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Barrel Oak Winery
3623 Grove Ln Delaplane, VIRGINIA 20144 This is a beautiful property nestled in the valley with great mountain views. The large barn is pleasant and lively with tastings and events. they cater to dog people, and there are many pooches walking around (on leashes) they have a couple good reds, one nice one is a Cab Sauv and Norton blend that is pretty unique and good. lots of picnic area also for warmer weather. - bring your camera |
Delaplane Cellars
2187 Winchester Road Delaplane, Virginia 20144-1734 a fairly new winery with just a couple of years of production under its belt. these wines were all surprisingly good for how young they are however, the prices are about $10-20 higher per bottle than they probably should be... too bad because the scenery is stunning. |
Cana Vineyards
Middleburg, Virginia a very new winery with just a one year of production under its belt. these wines were not at all ready - but the winemaker Allan Kinne is superb - I hope he keeps it going in this area. The views are sweet, and the new building is top notch. This is a good one to keep an eye out for as the vines mature. |
Quattro Goombas
Route 15, near Route 50 The smell of the fresh pizza is the best part of this winery. You can order some custom pie to go along with your wine. The tasting room is an old converted garage - which frankly is not too bad, but still doesn't have the same ambiance as many of the other VA tasting rooms. also the grapes are not grown on property, but purchased from VA, CA, and overseas.... one of my informal requirements for a VA winery is to grow your own grapes. :( nothing so special to make me want to visit repeatedly. |
Dry Mill Vineyard & Winery
Dry Mill Road, Leesburg This one has only about 5 acres total space - much taken up by the parking lot and tasting room... It has an advantage of being close to civilization and on a fully paved road - which certainly is not the case for many wineries. the wines were ok - notably the 2010 Merlot. the staff was very good - knowledgeable and friendly. |
North Mountain Vineyard and Winery
4374 Swartz Rd, Maurertown, VA northmountainvineyard.com This one is a little further west than most of us usually go. It is at the top of the Shenandoah wine trail - in the Valley west of Front Royal... so maybe good after your run up Skyline Drive from Sperryville.. The best part of this place is the tastings are free. You can pay $5 and sample their specialty wines which I would recommend since that is where the best couple are. The staff is pretty knowledgeable and the wines were just so-so. |
Shenandoah Vineyards
3659 S Ox Rd, Edinburg, VA shentel.net Continuing south on the Shenandoah wine trail, you come to this gem. With vines planted in the 70's it may be the oldest vineyard in the valley. There are two tastings - a normal one, and a tasting paired with various foods. I recommend the food parings as they were all very well done - blue cheese, ginger snaps, elk salami, amish oregano cheese, peperoni, fresh fruits, and of course chocolate all were paired nicely with the wine selections. The staff was a hoot - very welcoming and enjoyable. worth the stop here! |
Wolf Gap Vineyard & Winery
123 Stout Rd, Edinburg, VA wolfgapvineyard.com This little winery is situated on a gorgeous 50 acres with panoramic mountain views in all directions. The proprietors come from Northern VA and run a nice little place as a retirement activity. The wines were ok but not great - the view was terrific. |
Cave Ridge Vineyard
1476 Conicville Rd, Mt Jackson, VA caveridge.com Even further south on the Shenandoah trail you come to this nicely appointed tasting room. The vines are growing on a limestone bed which gives everything a unique mineral undertone that is worth the effort of getting here. Again the staff was friendly and knowledgeable, offering 2 tastings - the basic tasting covering 4 whites and 4 reds, and a reserve tasting that adds a very very nice 'Red Silk' and 2 port wines. Go here and buy a bottle or two of the Red Silk - it's a no brainer. |
Twin Oaks Tavern Winery
18035 Raven Rocks Rd Bluemont, Virginia 20135 Great views of sunsets over the hills. the wines were so-so with one pretty good red - but the folks who own/run the place are fantastic. great atmosphere - beautiful views - nice folks - worth a stop. |
Chester Gap Cellars
4615 Remount Rd, PO Box 108 Front Royal, Virginia 22630 This is a beautiful little spot on the top of the hill between Front Royal and Hume. The owner/vintner is a rough looking character who still speaks his native German in preference to English. The pouring staff was very knowledgeable and full of good information. The view down into the valley is superb from the 1000 foot elevation too. several pretty good wines to choose from - even from the generally lacking 2011 vintage. |
Desert Rose Ranch & Winery
13726 Hume Rd. Hume, 22639 Drive down the hill from Chester Gap, or over the flatlands from Hume on one of the greatest roads around to get to this winery. Th owner, Bob, can be seen in his matching cowboy hat and boots pacing the property that he uses for both a horse rescue center and a winery. don't pet the arabian stallions in the front pen unless you know what you're doing or don't mind losing a finger. The staff was very attentive on my initial visit which was on their second anniversary releasing wines from vines planted in 2005. The reds were all pretty good including a nice light chambourcin from 2011 that you don't see much of at all in this region. |
Glen Manor Vineyards
2244 Browntown Road Front Royal, VA 22630 This beautiful property is nestled on the Western slopes of the Blueridge just south of Front Royal. It is what you can see when you drive past the sweeping vistas on Skyline Drive about 4 miles from the northern entrance. From the farm, you look up the slope, across the vines, and past the treeline to see the skyline drive etched into the top of the mountain. I would recommend driving on the skylline drive looking down before heading to the tasting room and looking up. very pretty. The cab franc here is also pretty good. |
Naked Mountain Vineyards
2747 Leeds Manor Rd, Markham, VA The best part of this vineyard is the road you travel to get there. The chardonnay is ok if you like whites - but not much else jumped out of the slightly expensive tasting. The reds also are not grown on property - but are claimed to be from Virginia They are dog friendly, and have a nice hillside that looks inviting - the scenery is somewhat limited - no large panoramas or distant mountains... overall, for me - a pass. |
Philip Carter Winery
4366 Stillhouse Rd Hume, VA 22639 A winner! a nice tasting facility above the basement where the wine is aged... good views, many acres of grapes grown on property, several nice selections including some robust reds. call ahead for a tour - otherwise drop in for an impromptu tasting. also food pairings available. |
Hume Vineyards
5396 Washwright Rd Hume, VA 22639 yipes. the road is a half mile of washboard rubble that felt like it was going to rip my suspension apart - and that was before you get to the huge rutted driveway that was not in good enough shape to get you within 100 yards of the tasting shack. the small tasting room was cold and not very inviting - and there were no wines that you would want in your cellar. sorry guys - take a pass on this one. |
Chateau O'Brien
3238 Rail Stop Road, Markham, VA 22643 Chateau O'Brien What a pleasant surprise! This winery is nestled on the top of a lovely hill with commanding views across the valley from a very well appointed tasting room. Actually there are two tasting rooms, one for whites on the right when you enter through the magnificent copper doors and one for reds to the left. We were treated to a tasting offered by Debbie O'Brien herself - which was expertly given with a bunch of good insights into the wine making process employed in each selection offered. The wines were all very nice. Very nice not just compared to Virginia wines, but very nice overall. The drawback is the pricing is a bit out of line with the rest of the local market. The top bottle was listed at $79 - and the tastings were $15 each. Even so, I would still recommend this one as a must see, and even pick up a bottle of your favorite for a special occasion - even if you want to age the extended harvest tannat for 10 to 15 years... |
Vintage Ridge Vineyard
8517 Maidstone Road, Rectortown, VA 20144 This slightly out of the way vineyard presented a few respectable selections. The lovely property looks like it could be a golf course with acres of well manicured lawn on the winding drive that approaches the tasting facility. Unlike many others, here you sit at a table in the tasting room as apposed to standing at a bar to sample the wines. The seating is in the same room as several steel fermentation tanks that definitely put you in the winemaking mood. Also different, your tasting is a series of side by side comparisons with two wines being poured at once in each 'flight'. Our server was very knowledgeable and attentive, only appearing after each sampling was complete and disappearing after each pour and informative speech. many of the wines were just moderate - but we did take home a 2010 Cab Franc which was the pick of this litter. |
Sounds like you had a complete day of it at the wineries Randy. Thanks for sharing your insights. Good stuff indeed.
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lol yeah - 5 in one day - I took one for the team :) glad someone is reading and hopefully getting something out of the effort/
p.s. let me know when anyone wants to do a winery tour ala Randy - i get free tastings at many of these places... |
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I'd be down for June as well, depending on the weekend.
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Pat and I will be out of town on the weekend of the 8th of June but would be up for it otherwise!
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June 15th does not work for me.
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But, touche. Sent from my Galaxy S3 |
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Sent from my Galaxy S3 |
Village Winery
40405 Browns Lane, Waterford, VA villagewineryandvineyards.com No bottles for sale here at this real farm-y feeling winery. All the offerings are in boxes - which the owner Kent eagerly describes as the best way to package wine. Mostly light bodied verniferous varietals for tha actual wines - and many interesting alternative fruit wines from a pure apple wine - to many blends with Elderberry, Raspberry, and Aronia. Make sure to try the Elderberry and Aronia Tea - it is unique. also, you can get some fresh milk from Blossom the cow - if Boo her son doesn't drink it all first. |
8 Chains North
38593 Daymont Lane, Waterford, VA 20197 8chainsnorth.com This winery has a tasting room for a dual vineyard - one is 8 chains (measurement) from the Potomac River giving the place its name. The tasting room is more modern (less rustic) than many featuring some large couches and oriental rugs in the interior - which offers a nice cozy atmosphere. The wines were pretty good - although a tasting was pretty pricey at $8 per person. If you also try the chocolates that are offered as parings then the price doubles - but this is worth it - the pairings are well done and both the wines and the chocolates benefit from the pairings. Producing since 2006, this one has some respectable reds available. |
Hunters Run
40325 Charles Town Pike, Hamilton, VA 20158 huntersrunwinebarn.com This winery boasts a very nice interior barn for a tasting room - and a nice little back porch with live music. The owner's Irish heritage is evident inside - in a good way. The tasting staff was knowledgeable and friendly - but I did not leave with any wines for my cellar... |
The Barns at Hamilton Station
16804 Hamilton Station Rd, Hamilton, VA 20158 thebarnsathamiltonstation.com I enjoyed this brand new winery (celebrating its first anniversary) The tasting room is inside a nicely renovated barn showing off original wordwork and features like a ladder to a now non-existent hayloft, an antique wine press, and a great old stone fireplace. The original barn door has been replaced with a beautiful custom set of paneled doors with glass insets - and the owner Craig was a pleasant and welcoming host. The wines are generally sourced from a leased set of vines near Charlottesville - but the resulting wines are pretty respectable - especially the red blends. |
fyi
i started a new blog about all this - feel free to visit. Bigfoot Grapes | The search for the elusive beastBigfoot Grapes | The search for the elusive beast |
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