Quatro Goombas
This is one of the closer wineries to Washington, on Route 15 just north of US 50, on the east side of the village of Aldie. Started by a two couples, friends from the hotbed of wine production, Pittsburgh. One of the families is of Italian heritage, hence the winery’s name “four buddies”, or Quatro Goombas. The winery has an accompanying brewery, and makes their own pizza.
Wine: Tier II. Mediterranean style wine. The “Tradizione” is a distinctive red blend, aged in bourbon barrels giving the wine an unusual but interesting flavor.
Setting. Very pretty stretch of Route 50; one can just catch a glimpse from here of Oak Hill, the former home of President James Monroe (designed for him by his friend Thomas Jefferson). Views from the tasting area are pleasant, though unremarkable – one can see, in the valley just behind the winery, the decidedly non-scenic current (2018) outer limit of DC suburb real estate development.
Stories. One star. (1) Virginia History — Where the West was won… Public land-grant universities played a major role in the settlement and development of the American West. Most of these are still today designated as “Agricultural and Mechanical” schools, or “A&M”. A historical marker on Oatlands Road, off US50 just west of Route 15, is where stands the stone and stucco building, erected in 1854 as Loudoun and Mechanical Institute. Unfortunately, America’s first agricultural college, Loudoun A&M, failed to thrive and in 1860 folded. In 1916, the school building and property became the headquarters of the National Beagle Club, where today are held the annual beagle trials. In 1982, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (2) Civil War– The Battle of Aldie. The Battle of Aldie — one of the 120 Civil War battles that took place on the soil of Virginia — was fought near here in June 1863. It was a significant skirmish, albeit lasting only four hours. The result was a failure by Union troops to delay or stop the bulk of Robert E Lee’s Confederate infantry, which was making its way into Union Territory in the campaign which would end with the Battle of Gettysburg.