I am so excited to share this post with you today! People always ask me, what is your absolute favorite winery in Virginia? THAT. IS. HARD. Each day it changes on my mood or even the season we are in. Each winery is unique and offers something different. BUT, if I had to choose I would ALWAYS pick Early Mountain Vineyards.
Early Mountain Vineyards is located North of Charlottesville in Madison County. I call it a destination winery… a winery that you can just stay all day! No need to visit a couple… just. stay. put. Early Mountain opened in 2005. They have 300 acres with 35 under vine. In 2014 Ben Jordan became the wine maker. They produce about 10,000 cases a year ~ they are killin it with their marketing and are in several states! I am all about spreading the VA wine LOVE!
They offer two tastings. The Early Mountain Tasting is $14 for six wines and the Cheers Tasting is $20 for nine wines. They also offer flights. They are the only winery in Virginia to serve other Virginia Wines. They are all about showing what this amazing state has to offer when it comes to outstanding wine!
Early Mountain Vineyards is also a restaurant. They offer a range of delicious food ~ cheese, charcuterie, salads, sandwiches… YUM. The seating for the restaurant is in the tasting room and on the pack patio. If packing a picnic is your thing, they have picnic tables outside where you can bring your own food. This is also the dog friendly area of the winery!
So lets talk about their wine, shall we? First off, their Rosé is phenomenal. It is a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, Syrah, and Petit Verdot. You get so much fruit ~ citrus, apple, cantaloupe! I also love their “Soif.” Soif stands for thirst in French. This is a blend of Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, and Cab Sauv. This is fermented in steel which is different for a red… it also has a little Chardonnay added. This is a red that you would want to serve chilled. It is very jammy with a dry finish.
When we visited we got to take a tour of their facilities and it was such a treat learning about this fabulous winery. I loved hearing about all the exciting things to come. I got to meet their assistant wine maker and vineyard manager, Maya. In Virginia it is common to see the assistant wine maker be in charge of the vineyard. Both go hand in hand and it is really a team decision… in California that is not always the case!
If you are diggin the sound of this wine, I have a fabulous offer for you! You can get free shipping on 3+ bottles with the code 3BtlShipST ~ I highly recommend the Rosé and Soif!
I can’t wait for you to try this wine and visit this winery! Please subscribe to the blog so you won’t miss out on all the fun to come! Also, follow @sipsandtripswithpaige on Insta!
Cheers! Paige
P.S. Don’t forget… VA is for WINE, Napa is for AUTO PARTS 😉
Sips and Trips with Paige 