Tap the creamy pride of a Shenandoah Valley dairy processor for a sample of fresh milk and a plant tour, or choose between a sip or wine and a swallow of cider at Virginia’s only combination winery and cidery.

Since 1607, Virginians have embraced wine as a staple of culinary society and an exportable cash crop. Commonly known as "The Father of American Wine," Thomas Jefferson introduced his countrymen to the European custom of taking wine with meals and obliged George Washington by choosing the spirits for the first White House wine cellar.

Today, Virginia is sixth nationally in production of vinifera grapes, receiving accolades from major publications and wine competitions worldwide. Handsome grape-cluster signs are posted on state routes within a ten-mile radius of 49 wineries, which harvest grapes from 130 vineyards in Virginia’s six designated grape-growing regions.

While opportunities for tours and tastings at Virginia’s wineries are plentiful, each location offers a unique experience. Two wineriesÑAfton Mountain Vineyards (ph. 540/456-8667) in the Shenandoah Valley and Tarara Vineyard & Winery (ph. 703/771-7100) in Leesburg, Virginia Ñ use caves to age their wines. In Charlottesville, visitors to Jefferson Vineyards (ph. 804/977-3042) view the place where Jefferson first planted the vinifera vines he shipped from Europe. Chateau Morrisette (ph. 540/593-2865), in the scenic Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands, is known not only for its wine but for its annual jazz concerts.

The aroma of fresh cinnamon-apple doughnuts draws visitors to Apple House (ph. 800/462-1867) in Linden. Sample Alpenglow, the non-alcoholic sparking cider named for the reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summit of mountains, and taste the sweet, intense nectar from this important Shenandoah Valley crop.

The Southwest Blue Ridge Highlands, known for an abundance of scenic beauty and natural wonders, boasts two towns fewer than 20 miles apart that stake claims to the origins of two Pepsi-Cola products— Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper.

"Welcome to Marion, Home of Mountain Dew" signs greet visitors to the town situated off I-81. On July 4, the town of Marion celebrates the development of the soft drink’s formula during its annual Chili Cookoff and Mountain Dew Day. Here you’ll enjoy tossing down the beverage once promoted with a hillbilly character shouting "Ya-hoo, Mountain Dew."

Minutes away, at a florist shop in Rural Retreat, see where pharmacist Dr. Charles Pepper experimented with soda water concoctions. The florist occupies the former Rural Retreat Drug Store, where, according to local lore, Pepper’s young assistant—in love with one of the pharmacist’s daughters—moved to Texas with the tasty beverage formula and named it after his former employer.

To see modern-day production and receive samplings of some 20 soft drink products—including Mountain Dew and Dr Pepper—travel north to Charlottesville. Here, groups of 15 to 50 persons can embark on a pre-arranged tour of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Central Virginia (ph. 804/973-2140).

Learn what happens to milk between cow and container with a reserved tour of Shenandoah’s Pride Dairy in Mt. Crawford (ph. 540/434-7328), near Harrisonburg. A video presentation and tour of the facility show how raw milk is processed and packaged. The tour ends with ice cream and milk samples at the on-site retail store.

Across Virginia travelers discover two large-volume breweries, a handful of microbreweries, where small quantities of beer are hand-crafted for limited distribution, and nearly a dozen microbrewery-restaurant establishments known as brewpubs.

Try your hand at mixing your own custom beer at Shenandoah Brewing Co. (ph. 703/823-9508) in Alexandria, Monticello Brewing Co. (ph. 804/971-8229) in Charlottesville, The Brew Cellar (ph. 703/392-4872) in Manassas or B.A. Brewmeister (ph. 757/495-4258) in Virginia Beach.

Starting with recipes supplied by the brewery, visitors can create a batch of custom-brewed beer in a miniature copper kettle. A few weeks later, the freshly brewed beer is ready for bottling and can be further customized with specially designed labels.

Whatever your taste in beverages, you will find plenty to quench your thirst in Virginia.