NEW WINERY SPOTLIGHT 8: WINERY 32

Yet another newbie in Loudoun County (they keep coming and coming and coming....see our previous post on the subject), Winery 32 opened a few weeks ago in the Potomac winery of the cluster. This cluster is also home to Fabbioli Cellars, The Winery at Lost Creek, and its neighbor Hidden Brook Winery, as well as one of the grand daddys of the Virginia wine scene, Tarara.

A leisurely 20 minute (due to the gravel) drive down Limestone School Road, directly off route 15, will lead you right to Winery 32's gates (look for the windmill). After entering, you'll immediately notice peach trees that hug the driveway to the tasting room. 32 peach trees, to be exact. The number has several meanings at this location that we won't spoil for you (the tasting room pourers love to tell the story - hint: it's a love story).

A large pond (large enough it could be dubbed a lake) appears in the distance as you make your way up the long driveway. Winery 32's beautiful new tasting building is wood-focused, bright, and airy. There is a loft upstairs open to all visitors, and a separate room behind the tasting room that can be reserved for large parties.

Views of the tasting room from the loft:

The winery's bar is normally staffed by very enthusiastic pourers who run through a relaxed tasting. As the winery is new, it's not as congested as others in the area; however as the case with every other new winery, word will get out and you can expect crowds in the future.

Each bottle of wine has labels that were designed by the daughter of the owners, and reflect the environment in and around the winery. Koi fish (who live in the large pond), herons (who amazingly do not attempt to eat the koi), alpacas (they raise alpacas, small llamas, on this farm), the windmill and the power plant (across the Potomac in Maryland). Admittedly the image of the ugly power plant did not mesh with the natural beauty of the other pictures, but fair is fair. And having two symbols of power (farm windmill and power plant) is appropriate for the wine inside the bottle: A powerful and peppery Cabernet Franc.

The Koi fish bottle houses a table white, off dry but not too sweet (a blend of Vidal Blanc and Traminette). Chardonnay, slightly oaked but not overly buttery, fills the alpaca bottle. A heron graces their Merlot, velvety smooth with notes of elderberry. A complex Chambourcin has a downtown Leesburg image on its bottle. Finally, there are the peach wines, one blended with Vidal blanc and the other a pure peach dessert wine. The former would work wonders with hot Thai or Chinese food and the latter could be poured over pound cake or cheesecake. The peach wines are named after Gloria, the variety of peach tree growing on their property.

Enjoying a bottle of the chardonnay:

Plenty of tables with umbrellas are set up on the deck; alas it was misty and rainy when we visited, but that created a different type of mood:

The Moosher family and the Notebook invite you to visit this beautiful new spot this weekend!

Winery URL:
http://www.winery32.com/