(Chester Gap)
Just over a year ago, two of my girlfriends and I started our Northern Virginia Wine Tasting Adventures. We picked up a map and set a goal to visit all of the Northern Virginia Wine Region.
(Stone Tower)
We started out with the 2013 Virginia Wine Map and started planning our weekends. Usually on Sundays, we would visit 2 or 3 wineries. We'd pack snacks, enjoy a tasting, sometimes spend some time in the sunshine or near the fire (during the winter months!) and take some notes. We developed our wine tasting abilities. We refined our likes and dislikes and quickly figured out what kind of wineries we like!
(Pearmund Cellars)
We found wineries were opening and closing all the time! The map kept changing, just when we thought we were finished we found new ones! Plus we kept going back to some of our favorites over and over!
(Leaves of Grass)
Today was our last big planned weekend to finish our goal of the Northern Virginia wineries. We have a few individual wineries that have hours that are difficult to get to, open on an intermittent basis or appointment only or opening this spring/summer.
Where have we visited? * by some of our favorites!
- Cana
- Quattro Goombas *
- The Winery at LaGrange
- Hunter’s Run Wine Barn
- The Barns at Hamilton Station
- Bluemont Vineyard
- Phillip Carter Winery of Virginia
- Chester Gap Cellars *
- Rappahannock Cellars *
- The Winery at Bull Run
- 868 Estate Vineyards *
- Breaux Vineyards
- Crushed Cellars
- Desert Rose Winery
- Leaves of Grass Vineyard *
- Tarara Winery
- Fabbioli Cellars *
- Sunset Hills Vineyard
- Cobbler Mountain Cellars *
- Miracle Valley Vineyards
- Aspen Dale Winery
- Willowcroft Farm Vineyards
- Zephaniah Farm Vineyard
- Stone Tower Winery
- Chrysalis Vineyards
- Fox Meadow Winery
- Barrel Oak Winery
- Casanel Vineyards
- Dry Mill Vineyards Winery
- Bogati Bodega
- Marterella Winery
- Mediterranean Cellars
- Naked Mountain Winery and Vineyard
- Delaplane Cellars
- Three Fox Vineyard
- Cardamon Family Vineyards
- Maggie Malick Wine Caves.
- Granite Heights Winery
- Molon Lave Vineyards
- Gray Ghost Vineyards
- Narmada Winery *
- Vint Hill Craft Winery
- Pearmund Cellars
- Chateau O’Brien
- Winding Road Cellars
- Vintage Ridge Vineyard & Winery
- Hidden Brook Winery
- Lost Creek Winery
- Notaviva Vineyards
- Hillsborough Vineyards
- Doukenie Winery
- Loudoun Valley Vineyards
- 8 Chains North
- North Gate Vineyard
- Glen Manor Vineyards *
- Linden Vineyards
- Horton Winery
- Barboursville Vineyards
- Blenheim Vineyards
- Trump Winery
- Jefferson Vineyards
- Stinson Vineyards
- Grace Estate Winery
- White Hall Vineyards
- Glass House Winery
- Greenhill Winery and Vineyards
- Boxwood Estate Winery
- Hidden Croft Vineyards
- Corcoran Vineyards
- Village Winery
- Capitol Vineyard
- Unicorn Winery
- Paradise Springs Winery
- Potomac Point Winery
- Rogers Ford Farm Winery
- Hartwood Winery
- Otium Cellars
- Carroll Vineyards/Leesburg Vintner
- Lake Anna Winery
- Mattaponi Winery
- Old House Vineyards
- Morais Vineyards & Winery
- Wilderness Run Vineyards
- Sharp Rock Vineyards
- Ducard Vineyards
- Little Washington Winery
- Gadino Cellars
(Otium)
Still trying to get to these this spring and summer:
- Quievremont Wine - not sure if it's really open. We've had a hard time finding information!
- Creeks Edge Winery - open now, Taylorsville
- Berry Hill Vineyards - closed Sundays, Flint Hill, Appointment only
- Two Twisted Posts - open every other weekend as of Spring 2014
- Winery 32 - opening June 2014
- Blue Valley Vineyard - Opening Summer 2014
- Catoctin Creek Winery - appointment only
- Catoctin Creek Distillery - closed on Sundays
(Morais)
What have we learned over this past year of wining adventures?
We like small, family owned wineries
We dislike most places that welcome buses and limos and cater to big groups.
We dislike places that feel "corporate" or too commercial.
We like drier wines rather than sweeter wines, with the occasional port-style as an exception!
We like quieter places - although sometimes listening to live music is a great way to spend an afternoon.
We like places where the people are nice, know about the winery and the wine, and where they really take the time to chat with us, not just recite a speech or read the tasting notes to us.
Most importantly we love hanging out with each other and spending time learning more about Virginia Wines!
(Greenhill Winery)
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