Although more popular wine regions are in California, wine was found earlier elsewhere in America. The history of wine in Virginia can be traced to Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800s and even to Jamestown in 1607. The number of Virginia wineries has exponentially increased in the past few years, along with vino-tourism.
Central Virginia has several popular wine trails. I recently made several stops along the Monticello Wine Trail.
Wine Tasting Charlottesville Virginia
After a gorgeous scenic drive down Shenandoah Valley, I approached Charlottesville from the intersection of interstate highways 81 and 64. An easy first stop was King Family Vineyards in Crozet (pronounced Crow-zay, I learned). Looks like King is ready for us.
Here is a reminder that this is also horse country.
In fact, King hosts polo matches throughout the year. It is a fantastic setting.
Nearby I found another kitschy speed limit sign. Love ’em.
Next stop was Stinson Vineyards.
I loved the display of items found on the property during initial restoration.
Sugar Hollow Red is one of Stinson’s wines. I liked the name because we were staying nearby at an excellent B&B called Inn at Sugar Hollow Farm (now closed!).
Next day, our first stop was White Hall Vineyards.
White Hall has some very well decorated soldiers.
Glass House Winery had much going on; a B&B, a conservatory with tropical plants, and wine. I loved the view.
Not sure I agree with this Glass House sign but I do like their humor.
The highlight might be homemade chocolates. What? Wine and chocolate. Amazing.
Jefferson Vineyards is the closest vineyard to the town of Charlottesville and is located in the shadow of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Their 2013 Viognier won a double gold award in the 2014 International Wine Competition and they have produced quality wine for 35 years.
These were only a handful of the 30 wineries in the Charlottesville area. I must make a return trip—or several—to visit them all.
What is your favorite wine region?
Thanks for visiting! We hope you’ll come back and see us again soon!
You bet. Loved the vibe and setting at King Family!