Wine Rack Store Blog

This weekend we decided to head north from Virginia Beach toward Maryland and Delaware. We took a route that took us through the Eastern Shores area. To get there you have to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This is not just an ordinary bridge. The bridge and two tunnels spans over 17 miles.

It was built in the 1960’s and over 100 million cars have passed over it so far. It’s not a cheap way to travel. It cost $12 to cross one way (I equate to be about one bottle off my wine rack). If you didn’t take a bridge you would have to travel up through Washington DC and Baltimore to get out there.

There is a gift shop and viewing area located near the middle. We stopped there to take in the view. We could see both of the Cape Henry lighthouses from there. There were many people fishing in boats and off a pier nearby. I wish I had asked what they were fishing for.

Labels: traveling, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

There are a lot of lovely birds out here in Virginia. I like to feed and watch birds at home in Washington so I have been paying attention to the ones out here too. They have the typical birds such as sparrows but they also have the famous cardinal. I hadn’t seen one of those until my trip here. When I finally spotted one in a tree it made me stop in my tracks. They have such a vibrant red coloring it is no surprise that 7 states claim it as their state bird.

I enjoy being serenaded by the cardinal but I also love the sound of the mourning dove that makes it home here. It reminds me of foggy mornings in California. There is also a bird called an indigo bunting which is bright blue. I have yet to see one of those but I bet they are more of a showstopper then a cardinal.

I am sure any one of these birds would love to perch on a well-made wine rack from the Wine Rack Store.

Labels: cardinals, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

The Shenandoah “Mountains” in western Virginia are full of caves. I put mountains in quotes because compared to the Cascades in my home state of Washington; these mountains look like foothills. Underground rivers created the cave we toured. The cave was full of stalagmites, stalactites, and other wondrous formations.

There are many caves to tour but we chose Endless Caverns because of the positive reviews and convenient location. The tour itself was over an hour long and went over a mile through the cave. It was a lovely 55 degrees. A perfect temperature for a full wine rack! It felt great after being out in the 85-degree sunny day.

I haven’t toured a cave this spectacular before so I was in awe most of the tour. Every bend in the path afforded a new view of the almost alien looking rock structures. I tried to take pictures but none of them revealed the beauty of cave.

I would definitely recommend this kind of cave tour to anyone. Be wary though it you are a bit claustrophobic or are afraid of bats. A few of those furry buggers flew pretty close to my face.

Labels: caves, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

During our exploration of the Virginian countryside, we were keeping our eyes open for wineries. Since Virginia is the 4th leading state in wine production we figured we should try some of their wine. We saw a sign off the main highway and followed them until we arrived at the Cross Keys Vineyards. The land on which the winery sat was beautiful. There was a nice view of the surrounding hills.

They were offering a tasting of 6 wines: 1 white, 1 rose, and 4 reds. I was also able to keep the glass as a souvenir. The white and rose were pretty good but the reds were less than amazing. Virginian wineries are known for their white wines, not their reds, and now I see why. All the reds I tasted just lacked a depth in taste. It's like drinking a flat soda, the basic flavor element is there but it just doesn't taste good. That being said, we did the purchase the Joy White for my wine rack.

Labels: virginia, wine rack, wine rack store, wine tasting

We decided to try another Virginian wine this weekend and we finally hit the jackpot. I was browsing through the local wine section and came upon a bottle I had seen a few times before. It was from the Williamsburg Winery located north west of Virginia Beach. It was called Governor’s White. It was on sale for $6 and looked good so I purchased it.

We decided to have it with relatively light pasta meal. It was very fruity just like the bottle advised. It went well with dinner and was so good we finished off the bottle which we do not do too often.

There is no information about which variety of grapes it is made from or what vintage it was. I really hate when that isn’t added! Nonetheless, I am sure we will be purchasing it again for the wine rack. The mix of price and quality is to good to pass up.

Labels: virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

When you think of the ships that the original English colonists traveled to America on you imagine they are pretty big right? Wrong. This weekend we were able to tour and go into 3 different recreated ships. They were incredibly small. I can’t believe they could stuff the amount of people they did on there. I also can’t imagine weathering a big storm in one of those. It’s amazing they even made it all the way here at all.

The inner rooms of the ships were very small. I couldn’t even stand up with out hitting my head. They probably had casks of wine because there definitely was no room for a full size wine rack. We were told that the holds were so full you had to basically crawl around on top of all the supplies. You’d also have to be very comfortable with your fellow riders because the sleeping areas were very small and you had very little space to share.

If I was alive at the time I don’t think they could ever convince me to get on a ship like that for a 4 month ride.

Labels: History, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

This weekend we explored the Jamestown Settlement museum in nearby Williamsburg. Here in Virginia Beach we saw where the colonists landed initially so we wanted to complete the story by seeing their final landing place. The museum was incredibly well done. Probably one of the best I have ever been too. That had many informative displays and items from that time.

It traced the histories of the English, Africans, and American Indians affected by these colonies. You were able to see how all the different groups lived, worked, and suffered.

England wanted the colonies to be prosperous and export materials. The most lucrative exports were tobacco and furs. The colonists also tried to grow grapes to make wine. Although they were able to fill up many wine racks because it wasn’t as successful as the tobacco industry.

It was a bit pricy but I would suggest this museum to anyone looking to learn about the roots of American history.

Labels: History, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

This weekend we wanted tour more of the countryside so we headed down to a wildlife refuge known as the Great Dismal Swamp. It was dismal indeed. Much more dismal than an empty wine rack. We got lost trying to get to one of the trail heads. To get to the parking area we had to drive down a long, gravel road through the swamp. It was really creepy so we decided not to hike around.

It was still early so we decided to drive around the swamp and into North Carolina. The countryside was dotted with farms but the swamp always loomed in the distance. I don’t think I would feel terribly comfortable living next to it. We briefly got lost in North Carolina but managed to make our way to a state park contained within the refuge. Here we went through a visitor center and were able to tour a bit of the swamp via a boardwalk. We didn’t see much wildlife except for some birds flying high in the trees.

A canal flowed around the edge of the park. This canal was built before 1800 by slave’s hands. It was quite a marvel. It was built to connect North Carolina and Virginia for shipping.

Labels: swamps, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

I have been on the look out for some Virginian wine. I found some reasonably priced bottles at a local liquor store. I didn’t not buy any there because I didn’t want to carry in all the way back to my apartment.

I didn’t have another run in with Virginian wine until a few days ago. While I was getting a hair cut, my boyfriend walked around a local strip mall. One of the stores he found was a privately owned wine shop. He brought me in there after I was done with my appointment.

It’s a pretty nice little shop. They were even having a beer tasting while we were shopping around. I looked around to see if anything stuck out at me. I finally happened upon the Virginia section and picked out something. Not asking for assistance, which would have been gladly given, was a mistake.

I picked out a Sauvignon Blanc from a winery in Salem, Virginia. We opened it the next day and were pretty disappointed. It was overly sweet. This sweetness tried to cover up the less than tasty flavors of the wine. Needless to say, we won’t be purchasing that wine for our wine rack again.

Labels: virginia, wine, wine rack, wine rack store

After seeing the bloodiest battlefield in American history, we toured the local area. I wanted to visit the local cemetery where many of the soldier’s remains have been buried. The cemetery was a military one so it didn’t contain the unique head stones I enjoy reading.

Across the street from this cemetery was an old plantation house. This plantation house served as a field hospital for both sides during the battle of Cold Harbor. As we walked towards it to read the informational sign and I commented on how the residents must of run away during the battle. To my dismay, the sign informed us that the residents were forced to live in the basement during the battle. They had to witness blood drip down through the floorboards from the surgeries going on above.

We have all heard how barbaric these field hospitals were and how they didn’t have good survival rates. I don’t really believe in ghosts but I have to imagine between the hospital history and the battlefield this house must be haunted. Funny thing is, the house is currently being lived in. You couldn’t pay me to live in a house with a history like that. I bet my wine rack would shake from ghostly energy every night.

Labels: civil war, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

I am not well educated on American history so in an attempt to rectify this, we have been visiting a lot of historic sites in Virginia. This weekend we stopped at a civil war battlefield near Richmond.

The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought at the particular battlefield. It was the site of one of America’s bloodiest battles. 180,000 soldiers fought and nearly 16,000 died in less than two weeks. The Union saw the heaviest losses at 13,000 dead.

What was interesting about this battle was the use of trenches called earthworks. This was the first time this type of warfare had been utilized. The Union suffered so much loss because they would charge the hunkered down Confederate army and would just be mowed down. These trenches can still be seen today.

What’s great about the historic sites here is that they are well taken care of and are full of informational signs. They are easy to read and provide a lot of information. If only wine on our wine racks were labeled as well. Perhaps than we could choose bottles easier.

Labels: civil war, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

I’ve come to learn in the last few weeks there are some stark differences between the east and west coasts. One I have experience with on a day-to-day basis is littering. There is trash everywhere here. It’s in parking lots, in parks, and piled in ditches. It is absolutely disgusting. I can’t believe people are so lazy here and disrespectful of their community.

Don’t get me wrong, Washington is not perfectly trash-free but it is nothing like this place. I think people in Washington feel more invested in their environment and actually want to take care of it. I think Washington litters also may face more fines if caught in the act.

What’s even worse than the litter is people throwing lit cigarettes out of their cars. Every time we go somewhere I see at least one driver do it. On the highway home yesterday I saw at least three people do it and I was enraged every time. Do these people not understand that these don’t degrade well and can spark fires?

This ghastly behavior makes me miss my home state and full wine rack even more.

Labels: littering, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

Being from Western Washington, I haven’t seen much wild weather. We are lucky to get two thunderstorms a year. They are usually quick and since the trees are so tall around my home, I am unable to see any lightning. Because they are such a rarity, I really enjoy them when they do happen. I just find the storm’s power and Mother Nature’s fury to be exhilarating.

Here in Virginia, big storms are the norm. We’re talking thunder so loud it shakes the wine rack. This morning when I turned on the news, they were broadcasting a tornado watch for Virginia Beach and the surrounding areas. Although I know a tornado is pretty unlikely the thought of it is pretty unnerving. They don’t have basements here so I guess I’d have to hide in the bathroom if one came by.

They also have hurricanes here in the late summer. Thank goodness I’ll be long gone before any of those storms hit.

Labels: thunder storm, virginia, weather, wine rack, wine rack store

Living on the west coast, you don’t usually run into anything much older than 150 years. Over here on the east coast, 100 years is nothing. Just this weekend we visited the oldest federally commissioned lighthouse in the United States. It was built back in 1791.

The Old Cape Henry lighthouse is located on an active military base called Fort Story. There is also a neighboring lighthouse called the New Cape Henry lighthouse. To get onto the base we had to have our IDs examined and car searched. This caught us off guard a bit since we weren’t expecting it.

We were able to tour the older lighthouse. We climbed the spiraling stair to the top, which gave us a nice view of the surroundings. It was really neat to see the inside of the lighthouse. There were no internal supports so the walls were incredibly thick, at least 5 feet.

Being able to see these older American landmarks is really neat. It almost makes up for me having to leave my wine rack at home.

Labels: lighthouse, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

The apartment I am now staying in may be incredibly close to Virginia Beach but it has its downfalls. One of these is the proximity to a busy air force base. It’s quiet on the weekend and usually at night but during the day there is a lot of air traffic right over our apartment. These air crafts will circle around and around the area. I assume they must be doing practice missions.

These are big fighter jets and helicopter so they are very loud. So loud that it nearly makes my wine bottles rattle. Good thing the Wine Rack Store makes such strong wine racks so I don’t have to worry about it shaking apart. I wonder if it is this loud from far away, how loud is it in the cockpit?

I like to watch them go by. It’s so cool to see them speeding by and going upside down. These planes are such a marvel of engineering. Soon enough, though, they will probably become a nuisance.

Labels: air force, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

Thanks to the hot and humid climate here, wine grapes do not grow very well in Virginia. That being said, European colonists began growing grapes in the 1700’s. Currently the most produced grape variety is Chardonnay. Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, and Cabernet Franc is also produced.

In 2007, the state hosted nearly 2,500 acres of grapes. In comparison, California contains 480,000 acres. As of this year, 130 wineries are located in this state. In 2007 the crop was valued at $7,800,000. Even though this may not sound like a lot, Virginia ranks eighth in the nation for both bearing acreage and grape production

There are no wineries down here in Virginia Beach so I won’t be doing much wine tasting this summer. Perhaps when we travel to the more northern parts of the state we will find some wineries to stop at. It would be cool to add some Virginian wine to my wine rack at home.

Labels: virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

For the past few days we have been exploring the countryside around Virginia Beach. The landscape here is much different than what we are used to back at home in Washington State. First off, there are no stunning mountains in the distance. The closest thing they have to a mountain here is something called Mt. Trashmore. I believe it is a pile of garbage covered with dirt next to the high way.

The flora and fauna is very different too. Today we explored a swampy state park. The only animals I saw were some turtles basking in the sun. No birds were seen or heard which is the opposite of the noisy forests in Washington. The swamps are made up of skinny, warped pine trees (definitely not good building materials for wine racks), spiky shrubs, and Spanish moss.

I definitely feel very far from home right now. I am a bit homesick but the more activities I do here, the better I feel.

Labels: swamps, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

Since I lived most of my life in Washington State, I haven’t really had to deal with humidity. This seems counter intuitive though because you’d think such a wet state would have higher levels of humidity especially in the summer.

My first experience with high humidity was in Hawaii. It just felt like my skin was constantly damp. Since the weather is such a perfect temperature you don’t really notice it after while. It has the same feeling here as well. As soon as I stepped off the airplane last night I noticed the difference. It doesn’t feel bad since it is still cool here but I am afraid of what it will be like during the intense summer.

I hope I don’t come to hate the humidity even though I know it’s going to destroy my once frizz-less hair like it would destroy a nice bottle of wine on a wine rack.

Labels: hawaii, humidity, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store

Well I find made it to the east coast. I spent most of the day traveling yesterday. Thanks to the 3-hour time difference I didn’t arrive here until nearly midnight. I also managed to bring the Seattle rain with me but I didn’t bring the cold. It was 60 degrees here when I reached the airport.

Besides being super boring, my flights went pretty well. I didn’t have a hard time catching my connecting flight in Washington DC because the planes were on time. We didn’t hit too much turbulence, which always puts me on edge. They showed a movie I didn’t want to see so I just played around with my iPhone and read a magazine.

I’ve spent today unpacking and trying to get over my jetlag. The weather here today is gray and rainy so I haven’t felt much like exploring yet. I am already starting to miss my well stocked wine rack. I will have to pick up a few bottles when I go to the grocery store later.

Labels: air planes, virginia, wine rack, wine rack store