More than 20 wine grape varieties are grown in Virginia, and dozens of wineries dot the landscape. Winery settings are uniformly lovely, overlooking vineyards and valleys. There visitors can taste a variety of wines, from reds to whites, dry to sweet.
Some Virginia wineries charge a nominal fee for tasting. Food is available at most and ranges from Virginia delicacies sold in on-site gift shops to elegant restaurants that serve multi-course meals paired with local wines.
The only winery in historic Williamsburg invites guests to taste seven wines and keep a monogrammed tasting glass as a memento.
From the heated, three-tiered terrace overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, visitors can savor a variety of vintages and Brut, rated one of the world’s top ten sparkling wines by
Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Outside of Charlottesville, Barboursville encompasses the historic ruins of a home designed by Thomas Jefferson. Shakespearean plays and operas are performed outdoors in season, and the Palladio restaurant pairs award-winning wines with gourmet fare year-round.
Kluge Estate’s Limited Edition 2000 New World Red, a Bordeaux-style blend that recently garnered an international double gold medal, is sold along with other vintages and picnic foods in the rustically elegant farm shop.
One of Virginia’s largest wineries, a visit can include a tour of the extensive wine museum and production facility, a meal at the Grille, and an overnight stay in a French-Provincial-style suite.
Chrysalis boasts the largest planting of the native-to-Virginia Norton grape, developed in Virginia and the source of distinctively robust red wines.
Two black Labradors welcome guests to this site off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Dine indoors by an open fire in cool weather and top off a meal with Sweet Mountain Laurel dessert wine.
This picturesque 400-acre estate, one hour's drive from Washington, DC, produces twelve acclaimed wines. Taste any or all at the new visitors center.
Thomas Jefferson is the father of the Virginia wine industry. In the Blue Ridge Mountains one mile from Monticello, Jefferson Vineyards grows wine grapes on 20 acres that were once planted by Thomas Jefferson in 1774.
This family-owned winery outside of Charlottesville offers free daily tastings. Wine lovers can sip and savor vintages on an outdoor terrace or make a picnic from the selection of cheeses, salami, and piping-hot French bread King Family Vineyards makes available. The setting is especially lovely for outdoor wedding receptions.
