The Best Wineries in Virginia 

I’m not sure if people realize it or not, but there is actually a huge number of wineries in Virginia. There are a few scattered throughout the state; however, most of the wineries are located in Central Virginia, between Nellysford and Charlottesville.

There is a popular stretch of road called “Nelson 151“, which is the home to tons of wineries, breweries/cideries, and even a distillery. However, the wine on that particular trail tends to lean more towards the sweet side. So if that is what you like, then I might suggest sticking to that area. However, the itinerary that I am going to share with you, leads you off of that path just a bit.

I have been to this area before, and visited a few wineries – but nothing could compare to this most recent adventure. Olivia and I set out on a two night adventure, with an extremely detailed and strategic wine and food itinerary (created by myself) that I want to share with you below:

The Itinerary 

Things you need to know:

• The order of these wineries is based off of the location of our bed and breakfast (The Mark Addy Inn – which I will describe in more detail later).
• Also, we were traveling on a Sunday – Tuesday. Therefore, I picked certain ones to go together based on location and their hours. Some wineries aren’t open on Monday’s and Tuesday’s. So if you are interested in using my itinerary on different days – make sure that you check out their hours on the days that you are interested in.
• For driving purposes, (except for Sunday Brunch) I listed and visited the wineries in order based on FARTHEST to CLOSEST distance to our Bed and Breakfast. This is so that when we were done, we were closer to “home”.
• I will give photos, detailed descriptions, and reviews on each place later in this post.
• If you wanted to move Pippin Hill to one of the other days, I suggest adding it in with my “Day 1” suggestions based on location. However, obviously you can change around the order however you please.

Day 1 (Sunday – map below):

• Brunch at Basic Necessities
• Loving Cup Vineyard and Winery (organic)
• Delfosse Vineyard and Winery
• Dinner at Wild Wolf Brewing Company

Day 2 (Monday – map below)

• Pollak Vineyards (no pictures below because it was a last minute decision for us – however I highly recommend it – I actually bought the most wine from there)
• Afton Mountain Vineyards
• Veritas Vineyard and Winery
• Cardinal Point Winery (free tasting with teacher ID – no pictures below because same as above – But they have a deliciously unique hopped chardonnay)
• Dinner at Blue Mountain Brewery

Day 3 (Tuesday)

• Brunch/Lunch/Wine Tasting at Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard 
  • I did not include a map for this one, but you can see it in orange on the first map!

Winery Review and Recaps:

Loving Cup Vineyard and Winery (pictures above):

Open Fri – Sun

Our first winery stop was at Loving Cup Vineyard and Winery! Loving Cup is extremely unique in that it is 1 of only 3 Certified Organic Wineries on the East Coast! We sat and talked with owner, Karl, for a long time – He was such a gracious host and is truly a great person and businessman! Loving Cup is a smaller Vineyard and Winery, but Karl and his father do all of the work themselves and truly take pride in their Wines. Tastings at Loving Cup Winery are only $5 and you get to taste five wines! 

The grape varietals that Loving Cup grows and harvests for their wines are not very commonly known grapes. This is because, being an organic vineyard, they have to pick disease resistant varietals since they cannot use common pesticides and sprays! My favorite wines that we tasted were the Loving Cup White, Dudley Nose Rose’, and their house made Sangria! The kindness and uniqueness of Loving Cup makes it a must see Winery on this itinerary!

 

Delfosse Vineyard and Winery (pictures above):

Open Wed – Sun

Delfosse Vineyard and Winery was our second Winery on day one of our trip! Delfosee has a huge property and offers many award winning wines! We also spoke with Adrienne and Mike (owners) for an extended amount of time. They were extremely kind and easy to talk to, and even toured us around the Vineyard in the cutest “safari” vehicle (pictured above)!

From the pictures above, you can see how beautiful the grounds and views are! Plus, in addition to creating incredible wines, Delfosse is a beautiful venue for weddings and events! Also, there is a cabin that can be rented on the property. The photo directly above this paragraph shows views of the tasting room from the cabin!

My favorite wines from Delfosse were the 2015 Chardonnay, the 2013 Merlot, and the 2014 Grand Cru Olivier (An award winning blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec). Tasting are $10 and with so many wines to love, I am sure that you will want to buy a bottle to take home as well! 

Afton Mountain Vineyards (pictures above):

Open 7 days a week

We started day two at Afton Mountain Vineyards, which gave us yet another beautiful backdrop for a great day of wine tasting! Tastings at Afton Mountain Vineyards are $10 and you get to try five wines. My favorite wines here were the 2016 Chardonnay and the 2017 Rose’. During our visit, we enjoyed a picnic outside with a glass of wine while soaking up the gorgeous mountain views!

While Afton Mountain Vineyards would be a beautiful venue for a wedding, they stopped having weddings on site because they have built several cabins and a large guest house for people to rent! They pointed out that no one wants to rent a cabin for the week and have a wedding and huge party going on outside of their deck (makes sense and is very nice of them).

Veritas Vineyard and Winery (pictures above):

Open 7 days a week at varying hours

I have visited Veritas Vineyard and Winery in the past, and they were just as excellent this time as the last! The bartenders that were working at the tasting bar during our visit were so friendly and actually quite hilarious! Tastings at Veritas are $10 and you get to taste seven outstanding wines! My favorite wines here were the 2017 Rose’ and the 2017 Merlot!

Veritas also offers a small Farmhouse Menu for a variety of food and snacks! There is plenty of outdoor seating; however, because we had been in heat so much thus far, we decided to spend some time inside the tasting room on their large and insanely comfortable couches!

Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard (pictures above):

Open Tuesday-Sunday

Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard was probably my favorite winery that we visited during this trip. And I believe that is because they are very large and have so much going on – and yet, they did not come off as commercialized or impersonal! The views were to die for, their wine was truly outstanding, and they have a full-service menu offering amazing food that pairs perfectly with their wine! I do feel that I must note that Pippin Hill is a bit pricey; however, the quality is truly top notch! I 100% recommend visiting Pippin Hill Farm and Winery during your visit!

The tasting room is located inside at the bar. However if you prefer to order a glass or bottle of wine and food, there are tons of indoor and outdoor seating options! My favorites throughout my visit at Pippin Hill were the Rose’ and the Sparkling Blanc De Blanc! If you are more interested in the food aspect of Pippin Hill, I actually included more photos and information about the food below in the dining highlights portion of this post!

Dining Highlights and Reviews:

Basic Necessities (pictures above):

Offers lunch Tues – Sat, dinner Fri – Sat, and Brunch on Sundays

Basic Necessities was our very first stop on this adventure! It is a complete hole-in-the-wall, but the small cafe style and unique French influence makes it so darn cute! The simplistic charm just makes you want to smile, and the food was out-of-this-world good! As mentioned, we had Sunday brunch here; so, I ordered their phenomenal French Toast, fruit, and a mimosa! Sounds like the perfect way to start a wine getaway to me, right?

Since we only had Brunch at Basic Necessities, we did not taste any of the wines that they have to offer! However, the owner (Kay) has a strong love and knowledge for French wines. They also have an adorable wine/gourmet food shop located inside of the building!

Wild Wolf Brewing Company (pictures above):

Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week

On our first night of the trip, we ate dinner at Wild Wolf Brewing Co. It is located on the south end of the Nelson 151 trail, about 10 minutes from the Mark Addy Inn. Olivia and I both were SO impressed with the staff at Wild Wolf; and everything we ate and drank was outstanding! Wild Wolf has a selection of 13 house and seasonal beers on tap, and also offers 6-packs to-go! For food, they offer a full menu seven days a week, including brunch on Sundays.

We started with a Full Flight of their own Craft Beer; it was huge, but I highly recommend it. As an appetizer, we had their House-made Jalapeño Poppers, which were my absolute favorite part of the whole meal! For our entrees, we ordered the Smokehouse Sampler and the Shrimp and Grits. Both meals were excellent; however, my favorite was the shrimp and grits! And just so you know, I have never tried shrimp and grits before – I don’t even like grits… or so I thought! Lastly, for dessert we had fried Oreos with ice cream. I think that it goes without saying, but YUM.

If you are interested in using my itinerary, I highly urge you to stick with my restaurant recommendations! The food was truly incredible! But also, with all of this said: Wild Wolf also offers a ten acre property with an authentic Biergarten, gazebo, gift shop, koi pond, water wheel, wedding chapel tent, and an event center that seats 140 people and contains its own kitchen and bar that has been created from an old tobacco barn. So you can even have a wedding or event right here at Wild Wolf Brewing Company!

Blue Mountain Brewery (pictures above):

Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week

On our second night, we had dinner at Blue Mountain Brewery – located on the North end of the Nelson 151 trail, about ten minutes from The Mark Addy Inn. Blue Mountain Brewery is the home of some of the best pizza in Virginia! Blue Mountain has a ton of indoor and outdoor seating, and is the perfect place to hangout at night!

We started with a Flight of Blue Mountain’s own Craft Beer and split one of their delicious Godwin Creek Farm Pretzels! For dinner, we absolutely had to get one of their famous pizzas! We ordered the Margherita Pizza, and added jalapeño and pepperoni! It was absolutely incredible and I highly recommend it!

Blue Mountain actually has two different locations in the area: “Blue Mountain Brewery and “Blue Mountain Barrel House”. Also, Blue Mountain now has “The Blue Mountain Inn”, which is a 5 bedroom house for rent. So if you are traveling with a large group or bridal party, you can actually stay on site there.

Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard (pictures above):

Open for lunch Tues – Sunday

Yes, this is the same Pippin Hill Farm and Vineyard that I mentioned in the Winery section of this post. However, I thought that I should include it in the food section as well, because Pippin Hill offers a delicious full-menu kitchen!

We had a delicious PH board of assorted meats, cheeses, nuts, bread, and dried fruit. Then later, we split an order of burger sliders with fries. For drinks, I ordered the 2017 Sparkling Blanc De Blanc and Olivia had the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. The food and service was outstanding, and I highly recommend the Blanc De Blanc if you are a fan of bubbles!

Bed and Breakfast Recap:

The Mark Addy Inn:

We stayed at a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast called The Mark Addy Inn – it is located right off of the Nelson 151 trail. The location is PERFECT for this itinerary; and the price, service, and charm will be hard to beat! I truly loved my time at The Mark Addy Inn and highly recommend that you make it a part of your trip!

To best show you all that The Mark Addy Inn has to offer, I actually created an entirely separate and detailed blog for them, which you can read here. I decided to do it separately so that I could go into much greater detail about what they have to offer! Their daily breakfast is absolutely phenomenal. 

Conclusions:

I know that this post was a bit lengthy, but there is so much information that I needed to share about this trip! I highly recommend that you take an adventure to check out the best wineries in Virginia very soon! If you have any other questions about the trip, visiting wineries in general, or literally anything else… please feel free to comment below or reach out on Instagram! I’d love to chat with you!

As always, thanks for reading my Blog about The Best Wineries in Virginia! Keep up with past, current, and future travel adventures on my Wine and Weekends Instagram page!

Outfits:

PS: if you noticed a ton of clothing changes for a 2/3 day trip, then yes, you are correct; we did change clothes 3 times a day to keep a variety of looks throughout our photos 🙂

Until next time,

Xo

I received all of the tastings, meals, and stays documented in this blog at a complimentary or discounted rate, in exchange for creating this Wineries in Virginia Itinerary Blog Post. However, all reviews, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this post are honestly and organically my own.