Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
If you can read that passage and not immediately think it refers to wine, then we have little to talk about. I didn’t always love wine. For most of my adult life, I was a bourbon and beer guy, and deep down, I still am. It was my wife, whose expertise on the subject vastly outweighs my own, who introduced me to wine. The story of my personal love affair with fermented grape juice started right here in Loudoun County.
Back in 2013, she and I embarked on a mission to visit every winery in the Commonwealth. We very quickly decided that this was an impossible and pointless endeavor. Besides, having started our mission here in Loudoun County, we discovered that there were so many exceptional choices right here that we could spend years and not visit every one of them, let alone the ones in the rest of the state.
There is so much to love about Loudoun County wineries. We have a bold and adventurous cadre of local winemakers who are not afraid to experiment and try new things, and they plant so many different varieties of grapes that we will never get bored. I love that we are attracting national attention. I love that several local wineries have managed to entice highly skilled, European-trained winemakers to help us develop our industry. I love they have resurrected Norton, a Virginia grape that once saved the global wine industry from extinction. I love that our wineries are at the forefront of viticultural science and technology. I love all of the people I’ve met through Loudoun wineries, from winery owners to people pouring wines at the counter on Saturday to other patrons. I love that every winery in Loudoun County is NOT 1,000 townhouses and a strip mall, or yet another data center.
But mostly, I love that I can sit in any one of more than forty beautiful wineries, relax, enjoy a little music have some conversation, and have a glass of world-class wine without having to drive more than a few miles from home.
Because judges are, as you read this, busily making their own selection of the Governor’s Cup case, Leesburg Lifestyle asked me put together my own selection of what I considered the best Loudoun wines. Though I love wine and I love to write about wine, it’s difficult for me to inflict my personal choices on anyone else. The absolute best wine in Loudoun County is the wine you enjoy for yourself without any pompous, self-appointed wine guy telling you what is good and what is bad. What I can do, however, is answer this question: If I had to pick 12 Loudoun wines to put into a case to enjoy for myself, what would I choose? So, here they are.
RED
- Walsh Family Wine – En Passant
- Breaux Vineyards – Merlot Equation X
- Doukénie Winery – Zeus
- Fabbioli Cellars - Sangiovese
- Otium Cellars – Blaufrankisch
- 8 Chains North - Cabernet Sauvignon
WHITE/ROSÉ
- Sunset Hills Vineyard – Viognier
- Greenhill Vineyards - Seyval Blanc
- Willowcroft Winery – Albariño
- Chrysalis Vineyards – Sarah’s Patio White
- Dry Mill Vineyards & Winery: Chambourcin Rosé
- Creek’s Edge - Chardonnay
