'15 New Winery Spotlight #1: Winding Road Cellars

As we usher in another year of hopping through Virginia's finest, we embark on a series of blog entries focusing on (relatively) new wineries that have sprung up over the past 12 to 18 months. Some of these locations have been listed in the past two annual Virginia Winery maps; others were open "by appointment" only, and just recently established regular business hours.

As we await the publication of this year's Virginia winery map, which will most definitely list new wineries to explore in the coming year, we focus on some spots that have been open for some time now.

Winding Road Cellars

A few weeks before Christmas, we loaded up several Beatles CDs and decided to pay a visit to a few favorites around Front Royal, including some new spots. As we passed Philip Carter Winery on the left, traveling near the village of Hume, we inserted the Let it Be album and turned left into Winding Road Cellars. The road leading to the tasting building was not exactly long, but it was a bit winding, as the gravel driveway led us down the incline to a tasteful holiday-decorated building.

We were greeted by one of the owners, who seemed a bit reserved at first but friendly. She led us through a tasting including the requisite bites of chocolate to pair with the wines. Although they have promise, we don't think Winding Road is quite there yet, compared to other mainstays in the area like Philip Carter, Chateau O'Brien and Fox Meadow Winery (although the wines were all decent to good.) Sometimes it takes newer wineries a few years to find their way, to determine what grows best in the vineyards, as the soil in the Commonwealth is so varied from region to region. We felt the same way about two other wineries near Winding Road, which opened in 2011 and have since locked into varietals that they're confident in creating: Cobbler Mountain Cellars and Capitol Vineyards.

The tasting included two off-sweet styles that would work well with extremely spicy dishes like spiced crab dip or Thai food: Vidal Blanc and Semi-Sweet Chambourcin. Both styles are favorites of wine "newbies," so Winding Road will do well with the scores of young people who descend on the winery scene throughout the year (and not just in the spring, summer, and fall anymore...) The Vidal Blanc was a touch too sweet for us, with some honey notes, but would work well with the aforementioned foods.

The 2010 Chardonnay was quite good, offering notes of butterscotch. The big guns were their reds, all of which have potential: Chambourcin (regular, not semi-sweet), Cab Sauv and Cab Franc. We understand that the owners are going to grow styles quite unusual to this part of Virginia, namely Pinot Noir and Riesling, because "my husband is a little crazy" (exact quote from his wife, who led us through the tasting with dry wit).

The interior of the tasting building is mostly wood, which is perfect for sound absorption. Although there was not a live band when we visited (thankfully), we understand from their website that bands do perform here. At least the wood will buffer some of the sound, unless the band is acoustic (and acoustic bands get a pass from us; they actually work very well in a tasting room).

Outside, a deck overlooks the large pond (bordering lake in its size). We asked about the decrepit little boathouse on the pond's shore, and she told us the previous owners of the land kept canoes and kayaks (and even a small sailboat) in the boathouse. The boathouse looks like a true fixer-upper and we envision another seating area or tasting room in that location.

All in all, Winding Road Cellars is a solid addition to the region. We were sad to hear Hume Vineyards, which also opened in 2011, closed its doors last year, due to a myriad of issues. We visited Hume several years ago during a crazy mid summer storm and documented the event (click here).

Some pix to get you inspired for a long and winding afternoon at this winery:

The pond:

Additional photos - during this pre-Christmas jaunt, we visited a few other spots in the area. As it was a Friday before Christmas week, we had the normally very bustling Rappahannock Cellars almost to ourselves!

And on a less positive note, we pulled in to the infamous Oasis Vineyards, to look at their sad property. These vines will have to be completely pulled up and the soil turned over, before new vines can be planted. This would explain why the nearby wineries are not interested in this land. It's such a sad story - the original owner made such fine wine, but he turned the operation over to his son, who was more interested in entertaining celebrities, operating a limo business, and crashing White House galas:

A Shout-Out to Boutique Wineries

Many wineries in the Commonwealth pride themselves on being "boutique wineries." The number of locations written up in the annual Virginia winery map using the term "boutique" increases every year. What, exactly, defines a boutique winery?

There is no standard answer to this question. There is no Wikipedia page analyzing what makes a boutique winery. In our travels to vineyards that label themselves "boutique," the answer to the question is similar, but never exactly the same. What we've pieced together is this: Limited number of bottles, relying on smaller festivals to move wine, no heavy advertising, small staff usually consisting of family members, small tasting room, not a wedding venue, limited number of bottles. We mention the number of bottles twice as that's the answer that was consistent amongst the winery owners we asked.

A Virginia location like Horton, Williamsburg Winery, or Chateau Morrisette will somehow find a way to produce mass quantities of wine, year after year after year, available not only in their tasting rooms, but also restaurants, grocery stores, and the biggest festivals in the state. If there is a bad growing year, these wineries known for particular varietals will find some way to get the grapes to make their signature wines. So, while one year, you may be drinking a Muscat from Chateau Morrisette labeled "Virginia" on the bottle (meaning the grapes for the wine were grown in the Commonwealth, perhaps not at the winery but at least in a vineyard in the state), but the next year the same varietal will be labeled "American," meaning the grapes were grown in another state (this is particularly true for varietals that are difficult to grow in Virginia, like Muscat.)

A boutique winery doesn't play that game. If there is a bad growing year for one of its signature varietals, the winery will simply not offer one the following year. Instead, a boutique winery may offer the same varietal or something similar from another winery (boutique wineries are more likely to engage in friendly competition, and sharing of their products, due to their relatively smaller sizes). "Relative" is the term we would use to describe a boutique winery. And rest assured a boutique winery in California or Oregon would look nothing like a boutique winery in Virginia (one winery the blogmasters visited in California produced as much wine a year, and had a tasting room just as large, as Tarara, one of the larger Virginia wineries, yet called itself "boutique").

With the winery boom in full swing in the Commonwealth, given characteristics outlined here, it's no surprise so many spots are calling themselves "boutique wineries." The blogmasters have visited boutique spots in the state that specialize in eggs and homemade jams (Crushed Cellars in Loudoun county) and chocolate (Glass House Winery north of Charlottesville), and one winery that resides in a camp ground (Belle Mount in the Northern Neck). Wine seemed to be a supplemental business, although the owners/winemakers were very serious about their wine and would probably be insulted by the "supplement" comment (so apologizes in advance).

We tend to prefer the boutique locations over the more commercialized spots; we can always count on the larger locations to be open every day of the week, so if we decide to blow off our day job on a Wednesday, we know where to go (boutique wineries are usually open Friday through Sunday only). And if we need to order a case for the holidays, the more commercial wineries in Virginia are our go-to spots for very good wine at reasonable prices (boutique wines, due to their limited production, tend to cost a few dollars more). Some locations in the state are open by appointment only (in fact that section of the annual Virginia wine map seems to grow every year; appointment only wineries typically mean you will be tasting their wines in their actual homes).

Our favorite boutique wineries in Virginia are too numerous to list here, but we will single out a few that we frequent regularly, mainly due to our proximity to them (being the prisoners of the Capital Beltway that we are). As these are boutique wineries, they usually don't allow (that is, have the room for) large groups, so please call ahead if you want to visit with a group of 8 or more:

Zephaniah Farm Vineyard, south of Leesburg, makes some of the best Chambourcin in the state and offers a tasting room inside an early 1800s era mansion. One of the family members will pour for you on your visit, and offer a tour of the house and (if you're lucky), wine cellar.

8 Chains North Winery, located off highway 9 (a winery heavy road in Loudoun county, also home to the aforementioned Crushed Cellars), specializes in red varietals. Owner/winemaker Ben Renshaw worked closely with Virginia wine pioneer Doug Fabbioli and crafts some delicious reds (and a few whites) that are far and away some of the best in the Commonwealth.

Marterella Winery, north of Warrenton, is an always fun spot that offers something for every palate - from off dry whites to bold reds.

Chester Gap Cellars, south of Front Royal, is one of our favorite locations in the state (the view alone is worth the trip to the winery), specializing in Virginia's signature grape, Viognier, and also offering some intense (with higher than usual alcohol content) red varietals.

Hume Vineyards, between Front Royal and Washington, VA, works mainly with Bordeaux varietals, offering very mature wine despite the young age of the winery (they opened in 2011).

What's your favorite boutique winery?

Fauquier County Winery Spotlight: Chateau O'Brien

In our continuing coverage of wineries in a county whose leadership is sadly "anti winery" (thanks to some old money grumps who sport bumper stickers on their Lexus SUVs that read "Welcome to Fauquier County....Now Leave"), we turn our attention to Chateau O'Brien at Northpoint, a unique spot that has its share of fans, and detractors (just check them out on Yelp).

The blogmasters are fans. The tasting room is housed inside a French-style farmhouse, high above I-66 (you can see it, but not hear it), accessible from state highway 55 on the way to Front Royal. Cross the railroad tracks, pass the old apple cidery, and climb the hill. Northpoint is the name of the old railroad depot, which brought apples from nearby Winchester to this outpost decades ago. As a tribute to this apple past, Chateau O'Brien offers a delicious apple wine. Now a word about the rules in this tasting room. Yelp reviews are full of complaints about the "no children under 18" and "no dogs" rules. The blogmasters welcome the rules. There are plenty of wineries in this county (despite the leaders' attempts to shut them down), and most do allow kids and dogs. But as this is a tasting room, not a Chuck E. Cheese, the no kids rule works fine for us. Sometimes you want to get away from kids, even if you're a parent. This rule sets Chateau O'Brien ahead of other wineries in the area (with the possible exception of Linden).

As for the "no dogs" rule, the winery owner has his own dog (named Buddy) and Buddy is rather high strung. The owners calmly explain that other dogs would just create turmoil for the other guests, not to mention Buddy. Both of these rules are posted in signs throughout the property. Please do not attempt to break them, as you will be told (politely or not politely, depending on the mood of the owner) to leave. Now that we have the rules out of the way, on to the fun stuff: The location, and the wine. Howard O'Brien, the aforementioned, slightly neurotic (and he'll be the first to tell you that), New York-bred owner, will welcome you with a smile (provided you didn't bring kids or dogs), and offer two different tasting processes: Classic ($6 per person) or Cellar ($12 per person). Howard himself usually conducts the Cellar tasting, and is rather generous with the pourings. Plus the wines are incredible, so we suggest the Cellar. (The Classic is designed more for casual Virginia wine fans, and includes the Virginia mainstays such as chardonnay, rosé, and that apple wine). Some of the wines in the Cellar tasting are really up there in bottle prices (think $79, the price of the tannat). Tannat is a varietal common to Uruguay, and a few Virginia wineries are experimenting with it. Howard has visitied vineyards in Uruguay personally to research and we think this wine is absolutely one-of-a-kind, on par with some of the best (and priciest) red offerings from California. At $79 a bottle, rather pricey, but you get to sample it during the Cellar tasting.

His syrah and petit verdot are also noteworthy, also rich and complex, but also a bit steep in price. Back to average Virginia wine prices, Buddy's Bistro Red is a lighter, pinot noir-like wine, and Padlock Red is a terrific blend of cab franc (60%), cab sauv, and petit verdot. The Cellar tasting is more red-focused; if you crave whites, go for the Classic tasting; the Northpoint white is a chardonnay/pinot grigio blend that is crisp and aged in steel, and great for warm afternoons for sipping on Howard's impressive, shaded deck. And his apple wine is one of the finest in the Commonwealth (actually, our third favorite apple wine in the state, after North Mountain, near Winchester, and North Gate, near Purcellville). This is not an events and live band heavy spot, so most likely you will have a very low key time here, as long as you follow the simple rules.....
Chateau O'Brien at Northpoint

Hume Vineyards: Summer Storm

Short video of a crazy storm that came through Hume Vineyards in July 2012.