Blue Valley is one of the best wineries in Virginia and one of only a handful of family owned and operated wineries in the state. If you’re looking for a fantastic place to spend a day with your friends and family and all of your usual haunts seem a bit stale to you, why not come spend the day with us?
If you don’t know much about wines, the best place to start is by gaining a better understanding of the grapes used in their production. Below, we’ll provide you with an overview of a few of the varieties of grapes we grow here and the wines we create from them.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a very common variety of green-skinned grape that’s used in the production of white wine. It originated in eastern France, in the Burgundy region, but these days, is grown all over the world, wherever wines are produced.
Growing Chardonnay is surprisingly easy and as one of the best wineries in Virginia, it’s featured prominently in our vineyard. The grape itself is neutral, and as such, Chardonnay flavors can vary markedly, bearing a wide range of influences from oak to tropical fruit flavors, and more.
This grape allowed us to produce our 2014 Chardonnay, which won a Silver Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, a Silver Medal from the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and a Bronze Medal from the American Wine Society. It is a medium-bodied wine that presents notes of orchard fruit with aromas of French oak and butterscotch.
You may also enjoy our 2014 Reserve Chardonnay, which is a wonderfully balanced wine, aged in stainless-steel and new French oak. It presents nuances of green apple and green pear and is sure to delight your palate. This vintage won Double Gold from the American Wine Society and a Silver Medal from the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.
Pinot Gris
This grape is a mutant of the Pinot Noir grape that began life in the Burgundy region of France. While the grapes are normally graying-blue in color, they can vary widely from brownish, to pink, or even to white. These days, pinot gris can be found all over Europe, in Russia, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand.
The wines produced from this grape vary in flavor as much as the grapes themselves vary in color, making it an incredibly versatile grape to work with. In our case, Pinot Gris is used in the production of our 2014 Heritage vintage which features nuanced notes of French oak, leading to a palate full of orchard fruits and citrus.
This vintage won Gold from the INDY international Wine Competition, and took Silver medals from the American Wine Society, the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and the San Francisco International Competition.
Viognier
This is an interesting white wine grape variety, somewhat more uncommon than other grapes. Interestingly, it is the only type of grape permitted in the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone Valley. These days, it can be found in most other wine producing regions outside the Rhone, including South Africa, New Zealand and Australia and both North and South America.
It can be a bit tricky to work with because too much exposure to oxygen can destroy the natural aromatics of the wine, which means that it takes relatively more skill on the part of winemakers to create a delightful vintage. Because of that, only the very best wineries in Virginia have the skills needed to work with it.
The history of Viognier dates back to at least 281 AD and according to legend, the name is derived from the Roman pronunciation of the via Gehennae, which can be loosely translated as “The Road of the Valley of Hell,” which alludes to the relative difficulty of growing this particular variety.
We use this grape in the production of two different vintages:
2017 Memories
Awards:
- Gold Medal – San Francisco International Wine Competition
- Bronze Medal – Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier with 1.4% residual sugar. It presents aromas of melon and honeysuckle and delights the palate with a sweet, crisp, well-rounded body.
And
2014 Heritage
Awards:
- Gold Medal – INDY International Wine Competition
- Silver Medal – American Wine Society
- Silver Medal – Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
- Silver Medal – San Francisco International Wine Competition
A delightful blend composed of 67% Chardonnay, 22% Sauvignon Blanc, 6% Pinot Gris, and 5% Viognier, it will please your palate with its variety of citrus and orchard fruit flavors.
Sauvignon Blanc
This green-skinned grape originates from the Bordeaux region of France and gets its name from the French words “sauvage” and “blanc” which roughly translates to “Wild White,” which is an accurate description as initially, the grape grew wild in that region of France.
These days, Sauvignon Blanc can be found in most wine-producing regions of the world because it’s relatively easy to grow and work with, and offers a surprising range of flavors depending on the climate it is grown in. In warm climates, the wine produced from this grape produces delightful fruity flavors, while in cooler climates, grassy and peppery flavors tend to dominate.
Our 2016 Estate Sauvignon Blanc is our most award-winning vintage, claiming the following medals:
- Silver Medal – San Francisco International Wine Competition
- Silver Medal – Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
- Bronze Medal – American Wine Society Competition
- Best White – Finger Lakes International Wine Competition
- Bronze Medal – Fauquier County Wine Competition
- Gold Medal – INDY International Wine Competition
- Bronze Medal – San Francisco International Wine Competition
- Gold Medal – Governor’s Cup
It is a superbly balanced wine with hints of both melon and green apple. Crisp and delightful!
In addition to the wines themselves, which, of course, take center stage and lie at the heart of everything we do, we’ve also lovingly developed a number of event spaces we make available for weddings, receptions, corporate retreats and the like.
These spaces range from the rustic and intimate to the elegant and expansive, so there’s something for every taste, preference and budget. It’s just one more way we demonstrate that we’re among the very best wineries in Virginia. Here’s a quick overview of what we have to offer:
- The Heritage Room (Capacity: 60) – A beautifully appointed room with an understated aesthetic that’s perfect for medium-sized gatherings.
- The Traditions Room (Capacity: 80) – Slightly larger than the Heritage, the Traditions room is delightfully appointed and features terrace access that allows your guests outdoor access, weather permitting.
- The Barrel Room (Capacity: 120) – One of two rustic venues, this space offers unforgettable ambience your guests are sure to love.
- The Cave (Capacity: 40) – Our smallest, most intimate and most rustic space. While it’s only capable of accommodating up to 40 guests, it offers a magical aesthetic that transports you and your guests to another time and place. Some of our most memorable gatherings have been hosted here.
- The Loft (Capacity: 120) – This space overlooks our Celebrations Room and is often booked in conjunction with the Celebrations Room for particularly large events.
- The Celebrations Room (Capacity: 200+) – Our largest space and our main wine tasting room when not booked for other purposes.
- And the Bridal Suite, for brides to be who want a winery wedding and need a place to escape and unwind before the big event!
Blue Valley is one of the best wineries in Virginia for a reason. We love what we do and we’d love to share it with you. Come spend the day with us. Sample our dazzling collection of fine wines and enjoy our delicious selection of menu items.
If you enjoy live music, be sure to check our event calendar as we regularly host a variety of local and regional musical acts.
Note that while we are open most holidays, we are closed on both Christmas and New Year’s Day. Give us a call if you have any questions prior to scheduling your trip, and we can’t wait to spend the day with you.