The property has had a number of different owners, extending all the way back to 1649, when it was granted by King Charles II of England as part of the Northern Neck Proprietary. The land on which Hillwood was built was once part of the Middle Bull Run Tract; one of six vast land holdings of Robert “King” Carter. It is passed from generation to generation within the Carter family.

During the Civil War, Hillwood found itself directly between the two armies. The property was used as Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s battle post as Union Troops shelled Confederate lines in an attempt to harass the enemy into a response during the first battle of the Civil War. Many of the relics recovered from the property indicate that at some point during the war (during the First or Second Battle of Manassas), the Hillwood property was used as a field hospital. Items include syringes, bleeders, and bullets with teeth marks on them that suggest these were used during surgeries.

Passing through several owners, Frank Entwisle wound up with the property in 1946. The property boasted a significant garden, complete with strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and of course, a number of grape vines. After the death of his wife Emma in 1971, Frank moved away and the house was sold to a nephew who rented it out. In 1990, a severe fire threatened to destroy the home, and the property remained abandoned for nearly 2 decades. See above.

Most of the remaining acreage of the property was subsequently sold to the National Park Service. Jon Hickox, the owner of The Winery at Bull Run, purchased the property in 2008 in order to establish a family farm-oriented winery honoring his ancestors who emigrated from England in 1635. His family lineage has included a history of farming, stock-raising, lumbering, hunting, trapping, and fishing, so the farm-oriented winery is an important part of The Winery at Bull Run.

Jon pulled down the remaining walls of Hillwood, leaving the old foundation as a memorial to the past as he laid the foundation for the winery next to it, a testament to the future. The wooden mantle above the fireplace is the only piece of hand-hewn lumber salvaged after Hillwood burned.source

Because of its close proximity to the Bull Run Battlefield from the Civil War, this place is wildly popular. Weddings have a long waiting list, Fridays are crowded as is Saturday and Sunday is Mimosa Sunday so there is always a crowd. It was quieter when I first found it, until it wasn't. Popularity is a funny thing. You wish for it until you have it.

These are the infamous roses. Roses are planted here and in many vineyards because they make an excellent alarm system. They are an early warning system, so to speak. If something like aphids or fungus is present, it will get on the roses first and in time, the grapes. It is like a canary in a coal mine.

As an aside, there are still vineyards that do stomping. Seriously. They actually crush the grapes by stomping on them. Would you like to try that? I'm in!

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The gentleman with the shorts on (above) is the winemaker. Winemakers oversee the entire production of wine. It starts with the growing of the grapes and harvesting them, the art of winemaking, and some even sanitization and data logging that helps move the winemaking process forward.

Barrel Cleaning and Storage

Completely drain the wine from the barrel.
Rinse the barrel with clear water. ...
Add 3-5 gallons of a hot water solution of either B-Brite (sodium percarbonate) or soda ash. ...
Rinse with clear water, as before.
Add 3-5 gallons of cold water containing 1-2 Tbsp citric acid.

Toasting wood on the inside of a wine barrel essentially releases a variety of different aromas and flavors that will be extracted from the wine or whiskey. Barrel toasting essentially caramelizes the wood's natural sugars when exposed to the flame. source

After they are smoked, they put blue tape on them and date them. This prevents them from thinking they weren't done yet. The barrels are reused up to three times before the barrel no longer imparts the oak flavor.

I love the look of a barrel room, all those little barrels, neatly stacked. When stored in the oak barrel, The wine reacts to a number of different processes. The barrel literally imparts hundreds of different substances and chemicals.

And just like that, this post is done. I hope you had a good time and learned a little something new. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit, and just remember, #MarketFriday loves you! Thank you for supporting the challenge! Have a most fabulous day! Cheers!!