintages from King Family Vineyards. Outside the barrel room, scores of tourists and wine enthusiasts buzz through the tasting room—swirling, talking, snacking and purchasing wine. It’s Saturday afternoon, and it’s business as usual at a popular Crozet winery […]
Removal specialists An array of devices proves there’s more than one way to pull a cork. Pick these up at Market Street Wineshop (clockwise, from top left, $16.99, $8.99, $6.99). Top chef secrets Ginger scones, spiced quail with cranberries, raspberry chipotle bacon, gingersnap […]
Why make eggnog from scratch? Rich, creamy ‘nog at the Boar’s Head Inn. If your only eggnog experience begins and ends with a waxed cardboard carton that clutters up your holiday refrigerator, and if you didn’t care for it, embrace the caloric commitment and whip up a fresh batch for your festivities this year. […]
Tropical Storm Ida and her Nor’easter spawn gouged away chunks of Atlantic beaches, but that’s what those Outer Banks are for, isn’t it? (What would New Orleans give for some barrier islands?) Here in the foothills and Piedmont, though, that soaking was the best gift to gardeners in a long time. Succeeding days of steady […]
The first residents of Pavilion VI on the UVA Lawn were a 26-year-old professor of mathematics and his wife, transplanted in the mid-1820s from Cambridge, England. Chastened by the Virginia summers, they left after only two years. The pavilion is undoubtedly more comfortable for its current occupants—Bob and Peg Sweeney—though the demands of a semi-public […]
More green, please This house on a prominent Ridge Street corner will soon get a green rehab. Want more green housing in Charlottesville? You got it. In a unique collaborative effort, UVA students of architecture and engineering have partnered with the city and Barton Malow Company to rehabilitate and redesign a house in the historic […]
In 1996, when architect Neal Deputy adapted the original Coca-Cola Bottling Works (CCBW) Building on 10th Street NW into four residential apartments, there wasn’t much like it for renters in town. Almost 14 years later, such “loft-style” apartments—former industrial buildings converted to residences with large open floor plans—are more common. The rage that began in […]
Set to weather well Often, we’ve had guests who, against all reason, have actually volunteered to stay overnight in our chaotic household so that they may donate their elbow grease to our renovation cause. (Perhaps they are persuaded by the embarrassingly large breakfasts we serve.) One project I look on as a special monument to […]
Crafter’s Christmas The last thing we here at Instant Decorator wish for you this season is to be boring. When you dig out your holiday regalia and find that old evergreen wreath with holly berries that you tucked away last winter, you’ll realize that it’s missing some originality. This month’s project is a little […]
The wallpaper scorer’s teeth punch tiny holes in the paper, which make it easier for stripping agents to do their work. Easy removal still not guaranteed. Stuck on the scorer When my significant other and I moved into our first home, we spent the first few weeks cursing the previous owners for their bonehead D.I.Y. […]