A Little Peep into the Winters at The Winery AT Bull Run

Winter is that time in the year when the nature goes to sleep. It is the time when the air becomes cold and still and the nature catches its breath before jumping back to life in the spring time. During this time of winters even the vineyards experience a time of dormancy. However while the grapevines are sleeping the winery is abuzz with all the wondrous activities and events. It is the beginning of our annual cycle and a steady stream of events keep the tasting room humming during the colder months. When you visit the winery, your first tryst with the wine begins when the bottle is poured. However there is a meticulous process that leads to the tasting experience long before the flavor reaches your taste buds. Let us have a peak into what happens at the winery during the winter months. 

The commencement of the cycle

Just like all the other plants the grape vines also become dormant during the winter months but it is at this time that an yearly cycle begins in the vineyard. The plant's energy has moved to the roots to wait for the spring. At the time when the last year's leaves were still green, the plant stockpiled carbohydrate reserves that developed through photosynthesis. It hoards those reserves in its woody trunk and roots saving it for the spring when the vines would wake and would need this essential source of energy.

Another thing to note here is that this is the right time to prune the vines when 95% of the previous year's growth is removed. Carefully that wood is selected which would yield the following year's fruit and along with that would provide shape to vines in the years to come. All these preparations must be completed by April for the coming surge of growth.

In the winery, the wine itself is in a state of dormancy as the yeast and sediment from the fall winemaking season are pulled to the bottom of the barrels. It is during these times that the excess acidity produces a slow crystallization that softens wines for future sips. Winter is the time when you can find us in the cellar blending our reds, tasting young whites, preparing for bottling, and moving the two-year-old reds from Oak barrels and replacing them with the new reds for the two years required to mellow them. And beyond the cellar doors you would come across people coming in from the cold in our cozy and bright tasting room to sit back and relax with friends while tasting our delicious selection of wines and enjoying the many activities that we have planned. 

For more details please visit : http://wineryatbullrun.com/

A Few Important Facts about the Places Near the Winery

The Winery At Bull Run stands adjacent to the Manassas Civil War Battlefield Park and the picturesque Stone Bridge. Whether you are a local of the place or are a visiting tourist, make it a point that you visit both the places as they both are historical sites and also make a stopover at the Winery as that would allow you to imbue the history of the nation over glasses of some award wining wines.

Manassas National Battlefield Park

This park that is located north of Manassas, in Prince William county, Virginia and adjacent to the Winery at Bull Run preserves the site of two major American Civil War Battles. Thees were the first battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, and the Second Battle of Bull Run fought between August 28 and August 30, 1862. The battles are also known as the First Battle of Manassas and the Second Battle of Manassas respectively. The Virginia countryside, in all its peace was witness to the clashes that took place between the armies of the North(Union) and South(Confederacy), and it was only here that the confederate General Thomas J. Jackson acquired his nickname “stonewall.”

The National Battlefield Park today provides the opportunity for visitors to explore the historic terrain where men fought and died more than a century ago. It is estimated that more than 900,000people visit the battlefield each year. Being an historic area under the National Park Service, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic places on October 15, 1966.

The Henry Hill Visitor Center located on the Sudley Road by the south entrance to the park, offers exhibits and interpretation as far as the First Battle of Bull Run is concerned. On offer are the civil war era uniforms weapons, field gear and an electronic battle map. Also on offer is a orientation film “Manassas:End of Innocence”, as well as a bookstore.

The Stone Bridge

The Stone Bridge lies adjacent to the Bull Run on Lee Highway and crosses Bull Run Creek at the eastern entrance of the Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia. It must be noted here that the original bridge was destroyed during the First Battle of Bull Run which was the first major land battle fought between the two sides in the American Civil War. The bridge was blown up by the Confederate Army to resist the Union army from advancing. Later on after some years a new bridge was built that was somewhat similar to the original design on the site of the old bridge. The modern day U.S. Route 29 crosses Bull Run on a bridge built in the late 1960s and is downstream of the old bridge.

A Brief History of the Winery At Bull Run Property

Whether you are a visitor to the place or a local, the one thing that you really would love knowing about is the history of the wonderful The Winery At Bull Run. The original Estate that was located on the Winery at Bull Run's property was named as Hillwood.

A research that was carried out by the Prince William County historical society on the previous owners of the property revealed that the farm was owned by the Entwisles way back in 1946. The farm on which the winery now stands was once part of a huge tract of land owned by the Lee, Thornton and Lewis families. As the years passed the land became a property of the Entwisle family and is known today as the Entwisle tract. Some parts of the original farm are now the portions of the Manassas National Battlefield park, the quarry and this one remaining plot that has the winery built on it.

What remains of the original Hillwood Mansion that was standing during the First Battle of Manassas or Bull Run is the stone foundation that is now the Stone Mansion Ruins Patio. It is recommended that when you visit the The winery at Bull Run be sure to look for markers on the property as it appeared on the Civil War era maps. 

The land on which the Hillwood was built was at one time part of the Middle Bull Run Tract that was one of the six vast land holdings of Robert “King” Carter. The land passed from generation to generation within the Carter family. Mary Adelaide Carter who was a direct descendent of King Carter inherited Hillwood. Prior to the acquisition of the property by Thomas A. Lee, the land was known as the Thornton-Lewis Tract. Errors and contradictions are contained in many sources including park documents and bibliographic references. It would not be a exaggeration to say that the coincidences sometimes confuse fact and fiction.

In the northern area of nearby Lower Bull Tract, in 1811, George Carter who was a great-grandson of King Carter sold 762 acres to brother-in-law Spencer Ball, who had married Elizabeth Carter who was the grandmother of Mary Adelaide Carter. Ball's grandson Francis W. Lewis eventually inherited this land. Mathew Lee who was the great grandfather of Thomas A. Lee bought 172 acres of land in the same year. We can put it this way that the exact age of the Hillwood is unknown.

The Winery At Bull Run is the place that has a rich heritage behind it. A visit to the place is not only just about wine tasting or drinking some high quality and award winning wines but it is also about knowing the history of the place and the country. Some of the most famous and watershed events happened at this place. A visit to the place would definitely make you a well informed and a more enlightened being than you were before.