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When it comes to the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region, the terroir is trying. While the region's weather is not ideal, with occasional hurricanes and summers that tend to overstay their welcome, vines cling to what the tourists love most about the region - cool ocean breezes, soft, rich sand, and intense sun. These three elements make for great wines. With Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and reds and whites of all varieties, the eastern North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland region offers award-winning flavors as complex as the climate that produces them.
Wineries in Eastern Virginia The Williamsburg Winery in Williamsburg doesn't just bottle and sell history - they also make it. Founded in 1985 by the Duffeler family, Williamsburg Winery released their first wine, Governor's White, in 1988. Two weeks after its release, Governor's White received a Gold Medal. Today, nearly two decades later Governor's White is the best-selling wine in Virginia, and Williamsburg Winery is the largest winery in the state, producing around 60,000 cases annually. Still regularly garlanded with awards and accolades, the fruity, semi-dry apertif Governor's White won a Double Gold in the 2003 Wines of the South Competition and a Silver Medal in the Taster's Guild International Wine Competition. Williamsburg's oak barrel- and stainless steel tank-aged wines named for the area's history, range from the typical varietals, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Seyval Blanc, and Merlot Reserve, to fruity and fun dessert wines. Tours and tastings are available year-round, or you can stop off for a gourmet meal at the winery's The Gabriel Archer Tavern, featured in .
Wineries on the North Carolina Shore
A calm, cobalt-blue horizon characterizes Martin Orchard and Vineyard's wide-sweeping vistas. Overlooking the placid Knotts Island Bay, this winery is far from snooty or stuffy. You can make yourself at home picking apples, pumpkins, peaches, and grapes (in season) at the orchard or having a pleasant picnic near the water. But this down-to-earth, home-style vineyard offers far more than just family appeal; their orchards boast the only successful vinifera vines on the coast of North Carolina. Banking on rich, sandy soils, and ocean breezes, Martin Orchard ages its dry reds, sweet, semi-dry whites, dry whites, and dessert wines in mostly-American aged barrels. Their most recent innovations are a sweet strawberry wine and a Viognier-French white dessert wine. Tastings and tours are available year-round.
One needs the hearty constitution of a seaman to grow wines in North Carolina's coastal region. Braving violent summer hurricanes and relentless humidity, the terroir can be tough. But then there are the gifts of gentle springs, cool sea breezes, and rich soils - in these elements Sanctuary Vineyards in Jarvisburg takes refuge. A European oasis near the Currituck Sound, Sanctuary Vineyards successfully harvests Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Norton, Traminette, and Chardonelle grapes on their sprawling land. Their oaky Cabernet Sauvignon received high marks from the Wine Spectator Magazine for its complex, rich, and earthy flavor. Two red signature blends are the delicately spiced, chocolate Coastal Collage and the semi-dry, sweet and crimson-colored The Lightkeeper. Sanctuary Vineyards offers tours and tastings year-round, their tasting room is housed in the historic Cotton Gin in Jarvisburg.
Wineries in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, North Carolina's Outer Banks
Wineries
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