Sunday, July 10, 2011

Virginia Winery Score List: July 2011

Since the blog on the "Best in Show" wineries in The Commonwealth, the blogmasters have received several inquiries on how other VA wineries ranked.

As much as we would love to admit that we've been to every winery and vineyard in the state, our domestic lives (read: jobs and spouse, in the case of John) do not allow us to get lost in the wonderful world of VAVINO. But for the heckuvit, we'll post our cumulative spreadsheet ranking our favorite wineries, as of July 9, 2011.

"5" is the highest rank, so if there are scores above 5, that means the winery received added points for having a cat and/or a fireplace or firepits, that the winery managers actually use (you'd be surprised to find out how many Virginia wineries have such fireplaces, but never seem to use them).

We haven't been to a Virginia winery that wasn't an overall positive experience. The wineries and vineyards ranked low on the list are there simply because they received low scores for certain elements that the serious wine fan may not care about (tasting room set-up; customer service; outdoor and indoor sitting areas). The final scores were derived from several criteria: Wine quality; Indoor Set Up; Outdoor Set Up; Friendly Factor; Price; Busy Factor; View (and added points for cats and a fireplace that is used). A winery like Linden does make great wine, however they are lacking in some of the other categories. The other categories may not even be important, if it's "all about the wine"; however as a comprehensive blog, we try to evaluate all aspects of a winery.

And we hope to remedy the issue of not visiting the wineries on the eastern side of the state....very soon.

The Rundown, from "Best to OK, but not the best...." (Scores in parens):

First Colony 5.64
North Mountain 5.29
Pollak 5.21
West Wind 5.14
Fincastle 5.07
Fox Meadow 5.07
Twin Oaks Tavern Winery 5.07
Afton Mountain 5.00
Hiddencroft 5.00
Old House 5.00
Cobbler Mountain Cellars 5.00
DuCard Vineyards 4.93
Barren Ridge 4.93
White Rock 4.93
Casanel 4.86
Chateau O’Brien 4.86
Valhalla 4.86
DelFosse 4.79
Desert Rose Ranch 4.79
Dry Mill 4.79
North Gate Vineyard 4.71
Blenheim Vineyards 4.64
Sharp Rock 4.64
Hume 4.64
Narmada Winery 4.64
Philip Carter (old Stillhouse) 4.64
Willowcroft 4.64
Cooper 4.58
Fabbioli Cellars 4.57
Gadino Cellars 4.57
Burnley 4.50
Flying Fox 4.50
La Grange 4.50
Blue Ridge Vineyard 4.43
Cave Ridge 4.43
Hickory Hill 4.43
LeoGrande 4.43
Lexington Valley 4.43
Unicorn 4.43
White Hall 4.43
Veritas 4.36
Lost Creek 4.36
Capitol Vineyards 4.36
Greyhaven 4.36
Rogers Ford 4.36
Wolf Gap 4.36
Zephaniah Farm 4.36
Peaks of Otter 4.29
Stone Mountain 4.29
Wintergreen 4.29
Cardinal Point 4.29
Hillsborough 4.29
Glen Manor 4.21
King Family 4.21
Mountain Cove 4.21
Wisteria Vineyard 4.21
Hidden Brook 4.21
James River 4.21
Marterella Winery 4.21
Mediterranean 4.21
8 Chains North Vineyard 4.14
Rebec 4.14
Sweely Estate 4.14
Veramar 4.14
Naked Mountain 4.14
Chrysalis 4.07
Aspen Dale 4.00
Hill Top Berry Farm 4.00
Keswick 4.00
Lovingston 4.00
Notaviva 4.00
Oak Crest 4.00
Rappahannock Cellars 4.00
Sugarleaf 4.00
Village 4.00
Virginia Mountain 4.00
Delaplane Cellars 3.93
Shenandoah 3.93
Vintage Ridge 3.93
Hartwood 3.93
Belle Mount 3.86
Bluemont 3.86
Chester Gap 3.86
Lake Anna 3.86
Sunset Hills 3.86
Doukenie 3.86
Potomac Point 3.86
Miracle Valley 3.79
Breaux 3.79
Corcoran 3.71
Crushed Cellars 3.71
Bloxom 3.64
Ingleside 3.64
Barrel Oak 3.64
Loudoun Valley 3.57
Swedenburg 3.57
Jefferson 3.50
Paradise Springs 3.50
Three Fox 3.50
Cross Keys 3.50
Gray Ghost 3.36
Piedmont 3.29
Rockbridge 3.29
Prince Michel 3.21
Barboursville 3.14
Chateau Morrisette 3.14
Kluge Estate (closed) 3.14
Pearmund 3.07
Tarara 2.93
Horton 2.64
Williamsburg 2.50
Linden 2.36

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