A Toast To Virginia Wine & Dine Month!

How many of you knew that March was "Love by the Glass: Virginia Wine and Dine Month?" Probably not many since this is a fairly new statewide promotion. In past years, "Love by the Glass" lasted a mere week, but it grew so popular that the Virginia Tourism Corporation decided to expand it to the entire month of March!

"Love by the Glass: Virginia Wine and Dine Month" features Virginia wines at restaurants and wine shops throughout the state, plus it includes special events and travel packages. What better way to give visitors a lot to love about wine travel in Virginia?

One of the best wine travel packages is available at the Point Plaza Suites at City Center in Newport News. This package includes deluxe accommodations, a bottle of premium wine from our fabulous local Williamsburg Winery (choice of red or white), two keepsake etched wine glasses, a deluxe fruit & cheese tray, and a full hot breakfast buffet the following morning. Packages start as low as $99.00 (plus tax), with advanced reservations required.

And while in Newport News, check out the wine collections sold at the Warwick Cheese Shoppe, Taste Unlimited at City Center, Trader Joe's, World Market, and more!

March is an ideal time to take a wine trip to the state, as Wine Enthusiast Magazine recently named Virginia as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012.  The other regions named were Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Hungary, Germany, France, Chile, along with two areas of California. And did you know Virginia is home to nearly 200 wineries statewide, employing more than 4,750 people full-time? That'll make you want to raise your glass in a toast to Virginia wine!

For more wine fun, visit www.virginia.org/wine, call the Newport News Visitor Center at (888) 493-7386 or visit us at www.newport-news.org. And don't forget to mark your calendars for the 10^th Annual Summer Celebration Wine Festival, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 9, at Lee Hall Mansion. The finest vintages from Virginia's best wineries - combined with live music and good food - make this one of the most popular events on the Peninsula!