Jacey Vineyards
• In the village of Wicomico Church, Northumberland County, at the southeastern end of the Northern Neck. About three hours’ drive from Washington. Owned by Robert Jacey. A waterfront parcel, on Mill Creek off of Ingram Bay – an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay, accessible by land and water. Not the easiest place to find, as apparently GPS are unreliable here – best to call the winery. First planted in 2004.
• Wine. Tier III. Focus on Spanish style wines. Mostly estate-grown grapes, including Vidal Blanc, Petit Verdot, Zinfandel, Albariño, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winemaker began his career as the estate’s lawn mower.
• Setting. Two stars. No mountain views, but plenty of water. Jacey has three docks on their own private cove, and visitors can arrive by boat. A small winery, with 5 acres. A full tapas menu is available to accompany the wines, as are pizzas. The winery at times hosts painting classes.
• Stories. One star. Early Virginia: before there was petroleum. Jacey is 20 minutes from a sleepy village which once was “the richest town in the United States.” How the mighty have fallen… Since the 17th century, Reedville has been home to the fishing fleet and industry for the Atlantic menhaden, an obscure but once incredibly valuable fish. Within a few years of the Pilgrims’ landing at Plymouth, Native Americans had taught settlers the use of using menhaden, a small oily fish, as fertilizer. Two centuries later, Captain Reed brought this idea from New England to Virginia, where the town is now named after him. The oil of the menhaden was even more valuable as a lubricant and a source of lighting, like whale oil. By the late 19th century the menhaden brought tremendous wealth to the town of 500, making it the then-wealthiest town in the country, per capita. Then came innovation – electricity, and commercial drilling of petroleum – and the heydays of Reedville were over. Today, the Omega Protein corporation still runs much of its menhaden fishing fleet here. From Jacey, a beautiful drive along Cockrell Creek will allow you to see Reedville, its “Millionaire’s Row” houses, and its views out to the Chesapeake Bay. You can also relive the importance of fishing to the Virginia economy at the annual Reedsville fishing derby.