Goochland, Virginia Est. in 2012 Elk Island Winery was founded by the Klinefelter family in 2012. It is named after the 1300-acre island in the James River, originally part of Thomas Jefferson’s Elk Farm, which is adjacent to their farm. Co-owner Crista Klinefelter shared, “Our love for agriculture and rural living resulted in the planting of our first four acres of vines on site, consisting mainly of Norton, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.” Elk Island Winery is a second-generation family business. The business was started by Crista’s father-in-law, a farmer with an interest in tryi ..read more

Palmyra, VA Country Comfort Wine in Virginia has become big business, as is evident when you visit so many of our wineries. The high-end, professionally designed and decorated spaces are often filled with throngs of people enjoying the wine and the well-curated experience. For those looking for something with a little less bustle (and all the hustle happening behind the scenes), look no further than Cunningham Creek Winery, part of the historic Middle Fork Farm, in Fluvanna County.  The big open spaces, picnic tables, and dog and family-friendly environment recall the earlier, more casua ..read more

Middleburg, VA What Your Porch Craves – 50 West Summer in Virginia can be sweltering. On those days when the AC can’t quite keep up, many Virginians find relief by relaxing and socializing with a cool drink on their porch. When choosing the perfect wine, could there be a more perfect porch-sipping wine than a nice cool rosé? Now, today’s rosé isn’t the same sweet wine you may remember from decades ago.  Yesterday’s overly sweet white zins have given way to something more varied and sophisticated.  Rosés produced from grapes like malbec and pinot have depth and character.  In Vi ..read more

Bozzo Family Vineyards Purcellville, VA One aspect that is pretty standard to any vineyard origin story is the key point in time from their first planting to their first vintage.  Winemaking is not a business where you can hit the ground running and hope that first year carries you over to a second, third, and beyond.   Some vineyards take a decade or so to perfect their process and product, forgoing sales to focus on experimentation.  Others use those early years to sell their grapes to the more established vineyards until they have the infrastructure and vine maturity to ..read more

Gadino Cellars: A Family Tradition Washington, VA Imagine, if you will, a classic movie. The camera pans across the scenery of an old Italian vineyard. You see ancient, stone buildings alongside the sun-bleached vines where the family has gathered to celebrate the harvest. They’re sharing some time together. Some good food. Some good wine. Everyone feels welcome. Now, Washington, Virginia may not be northern Italy (it’s a little more humid than Italy). The buildings aren’t nearly as old and things aren’t quite so bleached by the Mediterranean sun. The feeling of family and being welcomed, how ..read more

Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA It’s hard to imagine a time when the Virginia landscape wasn’t dotted with vineyards, but the concept of “Virginia wine” used to elicit more of a confused look than a knowing nod. That public perception was just one of Bill Heidig’s challenges when he decided to convert the family farm into a vineyard in 1981. These days, with modern resources and equipment, a vineyard can be up and running in a couple of seasons, complete with transplanted, mature vines and locally-sourced grapes to subsidize production. But Bill had to use a bit more elbow grease to get things go ..read more

Potomac Point Vineyard & Winery Stafford, VA From shoestring dive bars to elegant lawn parties, Virginia wineries mirror the Commonwealth’s love of getting together for a drink and a little gossip. With so much variety, everyone is sure to find the perfect spot to feel comfortable enjoying a glass or two with friends. Potomac Point was founded in 2007 by Skip and Cindi Causey, who, not surprisingly, spent years touring the Napa and Sonoma regions of California before deciding to plant their first vines. Located just off I-95 between the Potomac River and Aquia Harbor, their 7 acres of vin ..read more

Jump Mountain Vineyard Rockbridge Baths, VA When you think of Virginia wine, some of the first wines that come to mind are warm-weather whites like Chardonnay and Viognier– grapes that enjoy the long, hot summers of Virginia. But up in the mountains in places like Rockbridge County, the weather can pose a problem since the last frost might not happen until May.   Such was the challenge for Mary and David Vermillion, who were winding down their careers at UVA and, emboldened by wine-making classes at Piedmont, were eyeing a mountainous piece of land for their retirement careers. Sure, ther ..read more

Front Royal, Virginia Saga Meadery: A Buzz In The Bedroom Typically, looking under the bed in a college dorm would be ill-advised. Kevin Poplaski’s bed might be the exception. Curious about mead (a recurring theme in the many books he had devoured growing up) but not finding it readily available, Poplaski (owner of Saga Meadery) took to brewing it himself – under his dorm bed. Classmates and family members were his guinea pigs in the early years, tasting the successes and the failures as he perfected his recipes before taking the leap to open Saga Meadery in 2015. Unlike wine, mead is made f ..read more

Bright Meadows Farm: “American Wines from American Vines” Halifax County, Virginia Est. 2005 When you think of a cattle barn from the late 1800s, wine is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But for Bright Meadows Farm, it has been a match made in grape vine-covered heaven. Sitting among the historical paths of Halifax County, this quaint family-owned and operated vineyard and winery has found its home in a restored 1883 cattle barn. What started as a post-retirement business endeavor has become a life-changing new line of work for owners Boyd and Shirley Archer. They began in 2005 ..read more