URIAH A. KISER / Stafford County Sun
Published: March 19, 2008

The St. Patrick's Day event was a first for the winery, which opened in July. Visitors were greeted with a hearty dinner of corned beef and cabbage, topped off with hot bread pudding with a Guinness beer-based caramel sauce that was "just right for the occasion," said Cindi Causey, co-owner of the winery.

Monday's event capped off a weekend of St. Patrick's Day-themed activities, all of which included traditional Irish food, live Irish music and regular wine tastings of all 10 of Potomac Point's house-labeled wines, made locally in Stafford County.

In addition to the Irish eats, Causey and her staff prepared a game Monday for guests to play called the Leprechaun Toss. Participants, standing 10 feet away, had three chances to toss a plastic leprechaun into an oversized wine glass. The winner of the contest received a bottle of chardonnay.

"Stafford needs some place like this for contemporary adults like us who want to come out and have a good time," said Curtis Guild, winner of the Leprechaun Toss game.

Guild said this is his third visit to the winery, and added he enjoys the fact that the winery is located "just five miles" from his home.

"I went online and typed in St. Patrick's Day events, and this place came up, so I wanted to come see what it was all about," said Vanessa Tomson of Sterling. "It's kind of like a family-friendly event."

Causey said that coming to her winery is not like going out to bars and ordering green beer; her business is more of an upscale destination.

"You're not going out to get drunk when you come here," said Causey. "Wine drinkers like to go out for the education and experience of it all."

Potomac Point Winery employs a French wine maker who produces each bottle of the vineyard's wine. In addition, the winery provides tours of the facility to guests interested in the wine making process, free of charge.

Causey said the winery would soon open a bistro-syle food area, offering gourmet food Wednesday through Monday.

The winery has also scheduled 26 weddings so far this year, according to Causey.

Potomac Point Winery is closed to the public on Tuesdays. For more information about the winery, visit potomacpointwinery.com.

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