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2009 Wine Guide
By Stephen Ball & Warren Rojas / Photography by Hana Jung
It’s Virginia wine month once again.
And we here at Northern Virginia Magazine felt it was time to bring the Old Dominion’s burgeoning wine trade (145-plus wineries and counting) into sharper focus for our grape-savvy readers.
Behold, our local wine guide: a cheat sheet for more than 90 wineries within a two-hour drive from downtown Fairfax (our geographic anchor for this little exercise).
We’ve also shined a spotlight on a handful of oenological upstarts we think are worth getting to know a little better. And don’t miss the tasting notes from our first ever in-house wine panel.
No matter what your wine preference, we think you’ll agree, Virginia’s got it going on.
| NoVA Wineries |  |
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| Albermarle CiderWorks 2545 Rural Ridge Ln. North Garden, Va., 22959 434-297-2326 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Autumn Hill Vineyards/Blue Ridge Winery 301 River Dr. Standardsville, Va., 22973 434-985-6100 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Barboursville Vineyards 17655 Winery Rd. Barboursville, Va., 22923 540-832-3824 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
|
Barrel Oak Winery |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Belle Mount Vineyards 2570 Newland Rd. Warsaw, Va., 22572 804-333-4700 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Blenheim Vineyards 31 Blenheim Farm Charlottesville, Va., 22902 434-293-5366 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Bluemont Vineyard 18755 Foggy Bottom Rd. Bluemont, Va., 20135 540-554-8439 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Y | Yes | ||
| Boxwood Winery 2042 Burrland Rd. Middleburg, Va., 20117 540-687-8778 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Breaux Vineyards 36888 Breaux Vineyards Ln. Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-668-6299 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Burnley Vineyards & Daniel Cellars 4500 Winery Ln. Barboursville, Va., 22923 540-832-2828 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Casanel Vineyards 17952 Canby Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20175 540-751-1776 |
Yes | ||||||
| Castle Gruen Vineyards & Winery 1272 Meander Run Rd. Locust Dale, Va., 22948 540-229-2498 |
Yes | ||||||
| Cave Ridge Vineyard 1476 Conicville Rd. Mount Jackson, Va., 22842 540-477-2585 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Chateau O’Brien at Northpoint 3238 Rail Stop Rd. Markham, Va., 22643 540-364-6441 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Chester Gap Cellars 4615 Remount Rd. Front Royal, Va., 22630 540-636-8086 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Chrysalis Vineyards 23876 Champe Ford Rd. Middleburg, Va., 20117 540-687-8222 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Cooper Vineyards 13372 Shannon Hill Rd. Louisa, Va., 23093 540-894-5253 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Corcoran Vineyards 14635 Corkys Farm Ln. Waterford, Va., 20197 540-882-9073 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Cross Keys Vineyards & Winery 6011 E. Timber Ridge Rd. Mount Crawford, Va., 22841 540-234-0505 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Delaplane Cellars 2187 Winchester Rd. Delaplane, Va., 21044 540-592-7210 |
Coming this fall | ||||||
| Doukenie Winery 14727 Mountain Rd. Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-668-6464 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Dry Mill Vineyards & Winery 18195 Dry Mill Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20175 703-737-3930 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Fabbioli Cellars 15669 Limestone School Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20176 703-771-1197 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Fox Meadow Winery 3310 Freezeland Rd. Linden, Va., 22642 540-636-6777 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Gabriele Rausse Winery 3247 Carter’s Mountain Rd. Charlottesville, Va., 22903 434-296-5328 |
Yes | ||||||
| Gadino Cellars 92 Schoolhouse Rd. Washington, Va., 22747 540-987-9292 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Glen Manor Vineyards 2244 Browntown Rd. Front Royal, Va., 22630 540-635-6324 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Gray Ghost Vineyards 14706 Lee Hwy. Amissville, Va., 20106 540-937-4869 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Grayhaven Winery 4675 E. Grey Fox Circle Gum Spring, Va., 23065 804-556-3917 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| The Hague Winery 8268 Cople Hwy. Hague, Va., 22469 804-472-5283 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Hartwood Winery 345 Hartwood Rd. Fredericksburg, Va., 22406 540-752-4893 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Hidden Brook Winery 43301 Spinks Ferry Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20176 703-737-3935 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Hiddencroft Vineyards 12202 Axline Rd. Lovettsville, Va., 20180 540-535-5367 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Hillsborough Vineyards 36716 Charles Town Pike Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-668-6216 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Horton Vineyards 6399 Spotswood Trail Gordonsville, Va., 22942 540-832-7440 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Hummel Vineyards 1005 Panorama Rd. Montross, Va., 25520 804-493-9998 |
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| Ingleside Vineyards 5872 Leedstown Rd. Oak Grove, Va., 22443 804-224-8687 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| James River Cellars 11008 Washington Hwy. Glen Allen, Va., 23059 804-550-7516 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Jefferson Vineyards 1353 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. Chalottseville, Va., 22902 800-272-3042 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Keswick Vineyards 1575 Keswick Winery Dr. Keswick, Va., 22947 434-244-3341 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| King Family Vineyards 6550 Roseland Farm Crozet, Va., 22932 434-823-7800 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard 3550 Blenheim Rd. Charlottsville, Va., 22902 434-984-4855 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Lake Anna Winery 5621 Courthouse Rd. Spotsylvania, Va., 22551 540-895-5085 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Linden Vineyards 3708 Harrels Corner Rd. Linden, Va., 22642 540-364-1997 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Lost Creek Winery & Vineyard 43277 Spinks Ferry Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20176 703-443-9836 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Loudoun Valley Vineyards 38516 Charles Town Pike Waterford, Va., 20197 540-882-3375 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Marterella Winery 8278 Falcon Glen Rd. Warrenton, Va., 20186 540-347-1119 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Mattaponi Winery 7530 Morris Rd. Spotsylvania, Va., 22551 540-582-2897 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Mediterranean Cellars 8295 Falcon Glen Rd. Warrenton, Va., 20186 540-428-1984 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Miracle Valley Vineyard 3661 Double J Ln. Delaplane, Va., 20144 540-364-0228 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Misty Mountain Meadworks 1531 Pack Horse Rd. Winchester, Va., 22603 540-888-4420 |
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| MistyRay Winery 215 Rorrer Cir. Harrisonburg, Va., 22801 540-433-8243 |
Yes | Yes | |||||
| Mountfair Vineyards 4875 Fox Mountain Rd. Mountfair, Va., 22932 434-823-7605 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Naked Mountain Vineyard 2747 Leeds Manor Rd. Markham, Va., 22643 540-364-1609 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Narmada Winery 80 Narmada Ln. Amissville, Va., 20106 540-937-6613 |
Coming this fall | ||||||
| Neala Estate Vineyard & Cellars 544 Walkers Mill Ln. Madison, Va., 22727 540-948-5270 |
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| New Kent Winery 8400 Old Church Rd. New Kent, Va., 23124 804-932-8240 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| North Gate Vineyard 16110 Mountain Ridge Ln. Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-668-6248 |
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| North Mountain Vineyard & Winery 4374 Swartz Rd. Maurertown, Va., 22644 540-436-9463 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Notaviva Vineyards 13274 Sagle Rd. Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-668-6756 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Oak Crest Vineyard & Winery 8215 Oak Crest Dr. King George, Va., 22485 540-663-2813 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Old House Vineyards 18351 Corkys Ln. Culpeper, Va., 22701 540-423-1032 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Paradise Springs Winery 13219 Yates Ford Rd. Clifton, Va., 20124 703-830-9463 |
Coming this fall | ||||||
| Pearmund Cellars 6190 Georgetown Rd. Broad Run, Va., 20137 540-347-3475 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Phillip Carter Winery 4366 Stillhouse Rd. Hume, Va., 22639 540-364-1203 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Piedmont Vineyards & Winery 2546-D Halfway Rd. The Plains, Va., 20198 540-687-5528 |
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| Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery 275 Decatur Rd. Stafford, Va., 22554 540-446-2266 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery 154 Winery Ln. Leon, Va., 22725 800-800-9463 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Quattro Goomba’s Winery 22860 James Monroe Hwy. Aldie, Va., 20105 703-327-6052 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Rappahannock Cellars 14437 Hume Rd. Huntly, Va., 22640 540-635-9398 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Rogers Ford Farm Winery 14674 Rogers Ford Rd. Sumerduck, Va., 22742 540-439-3707 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Sharp Rock Vineyards 5 Sharp Rock Rd. Sperryville, Va., 22740 540-987-8020 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Shenandoah Vineyards 3659 S. Ox Rd. Edinburg, Va., 22824 540-984-8699 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Stone Mountain Vineyards 1376 Wyatt Mountain Rd. Dyke, Va., 22935 434-990-9463 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Sugarleaf Vineyards 3613 Walnut Branch Ln. North Garden, Va., 22959 434-984-4272 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Sunset Hills Vineyard 38295 Freemont Overlook Ln. Purcellville, Va., 20132 540-882-4560 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Swedenburg Estate Vineyard 23595 Winery Ln. Middleburg, Va., 20117 540-687-5219 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Sweely Estate Winery 6109 Wolftown-Hood Rd. Madison, Va., 22727 540-948-9005 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Tarara Winery 13648 Tarara Ln. Leesburg, Va., 20176 703-771-7100 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Three Fox Vineyards 10100 Three Fox Ln. Delaplane, Va., 20144 540-364-6073 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Twin Oaks Tavern Winery 18035 Raven Rocks Rd. Bluemont, Va., 20135 540-554-4547 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Unicorn Winery 489 Old Bridge Rd. Amissville, Va., 20106 540-349-5885 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Veramar Vineyard 905 Quarry Rd. Berryville, Va., 22611 540-955-5510 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Village Winery 40405 Browns Ln. Waterford, Va., 20197 540-882-3780 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Vino Curioso 1334 Perry Rd. Winchester, Va., 22602 703-447-0648 |
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| Vint Hill Craft Winery 7150 Lineweaver Rd. Vint Hill, Va., 20187 703-991-0191 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Vintage Ridge Vineyard 8517 Maidstone Rd. Rectortown, Va., 20140 540-364-3371 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| White Hall Vineyards 5282 Sugar Ridge Rd. White Hall, Va., 22987 434-823-8615 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Willowcroft Farm Vineyards 38906 Mount Gilead Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20175 703-777-8161 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Winery at La Grange 4970 Antioch Rd. Haymarket, Va., 20169 703-753-9360 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Wolf Gap Vineyard & Winery 123 Stout Rd. Edinburg, Va., 22824 540-984-3306 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Woodland Vineyard Farm Winery 15501 Genito Rd. Midlothian, Va., 23112 804-739-2774 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Zephaniah Farm Vineyard 19381 Dunlop Mill Rd. Leesburg, Va., 20175 703-431-2016 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
Dry Mill Vineyards & Winery
18195 Dry Mill Road, Leesburg; 703-737-3930; www.drymillwine.com
When Dane and Nancy Van Huss decided to open a winery after retiring in 2000, they dreamt of a quaint mom-and-pop shop—a place where they could casually entertain visitors, enjoy the fruits of their labor and have some fun doing it.
They got all that. And so much more.
Only weeks after their grand opening in early June, the Van Husses had already welcomed over 1,000 visitors, far exceeding their expectations. “This was supposed to be my retirement,” Dane says with a laugh. “It doesn’t look like it’s going to be that way though.”
Dane has been in the grape business for 12 years. His vineyard, Short Hill, has provided grapes to several area wineries, most notably Naked Mountain Vineyard.
“But this year I’m keeping ‘em all,” he jokes.
Dry Mill features eight wines, most notably a barreled chardonnay that is already a top seller. Other top sellers include the viognier, steel chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet franc and rosé.—SB
2008 Viognier
NoVA Mag staff tasting notes:
“I’m surprised it’s not from France.”
“Fresh and smooth; an easy summer afternoon wine.”
“A fully realized, well-balanced white.”
Vino Curioso
1334 Perry Road, Winchester; 703-447-0648; www.vinocurioso.com
Vino Curioso co-founder Michael Matthews is no stranger to Virginia’s highways and byways.
The self-described “wine guy” keeps vineyards down in Essex County. His original winery (started out of Matthews’ partner’s mother’s garage) is just outside of Winchester. And they’re working on a new facility in Gainesville, tentatively dubbed The Virginia Wine Factory, which will serve as both a new production hub and full-service wine bar.
Yet he still claims, “It’s a weekend thing for us. Well, nights and weekends.”
Those must be some long nights, considering this crew refuses to cut corners—“We don’t enzyme anything or tannin anything. We only use what comes with the grape,” he says of their holistic winemaking philosophy—while pressuring themselves to produce top-quality pours.
Their hard work appears to be paying off.
The current catalog includes a chardonnay blend (four different chardonnays + four months’ barrel aging = lots to talk about), citrus-packed sauvignon blanc (Yesterday), Bordeaux-style red (954), battle-tested cabernet franc (Frank the Tank) and easy-drinking cabernet sauvignon (Snake’s Den).—WR
2007 Chardontage
NoVA Mag staff tasting notes:
“This would be a good start to a long night of drinking.”
“Full bodied but not overpowering; a mellow sipper.”
Boxwood Winery
2042 Burrland Road, Middleburg; 540-687-8778; www.boxwoodwinery.com
Ten years after losing one family business—the Washington Redskins—John Kent Cooke is out to establish another legacy.
At Boxwood Winery, Cooke enlisted the services of his wife Rita and step-daughter Rachel Martin to develop Bordeaux-quality wines right here in Northern Virginia. Utilizing top-of-the-line equipment, vines and techniques, Boxwood is attempting to place itself among the nation’s most renowned boutique vineyards.
Emphasizing quality over quantity, Boxwood is one of the area’s only self-sufficient vineyards. It produces three styles in the Bordeaux tradition from five varieties of grape, all certified by the French government. A maximum output of 5,000 cases annually combined with a retail cost of $25 per bottle means those unfamiliar with the Boxwood label need to catch up quickly.
The winery’s cult following has led to plans of opening a third tasting room—the newish winery already has satellite facilities including downtown Middleburg and the Reston Town Center—in Chevy Chase later this fall.—SB
2007 Rosé
NoVA Mag staff tasting notes:
“This tastes like roses to me; I would drink this at a garden party!”
“A nice, lilting lift at the end (is that cinnamon?).”
“I wish this would have been sweeter.”
Paradise Springs Winery
13219 Yates Ford Road, Clifton; 703-830-9463; www.paradisespringswinery.com
To hear Paradise Springs Winery principal Kirk Wiles tell it, nurturing fussy varietals and mastering blending techniques are the EASIEST part about opening a winery in Fairfax County.
Negotiating all the red tape, on the other hand…
The first suburban vineyard in our area, the winery is slotted to open this fall. (At press time, the Wiles got the green light for an ABC license.*) But Wiles and his family believe their micro winery project is the best way to keep mounting tax debts from swallowing the inherited property whole.
They picked local winemaker Chris Pearmund’s brain to get things moving, and have so far focused on just a handful of hand-crafted wines—they currently have around 1,300 cabernet franc vines planted, with plans to add about an acre of viognier in 2010. The evolving catalog includes a melon-tinged vidal blanc, powerhouse norton-cabernet franc blend (aged in Hungarian oak) and their award-winning cabernet sauvignon.—WR
2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
NoVA Mag staff tasting notes:
“If ‘relaxed’ had a flavor, it would taste like this.”
“Too floral of a finish.”
“I like that this actually tastes like something.”
Loudoun Valley Vineyards
38516 Charles Town Pike, Waterford; 540-882-3375; www.loudounvalleyvineyards.com
Bree Ann Moore always knew she’d be a winemaker. She just never imagined it being anywhere other than California.
When the Sonoma County native moved to Virginia in 2003 while her husband finished his post-graduate degree, she took a job as a consultant at Rappahannock Cellars.
A year later, the former Beringer wine chemist became head winemaker at Unicorn Winery. But when her husband graduated and the opportunity to leave presented itself, plans changed.
“We just saw a real potential here and decided to stay,” Moore says. “We’re trying to develop the best fruit in a temperamental climate and I think we’ve been up to the challenge.”
Best known for her blended wines, Moore opened Loudoun Valley Vineyards in 2008. Since then, the vineyard has flourished, garnering devoted followers thanks to their cabernet franc reserve and Legacy, a retro-style dessert wine.—SB
2005 Legacy
NoVA Mag staff tasting notes:
“So good, but dangerous!”
“Curious, rum-like sweetness (got some candied orange, a touch of sour cherry).”
“The aftertaste is better than the drinking part.”
(October 2009)