We love living in the Charlottesville area. Between the fantastic hiking, the University and history, the nearby National Parks, the paddling, the hot air balloons, the access to so many other fun towns & cities nearby… what’s not to love?! Well, get ready for me to gush about another one of our favorite things here: Charlottesville wineries.
The Charlottesvile wine scene has been growing in reputation and size for years. Today, the Monticello Wine Trail boasts 40 wineries all within a 25 mile radius of Charlottesville, VA.
Years ago, when I first developed a better understanding of wines (you know, realized Boone’s Farm wasn’t the only thing), Virginia wines were known for being fruity and cloyingly sweet. But today, the wineries have experiemented with varietals (chambourcin, petit manseng) and challenged themselves to offer refined wines for all palates. Now, the industry here is huge, with tour buses and drivers available to tote your party, you and your partner, your bachelorette, all around the region.
With wineries, it seems as though more beget more. As the stalwarts have shown up to events and competitions winning awards, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts came and started their own operations, inspired. Once Charlottesville reached a critical mass, it became a wine tasting destination. With beautiful mountains, fall foliage that peaks end of October, and spring days lush with wildflowers, the wineries came and offered picnics and views — the tourists followed.
We, indeed, feel lucky to live here and be able to try quite a few!
The list in this post is not meant to be all-inclusive (even we haven’t been to them all!). These are just some of the wineries that we return to, for various reasons, and recommend to friends. Most of these are larger productions and fairly popular, which is usually related to location and overall experience. But, as I mention at the end of the post, we also recommend taking your time to discover a smaller winery. It can be a magical experience.
Guide to Charlottesville, VA Wineries
Barboursville
www.bbvwine.com
17655 Winery Rd, Barboursville, VA
We have so many memories that relate to Barboursville winery. This winery really digs into their history (with ruins on-site) and culinary experiences. The land orginally belonged to James Barbour, a U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War, and Virginia governor from the early 1800’s. Thomas Jefferson was the architect of the mansion that stood onsite, although it later burned. The estate was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
The wine, their most brag worthy being Octagon, has been solidly winning awards for years. (In my late 20’s, I swore that their Chardonnay was my favorite wine ever. It was “my thing.”)
We have attend wine and cheese pairings, truffle (as in the mushroom) dinners, concerts, and lounged to taste all in this location. This winery is classic, with a nod to its Italian roots evident in its restaurant and wine library experience
King Family
kingfamilyvineyards.com
6550 Roseland Farm, Crozet, VA
King Family is one of the locals’ favorite venues for family get togethers and even UVA work social hours. The grounds are HUGE, with rolling meadows sandwiched by mountain peaks. Located in Crozet, it is incredibly close to Charlottesville (about a 20 minute drive). They usually offer food trucks, ice cream carts, and many other ways to enjoy their patio.
But really the most fun is attending their polo matches. Yes, we all envision Pretty Woman, but this is far more family-friendly. Come with a tailgate picnic and pop up a tent. A golf cart drives around selling bottles of wine. Kids run around watching the horses, asking adults lots of questions about a game no one understands, and the beautiful match happens right in front of you.
Veritas
veritaswines.com
151 Veritas Lane, Afton, VA
Veritas is family owned and offers a wonderful sloped lawn perfect for picnics and views. We even managed to take our glass of red wine into the vines and walk among the grapes on one of our visits. Given the stunning view and large farmhouse, Veritas is a very popular venue for weddings. But, no fear, you can visit and enjoy whenever as there is plenty of space.
There are nibbles to grab and the tasting room is stunning. But many enjoy the restaurant for a special, romantic datenight. There is lodging available on site, as well. Personally, I am ready to try out one of their yoga retreats.
Merrie Mill
www.merriemillfarm.com
594 Merrie Mill Farm Road, Keswick, VA
Merrie Mill winery has a LOT of personality. Think Alice-in-Wonderland goes through the Looking Glass and ends up in the Mad Hatter’s wine tasting room. While the land has been an estate for centuries, the new owners bought the place in 2017 and have been making it their own since then. (They are from the UK and the rumor is have ties to British royalty… although no one can actuall confirm this.)
I love the family’s story and their commitment to making their winery flourish. It is one of my favorite places to sit on the terrace and enjoy a cold glass of wine on a hot summer’s day.
Hazy Mountain
www.hazy-mountain.com
Hazy Mountain Lane, Afton, VA
Hazy Mountain is a newcomer as well, first planted in 2019. And they absolutely went all in. The tasting room and attached restaurant are huge. The winery sits perched on top of a peak.
It definitely is not as laidback as some of the other wineries. No dogs allowed here and much of the area requires reservations. Tasting flights are available to carry from the tasting room out to a patio, but space is first come, first served. Honestly, this is not a winery we generally take our kids to. There’s just not as much open field space and it is busier and more buttoned up than other places. But we do love taking our out of town guests up the mountain to enjoy the unique Charlottesville weather and views of Hazy Mountain. It is always a crowd pleaser.
Afton Mountain
www.aftonmountainvineyards.com
234 Vineyard Lane, Afton, VA
Afton Mountain winery has some of the cutest cabins, is quieter, and tucked away on the Nelson 151 trail. The owners here are incredibly friendly. We’ve gone hiking, picked up some local NC BBQ, and ended up picnicking on the patio overlooking the lake as this vineyard. Inside the large tasting room, which has walls of windows on all sides, many groups had camped out with picnics and charceuterie from home. There was laughter and cheer and general good feelings all over this winery on that day.
Pippin Hill
www.pippinhillfarm.com
5022 Plank Road, North Garden, VA
Pippin Hill is the glam of the wineries. This spot is about fantastic food (see also their sister restaurant, Red Pump Kitchen, on the downtown mall), framed views, manicured grounds, and a tasting room that makes you want to put on your pearls and linger over champagne brunch. After all, they bill themselves as a “culinary vineyard” for a reason.
We don’t take our kids here, nor our dog. But it is a place to take people who love good food and you want to show the “well-mannered” side of Charlottesville to, like the in-laws.
Kewsick Vineyards
keswickvineyards.com
1575 Keswick Winery Drive, Keswick, VA
Keswick Vineyards gets a lot of traffic due to its convenient location. Close to Kewsick Hall and not too far outside of Charlottesville city limits, people flock out here to get a little bit of country wine life without a lot of driving. Down the road, located in the resort, is Jean-Georges’s new restaurant, Marigold.
Keswick Vineyards has a covered patio, with a huge fan to circulate air. Musicians come and perform, cats meander, and large loveseats are available to sit and sip.
Knight's Gambit
www.knightsgambitvineyard.com
218 Knowles Farm Lane, Charlottesville, VA
This is one of my favorite wineries. It is unassuming, small, tucked away, with a working horse farm and friendly dogs roaming the property. But it still offers great views and fun events. During the summer, a popular yoga studio offers yoga classes on the deck.
Even better, it is close to one of our favorite family hikes: Blue Hole.
Discover Your Own!
While this is a select list of some of our tried-and-trues, there are also a lot of really amazing places to discover on your own.
We had so much fun one afternoon deciding on a whim to go to Wisdom Oak winery. Here we had amazing conversations with the winemaker and enjoyed a cozy, intimate conversation together while trying out some new fermented grapes. Discovering a place on your own can be the best way to create your own precious memories in the gorgeous region of Virginia.
Whatever you do and wherever you go on the Monitcello Wine Trail, enjoying the wineries in and around Charlottesville, VA, we really don’t think you can go wrong. Grab your partner, or your best friend, or your family, and head out on this fantastic trip.
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