Virginia's wine country
 

Is Loudoun County becoming the Napa Valley of the east coast? We have begun exploring the county's wineries - there are about 40 of them and some are clustered - and so far have been impressed with the quality. Today we did a tasting and light lunch at "Winery 32." They produce some very nice wines and my favorite was their flavorful and buttery Chardonnay - a lovely wine. I had a glass of that to accompany my lunch of a ratatouille crepe that was fresh and beautifully made. Their peach based dessert wine was also surprisingly good. I picked up a couple of bottles of the Chardonnay and the dessert wine to bring home and to use as gifts. We have a number of wineries to go. It is nice to have these places nearby and we look forward to continuing this activity, this could get to be a nice hobby. It is too bad the wine areas of the county are lacking in amenities such as hotels to attract people from out of the area and really good restaurants although there are a few of the latter that are not too far.

Well, all of the Virginia Piedmont has been crazy for wine making since the mid-70's. Perhaps some of them are now getting it right. It has been a long time coming.

I trust your judgement and would be interested in your thoughts on other wineries. We spend the winter in Richmond every year and would enjoy exploring if we had a better than even chance of finding something drinkable.

We have very much enjoyed local craft beers and the cocktail scene in Richmond.

The beer and cocktail scene in Richmond is phenomenal. I have gotten to be the cocktail snob, as has DH.

IMO, Virginia wines, while some are very good, are often overpriced and you have to know what you are getting.

This is what we often order at restaurants.....we discovered it at The Roosevelt

https://www.bbvwine.com/wine-shop/vermentino-reserve

Barboursville is a lovely winery and IME consistently has some of the best wine in VA.

basingstoke, thanks for your post. I love good wine but I'm not much of a wine snob so I do enjoy many Virginia wines.

I've been to Crysalis, near Middleburg, and enjoyed the setting as much as the wine.

I have been to over 100 wineries in Virginia. They have improved greatly over the past 10 years. A few of my favorites are Linden, Delaplane Cellars, Sunset Hills, Breaux, Chrysalis, and Bluemont (for the amazing view).

The wines are expensive if you buy a bottle, but we often just get a glass and enjoy the atmosphere.

True Reston, the wines tend to be priced a bit high by the bottle, but I think it has much to do with the small size of the individual wineries and small amounts produced compared to some of the mega wineries in CA. For example, the Chardonnay that I bought yesterday was $24. Certainly not a budget wine, at least for me. But, it was really nice and a lot of thought was put into just how it should be made and IMO comparable in price to other Chardonnays of similar quality. Caveat - I am far from a wine snob or even expert. Quality to me is how I enjoy the wine, not how many points it may get in a review. I have yet to see reviews of the wines of Winery 32.

Quality to me is how I enjoy the wine, not how many points it may get in a review.
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Same here.

However, IME non-domestic wines are by far a better value dollar for dollar and with Virginia wines one has to be even more careful.

We go to a number of Virginia wine events each year.

However, the Barboursville one I posted above is about $36 in a restaurant and is a solid value.

Twenty five years ago when I moved here and tried Virginia wines, I was not impressed. In the last five years, I've been to many Virginia wineries and tasted dozens of wines and my perception has taken a 180 degree turn.

I have found that our climate is well-suited to Viogniers and Cab Francs but there are other wines, including Chardonnays that are good. My favorite Virginia wineries are Michael Shaps, Jefferson, and Rosemount. Keswick makes some good wines and Horton has a very nice port. I love going up and visiting the wineries in Charlottesville. There is a nice route near Monticello that includes MS and Jefferson. This is going to be my next stop, though, as soon as I can schedule it: http://dc.eater.com/2014/7/1/6198179...blic-for-tours

I'll have to check out some of the NoVA wineries, basingstoke2. Thanks for the recommendation. If you want to branch out a bit, there are some good maps here.

https://www.virginiawine.org/guide/

The Barboursville Cab Franc has been terrific for a few vintage years now. Most of our wine head friends think it's overpriced at $25 or so--cab franc is not a varietal that commands prices in the $20's, generally. But we really like it, and look forward to visiting the winery and others in the area some day soon.

I like that Cab Franc also.

Bumping up this thread as I am going to be in Leesburg in mid-November for a conference and the following Saturday will do some winery hopping in that area. I looked at the map Birdie posted but there are SO many wineries.. I need to narrow it down and would appreciate some help. I am fairly (no, completely) clueless about northern Virginia wines.

I am fairly picky but I like to try varietals I have never had before (like Petit Manseng.) I am a pinot noir junkie, but maybe it is not too common in the area - I also like Cab Franc. Rustic and homey is better than sophisticated and slick, but I'm open. Can anyone recommend a couple of places around Leesburg?

If I can ever reciprocate with wineries in Santa Barbara county, I will be happy to do so. :)

Rialtogirl

The wineries near Leesburg seem to cluster around Lucketts, VA. Take rat 15 north and Lucketts is perhaps 7 or so miles. Approaching and leaving the town you will see a number of turn offs toward local wineries. As noted above, I liked winery 32. If you choose to go there, check their web site or call ahead for hours. They do a nice tasting of 8 varietielsfor 8 bucks. Pours are generous.

There are also wineries out in nearby West VA.

Do you want to stay near Leesburg that Saturday or are you interested in moving on? If a move is in the cards, you could stay at the Inn at Meander Plantation.
http://www.meander.net/

If Petit Mansengs are a goal, here are three recommendations -
http://www.virginiawinelovermag.com/...Petit-Manseng/

You could stop by Delaplane on the way, and then Honah Lee and Early Mountain are not far away from the inn.

Not sure that fits in your plans but a possibility.

Thank you for the recs! Starrs, I have to stay in Leesburg, I already paid for my lodging there and I am meeting some friends who live not far away. I will check out Winery 32.

The Meander Inn could work for a future visit.

I don't have any specific recommendations for wineries in that area to add to the ones you've already received except to say that I'd head towards Middleburg if only for the excuse to drive around the gorgeous horse country. If you like cab francs, try the petite verdots too.

I agree with the Middleburg area suggestion. My nephews attended school nearby and I loved just driving around the area.

For eye candy, take a look at the pics of Bunny Mellon's estate -
http://gardenandgun.com/article/beauty-oak-spring-farm
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...design-article

I will try to get to Middleburg! Thank you!