Rick and Linda Phillips own the General's Ridge Vineyard and Winery located in the heart of Virginia's historic Northern Neck, a peninsula lodged between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers which flow into the Chesapeake Bay. George Washington referred to it as "the Garden of Virginia".
General's Ridge is home a beautiful old southern plantation style mansion, and a sizable and beautiful vineyard.
When Rick Phillips was a young boy during World War II, he lived in the wine country of Northern CA. The rolling hills filled with grapevines made a lasting impression. Then for 35 years as a Marine Corps flyer, he lived all over the world. Ten years ago, the Phillips discovered nestled in the quaint countryside of Virginia's historic Westmoreland County, located in the heart of the Northern Neck, almost one hundred acres of farm and an old rundown farm house.
Richard L. (Rick) Phillips, Major General USMC (Ret) and wife, Linda met while he was in a leadership slot in Dahlgren, VA. Linda was a music teacher. Rick's years of flying kept them nomadic through the years but finally came to settle in Alexandria, VA as well as in the community of Stratford Harbour in Montross, VA. What to do, where to start, they said, with this wonderful old farm. They began to school themselves on planting, cultivating and harvesting grapes.
The old rundown farmhouse, originally built in the mid 1800's, was quite a challenge. Board by board, the renovation began and up from the dust came the charming Manor House.
I write all this because I discovered a lovely blended white wine from General's Ridge Vineyards during the grand tasting of the second day during the TasteCamp 2012. There behind the table was Linda showcasing her wines.
The General'sRidge GRV White is a non-vintage light white wine. Crisp, refreshing and slightly sweet. It is a steel fermented blend of Chardonnel and Traminette. A wonderful summertime picnic wine. 1.5% residual sugar. It was light, bright,and wonderfully refreshing!
A lovely summer white, it's also a great with cheese, grilled vegetables, and summer soups!