Virginia Wine Country Culinary Escape...Cooking Vacations...Culinary Getaways...Cooking Classes!

PRICE PER PERSON - $879
(Rates based on double occupancy and can fluctuate by season.)

Your home base during your Virginia Wine Country Culinary Escape is a stately southern inn location in the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge foothills providing guests with marvelous opportunities to enjoy the natural beauty of central Virginia, and the area's many hidden treasures. The Blue Ridge Mountain foothills are rich in prehistoric, Native American and Colonial history, as well as Revolutionary and Civil War history. In fact, many Civil War battles were fought in close proximity to the inn. Nearby Charlottesville is home to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson's estate Monticello, and President James Madison's estate Montpelier. Now the region makes history with award-winning wines from the heart of Virginia's growing wine industry.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
Escape to the Virginia Wine Country and enjoy your stay in this stately plantation inn just an hour from Washington, D.C. Inside this grand Colonial mansion, you will find plenty of private nooks for reading, writing or quiet contemplation. Or join other guests for pleasant conversation in the parlor where Thomas Jefferson and General Lafayette were frequent visitors.

COOKING CLASS AT THE INN
Courses are packed with cooking techniques, fun-filled classroom instruction and participation. Chef Blanchard and the Inn's executive chef bring humor and panache to every topic they teach. Each day (Monday and Tuesday) will have at least two classes each day as time permits. Classes will be held in the kitchen and in the library. Enough time will be left for a bit of local exploring and shopping for those who choose!

FINE DINING
You will have the opportunity to explore many dining options of your choosing on Saturday and Sunday evenings (not included in this package). However, your culinary getaway package does include dinner on Monday and Tuesday nights, as they are paired with your instruction. Monday evening offers a casual Bistro style dining experience where you will enjoy the efforts of your class instruction along with the chefs. On Tuesday evening, you will sit down to a fabulous 5-course Wine Dinner prepared by the Inn's own chef, complete with wine pairings lead by one of the area's knowledgeable vintners.
 
PRIVATE RESERVE WINE TASTING & HISTORIC RUINS TOUR
In the style of a Northern Italian farmhouse, you will be greeted in the tasting room at Barboursville Vineyards. In the winter, a roaring fireplace will be your centerpiece, and in the warmer months you will gather in the covered loggias. You will have the opportunity to sample more than 15 award-winning wines while taking in the view of the vineyards and the Blue Ridge Mountains. You will also take a tour of their modern winery, including an introduction to the history of Barboursville. Finally, you will take a self-guided tour of the Historic Ruins of Governor Barbour's Mansion, just a short stroll from the winery.

SIGNATURE TOUR OF MONTICELLO
You will see more of Monticello with fewer people on this special Signature Tour. This evening tour, which is limited to a maximum of 20 people, features an hour-long guided exploration of Monticello that includes the rooms on the main floor of the house, the third-floor Dome Room, and the cellar-level dependencies; an orientation visit to Mulberry Row; and time to stroll the scenic gardens and grounds.