July 2017
Polo and Wine at Kings Family Vineyard – Charlottesville, Virginia
We were amazed by the endless options of activities when we visited Charlottesville! Hiking, vineyards, breweries, shopping, along with a variety of food options and much more will keep your trip full of great experiences. Always recommend a trip to Charlottesville for those looking for a long weekend getaway!
Once must do is making time to visit Kings Family Vineyard. Overall, we were quite impressed with Virginia wine so for “wine lovers” go in with an open mind when wine tasting! But there is more to Kings Family Vineyards… polo!
On Sundays during polo season, the matches begin at 1PM for all spectators… and it is free!
When we visited, we arrived at the Kings around 12:30PM and the place was mobbed- the polo match was set to start at 1PM and it was already visibly crowded on the polo field.
Squeezing into a spot in the tasting room, we did a $10 tasting that allowed sampling of six featured wines. Once again, the whites were very tasty but the reds were surprisingly good as well- full and complex!
Having felt unprepared to enjoy the polo match, I recalled that all of our beach gear was in the truck! I am often teased since I never take it out of the car (mostly because I have nowhere to put it in our house- as I struggle to get my shovel out from under the beach chairs in the dead of winter) and felt instantly that keeping it there is justified! We were all set with a blanket, beach chairs, and umbrella unintentionally.
We grabbed a bottle of their rosé, Crose (Crozet plus rosé!), French brie cheese and a warm baguette with the beach gear and set up camp for the polo match.
Golf carts (duly named wine carts) travel the parameter to ensure everyone has a drink, as well as a copy of the rules. The wine carts even accept credit cards for all your beverage needs.
We had never watched polo before and while it was hot, we enjoyed learning while under the comfort of the giant, colorful beach umbrella.
If you plan on attending, definitely have a chair or blanket to comfortably watch the match. Gates open at 10AM so if you are eager to get a good spot, get there early. I also recommend bringing your own food so that you can have a proper lunch. The cheese and baguette was great but it would have been nice to have a full picnic spread and for probably much cheaper. We loved the Crose and much of their other wines so since outside alcohol is not permitted, it was not problem for us to enjoy King’s Family Wine.
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