Last year, the 700 block of Caroline decided to collaborate with each other during the Christmas holiday season. As a way of promoting each other, Chris Allen, of Duly Noted, suggested a cookie crawl where customers would purchase a tin and then collect their cookies along the path of participating businesses. Having sold out of tickets, Chris decided to take this idea to a much bigger platform. Chris is also the Executive Director of Mainstreet, which is a national nonprofit organization that focuses on the economic improvements of historical downtowns.

Once upon a time, in a cozy West Coast home, preparations were underway for a Thanksgiving feast that would capture the essence of the region. The bountiful offerings of the Pacific coast were eagerly anticipated—a unique and delicious celebration. Eventually the family would wander into the house, the son, the daughter, the extended family with aunts, uncles, and cousins. All to be greeted with a myriad of dinner courses, fine conversations, and of course, local wines from California to Washington State to complement the diverse flavors of the meal.

This week’s blog/newsletter is not varietal-, location-, or style-themed. The focus is on some wines being featured this week in-store. Wines you may or may not be familiar with, and possibly turn your head and say, “Hmm, that is a wine to geek out on!”

The Shenandoah Valley is quickly developing in to an attractive, respected area to grow grapes. This location has shown to be prosperous with European wine grape varietals. The rolling hills create great drainage, and cool air, which help with producing sweet grapes, while protecting the vineyards from frost. Not to mention some of the prettiest countryside in Virginia that creates the perfect destination for wine tasting and touring. Bluestone Vineyard is in the center of a beautiful valley, named after the "bluestone" (a type of limestone) that is a main component of the local soil.