10 Wineries Worth Visiting Within 2 Hours of Richmond

Did you know Virginia is home to nearly 300 wineries, 28 wine trails, 10 winemaking regions, and 7 AVAs?

This guide highlights 10 Charlottesville wineries that you can visit* within two hours of Richmond, but our commonwealth has even more to offer (stay tuned for future guides outlining as much!).

You might be wondering, “What kind of wine will I find at local wineries?”

Virginia is known for producing amazing Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, and Viognier. Fun fact: Chardonnay is the most planted grape in the state!

by Paige Poprocky, Contributing Writer

*Under the current circumstances, please follow all city, state, and federal guidelines surrounding social distancing and use of face coverings. Use your best judgment to determine if an area is too populated to safely distance yourself from others.

**Before visiting, we recommend that you double-check each establishment’s website and/or social media channels to confirm hours of operation as we move from phase to phase of Virginia’s gradual reopening plan.

Early Mountain Vineyards

Early Mountain Vineyards is located North of Charlottesville in Madison County. They produce elegant wines that are unique to Virginia. They offer two tastings: “The Early Mountain Tasting” for $14 and “The Cheers Tasting” for $20. If you want more, they also offer flights!

Early Mountain is unique because they are one of the only wineries that serves other Virginia wines in their flights. They believe sharing outstanding Virginia wine is important, which means you get to taste an even wider variety.

Their tasting room is large with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and there is also a restaurant that serves a variety of delicious food. If packing a picnic is your thing, they have picnic tables outside where you can bring your own food, as well. That is also the dog friendly area of the winery!

Some fabulous wines to try at Early Mountain include their Rose, Soif, Foothills, and Petit Manseng.

Location: 6109 Wolftown-Hood Rd

Hours: Thursday - Monday, 11 am - 6 pm

Barboursville Vineyards

If you love Italian wine, you’ll want to visit Barboursville. Barboursville produces Virginia wine with Italian flair!

Barboursville is one of the oldest wineries in Virginia. They offer a unique tasting experience where you travel around the tasting room to different bars. The tasting is $12 and includes a whopping 17 wines! The price of their wines is outstanding as well; they range from $15 to $55.

On Saturdays and Sundays, they offer free guided tours. The tour is informative and gives you the background and history of Barboursville.

Barboursville also has a restaurant, Palladio, and an additional tasting area, Library 1821. Both are separate from their tasting room. Library 1821 serves a changing selection of flights along with older vintages of their wine.

Location: 17655 Winery Rd

Hours: Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm; Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm

Stone Mountain Vineyards

What a view! If you are looking for the winery with the best vista, you’ll have to take a drive (literally) up a mountain.* Stone Mountain is one of the highest vineyards in Virginia. At over 1,700 ft., you will reach the top and take in the breathtaking views.

This is a winery that you will want to stay at for hours. The tasting room is large with a nicely sized bar, it looks like a large cabin with lots of hardwood in the interior. Their tasting is $12 for a variety of wines and a taste of their wine slushies. You are more than welcome to pack your own picnic but they have an assortment of cheeses and fresh artisan pizzas. This is a very dog friendly winery, so you might want to bring your four legged friend along!

*Sips and Trips Tip – Follow the directions on the website, do not follow GPS!

Location: 1376 Wyatt Mountain Rd

Hours: Thursday, 12 pm - 5 pm; Friday, 11 am - 6pm; Saturday, 11 am - 7 pm; Sunday, 11 am - 6 pm; Monday, 12 pm - 5 pm

Stinson Vineyards

Stinson is a small family-owned winery that produces amazing Sauvignon Blanc. They have a cute, modern tasting room that feels much larger thanks to the open window layout that offers beautiful views from inside as well as outside.

Their barrels, tanks, and concrete eggs are right in the next room where they have overflow tasting bars set up with some indoor seating. Outside, they have a beautiful patio with comfy seats as well as picnic tables. Their tasting is $10 and includes seven wines.

Fan favorites here include their Sauvignon Blanc, Rose of Tannat, and Cabernet Franc.

Location: 4744 Sugar Hollow Rd

Hours: Thursday - Sunday, 11 am - 5 pm

Pollak Vineyards

If you love Merlot, you will love Pollak Vineyards! Pollak has 33 acres under vine and all of their wine is estate grown. Their tasting room is big with large windows that overlook the mountains and a beautiful pond. There is plenty of outdoor seating on their deck as well as a large furnished patio.

Tastings are $10 for eight wines. Fan favorites include their Durant White, Pinot Gris, Rosé and Merlot. If you are hungry, they have lite picnic fare available and fresh baguettes. Definitely give their Merlot a try, many consider it the best in VA!

Location: 330 Newtown Rd

Hours: Daily, 11 am - 5 pm

Valley Road Vineyards

Valley Road is tucked right off the famous Nelson 151, and their tasting room and facilities are stunning.

Tastings are $10 for a wide variety of wine. Some favorites include their Sauvignon Blanc and Torn Curtain.

This is the perfect spot to pack a picnic and take in their views of the mountains on their sprawling patio area. If you want to grab a seat inside, they have a huge table that fits a large crowd as well as smaller seating options.

Location: 9264 Critzers Shop Rd

Hours: Monday - Friday, 12 pm - 5:30 pm; Saturday - Sunday, 10:30 am - 5:30 pm

King Family Vineyards

Want to try one of the best roses in central Virginia? Look no further than King Family Vineyards!

King Family Vineyards is a stunning estate overlooking gorgeous mountain views. Tastings are $10 for five wines. Some favorites include their Roseland, Verde, Crose Rose, Meritage, and Cabernet Franc.

They have indoor seating as well as a patio that overlooks the fabulous views. They have a huge lawn if you want to bring your own blanket and chairs to spread out. In the summer, they hold Polo matches on the lawn every Sunday.

If you did not pack your own picnic, you can pick up snacks and a warm baguette from their tasting room.

Location: 6550 Roseland Farm

Hours: Daily, 10 am - 5:30 pm

Wisdom Oak Winery

This is a fabulous boutique winery offering small batch wines. Wisdom Oak is family owned and operated. Jason is the winemaker and tends to the vineyard while Laura runs the tasting room and manages the wine club. They produce about 1,200 cases but plan on making 4,000 in the coming years.

Their tasting is $9 for ~seven wines. They produce amazing Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng, Cabernet Franc, and Meritage. Jason is known for planting new varieties and experimenting with his wine making. They are releasing their own sparkling wine soon as well!

Location: 3613 Walnut Branch Ln

Hours: Friday - Sunday, 12 pm - 5 pm

Blenheim Vineyards

Blenheim Vineyards is a beautiful winery and vineyard. The tasting room opened in 2001 and was designed by Dave Matthews (yeah, that Dave Matthews!) and William Johnson. The building was designed to have minimal impact in the environment.

Their tasting is $10 for five wines and the wine glass. If you revisit, you can bring back your wine glass to get a free tasting! This option is only available Monday – Thursday. Some favorites include their Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé, and Painted Red.

One of the most unique things I love about Blenheim are their growlers! They always have a white blend and red blend on tap. They have ample outdoor seating right outside their tasting room and their pavilion area overlooking their sprawling property and vineyard. The views are fabulous and the wine is great. What more can you ask for?

Location: 31 Blenheim Farm

Hours: Friday - Sunday, 11 am - 5:30 pm

Gabriele Rausse Winery

Gabriele Rausse is a hidden gem that is tucked away in the woods off of Carters Mountain Road.

They offer three different tastings: the classic for $12, the half for $6, and the food and wine pairing for $18. The food and wine pairing is only offered until 1 pm each day so if you want to try this out, you need to arrive before 1 pm!

Even if you do not arrive in time for their food pairing, they’ll give you their fresh homemade baguette and amazing Galardo olive oil to go along with your tasting.

Gabriele Rausse himself is known as the “Father of Virginia Wine.” He was involved with getting Barboursville Winery started and has mentored several other local wineries. Rausse started his own label in 1997. The reds are some of the best around!

Location: 3247 Carters Mountain Rd

Hours: Thursday, 11 am - 5 pm; Friday, 11 am - 5 pm; Sunday, 10 am - 4 pm