We all know the struggle of living in little old 'Heart of Virginia' Farmville, and unless you have the oh-so-rewarding advantage of ‘knowing someone’ at a frat party then alcohol-induced nightlife is very limited. Especially now, after we’re still feeling the sting of #RIP202 this past summer, regarding the closing of the one and strictly only bar, Bar 202.
Sure, we could go to the restaurants with bars in them such as Macado’s, El Patron, and Charley’s but we need a place where us over 21-year-olds can feel like adults, dammit. Enter - the new Virginia Tasting Cellar. Located right underneath Farmville favorite Charley’s, the Virginia Tasting Cellar offers a variety of Virginia’s finest wines from regions all over.
Farmville is a hell-of-a-lucky place to get a wine cellar such as this one because to get wine varieties such as these, you’d usually need to travel to over eight different regions in Virginia. With a rotating line of up to twelve different wineries, Farmville can now sample, drink and purchase wine all the while learning about where they come from.
Wineries currently included at the tasting cellar range from Rosemont of Virgnia, Hunting Creek, Crosskey Vineyards, Ducard Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, Chateau O’ Brien at Northpoint and Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, hailing from the Shenandoah Valley to the Blue Ridge Mountains. From years as early as 2011, the wines available range from all prices and types such as O’Brien’s 2011 Petit Verdot, Ducard’s 2015 Signature Viognier and Prince Michel Rapidan River Peach wine.
For those of you who don’t speak wine - basically it’s a wine lover’s absolute dream, a heaven for those of us that get a high from tannic reds and oaky whites. For $10, you can make your way around the cellar and try 10 different wine varieties along with explanations by helpful pourers.
With a rustic countryside aesthetic, the wine cellar offers a warm setting all the while, offering an enjoyable view of the water with a lovely complimentary “Virginia Tasting Cellar” stemless wineglass in hand. Possibly the only downside is the pre-packaged meat and cheeses provided by Boar's Head Deli Products, though delicious by themselves, they show a lack of creativity in providing a food pairing for the obviously well thought out wine list.
Though the cellar will be available on weekends, Friday-Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., one unique experience was a “Happy Hallo-wine” event hosted in tandem with the newly-founded Illyria Theatre Company in which the Farmville wine-drinking community was able to experience a staged reading of the of a thriller play entitled “Hot Season” by Evan Mueller.
The play started off as a comical production with witty innuendos, only vaguely commenting on the circumstances that has brought a mother, a son, a young couple and a not-so friend of the group to a summer home.
The staged reading featured all sorts of community, most notably from Longwood University including broadcast studio managing engineer Clint Wright playing the part of Dan, assistant theatre professor Lacy Klinger as Natalie, senior computer systems engineer Greg Tsigaridas as Jake, theatre education professor Ronda Scarrow as Anne, and Longwood senior Baylee Holloran as Marla.
Though distractions ensued from footsteps, tables and chairs being moved from the upstairs Charley's Waterfront Cafe, the actors read their scripts with conviction. The audience laughed the night away and watched with horror as the ending unraveled itself. Although parts seemed unsettling, the entertainment by an unquestionably talented cast only made the audience wish we could see the play as a full on production... all while having the perfect cherry on top in the form of a rich, glass of wine.
The Virginia Tasting Cellar can be found at 201 Mill St, Farmville, VA 23901.
Rating: 4/5 stars
