Tour 5 Virginia Wineries

Virginia is home to approximately 140 wineries. Many are conveniently located within a short driving distance from almost anywhere in the State, making them ideal day trip destinations. The hard part is deciding which ones to visit.

We decided to plan a 5 winery day trip and grouped several wineries together that were uniquely different from each other, for a more interesting winery touring experience. We selected: Pollack Vineyards, Barren Ridge Vineyards, Flying Fox, Lovingston & Mountain Cove.

Pollack Vineyards - Located on a 100 acre farm in Greenwood, VA, Pollack is a new
winery in Central Virginia as of May 17, 2008. After a long partnership in a Napa winery and a career in international business, David Pollack and his wife Margo founded Pollack Vineyards in 2003 when they purchased an organic farm on which they planted 25 acres of grapes. They produced their first vintage in 2005 from their own estate-grown grapes. Pollack boasts a beautiful, well- appointed tasting room with breath-taking views. Their wines are exceptional.

Pollack wines include: 2006 Meritage, 2007 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Merlot, 2007 Petit Verdot, 2007 Durant Red, Chardonnay Virginia 2007, Chardonnay 2007 Estate,2007 Pinot Gris, 2007Viognier, 2008 Durant White, 2007 Rosé.

Barren Ridge Vineyards - Located on the family’s former apple orchard, Barren Ridge is also a newcomer to the growing list of Virginia wineries. Owners John & Shelby converted an old apple barn into their state-of-the-art winery.

After living in Europe for a while, John decided to return home to the Shenandoah Valley, where he and friends planted over an acre of European vinifera vines. While these grapes are growing, he purchased grapes from local vineyards - Viognier, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Touriga, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. Barren Ridge wines include 2007 & 2008 Viognier, 2007 Vidal Blanc, 2008 Chardonney, 2007 & 2008 Traminette, 2008 Tinkling Spring, 2007 Touriga, 2007 Rosé, 2007 Cabernet Franc, 2007 Merlot, 2007 & 2008 Touriga, 2007 Petit Verdot, 2007 Meritage, and a 2007 Dessert Wine- Christof .

Flying Fox Vineyards - Although it is possible to easily miss their tasting room, located at the Corner of Rt. 151 and Chapel Hollow Road, it is worth finding. This boutique winery's 2006 Petit Verdot was recently awarded a Gold Medal and both their 2006 Trio and 2006 Cabernet Franc earned Bronze Medals in the 2009 Virginia Governor's Cup Wine competition.Their wines include:2005 Merlot, 2005 Cabernet Franc, 2006 Trio, 2006 Trio, 2006 Petit Verdot, 2006 Cabernet Franc, 2006 Fox Red, 2008 Fox White, 2007 Chardonnay, 2008 Viognier, 2008 Rosé

Lovingston Winery - The winery is located in the beautiful countryside surrounding the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is primarily family-run along with head winemaker Riaan Rossouw. Using a method called ‘dense planting’ - 1200 vines to an acre - to increase the quality of their grapes, the winery has planted 4 acres of Merlot and one of Cabernet Franc. This boutique winery uses a gravity-flow production method, allowing them to virtually eliminate the use of pumps and other mechanization which they believe detracts from the wines. Lovingston’s wines include: Seyval Blanc 2008, Petit Manseng 2008, Cabernet Franc 2006, Rotunda Red 2006, Merlot 2005, Estate Reserve 2005.

Mountain Cove Vineyards - located next to the Fortunes Cove Preserve, a large Nature Conservancy property, the Vineyards were founded in 1973 by Al and Emily Weed. Most of the original mature vines were replanted in 1997, and are now back to producing. The tasting room is a quaint, rustic structure.

Wines include:
Tinto-a dry Cabernet Franc/cabernet Sauvignon blend, estate bottled; Mountain Cove Chardonnay-Stainless steel fermented, some barrel aging, dry. Skyline White - a semi-dry Blend of Villard Blanc and Chardonnay-Vouvray Style; Skyline Rose - semi-dry wine perfect with spicy meals, ham and roast pork - (available again Spring, 2007)

Mountain Cove's fruit wines are 100% fruit. They do not mix grape wines with another fruit.
Blackberry - an after dinner favorite. Winesap Apple - semi-sweet wine from locally grown fruit.

While this 5 Winery day trip is easily done by car, why not go in style? There are several limousine companies that offer wine tours; most are willing to allow the tour group to customize their own tour. Camryn Limousine Service, in Charlottesville, offers wine tours in a variety of vehicles to suit the group’s size and budget. They also allow the group to bring their own snacks or lunches , so they can enjoy a bottle of wine with lunch at one of the wineries, while overlooking spectacular wine-country scenery.

While Spring, Summer and Fall are great times of the year to visit wineries, many offer events and tastings through the holidays. Always call ahead to be sure they will be open.

Cheers!