Five East Coast Winery Trips

Great Vineyard Vacations

Not all of us are lucky enough to live within striking distance of Napa and Sonoma, but that doesn't mean that we can't taste the fruit of the vine from the vine itself. There are plenty of good East Coast wineries. Sometimes, you'll even get to meet the winery owners, who are often the winemakers too. Here are a few East Coast winery trips that you should think about trying on your next weekend trip - since the wine at these smaller wineries is so reasonably priced, you'll have some money left over to enjoy yourself during your stay, so we've also included some ideas for other fun things to do during your East Coast winery trip:

Forks of Cheat Winery (Morgantown, WV): I know - West Virginia is not the first place that you think of when you think of great wines, but the family-run Forks of Cheat Winery offers not only interesting wines that you probably haven't tried before, but also a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, which is not necessarily what you would expect on a winery trip. It was almost closing time on the day that we visited, but owner Jerry Deal took the time to take us on a personal winery tour of the Forks of Cheat Winery facilities, complete with wine tastings direct from the barrel. Forks of Cheat Winery features some of your standard varietals such as chardonnay and merlot, along with a more unusual finding - Forks of Cheat Black Jewel Port, which won a bronze medal at the 2000 San Diego National Wine Competition and is quite good. While in the Forks of Cheat Winery area, think about visiting Coopers Rock State Forest. Just a few miles from the Forks of Cheat Winery, Coopers Rock State Forest offers great overlooks of the Cheat River Gorge (and a great spot to sip some Forks of Cheat wine after your visit).