With more than 40 wineries in Loudoun County, 20 in Fauquier County and more than 250 total in the state, choosing a winery for your custom Virginia wine tour can be a daunting task.
Visit Loudoun offers great online resources when selecting a winery in DC’s Wine Country, including a Touring Guide, Touring Map and descriptions of each winery. Click here to view their website.
Below are some ideas for stops on your private winery tour:
Proximity to DC: Staying in the nation’s capital, Arlington, Alexandria or Tysons and don’t have a lot of time? Paradise Springs Winery and The Winery at Bull Run are the closest to The District and are open daily starting at 11 a.m.
Great views: Visit Loudoun suggests this winery trio with spectacular settings: Hillsborough Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, and Bluemont Vineyard.
Onsite Dining: Chef and Co-Owner Michael Moosher offers a selection of entrees every weekend at Winery 32 in Leesburg, while Executive Chef Author Clarke oversees the kitchen at Grandale Restaurant at 868 Estate Vineyards.
Two for One: When you want a selection of libations, here are a couple of family owned properties that provide options for everyone:
- Co-owned by the Zurschmeides, Bluemont Vineyard and Dirt Farm Brewing are located on the same mountain accessible by separate roads.
- Located on the same property within walking distance to each other, Lori and Jim Corcoran’s Corcoran Vineyards and Cidery was also formerly the home to Corcoran Brewing before the latter moved to downtown Purcellville. (Want to visit all three? We have a special public tour called the Corcoran Trio; visit our calendar for the next scheduled trip!)
Pet friendly: While many local wineries are pet-friendly and often have their own four-legged mascots, Virginia Wine in My Pocket includes the following noteworthy locations: Willowcroft Farm Vineyards, Winery at La Grange, and 8 Chains North. In addition to catering to hounds, Barrel Oak Winery also offers horseback riding.
Beyond NoVa: A little over an hour’s drive south WashingtonDC, two Fredericksburg area wineries worth the drive are Morais Vineyards and Winery, and Potomac Point Winery and Vineyard. Further south, try these celebrity-owned wineries in Charlottesville: Blenheim Vineyards, owned by musician Dave Matthews, and Trump Winery, purchased by real estate mogul Donald Trump and now overseen by his son, Eric.